Paintings by Ania

Ania Stypulkowski: As the “bloggista” of ArtBridges, I have truly seen the ways in which networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and WordPress can bring people together in order to enrich the arts community.I feel like I’ve met so many great people during our phone interviews, all of whom believe in the innate power of art making as a way to make a fundamentally better Canada. The stories we hear on a regular basis are so inspiring that it really drives my own artwork and confirms my belief that artwork is something for everyone to enjoy, create and be uplifted by. I’ve been fortunate enough to be accepted into the Ontario College of Art and Design’s Florence Exchange Program in Italy, and so I’ll be spending my third year abroad! You can join me on my adventure by visiting my blog, aniastypulkowski.blogspot.com I look foreward seeing ArtBridges grow and continue to expand, and to discover more about Community arts p.r.o.p.s ( projects, resources, organizations programs) in Canada and abroad! Ciao!

Lisa Tran: Hei alle sammen! My name is Lisa and after living abroad for a year, I’m excited to return to ArtBridges as the Social Networking and Communications Assistant! I came on ArtBridges as a Research Assistant in April 2009, where Seanna and I spent months  calling organizations, centres and everything in between to find amazing community art programs all across Canada. Last Fall, I left ArtBridges to study in Norway for a year. I received a scholarship to attend a post-secondary Norwegian Folk High School to study Norwegian Language and Culture. It was a fantastic and memorable year, but I’m glad to be back in Toronto and even happier to rejoin the ArtBridges family! Seanna and I both took York University’s Community Arts for Social Change course in 2008, where we bonded over the importance of arts in under-resourced communities and our love of coffee. In the Fall, I will be returning to York University as a 4^th-year part-time student. I look forward to talking to you soon, in whichever language you’d prefer! (“Hei alle sammen!” means “hi, everyone!” in Norwegian!)