We’re back with another #ScarboroughSpotlight this week on artist and researcher, Sarah Waithe who uses her paintings to reconnect with her parents’ culture and homeland.

Sarah Waithe (she/her) is a second-generation Canadian whose roots are from Morocco and Trinidad. As an abstract artist and researcher, Sarah uses her art to communicate different topics related to her Black and Muslim identity, belonging, community, and migration. 

Recently, Sarah facilitated our Community+Connects Satellite Program, Exploring Migration Through Art, in collaboration with Workman Arts. In reflecting on the program, Waithe shares that “as Scarborough has a huge immigrant population, I hope to create more opportunities for migrants and artists to feel empowered and continue to discuss migration through artistic practice.”

In addition to working with Scarborough Arts and Workman Arts, Sarah has earned her MA in Development Studies and is passionate about studying migration and her community, especially in Scarborough. Sarah has worked as a migration researcher at the Toronto Ward Museum, the Center of Refugee Studies. 

“Art is how I explore my identity, connect to my cultures, and breathe life into my thoughts. It is a universal language where it is understood by many and transverses across various allegorical and physical boundaries. Art, in its simplest forms, is how I make meaning to life, but also how I assert my cultural identity and connect to my parent's background and culture.”

You can follow Sarah Waithe on Instagram at @sarahs.artbook. She’s also a featured artist at the Raw Artists’ Generate Showcase happening on April 8th.