Quilting with the Land

Varsha Gill (she/her) is a textile artist, community arts facilitator, and social worker who believes in the transformative power of art for social, environmental, and decolonial justice. Born, raised, and based on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories, with family roots in India, her practice is guided by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer’s invitation to “reimagine a world where people and land are good medicine for one another.”

Maria Preoteasa (she/her) is an uninvited settler from Romania living, working, and playing on the ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations. She works as an environmental educator, community steward, and eco-artist. Preoteasa led the creation of Simon Fraser University’s Food Forest Outdoor Learning Space (FFOLS), a 41,500 sq. ft. ecological learning garden that connects restoration, food systems, and community engagement. Holding a Bachelor of Environment in Resources and Environmental Management from SFU, Preoteasa's work weaves land-based learning, ecological stewardship, and creative practice.

She has developed and facilitated eco-art, nature-based education, and community stewardship programs with organizations including BC Housing, Little Mountain Neighbourhood House, Renfrew-Collingwood Neighbourhood House, and schools across Burnaby and Vancouver. Preoteasa was recognized with SFU’s Faculty of Environment Changemaker Award (2024) and the City of Burnaby Environmental Award in Community Stewardship (2025).

Alysha Seriani is a settler artist and facilitator working at the intersections of film production, media art and community projects rooted in intergenerational learning, bewilderment and queer joy. She gratefully lives and co-creates on the sacred and unceded ancestral lands of xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (MST) Nations, also known as East Vancouver, Canada.