Francis Tomkins (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist whose practice includes animation, collage, zine making, and workshop facilitation. They have a BFA in Cross-Disciplinary Arts: Publications from OCAD University and have worked within the arts and accessibility sectors at Tangled Art + Disability, StopGap Foundation and Toronto Queer Film Festival. Their work has been featured by Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS), RestFest Film Festival, and Arts Etobicoke. Francis is passionate about how art can be used to create and sustain connected communities.
Treasures of Ours
Alexander Robinson
Presented by: Alexander Robinson
Ethnicity: Black Canadian/ Trinidadian
Treasure: Family, Art and Heritage
“My treasure is the Calypso Rose vinyl from her album Splish Splash. Its significance for me comes from several reasons.
For starters, the picture on the cover was taken in the Caribbean, which speaks to my roots as a second-generation Caribean Canadian. The artist Calypso Rose is widely considered the first female star of calypso, a music genre that originated in Trinidad and Tobago, which is where most of my family originates from.
Calypso Rose regularly uses her art to speak on many social issues, which I continually aspire to do with my own art.
Finally, my grandmother is actually pictured on the left of the cover. When she was younger, she was a professional dancer, so with me being a visual artist, this vinyl’s cover is a reminder of how artistic expression has always been significant in my family.”
How is it passed along/ shared/ sourced?
This has been passed down from my grandmother. She is very proud to be on the cover, and for her, it represents her youth and her time growing up in Trinidad.