On Tuesday, January 30th, 2024, the HCC hosted its annual Let’s Talk UTM event!
Let’s Talk UTM is an event that aims to bring together students, staff, and faculty to encourage open conversations, education, and capacity building related to mental health. By sharing our stories and lived experiences, we hope to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and help make UTM a more open and inclusive campus environment. Through a combination of interactive activities, sharing resources, and learning through storytelling, we highlighted the importance of mental well-being, the struggles we can experience and their relevance to everyday life.
This year, Let’s Talk UTM ran from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM in the CCT Atrium. The event was fully in-person!
Event Features:
- "Our Mental Health Journey" (Art Exhibition)
- Guest artist Apanaki Temitayo
- Mental Health Resource Fair
- Peer-led activities (art and crafts)
- Meaningful conversations
- and so much more!
Call to Participate: Art Exhibit - "Our Mental Health Journey"
To showcase the diverse experiences of mental health, self-care, and personal growth, we invited UTM students, staff, faculty, and alumni to share their mental health journey with the UTM community. We loved hearing about your lived experiences through creative forms of personal expression, such as a drawing, painting, collage, statue, photograph, poem, film, and more! These stories were featured in the "Our Mental Health Journey" Art Exhibit at the Let’s Talk UTM event.
Submissions are now closed. We sincerely thank all those who participated and shared their journey.
If you have any questions about your submission, feel free to contact Sabdanaa Jeyakumaran at s.jeyakumaran@utoronto.ca.
Guest Artist Info:
Apanaki Temitayo, a pansexual and multi-disciplinary fibre artist based in Toronto, originally hailing from Trinidad, intricately weaves her artistic identity with a profound connection to her Trinidadian heritage and spirituality. The Artist in Residence at the Nia Centre for the Arts for Fall 2023. Apanaki's canvas compositions are a compelling manifestation of her creative vision.
Her artistic journey includes holding the esteemed title of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health's 1st Artist in Wellness from 2019 to 2021 and being featured in the Sales and Rental Program at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Apanaki's trailblazing spirit was evident when she became the first woman of colour showcased in Room Magazine's Woman of Color Issue in 2016.
Noteworthy exhibitions such as Numb at Workman Arts, Being Scene 20th Annual Juried Virtual Exhibition 2021, and To Speak Without Speaking have celebrated her distinctive talent. A highlight in her career was her international debut at the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department's 9th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition, where her artwork titled Mama's Watching captivated audiences in South Carolina.
Apanaki's creative prowess extends to commissions like Oshun Blooming, featured at the Grow Room Feminist Literary Festival 2018, now held in the private collection of Donna Slaight, Founder of The Slaight Family Foundation.
Explore Apanaki's artistic world through her website and connect on social media for a deeper glimpse into her captivating creations.