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MEET THE ARTISTS
We’re thrilled to introduce the talented artists joining us for this year’s Mississauga Festival of Trees!
These creators, hailing from all corners of Canada, are bringing their incredible art installations to life from December 6-15.
Join us in supporting their work by attending the festival and sharing your favorite moments with their pieces. Let’s make this a season to remember filled with art, community, and holiday cheer!
BIO
Sawmill Sid is an environmental artist known throughout North America for his practice of using only trees that have fallen due to storms or disease.
A Champion of Mother Earth, Sid has been awarded the prestigious "Ontario Wood Award", Mississauga's "The Credits, Cultural & Heritage Award", "The Credits, Natural Heritage Award" An Indigenous Artist, trained by Mother Earth and life.
"It is important to understand that my art is not what you see, but what leaves you talking and wondering about long after you have left my stage".
BIO
Sandra Clarke is a zero-waste textile artist dedicated to the transformative practices of slow stitching, visible mending, and craftivism.
She intertwines creativity with sustainability, fostering a connection between aesthetics and ethics. In a world dominated by fast fashion, Sandra embraces the beauty of repair and resourcefulness, using textile scraps and reclaimed materials to breathe new life into forgotten fabrics. Her artistic process is rooted in mindfulness, advocating for environmental consciousness and social justice through her craftivism.
Inspired by the natural world, her laid-back bohemian style celebrates the unique character of each textile, inviting viewers to reflect on the value of slow, mindful making in our fast-paced society.
BIO
Mackenzie Browning is a Canadian artist based in Hamilton, Ontario, specializing in screen-printing, book arts, and print-based sculpture.
His work is characterized by a bold and meticulous aesthetic that intersects design, craft, and fine art, often taking on architectural forms. Drawing inspiration from his rural upbringing on a sheep farm and experiences in various urban settings, he examines themes of nature and the impact of constructed environments.
His artworks have been exhibited locally and internationally and are included in notable collections such as Baylor University and the University of Saskatchewan. He holds an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan and a BFA (Honours) from Queen’s University
BIO
Leeay Aikawa is an interdisciplinary artist based in T’karonto/ Toronto (b. Japan). Her artistic practice intertwines playful ways of making through an eco-spiritual-feminist lens and responds to the here (space) and now (time).
As the climate crisis and our disconnection from the earth are increasingly deteriorating due to patriarchal colonial capitalism, she invsestigates sustainable ways to approach art making and often works with place-based materials from her walks.
She explores the trinity of ‘making,’ ‘knowing,’ and ‘being’- in other words, she considers ‘‘how she makes’ affects ‘how she knows’ the world and then ‘how she be’ in the world. Aikawa received MFA and BDes both from OCAD University.
BIO
Sarah Hancock is a contemporary eco-artist concerned with environmental dissonance. By exploring critical ecology Sarah finds the intersection of femininity, nature and science emerging in her art.
Her practice involves confrontational paintings of Ontario wildlife, mycology and vulture culture-inspired sculpture, and textiles exploring natural dyes and pigments.
She graduated from York University with a BFA in honours, showcased at TOAF 2024 and is one of 3 finalists for the Barrie Emerging Arts Award. In 2025 Sarah plans to go to Iceland for a residency program on Hrisey Island to develop her relationship with lichen.
BIO
Aurora Pagano a published artist, artistic director, and esteemed arts educator. As a pioneering teacher, she developed enriched arts programs for the TCDSB.
Pagano has spearheaded national and international collaborative projects and curated arts festivals. As an exploratory thematic artist, she delves into specific themes, using a range of media and techniques.
This focused approach uncovers new insights, resulting in richly layered bodies of work. Pagano's art, exhibited locally and abroad, includes immersive exhibits that empowers, address social justice, celebrates identity, history, and culture. As co-founder of the collective, 'Friends in Art,' her infectious passion drives her work and engages other artists to inspire communities.
BIO
Mina Keykhaei (Persian: مینا کیخایی) is an Iranian multidisciplinary artist and researcher based in Toronto. Through textile art and photography, she transforms overlooked materials to explore cultural narratives and challenge conventional perceptions of value.
Mina recently completed her Master of Arts in Fashion at Toronto Metropolitan University, receiving the Value Village Sustainable Graduate Award and the School of Fashion Award in Sustainable Design for her innovative approach to sustainable art. Her work continues to evolve through exhibitions in Canada and Iran.
BIO
We are four Visual Merchandising Design students from different countries, united by a deep interest in art.
Our cultural diversity and artistic backgrounds inspire us to explore how design can communicate and connect people. Each of us has contributed our perspective and skills, merging our cultures to invite viewers to reflect and discover the messages we want to convey.
We are motivated to create narratives that celebrate diversity and enrich spaces through emotion. We believe in design as a universal language, capable of fostering a dialogue between cultures and diverse realities.
BIO
Tammy McClennan is a multidisciplinary artist from Ontario, who has exhibited in North America and Europe. She studied sculpture/installation at OCAD U (Toronto), metalsmithing at NSCAD U (Halifax), and has attended studio residencies in Olafsfjordur, Iceland and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
Her work focusses on the theme, temporary landscapes, how landscapes change naturally and through human impact. In 2021, she began documenting beaver habitats around Southern and Central Ontario and creating works addressing the benefits of beavers in our landscapes.
Her work has been supported by Canada Council for the Arts, The Fur-Bearers, Craft Ontario and Ontario Arts Council.
BIO
Zach Wallace is a 29 year old welder by trade. He was born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario.
He began his work as a sculptor in 2015 while he was attending the Welding Techniques program at Sheridan College. He would often complete his lesson work in the shop early and began to use scrap around the shop to create his early works.
He is inspired by the works of Anthony Howe, David Smith, Theo Jansen and of course the wonderful plants and animals of our beautiful planet, for example beehives and romanesco broccoli. He met his now wife Shannon in 2015.
BIO
Ash Aalto is a multidisciplinary artist that fuses cultural tradition with contemporary self-expression.
Ash is inspired by the belief that cultural heritage is not just a relic of the past but a living, evolving force and uses art as a form of storytelling - one that uses the language of both the tangible and the abstract to express ideas about identity, memory, and belonging.
By combining traditional crafts with modern artistic practices, Ash aims to create dialogues that foster a collective exploration of our shared human narrative, sparking conversations that explore the dynamic relationship between past and present.
BIO
Mina Vancardo graduated from the Art and Art History Joint Program from the University of Toronto and Sheridan College.
This year marks her 24th year teaching Visual Arts in Peel. Her teaching practice is a balance of technical and experimental instruction. She encourages her students to learn from other artists, practice technical skills and to experiment as a method to find the artist within.
As a collage artist, she practices what she teaches; learning from others, refining her craft and remaining playful. Each creation begins with something found and evolves into something new. They are tiny narratives for the imagination.
BIO
Olya (Olha) Tkachenko was born and got her formal education in Fine Arts in Ukraine.
In 2014 Olya immigrated to Canada, where she worked in the Ukrainian Museum of Canada and led a private art school.
Since 2008 Olya worked as a freelance artist and illustrator. Olya's works have been exhibited in Ukraine, France, and Canada.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS
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