My name is Mirka Loiselle, and I'm a visual artist and arts educator for children & youth based in Tkaronto/Toronto. I currently work as a freelance educator for a number of community arts organizations and program providers, including VIBE Arts, SkyBlue Studio,ExploreIt! and Playocity. I also work as a freelance illustrator.
As an artist, I am excited by narrative-based art practices, including illustration, storybooks, comics, zines, puppetry, and live theatre. While my professional practice as an artist is centered around drawing, as an educator I love to dabble with other techniques, including printmaking, painting, and collage. I want my students to discover their unique voice as an artist; to that end, I encourage art-making centered around play, experimentation, and collaboration.
Please get in touch with inquiries about workshops, programs, or just to say hello! I can be found on Instagram @mirka.creates.
As a white, queer, francophone settler on Turtle Island, I am mindful that I inhabit a settler-colonial state, and I strive to support and stand in solidarity with the original indigenous caretakers of the lands I call home. I believe that in order to achieve a truly just world, we need to dismantle the systems of white supremacy, colonialism, and capitalism that continue to oppress marginalized communities. I believe that art can be a site for revolutionary change, but that cannot happen if it is created and consumed in a bubble, removed from the needs and histories of the communities in which the work is created. I seek to support that struggle through my artistic and educational practice, whenever possible.