Calla (she/her) is from what is colonially known as Kelowna, BC. She lived in Toronto for 20 years and then returned home to the mountains.
Calla obtained her BFA (Hons.) in Photography from Ryerson University in 2005 and has been running a successful photography business ever since. Her photography documents the work of feminist organizations – both in Toronto and around the globe. She has collaborated with the YWCA Toronto, the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic and the Daily Bread Food Bank to help visually communicate their impact and develop photography skills within their employees and clients. She is also a celebrated lifestyle and birth photographer. You can see some of Calla’s photography work here.
When she returned to academia in 2017 to pursue her MA in Communication and Culture, co-creation continued to drive Calla’s academic work and research approach. Her masters thesis explored the intersection of Fat Studies and Fashion Studies – and how those at the largest end of the fat spectrum experience a lack of access to social spaces due to limited clothing availability. Being able to employ feminist research methods that challenge the conventional researcher-subject power dynamic has been empowering.
Calla also works as a Digital Storytelling Facilitator at Re•Vision: The Centre for Art & Social Justice. In this role she is able to support others in amplifying their own voices and knowledges. She works to troubleshoot and problem solve, particularly in the area of digital systems and remote ways of working creatively. Calla holds multiple years of experience managing complex research projects involving community stakeholders and various qualitative methods. She is inspired to ask big questions around what we know and how we’ve come to know it.