Brampton artist Laya Mendizabal has been named the first photographer in residence through a new joint program from Canon Canada and the Brampton Arts Organization (BAO).
The residency, announced June 10, offers a local professional photographer a $5,000 honorarium, a stipend of up to $1,500 for the Canon Print Shop and Frame Lab, working space at Canon Canada Headquarters, and the use of a professional camera kit, according to the Brampton Arts Organization.
A summer spent documenting the city
Mendizabal, described by BAO as a queer, Canadian-Peruvian multidisciplinary artist and arts worker, will spend June and July capturing everyday life across the city — visiting parks, recreation centres, courts, neighbourhood streets, transit routes and commercial areas throughout Brampton.
Their work explores identity, belonging and connection, often reflecting on lived experiences across diverse communities, and draws on film, photography and community-based practice, BAO said.
Working in a documentary style, Mendizabal will let the images emerge organically so the finished work reflects the rhythms and emotional textures of daily life in Brampton. The final photographs are intended to reveal the presence, care and vitality that shape the city's communities.
How residents can take part
All community members are invited to take part in the residency. Mendizabal will host a free photo walk through Downtown Brampton on Saturday, June 27, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Participants will meet at BAO's space at 8 Nelson St. W. The walk is open to all ages and no photography experience is needed.
The residency will conclude with an artist talk and exhibition of the new works at Canon Canada Headquarters, located at 8000 Mississauga Rd. in Brampton. The event, in July, will be free and open to everyone, with the exact date still to be announced.
Part of a growing residency tradition
The new program builds on the Brampton Artist in Residence and Brampton Writer in Residence programs that BAO developed with Brampton Library. It gives a Brampton-based photographer the chance to work in a professional photographic studio and showcase their talent through a final exhibition at Canon Canada headquarters.
BAO is a registered non-profit that supports Brampton's arts, culture and creative industries, and describes itself as a key partner in fulfilling the City of Brampton's strategic vision and Culture Master Plan.
