Melissa Addison-Webster

Artist in Residence Melissa Addison Webster has been working on completing the online Zoom programming component of her Ontario Art’s Grant, Winding Our Way Home with women-identified participants from the Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region. This has developed work exploring the themes of identity, belonging and place. Further to those themes, Melissa joined forces with Dance Consultant, Herkya Miranda to share the philosophical and chorographic understandings of Land Dancing. Land Dancing evolved from Rulan Tangen’s work with Dancing Earth, a contemporary Indigenous dance-theater company. Through their work together, Melissa and Heryka developed chorographic based on a Mayan Prayer of the Seven Galactic Traditions. https://tortuga1320.com/2017/09/26/original-prayer-seven-galactic-directions/?amp

This work was filmed by local film-maker Cara Munford with participants at Del Crary Park, and footage will be used to create 3-minute Digital Stories using narrative work, as well as images. Melissa will be creating a film exploring the theme of homelessness, which has influenced both her familial and professional life.

Melissa Addison-Webster is a performance artist. As a Queer woman living with disabilities who is also settler, she has a varied career in the Disability and Integrated Arts fields. Melissa’s practice endeavours to create more understanding, harmony, and respect across society combining her passions of spiritual and social change, She has studied Expressive Art Therapy, (Haliburton School of the Arts), has an Honours Degree in History (Trent) and an Honours Degree in Social Work (Lakehead). Melissa performed at the 8 to 8, From the Floor (Peterborough) and the FFIDA Dance Festival (Toronto). She has collaborated with The Theatre Centre (Toronto), Picasso Pro (Toronto), Propeller Dance (Ottawa), and Michelle Silagy (The School of Toronto Dance Theatre). As a Crip arts advocate, Melissa has made presentations about her arts practice at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery Sunday Series (Toronto) and H’Art School Able Artist (Kingston). She has facilitated dance classes at York University, the Regional Ontario Contact Improv Jam and through her private social work practice. Most recently she presented Appendages Revisited at Artsweek Peterborough in collaboration with the Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region.

Melissa Addison-Webster is working in partnership with the Brain Injury Association Peterborough Region. Winding Our Way Home, Movement, Brain Injury and Belonging is also supported by an independently earned grant from the Ontario Arts Council.