Max (formerly Sarah) Ferguson has been a practicing artist since 1996 and received his BFA from the University of Regina in 2001. He graduated with an MFA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Visual Art and Women’s and Gender Studies) in 2017 and is currently pursuing his PhD in Art and Women’s and Gender Studies at York University. His artistic explorations involve disability studies, gender, neurodivergent and trans-queer sexualities, activism, the body, surrealism, and psychoanalysis. Max has worked with a variety of media, ranging from computer-based works and readymades, to paintstick, graphite, and digital collage. Currently, his work revolves around hybridized notions of photography, sculpture, sound, installation and performance, involving the psyche, the body, activism, queer theory, and mental health. He is also a published poet and writer, holds a degree in journalism, and has worked as a political, legal, military and arts writer in four different provinces over the past decade.

Heidi Persaud is a Toronto based culture worker, artist, and plant enthusiast. She is a recent graduate of Humber College for Arts administration and Cultural Management and holds a BFA from Ocadu. Her art practice is driven by her passion for storytelling, sustainability, disability justice, and accessibility. She has exhibited in Canada, Berlin, Korea, China, Brazil, and Finland at universities, non-profit galleries, and alternative spaces. Heidi is currently the Gallery Manager at Tangled Art + Disability and is on the Visual & Digital Arts/Art Foundation Program Advisory Committee at Humber College.

Timaj Garad is the Outreach and Access Program Manager at Toronto Arts Council (TAC). She is leading the development of TAC’s new Black arts funding program, in addition to supporting outreach activities and improving accessibility across the organization. For the past 15 years, Timaj has been performing, facilitating workshops, and creating events as a spoken word artist and singer-songwriter, alongside her community work supporting Black artists, newcomers, youth, and persons with disabilities. Timaj is deeply passionate about creating greater access to the arts and amplifying artists in Toronto’s underserved communities.

Toronto Arts Council Creative Communities Program Manager Kevin Reigh has 15+ years experience in the arts/not for profit sector having previously worked at dance Immersion, the Canadian Music Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) and Unity Charity.  Kevin also founded Mosiah Grant Writing + Creative Communications to help independent artists and smaller not-for-profit organizations navigate the world of grant writing and proposal development. As a writer and spoken-word artist, Kevin has released one album (Ground Provisions) and two volumes of poetry (Love Universes All Things and Bedroom Bully) and has collaborated with numerous musicians and dancers throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Kevin’s work was included in T-Dot Griots: An Anthology of Toronto’s Black Storytellers and he also contributed spoken-word to Paranoid Jack’s The Last of the Funky Cyborgs.

Kais Padamshi is Workman Arts’ Interim Public Programming and Partnerships Manager.