Art Toronto Highlight: Rochemont Projects, Material Memories, Curated by Ashley McKenzie-Barnes
Documenting private lives, spiritual deities, and stems of memory through various forms of the Ghanaian culture. Material Memories reflects the artistic expressions and preservation of Ghana’s indigenous culture, communal beliefs and familial values passed on from generations. With the use of symbols, arrangements of fabrics, textiles and figures in motion, each work displays a pronounced characteristic and style rooted in traditional practices and views. Creating an atmosphere of ancestral connection, layered memories, emotions, and experiences that reclaim the black identity.
Material Memories is curated by award-winning Curator and Creative Director, Ashley McKenzie-Barnes. Delve into the artworks, below.
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Ashley is an award-winning Curator and Creative Director with over 17 years of integrated experience in design, cultural programming, teaching and visual art. She has worked in the media/broadcasting, entertainment, publishing, corporate, and non-profit sectors.
Most recently she led the launch of the international campaign for Universal Music Canada’s newest soul sensation Emanuel’s single Black Woman, which she was also profiled in. In 2020, she was the Curator for Canada’s longest running Black History festival, KUUMBA at Harbourfront Centre, and one of the main 2019 curators for Nuit Blanche Toronto. Her work has included programmed exhibitions, creative collaborations and award-winning installations for companies such as 19 Crimes Wine with Snoop Dogg, CIBC Square, Bombay Sapphire, Samsung, TEDxToronto, Sabian, Wray and Nephew, and Truly Seltzer, City of Toronto, and Manifesto Festival of Art and Culture and more.
She is responsible for introducing Toronto to internationally acclaimed artists and art projects like Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp (NYC), JR’s Inside Out Project (PAR), Nina Chanel Abney (NYC) Shani Crowe (CHI), Mr. Cartoon (LA), Ernie Panicciolio (NYC), Vince Fraser (UK) and Dubelyoo (ATL) in a variety of DIY spaces and traditional galleries to major Canadian institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO). As a Creative Director and Art Director, she has conceptualized and lead award-winning global campaigns for Scotiabank and executed large-scale projects for Sabian, Universal Music, Walmart, Bell Media, CBC and several small to mid-sized creative agencies. Her designs skills were also most recently acquired by Lauryn Hill for her fashion collection celebrating 20 years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.
She’s a part time Academic Professor in the Visual and Digital Arts program at Humber College and has directed the Creative Arts Academy for The Remix Project, a alternative learning program with a focus on developing at-risk youth.She’s been a featured speaker, moderator and guest facilitator across many forums for Mayor John Tory, FreshBooks, #MoveTheDial, RBC, OCAD, Ontario Arts Council, TDSB, Ontario Association of Art Galleries, UofT, ArtReach, Nia Centre for the Arts, Artscape and many others. Ashley has appeared on CP24 News, Global News, CTV News, Sirius XM, Metro Mornings, Newstalk 1010, CityTV, CBC Radio, CBC News, Jazz FM, CIUT 89.5 FM, BlogTO, Toronto.com, Leafly, and in the Globe and Mail, Elle Magazine, Toronto Life Magazine, Magazine, Toronto Star, Fashion Magazine, NOW Magazine, UofT Scarborough News, The Kit Compact, The Scarborough Mirror, Urbanology, Afrotoronto and others.
