The ARTWHERK! Collective
The ARTWHERK! Collective was created in winter of 2005 by Christopher Hayden, Chris Jai Centeno, and Ryan G. Hinds. Friends for years, they all had histories in social work and queer youth empowerment. In early 2009, Kevin Charlie joined the collective to assist with the ever growing demands of this group by providing administrative and creative support.
ARTWHERK! 2005 was an idea to create more space for young members of the LGBTQ community during Toronto's Pride celebration. The collective felt that young people did not have the same opportunities to express themselves during Pride and that with our past experience that we could show the LGBTQ and youth communities that young people can create and claim space very easily. The collective also wanted to give back to the communtity that has given so much to them.
Ryan G. Hinds, Co-founder
Crossing genres, blending lines, and mixing politics and art since 1979, Ryan G. Hinds is a versatile Toronto-based performance artist. Combining high-octane vocals, high kicks and high fashion with strong identity poltics and outrageous words, Ryan believes in finding the art in entertainment (and vice versa).
A previous recipient of Arts & Culture awards from both the City of Toronto and the YouthLine, a Citizen of the Year recognition from the City of Mississauga, and several grants from Community One Foundation, queer audiences recognize Ryan from his music-based performances at venues like Circa, Revival, The Gladstone, Goodhandy's and many festival stages (Including Nuit Blanche and Pride) and his tireless activism around issues that address queer youth and people of color. Theatre audiences have seen him in plays and musicals everywhere from Theatre Passe Muraille to Buddies in Bad Times to Tarragon, and Ryan is proud to be the first black actor to play Hedwig in "Hedwig & the Angry Inch" (also one of only a handful who appeared both in the movie version and a stage production). Having worked with everyone from art stars Ina unt Ina and WIll Munro to playwright Sky Gilbert to icons like Liza Minnelli and Debbie Reynolds, Ryan has been described as "dazzling" (Susan G. Cole, Now Magazine), "thrilling" (Robin Sharpe, BlogTo.com),a "queer reniassance hero" (Paul Gallant, fab magazine), and a "trash-tastic whirling dervish" (rea Mcnamara, eye magazine), "
Also an unrepentant media whore, Ryan has appeared twice on the cover of Xtra, (notably appeared on the cover of the Millenium issue); ABC's The View; The Camilla Scott Show; and countless other places. One of the founding members of Dady K & The Rhythm Method and ARTWHERK!, Ryan's dedication to the promotion of queer performative spaces and activism is a motivating factor in his ARTWHERK! involvement. Wanting to do an event for pride that went a bit deeper than the traditional circuit party or beer garden, he says "ARTWHERK! is about mixing personal thought with political action. That a bunch of young queer people, in many cases queers of color, can inhabit these spaces and create new work and experiences is a fierce, fierce thing."
Christopher Hayden, Co-founder
Christopher Hayden approves of Queers, Art and stirring up trouble.
As one of the co-founders of the ARTWHERK! Collective, Christopher came up with the idea for ARTWHERK! when he returned to Toronto from the Canada World Youth program. With the help of his amazing friends, this team was able to develop ARTWHERK! into a space that provides professional advancement for emerging Queer (as in not normative) artists, as well as a social and cultural space for Queer communities and their allies.
Christopher comes to ARTWHERK! with a strong history of Queer community development. As a highschooler, he was quite active organizing his gay-straight alliance and conferences about LGBTQ issues. Christopher continued to influence Toronto's Queer Youth community as a volunteer with Supporting Our Youth and host for the Fruit Loopz Pride Youth Stage. As of late Christopher has also been working with the Ten Oaks Project (based in Ottawa) staffing Camp Ten Oaks, a camp for LGBTQ-idenified youth and youth from LGBTQ-families. For his participation, Christopher had his "Contributions to Queer Youth Visibility" recognized in 2006 by the LGBT YouthLine.
While Christopher is a graduate from Ryerson University's Politics and Governance program, he also has a strong arts background. Graduating from Etobicoke School of the Arts music theatre program in 2003, Christopher continued on to participate in Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's Summer Youth Project under the direction of Franco Boni. Today, Christopher, aka Bruin Pounder can be found dancing across Toronto's stages as a founding member of BoylesqueTO - Toronto's first all-male burlesque troupe.
For Christopher, art is a means to promoting community development. By speaking our minds and exposing our hearts, it is possible to create incredible social challenge and change.
Chris Jai Centeno, Co-founder
Chris Jai Centeno is a Manila-born, Dhahran-raised, London and Rabat-lived, Toronto-based journalist and activist. He has been a Staff Reporter for the Toronto Star in 2007-2008; launched fab Magazine's style section as the magazine's Style and Listings Editor in 2007-2008; and is currently working in the news assignment desk at Global TV in Toronto. His writings have also appeared in FQ, Inside Entertainment Magazine, Xtra!, EYE WEEKLY and the Toronto Star.
In the community arts realm, his scandalicious acts include writing and performing Church Street Blues in the 2004 Retro Rhubarb! Festival as part of the Under 21 Series; participant in the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre's 2003 Summer Youth Project; co-director and producer of SPACEdOUT, which was featured in 2004 Inside Out Film Festival. He has also been a past MC and performer for the Fruit Loopz Pride Youth Stage; hosted the Pink Ink/Youth Open Mic for Writing Outside of the Margins in 2007; recipient of the 2005 Youth Line Community Youth Awards for Queer Youth Visibility; and was the Youth Coordinator for Pride Toronto from 2005-2006.
Kevin Charlie, Admin/Creative Support
Kevin Charlie is the newest member to join the ARTWHERK! Collective assisting with creative and administrative support. Kevin has maintained an active role within the community over the years including volunteering with the LGBT Youthline and holding positions with the Counterpoint Community Orchestra such as President and Executive Director of Concerts and Events.
Kevin is a wedding and lifestyle photographer based in Toronto and available for destination travel assignments worldwide. Kevin's work has included personal projects, various wedding and portrait/headshot clients as well as food photography for Whole Foods Market, catering companies and cookbook authors.
Previously having exhibited with ARTWHERK!, it was only natural to become a part of this amazing collective to provide support to emerging and established artists within the LGBT community. Kevin currently has a solo exhibition entitled 'Tiny Town' on display during the Contact Photography Festival May 4'th - 29'th, 2009.