Meet the IAMP Pairs

Today, we are proud to announce the Immigrant Arts Mentorship Program (IAMP) pairs. The mentees met their mentors earlier and now we are publicly announcing the pairs that connect an immigrant or newcomer artist with a local mentor in their field or artistic craft.

The IAMP curriculum will feature a year of professional development sessions and time with their mentor and benefitting from their experience. IAMP will be concluded with a group exhibition for all the mentees. The goal of IAMP is to streamline the transition into the arts community for immigrant or newcomer artists or arts & culture workers.

Image 1: Natasha Faye Jensen is an interdisciplinary artist and cultural worker from Mohkinstsis/Calgary. She completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Alberta University of the Arts in 2013 and in 2020 she completed a Master of Arts in Contemporary Art Practice at the Edinburgh College of Art. Natasha has exhibited in galleries and festivals in Canada, US, UK, and Finland.

Zahra Entezarmahdi was born in Shiraz, Iran and moved to Calgary in 2018. She is a painter, photographer, and art instructor. She has about 35 years of experience of working with various painting mediums. She participated in many provincial and national painting exhibitions like “The First and Third Biennial Painting Exhibition of Iran”. She has exhibited in galleries in the Iranian cities of Shiraz, Tehran, and Esfahan. In Calgary, she volunteers with the Mustard Seed, the Persian Gulf Charity, YMCA, and Immigrants Services Calgary.

Image 2: Meghan Goguen completed a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from Laurier University and a Masters of Music in Voice Performance and Literature  from Western University. After working for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra as the Interim Artistic Operations Coordinator, Meghan had the experience to take the helm at Luminous Voices as their General Manager.

Perpetual 'Perpie' Nwaefido is a recording & performing saxophonist, a songwriter, arts manager, and aspiring producer. In 2018, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She released her debut composition project, ‘Meditation’, a 5-track EP in 2018, on which she wrote four out of the five tracks. The release was followed by a live performance at the Steinway Gallery. In the summers of 2016 and 2017, she was featured as official saxophonist in ‘Saro’, the Musical and ‘Wakaa’ the Musical by Bolanle Austen-Peters at the Shaw Theatre. 

Image 3: ​Dean O’Brien earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts Degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Eastman School of Music, with additional studies at the Peabody Conservatory and the Banff Centre. He has served as principal viola of the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, the Victoria Bach Festival and the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and has played with the Austin, San Antonio, Albany, NY and Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestras as well as the Calgary Philharmonic. Dr. O’Brien is currently an Instructor at Mount Royal University Conservatory and the University of Calgary where he performs with the UCalgary String Quartet. 

Bang (Bob) Zhang graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in  Beijing, China. Bang has worked with the China National Traditional Orchestra, Guangdong National Orchestra of China, China  Youth National Orchestra, China Ruan Chamber Ensemble, Central Conservatory of Music Wind  Band, Central Conservatory of Music Choir, and the Chinese Musicians Association Xinghai Choir. 

Image 4: ​Mark Vazquez-Mackay received his BFA from Alberta University of the Arts and his MFA  from the Instituto Allende in Mexico. He has been instructing a variety of drawing and painting classes at AUarts since 2004. In his own practice, Mark is an observational painter and drawer who’s work has been  exhibited across the continent. He predominately focuses on figurative subject matter, which has led him to receiving awards and national recognition in the field. When not working behind the easel, Mark’s research interests include the history and use of optics in Art, the connection between historical methods of Art making and modern technological modes of Art making, and the role of public Art. 

Sahar Hakimi is a visual artist based in Calgary, Canada. She was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. She earned a Bachelor of Art in painting from Azad University and Master of Art in painting from Alzahra University in Tehran. Her artworks are inspired by women as well as routine life, and could be described as a memory of a certain moment, where the past and future of that moment can be felt in painting.

Image 5: Maud Salvi was born in France, where she got involved with the arts community from a young age, spending years volunteering at festivals and in a music venue housed in a community center, where she fell in love with live music and grassroots organizing. She joined the POP Montreal International Music Festival where she honed her skills as an arts administrator, producer, and curator. In 2013, she moved across the country to join the Sled Island Music & Arts Festival as Executive Director. As a festival director and curator, she has participated in conferences across the world.

Partha Sarathi Gouda is an engineer and beat producer. He co-leads the music team at Madhuban Performing Arts. Passionate about the realms of both music and technology, he produces his own tunes and beats across a variety of genres. Partha has recently created sound design for a regional Indian movie. 

Image 6: Alex Kingcott is the Founder & President of Shareworthy Communications, established 2013 in Calgary, Alberta. Alex is a lifelong lover of the arts. She has more than 15 years experience in PR & marketing in the arts, entertainment, and lifestyle industries. Her special focus is in PR and media for special events and community engagement. Prior to Shareworthy, her work was recognized by the Digital Alberta Awards (2012), International Shopping Centre Awards (2014) and Special Event Gala Awards (2014). She is a regular lecturer at Mount Royal University’s Public Relations Program.

Lia Pereira is a writer, from Brazil, now Calgary-based. Using her knowledge to connect people and stories, she is driven by a constant curiosity to learn about new cultures, translating the world into words. Her tales & poetry seek to portray the human emotions that struggle against the dehumanization of the 21st century.

Image 7: Brian “Bunny” Batista began to follow his passion as an arts educator and opened his own art school - Atelier Artista at cSPACE King Edward. He got his BFA with distinction in 2001 from the Alberta College of Art and Design he went on to work in media arts and animation, and co-founded the Calgary Underground Film Festival. Since 2011, He taught in the Continuing Education department at the Alberta College of Art and Design, at Mount Royal and he also continues to teach animation to teens at the Quickdraw Animation Society and introductory sampler classes every few  Sundays at Swinton’s Art Supply. He is the President of the Calgary Allied Arts foundation.

Juan 'Joey' Qi is an illustrator from China. 20 years ago, Joey started a career as an illustrator. Drawing various types & styles of illustrations, publications, fairy tale picture books, comics, game illustrations, storyboards, & countless commercial illustrations. Joey’s specialty is storytelling, when plot meets an illustration or comic book form.

Image 8: Francis A. Willey is part  Cree. That connection to the history, languages, & cultures of Indigenous peoples is ever-powerful in his artistic practice. Francis is a self-taught, 35mm film photographer. He is deeply fascinated by fabric and historical textiles and is a collector of rare books and antiquities. He writes poetry and also enjoys composing music on the piano in his spare time. He has been referred to as a portraitist or a neo-pictorialist in his photographic pursuits by the academic art world. He searches for depth, continuity, and mystery in the narrative and spirit of each subject or individual. He believes that a deeper, more compassionate culture can be created through the arts. 

Anil Yadav is a practicing artist, urban planner, and designer living and working in Calgary. He started to sketch professionally after he arrived in Canada from India to pursue higher studies in 2019. His style of practice is mostly using black ink pen for urban sketching. He enjoys drawing live on location to capture vibrant and engaging cityscapes.

Image 9: Claudia Chagoya is an interdisciplinary artist born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and based in Calgary, Canada. She holds an MFA degree from the University of Calgary, and a BFA from Instituto Allende in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Her artistic practice explores topics related to gender violence and her socio-political background, through the use of materials rooted in Mexican culture tied to various rituals such as: rebozos, salt, copal and sawdust.

Joy ‘Ligaya’ Domingo is a Filipina artist currently based in Calgary. Her works range from painting, photography, video, production design, and dance. She studied Fine arts at the College of the Holy Spirit, Manila and Art History at the University of the Philippines. Joy is also an activist and a mother. She has been involved in many community organizing events that involved art and social justice working with NGOs in Southeast Asia. Her works have been focused on reflecting on women’s role and condition.