Jubilee Lower Lobby

Anthony T Russell is a first-generation Canadian of Jamaican descent. Growing up and currently living in Calgary AB, Russell attended Bishop O’Byrne high school, where he received his diploma in the international baccalaureate program. Residing in Calgary his whole life, Anthony has had the pleasure to make long-lasting connections to the community and the people in it.

Although he was able to cultivate meaningful relationships, he also had to endure the pressure and stigma that came with being a young black male in a marginalized community. Because of these hardships, Russell had to find a way to cope with the struggles he faced daily. Making and creating art was something Anthony did from a young age, so when it came time to combat these stigmas and stereotypes that he faced, art was the obvious and only way he knew how to fight against them. He spent his early artist years fighting against oppression, racial and social injustice, prejudice and advocating for equity and equality.

Now with a focus still on those aspects, he shifted towards celebrating the beauty, culture and heritage of the melanin community while educating on social and racial topics. Since the beginning of his career he has had the great pleasure to display his work through exhibitions and galleries in Calgary as well as leading workshops, and residencies, and teaching about the importance of the arts in our community in conjunction with educating about black history and minority groups. Anthony strongly believes that we can change the current condition of our community, country and even the world through creation and caring.

Shawnee Danielle is an Indigenous Cree artist who was raised on the Maskwacis Reserve and is currently based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan or so-called Edmonton. In 2018, she graduated from MacEwan University with a Diploma in Fine Arts
and moved forward in her academic studies to complete her Bachelor’s in Fine Arts in Art and Design at the University of Alberta
in 2020. In 2019, she received the Indigenous Careers Award and was awarded numerously by Nipisihkopahk Iyinisiwin Trust Fund
for the completion of her education throughout her academic career. She considers her practice to be a continuous exploration
of her own Cree identity, both learning and exercising traditional practices, as she navigates her relationship with cultural identity
through themes related around femininity, indigeneity, trauma, and body. While she works primarily as a painter, she also works
with various mediums such as installation, video, digital media and photography.