Mads Warnica-Powers (they/them) is a queer non-binary white settler, working and living as an uninvited guest on the unceded and ancestral territory of Kjipuktuk in Mi’kma’ki. They are an aspiring community arts pedagogist, interdisciplinary craftsperson, research assistant and diviner who moves through the world attuned to the wisdom shaped by their lived experiences of learning disabilities, neurodivergence, Madness, and fatness.
Driven by curious-led resiliency, their practice dwells in the tactile pathways where personal and collective healing meet. Through multisensorial listening and hands-on inquiry, they explore how healing can emerge from the alchemical interplay between grief, queerness, and embodied meaning-making. Their interdisciplinary approach invites a (re)imagining of what art education can be; a field for aliveness, restorative rituals, and transformative care-based collaboration. They are a BealArt Alumni with a BFA in Interdisciplinary Arts (2023), currently in the Masters of Art Education Program at NSCAD University
Positionality Statement
My name is Mads and I am a 27-year-old white settler of Scandinavian/Scottish ancestry currently living as an uninvited guest on/with 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 share. 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 critical self-reflexivity to confront my biases and privilege.