Artist Bio
Mads Warnica-Powers (they/them) is a trans non-binary white settler, working and living as a neurodivergent, Mad, artist-researcher in Kjipuktuk, Mi’kma’ki (“Halifax, Nova Scotia”).
They are a BealArt Alumni with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (2023) from NSCAD University. They’re currently in the Masters of Art Education Program at NSCAD University, specializing in the Community Art Education stream. They have a social practice project called Books for Wounded Healers that consists of handmade books constructed for donation to various mental health and addiction outreach programs, in-patient programs, community initiatives, non-for-profit organizations, 2SLGTBQIA+ and BIPOC communities. Their research is supported by grants provided by Nova Scotia Project Interest Research Group (NSPIRG) and Tegan and Sara Foundation (TSF).
Positionality Statement
My name is Mads and I am a 25-year-old white settler of Scandinavian/Scottish ancestry currently living on the unceded territory of Kjipuktuk (‘Halifax’) in Mi’kma’ki. I honor the Peace and Friendship treaties. I identify as trans non-binary, queer, pansexual and non-monogamous. My pronouns are they/them/theirs. I attended H.B. Beal Secondary in Treaty 6 Township (‘London, Ontario’) where I was enrolled in the BealArt Program. I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NSCAD University (2023) where I majored in Interdisciplinary Arts and am currently a student in the Master of Arts in Arts Education at NSCAD University. I am a community artist, harm reductionist, care activist and I prioritize safety in the spaces I occupy. I am neurodivergent and navigate the world through experiences of learning disabilities, fatness, madness, social anxiety, and depression. As a Master's student I am able to access the necessary resources to conduct my research, however, I recognize that my positionality is shaped by my privilege as a white settler and the resources I have access to are not available to everyone. I actively engage in self-reflexivity to confront my biases and privilege.
Artist-Research Statement
Queer ritual and Queering recovery are methodologies I use in my artist-research practice, as well as my day-to-day. I’ve discovered how vital they are in my own healing. I engage with themes of fatness, Madness, transness, spirituality, grief, and healing. Materials I enjoy experimenting with include: mixed media, ceramics, leather, and wood/leather-burning. I find that these disciplines generously welcome failure, Madness, as well as (un)learning and (re)learning.
I am interested in arts-based mental health recovery care, and how queering recovery can facilitate decolonial and radical methods of healing in/against medical industrial spaces. Theoretical underpinnings I work from include: Queer Theory, Social Justice Theory, Art Education Theory, Disability Justice, and Mad Pride/Studies. Additionally, they are frameworks that ground my qualitative and arts-based research.
It is important to me that I engage with 2SLGTBQIA+ and BIPOC resources within art education and honor these voices within my research. I look up to scholars Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Syrus Marcus Ware, Lzz Johnk, Adrienne Maree Brown, Sasha A. Khan, and Alok V. Menon. Some artist-researchers that inspire me are Lou Sheppard, Ursula Johnson, Brit Fox, Brody Weaver, Monica Joy, and Sof Kreidstein.
Mentors that have allowed me to visualize this path as my future include (but are not limited to): Kim Davy, Dr. Julie Hollenbach, Dr. Nicole Lee, and Dr. Joshua Schwab-Cartas. Thank you for your support and care.