Central Library's Artist in Residence programs are three-month, paid community engagement residencies that support individual artists, arts organizations, and collectives working in Indigenous art and place making, children's art and illustration, or the newcomer experience.
The resident is invited to work in a designated space at Central Library and engage with the public at libraries across the city. Artists are selected in partnership with arts and culture organizations.
Applications for the Children's Artist / Illustrator in Residence are now open
Aya Mhana is a Syrian-born singer, songwriter and oud player. Now a proud Canadian citizen, Aya moves easily between English and Arabic, writing lyrics with a poet’s sensibilities.
Since emigrating to Calgary, Canada, in 2016 , Aya has performed at the Calgary Stampede and GlobalFest, and with the Kensington Sinfonia. She formed a band called HYMM, a seven-piece ensemble that often graces Calgary coffee houses with its Middle Eastern fusion repertoire.
Aya’s musical journey is deeply influenced by her Syrian roots. Hailing from Sweida, she taught herself to play the oud (a string instrument similar to the lute) during high school, and graduated from the University of Damascus with a degree in education. She volunteered with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, working with families displaced during the Syrian war.
Inspired by her volunteer work, Aya used her music to explore the human capacity for hope during wartime, and performed her compositions in her home city. In Canada, she translates the rich culture of her homeland for audiences who often know little of Syria, but are eager to embrace her soulful melodies.
As an artist who inhabits the crossroad between nations, Aya is committed to speaking out about issues on exile and diaspora, and to celebrating the importance of home. She hopes that her music helps shape Canada’s vision for a peaceful and vibrant cultural mosaic.
Aya is the 2020 recipient of the Calgary catholic Immigration Society New Canadian Artist Award, and her residency is presented in partnership with Calgary Arts Development.
Listen to one of the songs Aya worked on during her residency at the Library
Aya Mhana, oud player and Newcomer Artist in Residence at the Library, performs Lights of Hope for Canada Day, and then collaborated with Songwriter in Residence Brandi Sidoryk to perform To Canada.
Through their residency, chosen artists working in any artistic discipline will bring their Indigenous identities, experiences, and perspectives to the public.
The Newcomer Artist in Residence is an artist who recently arrived in Canada (five years or less) and is the winner of the annual Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) New Canadian Artist Award at the Mayor’s Luncheon for Arts Champions.
This residency recognizes the contribution of children’s artists to literature through exhibitions and workshops for all ages.
