Janice Reid is a Brampton-based artist exploring memory, migration, and ancestral knowledge through storytelling. Her work engages with archives, community narratives, and visual art to uncover hidden histories, particularly within Caribbean and diasporic communities. Through photography, research, and workshops, she creates spaces for reflection, dialogue, and reconnection with the past. Her work has been exhibited at Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, BAND Gallery, PAMA, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, the National Gallery of Jamaica, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Janice Reid is Brampton's 2025 Artist in Residence. Her photography has been exhibited at the CONTACT Photography Festival, Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue (BAND) Gallery, Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives (PAMA), the Art Gallery of Mississauga, the National Gallery of Jamaica, the U.K.'s National Portrait Gallery, and is having her first solo exhibition this fall at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.
Janice will be in-residence at Mount Pleasant Village Branch Library from June to September 2025. Her residency aims to transform the library into a living archive.
Community members are invited to share their family histories through photographs and migration journeys with her as part of her residency.
During the residency, a wall of portraits and memories will take shape culminating in the final celebration and showcase hosted by Janice. There, participants will share the mixed-media family portraits they created, along with the personal and migration stories that shaped them.
This exciting initiative is co-presented by Brampton Arts Organization and Brampton Library.
Drop-in office hours:
Visit Artist-in-Residence, Janice Reid, during her office hours on Mondays between 4 and 8 p.m. at Mount Pleasant Village to learn about her archival residency project, with an opportunity to share your family photos and stories, and her experience as an emerging artist.
Contribute to Artist-in-Residence Janice Reid’s archival project by having your photo taken and sharing your family photos and stories, which will be included in her final exhibition.
To schedule your one-on-one portrait session, held on Saturdays between 12 and 4pm, please email events@bramptonlibrary.ca.
Appointments are 45 minutes each and must be booked in advance.
Date: Wednesday, June 4 from 7-8:15 p.m.
Community members of all ages are invited to engage with Artist-in-Residence Janice Reid through open conversation, visual storytelling, and interactive discussion in this intimate and inspiring session. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look into Janice’s creative journey, artistic process, and the stories behind her work.
Date: Wednesday, July 9 from 7-8:30 p.m.
In this hands-on session for children and their caregivers led by Artist-in-Residence Janice Reid, attendees will explore the art of mixed media collage using copies of their own family portraits. Together, we’ll cut, layer, and assemble meaningful artworks that celebrate family stories, memories, and imagination. Registration required.
Artist in Residence: Community Storytelling - Ancestral Knowledge
Date: Saturday, August 16 from 1-3:30 p.m.
Join us for an evening of interactive storytelling in a warm and welcoming environment facilitated by Artist-in-Residence Janice Reid. Participants and listeners are invited to share personal journeys, migration experiences, and the layered histories carried through families that form the stories that shape our identities.
At the heart of this gathering is the belief that family histories are more than memories, they are maps. They connect us to our roots, reveal patterns of resilience, and help us understand ourselves and each other. In a time when stories can be easily lost or forgotten, this space honours the importance of passing them on, especially across generations and borders. Registration required.
Date: Saturday, September 20 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Explore the creativity, memory, and connections that emerged during our Artist in Residence workshop series in a heartfelt showcase celebrating the mixed media family portraits created by participants, and the personal and migration stories that inspired them.
Come to witness, share, and build this collective archive of memory and community.