TORONTO – Four Canadian artists, whose skills span a wide range of practices, will be the 2021 artists in residence of the Doris McCarthy Artist-in-Residence Program.

Run by the Ontario Heritage Trust and supported by the RBC Foundation, the residency program provides professional artists from across Canada space to live and work at the former home and studio of renowned Canadian artist Doris McCarthy.

For 2021, the artists are:

• Shahrzad Amin, Interdisciplinary Artist, Oakville, Ontario
• Aaron Jones, Visual and Multimedia Artist, Pickering, Ontario
• Cassandra Myers, Poet and Writer, Toronto, Ontario
• Alize Zorlutuna, Interdisciplinary Artist and Curator, Toronto, Ontario

In 1988, McCarthy donated her residence, Fool’s Paradise, to the Ontario Heritage Trust for heritage and artistic activities. Her vision was for other artists to have the opportunity to live and work at the site that inspired her own artistic expression.

“Our vision for the residency program at Fool’s Paradise is that it contributes to the artistic and cultural legacy of Doris McCarthy by demonstrating the inspirational value of the landscape and promoting excellence in Canadian art, music and writing,” said John Ecker, Chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust. “We are delighted to welcome these four artists and hope that they will be able to draw inspiration from this remarkable home, just as McCarthy once did.”

“As a long-standing supporter of the arts, we are thrilled to partner with the Ontario Heritage Trust to foster the work of artists through the Doris McCarthy Artist-in-Residence program,” said Karen Eastwood, Regional Vice President, East Toronto, RBC Royal Bank. “Being able to promote an initiative that honours Doris’ vision is something we are proud to be a part of.”

Since the program began in 2014, 40 artists have completed residencies. Applications for 2022 residencies will open this spring, with an application deadline of September 30, 2021.

This program is supported generously by the RBC Foundation’s Emerging Artists Project.

For more information:

• Read the biographies of the four artists in residence for 2021
• Learn more about Fool’s Paradise
• Find out how to apply to the Doris McCarthy Artist-in-Residence Program

Contact:

Patricia Njovu, Senior Marketing & Communications Specialist, Ontario Heritage Trust. Patricia.Njovu@heritagetrust.on.ca, 437-248-1439

Fazleena Ansar, Regional Manager, Citizenship & Social Impact, Greater Toronto Region, RBC Royal Bank. Fazleena.Ansar@rbc.com, 416-974-0751

About the Ontario Heritage Trust

The Ontario Heritage Trust (the Trust) is an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. The Trust conserves, interprets and shares Ontario’s heritage. The Trust conserves provincially significant cultural and natural, tangible and intangible heritage, interprets Ontario’s history, celebrate its diversity and educates Ontarians of its importance in our society. The Trust envisions an Ontario where we conserve, value and share the places and landscapes, histories, traditions and stories that embody our heritage, now and for future generations.

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