hazel bell koski
hazel bell koski lives at the edge of the wild pacific northwest woods, with fresh water streaming past, the prints of bear and dog on the ground, the sounds of ravens and eagles overhead; a place which has helped bring her artistic impetus – awe &reverence of the world – into a sharp focus. The Joy and Ease which comes with seeing and celebrating life naturally uses her training and experience to create expressions of colourful love.
Beginning with a BFA from Ryerson University, hazel has maintained an inter-arts practice for over twenty-five years, weaving inter-generational storytelling and art-making circles into healing community work, all supported by her unique perspective on connection.
She has partnered with groups as disparate as the Toronto District School Board and the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Grassy Narrows First Nation and the Wild Salmon Caravan. She has had the great fortune of training and working with IndigenEYEZ, which has offered her the opportunity to witness the transformative nature of stencilled flags, both in the making of them and in the hanging of them to shape sacred spaces.
Her art has at its heart the intention of creating kinship among all the creatures of our world. [Read Long Bio]
Partners and Community
IndigenEYEZ – offers leadership and facilitation training—rooted in Indigenous ways of being—that help strengthen communities to restore the circle and cultivate hope.
Power of Hope – supports the emotional well-being of young people. Through transformational empowerment camps that use arts-based activities and foster inclusion and community, youth are uplifted and supported to express their authentic selves and connect to their potential.
Deer Crossing the Art Farm – Founded in 2009 by two artists and their family, The Art Farm has since grown into a robust community-engaged arts organization that hosts and tours events, workshops, productions and collaborations year-round.
Transformative Learning – at OISE/University of Toronto, after more than 23 years incubation, has now grown beyond the university into a network of activist community with connections in many countries. Rooted in the ground-breaking work of Edmund O’Sullivan who put transformative learning into a planetary context, scholars, wisdom keepers and artists from diverse traditions have expanded the original vision and developed practices and social innovations that work. Eimear has been co-director of the TLC since 2004. We now web with other local and international movements.
