OAFAC

Open Access Foundation for Arts and Culture

Board

Colour photo of Heather with shaven head, wearing glasses, standing facing the camera, wearing a blue plaid shirt open over a black t-shirt with white trees on the front, they are outside under a tree

Heather McCain

Heather (they) is founder and Executive Director of Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods. Heather’s experiences with disabilities, neurodivergence, inaccessibility, and ableism led them to become a well-known and respected advocate, speaker, and educator. Heather’s proudest to be known as a Crip Doula, a Disability Justice term for someone who helps disabled people navigate complex systems, provide resources, and build community.

Image Description

I am a white non-binary person who is fat, freckled, wears silver glasses and has a shaved head. I am wearing a blue plaid shirt over a grey shirt with white trees. I am standing outside under a tree. My arms are bent at the elbow, as I’m resting my hands on my walker handles (which is not included in the photo).

Photo credit: K. Ho

Colour photo of Vanessa standing dressed in black looking directly at the camera, they have cropped dark hair, and tattoos on their right forearm

Vanessa Kwan 

Vanessa Kwan is an artist, producer, and curator with a focus on collaborative, site-specific and cross-disciplinary practices. They are currently Director + Curator, Gallery and Exhibitions at Emily Carr University on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territories (Vancouver, Canada). They have worked in artistic leadership roles since 2003, contributing to organizations such as grunt gallery, the Vancouver Art Gallery, Other Sights for Artists’ Projects, Access Gallery, Powell Street Festival and Out On Screen. They regularly write, speak and publish on art and culture, and since 2017 have been producing residency projects across the Pacific Rim (Vancouver, Seoul, Melbourne and Sydney) exploring artist-led creative exchange. In addition they have produced significant public art works including Geyser for Hillcrest Park (with Erica Stocking), Speaker A, a permanent sound installation co-created with Theatre Replacement (Maiko Yamamoto and James Long) and Curtains, an upcoming collaborative performance work.

Image Description

Vanessa (VK) is facing front and looking directly at the camera. They are an Asian human with tan skin and dark, short cropped hair with grey at the temples and a round face. Their face is relaxed, with no smile. They are standing against a grey background and wearing a black tshirt, black pants and a gold pendant. Their hands are clasped loosely in front of them and there are geometric tattoos visible on their forearms.

This image captures Meera's torso and head. She has her arms held up behind her head, allowing her head to rest on the palms of her hands. Her light brown hair is in a bun and her skin and eyes are brown. She is smiling with teeth visible and she is looking at the camera. She wears a grey half-zip fleece sweater. There is a large tree trunk behind her and other green pine trees in the background.

Meera Govindasamy

Meera Govindasamy (she/her) is a facilitator, podcast creator, writer, and activist-researcher living in Toronto. She is presently the Academic Engagement Specialist in Toronto Metropolitan University’s (TMU) Student Life and Learning Support department as well as an occasional Contract Lecturer at the university. From 2019 to 2021 Meera was the Co-Director of the Studio for Media Activism and Critical Thought, a research center at TMU that brings together artists, activists, and academics to create joyful and radical spaces for learning and community.

Meera holds an MA in Communication and Culture from the joint program at Toronto Metropolitan University and York University, and a BAH in Sociology from Queen’s University. Meera’s creative work and facilitation is guided by an intersectional approach with emphasis on exploring experiences of migration, race, ableism, colonization, and more. Most recently, Meera has been exploring her mixed Tamil-South African and white settler heritage through food and writing. The cooking is going fine.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION

This image captures Meera’s torso and head. She has her arms held up behind her head, allowing her head to rest on the palms of her hands. Her light brown hair is in a bun and her skin and eyes are brown. She is smiling with teeth visible and she is looking at the camera. She wears a grey half-zip fleece sweater. There is a large tree trunk behind her and other green pine trees in the background.

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