Christina Dedes - An Emerging Young Artist
Submitted by Roxanne Carter
Emerging young artist Christina Dedes found a passion for art while attending I.E. Weldon Secondary School in Lindsay. High school art teachers Lesley Drummond (KLAC board member), and Paul Marshall were instrumental in nurturing Christina’s interest in artistic expression. Christina enjoyed the atmosphere in the classroom where she spent four years in high school concentrating and developing her practice. During this time, she took part in the Juried Student Art Show at the Kawartha Art Gallery. One of the jurors, Mr. Gary Sedore, chose her piece during the student show, then generously awarded her with the Margaret Sedore Bursary, which paid for her first semester tuition at post-secondary.
Christina enrolled at the Haliburton School of Art and Design, where she earned her diplomas in Visual Creative Arts and Integrated Design. In her final year, she received certificates in Ceramics and Digital Image Design. Limited ceramic pieces, created during her certificate are currently available at Watson & Lou, a beautiful, creative hub for local artists and makers located in downtown Peterborough.
Christina enjoys the use of computer-based software such as Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to build logos, develop branding, and design visual imagery. Integrated Design program coordinator Barr Gilmore, who specializes in graphic design, installation design and curatorial work, influenced Christina’s passion for using the computer to create a wide variety of art forms.
With professor Barr Gilmore’s encouragement, Christina’s work was shown at [WantedDesign] Brooklyn, an event that promoted art student work from around the globe to kick-off New York Design Week in May 2019. She worked in collaboration with Barr Gilmore to design a tote bag promoting HSAD's Integrated Design program, which was exclusively given away as part of the event. Gilmore was approached for the NYC show as a result of an exhibit he curated for the Gladstone Hotel's annual Come Up to My Room in Toronto. Current and previous students of the Integrated Design program collaborated with the instructors to spark commentary on the relationship between humans and nature, while also providing thoughtful insight into our material culture. The successful exhibition allowed for Christina and two fellow students, Kelly Van Raay and Kelsey Redman, to travel to New York for the first time to participate in the international show.
Christina feels creativity is something to cherish, as it adds vibrancy to our growing community. She would love to see more public art in Kawartha Lakes, such as murals and installations for the local residents and tourists to enjoy and interact with. She also mentioned the potential for the Lindsay downtown Fun Four Hours to include an outdoor gallery to highlight student work in a non-classroom setting. Christina also would like to see a greater understanding of the monetary value of creative works, which would result in more students seeing visual art and graphic design as a field where they can have a sustainable career.
