Griefs and Glimmers, 2025.
From left to right collages created by: Zephyr McKenna, Miles Obilo, Jasmine Noseworthy Persauld, Tracey Thompson, Cleopatria Peterson.

Griefs and Glimmers: Creating the Pandemic Archives
By Harmeet Rehal

Collaborating Artists: 
Cleopatria Peterson
Jasmine Noseworthy Persaud
Tracey Thompson
Miles Obilo
Zephyr McKenna

Griefs & Glimmers brings together high-risk, covid-aware 2SQTBIPoC artist-organizers to reflect on five years of care work in the pandemic. Through collaborative collage-making and archival practices, participants will explore the textures, griefs, and glimmers of harm reduction and community care. Rooted in accessibility and relational facilitation, this workshop series responds to an arts sector increasingly hostile to immuno-compromised communities. The project culminates in a group exhibition honouring the need for safer, creative, and immuno-accessible spaces to gather, connect, and co-create.

Griefs and Glimmers is part of PEERS Public Projects, an artist residency program that supports the development of community-engaged public artworks produced by Whippersnapper Gallery. The program includes a horizontal mentorship model designed for emerging artists and collectives to deepen their skills in creating consent-based, ethical, and rigorous community-engaged and public art projects.

The PEERS program is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Documentation by Wend Yasen.