Indigenous Storytelling in VR & Program Info Session

This event starts off with an info session about the ArtWorksTO Indigenous Program led by Program Lead Kennedy Salloum. She will cover the timeline of the program, OCADU course, mentoring element, project host portion of the program and more. Make sure to come with your questions so you can feel as ready as possible to submit your application.

Once we wrap the info session, our VR workshop led by Melissa Johns will begin. Explore how virtual reality can become a space for Indigenous storytelling, art, and imagination. This one-hour session introduces the history of VR and highlights Indigenous artists using this experimental medium in powerful ways. Participants will get a feel for the tools and discover the many entry points into VR: whether through 360 video, game engines, or playful creation in Tilt Brush. No prior experience required, just curiosity and a creative spirit.

Facilitator: Melissa Johns

Melissa Johns is a new media artist and educator from a mixed Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk, Turtle Clan) and French Canadian background, born and based in Tkaronto. Melissa’s visual practice manifests at the convergence of contemporary media, using interdisciplinary methods to collect, preserve, and transform fragments of the stories around her. Specializing in virtual reality installations, digital painting, and video art, Melissa’s work centers on investigating the narrative potential of these emergent channels.