People

The project builds on the research of Principal Investigator Dr. Ken Moffatt’s reimagining modes of learning and education through an arts-based reflective pedagogical practice. It also builds on  his previous SSHRC-funded research  which explored how new managerialism and neoliberalism constrains innovative approaches to learning in postsecondary education. Dr Moffatt was the Jack Layton Chair (opens in new window)  (2018- 2022). Currently, Dr Moffatt is the creator of  the podcast Downstream from What (external link)  which focuses on arts, technology and social justice. 

Cristina Pietropaolo is an independent researcher, writer and sometime photographer. She recently completed an MI (University of Toronto) specializing in Book History & Print Culture. She also holds an MA in Folklore (Memorial University of Newfoundland) and studied at the University of Edinburgh. Her research on feminist intersections of art, DIY print culture and citizenship was published in the latest issue of The iJournal. (external link, opens in new window)  Other research interests include orality and im/permanence, small and independent presses, and book arts. Cristina works at the TMU Library Collaboratory, a hub for for cross- and interdisciplinary graduate student and faculty research.

Dr. Lauren Kirshner is a writer, community arts leader, and Assistant Professor of English. She was a finalist for the City of Toronto Book Award, and her writing has appeared in popular publications across North America. She held a Canada Council Writer-in-Residency and has presented hundreds of community workshops and collaborated with organizations including Luminato, Toronto Public Library, and CAMH. Since 2010, she has served as Founding Creative Director of Sister Writes (external link) , a creative writing and publishing program for at-risk women. Visit her website (external link, opens in new window)  to get familiar with her most recent works.

Dr. Reena Tandon currently leads the Community Engaged Learning and Teaching (CELT) program (opens in new window)  in the Faculty of Arts, at TMU. In this role, she designs, co-creates & facilitates academically embedded community engaged initiatives & courses across disciplines. She draws on her extensive experience in research, teaching & consulting around the globe. She has presented & published on innovative pedagogical approaches as well as her research on migrant women, precarious labour, resistance & organizing. She is a co-author of Immigration and Women (NYU Press) (external link, opens in new window)  & maintains deep connections to immigrant women & community groups including chairing the Executive Board of the South Asian Women’s Centre in Toronto & been a board member of the Sherbourne Health Centre. 

Trina Grover is a research librarian and currently the Collections Lead for the Faculty of Community Service, Indigenous Studies Librarian, Head of Cataloguing, and Systems Librarian. She works with the Library to offer a wide variety of interventions related to Wikipedia, including a cross-institutional Black History Wiki Edit-a-thon in partnership with the University of Toronto, York University, and Toronto Public Library. She works with librarians across Canada to redefine cataloguing from a decolonial perspective.

Alison Skyrme is Librarian in the Archives and Special Collections Department at Toroto Metropolitan University. Her research focuses on the pedagogical use of primary sources, accessibility, and democratization of archival materials. Her recent work concentrates on increasing access to BIPOC records and for BIPOC researchers.

Saarah Furmli is a Bachelor of Social Work student who was recently accepted to law school, who has extensive community experience in Toronto’s Afghan community with the North York Community House. Her arts-based practice includes her embroidery company Mursal Embroiders. As a research intern to the Jack Layton Chair, she has assisted in program planning and an extensive social media strategy to engage diverse communities, and has been working on this project as part of her research practicum.

Alexa Vachon is a scholar, image maker, and visual storyteller whose work focuses on themes including agency, displacement, trauma, queer identity, and ethical responsibilities in visual representation. She’s drawn to issues that she has personal experience with, often collaborating with those who don’t fit neatly into society’s boxes. After many years in New York (BFA, School of Visual Arts), Berlin (Meisterklasse, Ostkreuzschule), and The Hague (MA, Photography & Society), she is currently a PhD student at TMU where her research focuses on the issues of ongoing and evolving consent in photographic representation and collaborative research practices. Vachon’s work has been exhibited widely and featured in FOAM, PHmuseum, and the British Journal of Photography, among others. In 2018 she published 'RISE,' a Canada Council for the Arts funded book project with the women of 'Champions ohne Grenzen,' a football team for refugee players in Berlin. She is the Co-Director of SORCE (Scholarship on Research-Creation Expertise) (external link, opens in new window)  and works as a graduate research consultant at The Collaboratory, TMU. 

Research Assistant Steph Rychlo is a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University’s Bachelor of Social Work program with minors in Psychology and Sociology. They are also pursuing continuing education on community care and harm reduction strategies. Steph is a queer, non-binary, neurodivergent & disabled person with a strong commitment to forming equitable policies and programs to serve their community. They are currently president of The Toronto Metropolitan Association of Part-time Students (TMAPS) and have worked with grassroots projects such as Students for Harm Reduction and The Criminalization & Punishment Education Project (CPEP). Steph is a visual artist and trained dancer looking to incorporate arts into community building and knowledge mobilization efforts.

Basma Khan is a recent graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University's BA English program where she also completed minors in Communication Design and Psychology.

Basma has strong experience in research, student leadership, and internal/external affairs. While Basma aims to pursue further studies in her journey of becoming a professor, she is currently seeking employment in corporate communications. Her research interests are arts-based research, community arts, gender studies, cultural studies, pop culture, rhetoric, and critical theory.

Ada So is a MSW graduate from York University and holds a BSW from Toronto Metropolitan University.

While engaged with a social work practice, she enjoys incorporating arts to social work elements.

She has an active professional creative practice that includes digital art, film, and video editing.

Caitlin Gardner is completing her BA in Child and Youth Care and is a grant recipient of the Undergraduate Research Opportunity program at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has a background in Fine Art at Concordia University and focuses her current creative practice on art and craft making in shared third places. She has extensive experience in creative therapeutic and recreational programming with youth from both across Canada internationally, from the Yukon, Toronto, Montreal, and Berlin. Her research interests include opportunities where creative programming for marginalized children and youth intersect with queer theory, disability studies, community development, decolonization, and climate justice.