some kind of hope: envisioning collective futures

Alica Hall has been working at the intersection of art, communications and community development for over a decade. As a leader with deep roots in the community, she has served as the Co-Chair of Pride Toronto, helping the organization expand its strategic and artistic infrastructure. She oversaw the expansion of the festival from 10-days to a month and led the development of the organization’s first strategic plan. Over the years, Alica has formalized her practice as a curator through community based spaces and partnerships. Her curatorial practice is driven by a desire to explore identity and power, excavate lesser-known stories and a commitment to expand visual narratives surrounding the Black experience. In 2018, she took on the role of Executive Director at Nia Centre for the Arts, a Toronto-based charity that supports and showcases arts from across the Black diaspora in Canada. In her time at the Centre, she has curated their first Art Fair, doubled the operating budget and raised $12-million in capital funding. In 2023, Alica opened the doors of the newly renovated Nia Centre for the Arts: a 14,000 sq. ft facility serving as Canada’s first professional, multidisciplinary Black arts centre. Located in historic Little Jamaica, the Centre is a gathering space for Black artists, young creatives and community to showcase, support and promote artistic traditions from Canada’s Black diaspora.

Elle de Lyon is an award-winning Creative Producer, Director, Curator, and Event Producer, as well as a Community Arts Administrator and Developer. A cultural leader and arts practitioner, she is also a performing spoken word music artist and writer who believes in creating safe places for self-expression. Elle began as a participant at R.I.S.E. Edutainment’s inception as a grassroots collective in 2012 and advanced through volunteering and project management to become the Program Director in 2021. Her commitment to service has been pivotal to her success and the growth of the organization. Elle inspires others to volunteer and views service as the cornerstone of both her achievements and the organization’s development. Her work reflects a dedication to community-engaged place-making, collective joy, and innovative artistic futures.

Lillian O’Brien Davis (she/her) is a curator, writer based in Toronto, ON. She holds a Masters of Visual Studies in Curatorial Studies and a BA Hons. in the History of Art and English Literature from the University of Toronto. Lillian is currently the Curator of Collections and Contemporary Art Engagement at the The Goldfarb Gallery of York University. She has curated independent projects at the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Susan Hobbs Gallery (Toronto), School of Art Gallery at the University of Manitoba and the MacKenzie Art Gallery (Regina). Her writing has appeared in BlackFlash Magazine, Canadian Art online, C Magazine, Insight Magazine and RACAR Art History Journal. She is also currently one of two inaugural Visiting Curators at the University of Manitoba School of Art Gallery.

Lillian’s research interests are motivated by a broader, social momentum to redress power imbalances and historical erasures within contemporary art. Her practice follows pathways of research that explore the shifting nature of identity and consciousness, investigating experiences pertaining to the racialized or feminized “Other”—experiences often couched in secrecy, hidden from view or deemed too trivial for official record.

Sarah Edo is a curator and researcher born and based in Tkaronto/Toronto. Sarah has curated exhibits and programs with BAND Gallery, Images Festival, Whippersnapper Gallery, Lakeshore Arts and, through her Curatorial Residency, with the Gardiner Museum. Her art writing has been featured in BlackFlash Magazine, CMagazine, Gallery 44, Studio Magazine, Topical Cream, and 1919Mag. Sarah holds a Masters in Gender Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Cinema studies from the University of Toronto. Sarah joined the TBA team as the Curatorial Fellow, Programs, for its third edition.