MiR Cohort 1
Mentors in Residence
January-June, 2023
Aya Mhana
Musician
Areas of Support:
Performance opportunities
Community engagement
Tips for navigating the arts community as a performance artist in Calgary
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Aya Mhana is a Syrian-born singer, songwriter, and oud player. Also has a bachelor's degree in education, worked as a community broker for being passionate to help others also she is a graduate student in the digital marketing field as a way to Keep up with the changes in our life.
Since emigrating to Calgary, Canada, in 2016, Aya has performed at the Calgary Stampede and Globalfest, and with the Kensington Sinfonia. Also, got invited to Folkfest.
In 2020, for her outstanding commitment to the community and art, she received the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society New Canadian Artist Award and the Portail De L, immigrant Association(PIA) award. Also, Got nominated for the 2020 YYC music award. She was a resident artist in the Central Library in 2020 as a rewarding position for her contribution to the art seen in Calgary.
Aya’s musical journey is deeply influenced by her Syrian roots, Which was obvious in her album (Homeland) the combination of two homelands that she has Canada and Syria. Hailing from Sweida, she taught herself to play the oud (a string instrument similar to the lute) during high school and graduated from the University of Damascus with a degree in education. She volunteered with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, working with families displaced during the Syrian war.
Inspired by her volunteer work, Aya used her music to explore the human capacity for hope during wartime and performed her compositions in her home city. In Canada, she translates the rich culture of her homeland for audiences who often know little of Syria, but are eager to embrace her soulful melodies.
As an artist who inhabits the crossroad between nations, Aya is committed to speaking out about issues on exile and Diaspora, and to celebrate the importance of home. She hopes that her music helps shape Canada’s vision for a peaceful and vibrant cultural mosaic.
Cassandra Paul
Filmmaker and Arts Administrator
Areas of Support:
Exhibition process and best practices
Arts administration
Gallery contacts, networking
Professional development and skills development
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Cassandra Paul is an Arts Administrator with over ten years experience working in arts and culture organizations. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Painting) and a Diploma in Business Administration (Marketing). Cassandra has worked in visual, literary and civic arts as well as co-founded a contemporary art space she ran with her partner for 5 years. She is currently the Exhibitions and Programs Coordinator with the Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Alberta University of the Arts. In her current role, she provides mentorship for students and recent graduates; including skills development, networking and professional development. Cassandra is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the ICAI Mentor Program to support the growth and development of newcomer and immigrant artists, administrators, and cultural workers in the Calgary community.
Dan Cardinal McCartney
Assistant Director, Stride Gallery
Areas of Support:
Exhibition process and best practices
Visual arts
Arts management
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Dan Cardinal McCartney (hey/they) is an interdisciplinary artist and emerging curator who holds a degree from AUArts (2016) in Drawing. Most importantly, they are a full-time caregiver for their sister, Karri. Dan is of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations with family ties of Mikisew Cree, Metis, and mixed settler lines from Treaty 8 territory, specifically Fort Chipewyan. He is a foster care survivor raised in the northern boreal region of Fort McMurray.
As a Two Spirit transgender artist, Dan sifts through patterns of intergenerational trauma and troubles the colonial narrative of hyper individuality. He relates his personal, ongoing reconnection with his family to his yearning for gender euphoria through storytelling. Dan focuses on mixed media collage, painting, moving images, and performance.
Currently, they are the Assistant Director at Stride Gallery in so-called Calgary, AB.
Sayonara Cunha
Community Liaison, Calgary Arts Development
Areas of Support:
Community engagement
Funder and other organizations connections
Grassroots knowledge of Calgary arts ecosystem
Exhibition and performance related resources
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Sayonara Cunha (she/her/hers) is a community liaison at Calgary Arts Development. In this role, she is responsible for connecting the arts community in Calgary and working as the primary liaison between the community and staff equity working group.
Before joining Calgary Arts Development, Sayonara volunteered for different organizations in Calgary and worked for almost 10 years to preserve Brazilian Cultural Heritage living in Brasilia, Brazil. One of her main goals and passions was to humanize processes, laws, and policies to make them accessible to everybody. She also holds a master’s degree in public management from the University of Wellington in New Zealand. Navigating new challenges excites her, and what puts her in this state of flow is getting to know people, learning news views and understanding the different needs.
In her spare time, you might find her biking around the city, hiking in the mountains, drawing, reading in coffee shops, or falling in love with every tree she sees.