Multiple Selves
with Magdolene Dykstra / June 2021
About the Studio Session
How can we make visual the multiplicity of our species, and an individual’s place within it? This 4-week Studio Session will examine the tension between the simultaneous importance and insignificance of our individual presence. Taking inspiration from existing artist strategies for acknowledging the ever-growing number of humans on this planet, participants will experiment with clay and other media to explore what it means to be a part of a continually expanding population. In keeping with the overarching goal of Studio Sessions, Magdolene has designed this session around ideas of testing and investigation, rather than the creation of finished work.
About the Lead Artist
Magdolene Dykstra is a second generation Egyptian-Canadian. After studying both biology and visual arts in undergraduate studies, she received her MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Magdolene has participated in residencies at the Medalta Historic Clay District and the Watershed Center for Arts and Crafts. Magdolene has been awarded several grants from the Ontario Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts, including Research and Creation Grants, Exhibition Assistance Grants, and Arts Abroad Grants. Recent exhibitions include a site-specific installation at the Gardiner Museum (Toronto, ON). Upcoming exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Jane Hartsook Gallery (New York, NY). Magdolene served as the Visiting Artist in Residence at Concordia University (2020/2021). She is also the founder of SWAG, a group dedicated to supporting womxn artists in the Niagara region, where she is a passionate artist-educator, teaching at secondary and post-secondary levels.