“Arts for All” Artists

Michelle Churchill

Gary Green

Madison Mouland

Evelyn Osborne

Nikita Sachdeva

Eric West and the Potluck Singers

Catherine Wright

Jing Xia

Michelle Churchill is a fibre artist born and raised in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She received her formal training at the College of the North Atlantic completing a diploma in Graphic Design. She received secondary training at the Anna Templeton Centre in mediums of watercolor painting, figure drawing, landscape painting and textile arts such as rug hooking.

Her deep-seated roots reflect her work and of the “rock” she calls home. The culture and heritage of where she grew up is evident in her imagery of coastal shorelines, rugged natural landscapes and historic homesteads. Her works has been in many Etsy markets, shown at the Eastern Edge Gallery and part of many private collections. She recently received an award for placing in her category in the Arts and Letters Competition and currently is working on a yearlong collaboration called ENGULFED. This endeavour involves the creation of wearable art, resulting in a fashion show in Montreal in 2024, before going on tour. In her free time, she teaches classes on “The Introductory of Rug Hooking” and “Dying Wool and Fibres the Natural Way”. She mixes her talent of rug hooking with embroidery, felting, and embellishments of natural stone, moss and shells. She frames many of her completed projects in shadow boxes that she creates herself or driftwood that she collects from her many wandering ventures of inspiration.

She is a storyteller. Each stitch traces what she has learned throughout her life. Passed down from grandparents, retold and added to each time. From proud puffins, laundry day, a day on the farm, or early morning fishing, she is a proud Newfoundlander happy to convey everything wonderful to create the welcoming feeling of “HOME”.

Instagram: @hook_by_designs

Storyteller and author Gary Green has performed provincially, nationally and internationally at a variety of events ranging from youth camps to major festivals.  Gary has performed on network television, on radio and in international award winning audio productions. He has been a consultant for the use of storytelling in the interpretation of several historic sites. 

In addition to teaching storytelling annually at the Vinland Music Camp, he has taught storytelling workshops for other groups in both Newfoundland and Labrador.  His online workshops have had participants from across Canada and Ireland.

Madison is a singer and guitarist from Musgrave Harbour, Notre Dame Bay. She completed her Bachelor of Music at Memorial University. Although trained in classical music, Madison is a folk musician at heart and typically performs traditional music from the ages. She has been singing and playing guitar for many years, performing at a variety of venues throughout the province. In her spare time, she also loves to paint and make crafts. She plans to be a school music teacher in the future, sharing her love of music with children.

Evelyn Osborne loves nothing better than throwing back the rugs to play for dancers! Whether in her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Canada or across the globe in Hong Kong spreading the music of NL is her passion. Evelyn feels that keeping the connection between music and dance alive is vital to the human experience of music.

Evelyn has performed and taught fiddle and dance workshops throughout Canada, in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Her repertoire focuses on Newfoundland dance music and in particular what she learned from working with over 100 tradition-bearers in her 15 years of research.

Evelyn believes that music is part of our creative human experience. She takes every opportunity to work with artists across genres. This often leads to improvisational collaborations such as composing improvised and responsive music on the spot for storytellers, belly dancers, silent films, VJs, magicians/clowns and more globally.

Playing music with and for others is one of the great joys in life. From chamber music, to Baroque or modern ensembles, to dinner theatre, to all sorts of popular music bands, and various non-traditional/cross-genre ensembles, Evelyn loves to play and create together.

She is very happy to be part of Arts for All and be bringing creativity and culture to those who face barriers to accessing the arts.

My name is Nikita Sachdeva and I am an artist who turns challenges into passion. My art is a reflection of my life journey, which has been full of obstacles and opportunities. I believe that every challenge is a chance to grow and learn, and every opportunity is a gift to express and share.

I have been drawing since I was three years old, when I discovered the joy of creating something out of nothing. I have experimented with various mediums, such as pencil, watercolor, and oil, but my favorite is oil painting. I love the richness and depth of oil colors, and the way they blend and contrast on the canvas. I use oil painting to convey my emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a visual language that transcends words. My art is influenced by my culture, my environment, and my personal experiences. I was born and raised in India, where I learned to appreciate the diversity and beauty of life. I graduated from the College of Art, Punjab University, India, with a scholarship and a top position. I have exhibited my work in multiple venues across India, earning recognition and appreciation from the art community. I moved to Canada in 2023, where I encountered new challenges and opportunities which encouraged me to serve best of my ability to create art.

Instagram: @artist_nikitasachdeva

The Potluck Singers is a community choir consisting of singers and musicians who have been volunteer performing in the St John’s area over 30 years. Musician Eric West has been directing and accompanying the group from the beginning. The Singers perform a variety of styles of music throughout the year at nursing homes, hospitals and community events.

Eric is a guitarist and music arranger/publisher who has performed with a number of prominent musical groups, including the children’s music duo ‘Heather and Eric.’ He has composed and arranged music for radio, television, and stage. ArtsNL awarded Eric the 2007 Arts Achievement Award for his contribution to the arts in this province. In 2017 he received the Memorial University Arts in Education Award, in recognition of his contribution to arts education. He has been the Director of Vinland Music Camp since its beginning in 2001.

Catherine Wright is a storyteller, multi-arts practitioner and arts educator who divides her time between St John’s and Port Kirwan, Newfoundland.

A versatile performer who brings warmth and passion to her storytelling, Catherine has presented a broad range of stories (folk and fairy tales, personal narratives, ballads) at schools, festivals, theatres, galleries, outdoor venues and online, in her over 30 years of performance experience. Her background in dance is apparent in her storytelling style, and she often includes songs and recitations in her storytelling sets and multidisciplinary performances.

Catherine is a respected, seasoned arts educator who has worked with a number of community groups over the years. She facilitated many ArtsSmarts projects in schools (printmaking, folk dance, silk painting, storytelling, textiles) and has toured to NL schools independently and with Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation. She is pleased to have the opportunity to work with their Arts for All program.

Catherine is past president of St John’s Storytelling and current provincial representative for Storytellers of Canada (SC-CC).

Jing Xia is a professional guzheng artist and ethnomusicologist based in Newfoundland, Canada. Born and raised in Hunan, China, she began her musical journey at the age of six, mastering the guzheng and earning degrees in Music Performance (B.A.), Arts Management (M.A.), and Ethnomusicology (Ph.D.). Her recent accolades include the 2023 East Coast Music Award for Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year and the 2023 MusicNL Award for Album of the Year for her acclaimed solo album The Numinous Journey. She was also recognized as the 2023 MusicNL Solo Artist of the Year and 2022 MusicNL Rising Star of the Year.

Jing’s music transcends boundaries, blending traditional Chinese music, folk traditions, and experimental fusion. She has performed on prestigious stages nationally and internationally, collaborating with artists and ensembles across genres to celebrate cultural diversity and innovation. Her collaborations include work with guzheng virtuoso Mei Han, the trad-rock band Shanneyganock, the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra.

Website: https://www.jing-xia.com/