Team

anahita azrahimi is a seasoned arts manager and an arts maker. Bringing artists and audiences together to nurture the joy of engaging with art has been the core of her arts management work for the past 15 years. 

Currently, she is the Executive and Creative Director of Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (TOAF), Canada’s leading outdoor art fair. In this role, she has reinvigorated the organization’s legacy through strengthening its infrastructure, building robust partnerships, and implementing essential new programs for artists and the public. Her experience as a visual artist has been instrumental in gaining a deeper understanding of the needs of independent artists and the community she serves. In response to the cancellation of the 59th TOAF, she devised an agile, tech-savvy plan to move their entire community of 350 artists online, maintaining their connection to the TOAF audience and economic livelihood with unprecedented success. 

anahita has experience working with a diverse range of organizations and artists in contemporary dance, theatre, and visual arts such as Creative Trust, Theatre Direct, and Dancemakers to name a few. She sits on the advisory board of the Arts Management program at Centennial College and the WeeFestival of Arts and Culture for Early Years. She has served on the board of Modern Times Stage Company, the steering committee of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts, and numerous juries including Dora Mavor Moore Awards – Dance section, Ontario Arts Council, Craft Ontario, and Design TO.

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Ania Pasternak is a visual artist and arts manager. Motivated by the idea of artists as entrepreneurs, Ania strives to empower and encourage opportunities for professional development for visual artists and makers. Ania holds an Honours BA and an Advanced Diploma in Art and Art History from the collaborative program between the University of Toronto Mississauga and Sheridan College. Most recently, she has completed a Graduate Certificate in Arts Management from Centennial College. The 2024 season will be her eighth show with the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Canada’s largest and longest-running juried outdoor art event.

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With 15 years of experience in the execution and production of events and art exhibitions, Calder has found a niche as an expert at executing polished final products based on ambitious artistic visions.

Calder has worked as head stage manager and production designer for Fashion Art Toronto for 12 years. He works with 50 designers and performers a season, weaving their individual visions into a cohesive show.

Calder has designed stages and lighting plots for many events in Toronto. Most notably—Promise Indoor Events/Cherry Beach Sundays (since 2018), Fashion Art Toronto (Since 2012), DOCD (Summer 2023), and Summer Camp (2022). He is excited to bring his production expertise to TOAF, Canada’s largest and longest-running annual contemporary art fair.

Yi Tung (Lavender) Cheng holds a Post-Graduate Certificate of Arts Management and a degree in Archaeology. She considers herself motivated by passion, hard work, and creativity. As a museum practitioner, she has a longstanding interest in widening access to art by engaging visitors with diverse curatorial perspectives. This year will be her fifth show with TOAF!

Sophie is a creative collaborator with a passion for building meaningful communities through the arts. With a recently obtained Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Theatre Studies from McGill University, Sophie brings an informed understanding of the creative process and a passion for storytelling in all forms.

She is thrilled to step into the Artist Relations Coordinator role, where she looks forward to supporting artists and nurturing the vibrant, dynamic community that is TOAF.

Ellen is a festival and event worker who travels around Canada to take part events of many mediums! She’s worked for festivals such as Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs, Vancouver International Film Festival, Gimli International Film Festival, Whistler Film Festival, DOXA, Edmonton Fringe Festival, Sled Island Music Festival, NXNE, Images Festival, and many more. She has worked for 30 different arts festival, primarily in volunteer management, front of house, and box office, but has recently expanded into programming.

Ellen has a diploma in Arts & Cultural Management from MacEwan University, as well as a BA in Media Production from Toronto Metropolitan University.

Chawntay Barrett is an emerging artist, facilitator, and arts professional based in the Greater Toronto Area. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph in 2020 and is currently pursuing a graduate certificate in Arts Management from Centennial College. Community plays a vital role in Chawntay’s creative practice. She is a recent alumna of the ArtworksTO Next Stream program and the Remix Project, and is currently on the artist rosters of Vibe Arts and Nia Centre for the Arts.

Chawntay works primarily with oil and acrylic paint on canvas. Afro-Caribbean culture is a crucial underlying theme in many of her artworks, which explore Black experiences in the modern era.

Heather is a Toronto-based social media agency owner, running Wild Media Co with over 6 years of experience creating, growing, and managing online communities. 

She has worked with many arts and culture focused brands in the city such as Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Koffler Centre of the Arts, Now Playing Toronto, Cultural Goods Gallery, and Public Sweat by Art Spin Toronto. Having live covered numerous events across the city – including last year’s Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, the Juno Awards, Nuit Blanche, Art Toronto, ROM After Dark, and many more – she has extensive experience garnering audience attention and excitement. 

Her work is inspired by her deep love for storytelling and exploring how connection, empathy, and community can lead us to discovery, change, and purpose.