{{Short description|Canadian Afrofuturist artist and sculptor}}
{{Undisclosed paid|date=February 2026}} '''Quentin VerCetty''' (born Quentin Lindsay) is a Canadian visual artist, educator, and sculptor known for his work in Afrofuturism and public art. He has created sculptures and public artworks that address the underrepresentation of Black Canadian historical figures.<ref name="vision">{{cite web |url=https://visionnewspaper.ca/city-of-toronto-announces-winning-artist-to-commemorate-abolitionist-figure-joshua-glover/ |title=City of Toronto announces winning artist to commemorate abolitionist figure Joshua Glover |date=August 13, 2020 |website=Vision Newspaper |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref>
== Early life and education ==
VerCetty was born and raised in Rexdale, Etobicoke, Toronto, and attended Greenholme Junior Middle School and Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School in Malton, Ontario.<ref name="fanfair">{{cite web |url=https://www.ronfanfair.com/home/2020/9/2/ib8rzjywobr00t7gg50twyc29s6m3v |title=Young artist wins bid to design Joshua Glover sculpture |author=Ron Fanfair |date=September 2, 2020 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> His mother Herfa Lindsay, a Jamaican immigrant, played a significant role in his early education, teaching him computer programming and animation. She introduced him to the story of Joshua Glover when he was six or seven years old, which would later become central to his artistic work.<ref name="fanfair"/>
His early years were marked by challenges, including involvement with street life and multiple encounters with police. He dropped out of high school at age 16 and was sent to New York by his mother in hopes of a fresh start, though he was eventually asked to leave that school as well.<ref name="fanfair"/>
Upon returning to Toronto, VerCetty enrolled at Nelson A. Boylen Collegiate Institute, where a guidance counselor encouraged him to pursue scholarships and bursaries for post-secondary education.<ref name="fanfair"/> He received several awards, including a 2010 bursary from the Toronto Police 31 Division Community Police Liaison Committee, which he described as a turning point in recognizing that his community cared about young people.<ref name="fanfair"/>
VerCetty completed his Bachelor of Fine Arts at OCAD University in 2016, where he first began working on sculpture during an exchange program in Florence.<ref name="concordia">{{cite web |url=https://www.concordia.ca/news/stories/2020/08/28/concordia-student-to-create-a-memorial-sculpture-of-abolitionist-joshua-glover-in-toronto.html |title=Concordia student to create a memorial sculpture of abolitionist Joshua Glover in Toronto |publisher=Concordia University |date=August 28, 2020 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref><ref name="canadainfo">{{cite web |url=https://canada-info.ca/en/black-canadian-artist-commissioned-to-create-lincoln-alexander-bust/ |title=Black Canadian artist commissioned to create Lincoln Alexander bust |date=September 28, 2023 |website=Canada Info |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> He later pursued a Master's degree in Art Education at Concordia University.<ref name="fanfair"/><ref name="concordia"/>
== Artistic practice ==
VerCetty describes himself as a visual griot, storyteller, and educator whose work centers on Afrofuturism—a creative approach that combines African history, culture, and futuristic or speculative elements.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="ago">{{cite web |url=https://ago.ca/agoinsider/futurist-history |title=Futurist history |publisher=Art Gallery of Ontario |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> The focus of his work centers on the absence of representation of Black Canadians in public art, and zeroes-in on the lack of monuments commemorating people of African descent.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="fanfair"/> VerCetty has conducted research revealing that there are only approximately 20 monuments to Black Canadians across the country, with only two Black Canadian artists having created these works—VerCetty being one of them.<ref name="canadainfo"/>
In 2016, he co-founded and became director of the Black Speculative Arts Movement Canada, an organization that uses second-wave Afrofuturism to provide new perspectives on reimagining public spaces.<ref name="fanfair"/><ref name="monumentlab">{{cite web |url=https://monumentlab.com/fellows/2020/quentin-vercetty |title=Announcing the 2020 Monument Lab Transnational Fellows |publisher=Monument Lab |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> His project "Missing Black Technofossil Here" uses augmented reality, digital 3D art, and printing to address the absence of monuments to Black bodies in Toronto and across Canada.<ref name="fanfair"/><ref name="monumentlab"/>
== Selected works ==
'''''Step Forward Into History (Joshua Glover Memorial)''''' – In 2020, VerCetty received a public art competition to design a memorial sculpture of Joshua Glover, an abolitionist who escaped slavery in the United States and settled in Etobicoke in 1854.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="fanfair"/> The selection panel, which included Julie Crooks from the Art Gallery of Ontario and Gaëtane Verna from the Power Plant.<ref name="vision"/>
The bronze sculpture, titled ''Step Forward Into History'', depicts Glover as a Victorian gentleman with a cyborg arm, symbolizing his breaking free from the chains of slavery through an Afrofuturist lens.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="ago"/> VerCetty explained that the cyborg element represents Glover's transformation from being enslaved to reclaiming his humanity, while he clutches books and freedom papers as he gazes toward the future.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="concordia"/>
In 2021, the memorial was installed at Joshua Glover Park in Etobicoke as part of the City of Toronto's ArtworxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art initiative.<ref name="cbc1">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/emancipation-month-black-artists-toronto-1.6139891 |title=Art initiative marks Emancipation but story of slavery in Canada needs more attention, activists say |publisher=CBC News |date=August 15, 2021 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref><ref name="dailyhive">{{cite web |url=https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-unveils-new-statue-of-historic-abolitionist-figure-joshua-glover |title=Toronto unveils new statue of historic abolitionist figure Joshua Glover |author=Laura Hanrahan |date=July 31, 2021 |website=Daily Hive Toronto |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> This was the first monument in Toronto to commemorate a person of African descent.<ref name="cbcarts">{{cite web |url=http://cbc.ca/arts/what-s-next-for-toronto-public-art-a-visit-from-monument-lab-1.6228963 |title=What's next for Toronto public art? A visit from Monument Lab |author=Leah Collins |publisher=CBC Arts |date=October 29, 2021 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref>
'''''Ancestral Uprising''''' – Also in 2021, VerCetty created ''Ancestral Uprising'', an augmented reality installation that can be viewed anywhere in Toronto using a smartphone.<ref name="cbc1"/> The piece features a reimagined Black power fist with a golden base representing the value of Black life and purple hibiscus flowers symbolizing healing and royalty.<ref name="cbc1"/> The work includes patterns from the Ndebele people of South Africa and was created in consultation with Black and Indigenous elders.<ref name="cbc1"/>
'''''AfroSankofa''''' – In 2022, VerCetty was commissioned by Carnegie Hall to create ''AstroSankofa'' for the 2022 Afrofuturism festival.<ref name="carnegie">{{cite web |url=https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2021/11/11/Afrofuturist-Artist-Quentin-VerCettys-AstroSankofa |title=Afrofuturist Artist Quentin VerCetty's AstroSankofa |publisher=Carnegie Hall |date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> The piece pays tribute to Madame Sissieretta Jones, the first person of African descent to headline at Carnegie Hall, and incorporates references to various icons including Sun Ra, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Mae Jemison.<ref name="carnegie"/>
'''''Lucie and Thornton Blackburn Portrait''''' – In 2023, VerCetty was commissioned by Parks Canada to create a portrait of Lucie Blackburn and Thornton Blackburn.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thornton & Lucie Blackburn |url=https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/thornton-lucie-blackburn#fn1 |website=Parks Canada |access-date=January 28, 2026}}</ref> The portrait commemorates the Blackburns’ contributions as freedom seekers and entrepreneurs in Toronto’s early history.<ref>{{cite web |title=Thornton & Lucie Blackburn |url=https://parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/thornton-lucie-blackburn#fn1 |website=Parks Canada |access-date=January 28, 2026}}</ref>
'''''Lincoln Alexander Bust (Suited for Greatness)''''' – In 2024, VerCetty was commissioned to create a bust of Lincoln Alexander, Canada's first Black member of Parliament and Ontario's first Black lieutenant governor.<ref name="observer">{{cite web |url=https://torontoobserver.ca/tag/lincoln-alexander/ |title=A Toronto-based artist hopes to inspire people to think about the future with his sculpture of Lincoln Alexander |author=Haruka Ide |date=February 23, 2024 |website=The Toronto Observer |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref><ref name="cbc2">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/lincoln-alexander-bust-queens-park-ontario-1.7088950 |title=Bust of Lincoln Alexander, Canada's 1st Black MP and former Ontario LG, unveiled at Queen's Park |publisher=CBC News |date=January 21, 2024 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref> The sculpture was unveiled at Queen's Park on January 21, 2024—Lincoln Alexander Day—making it the first monument of a Black political figure to be displayed in any parliamentary setting in Canada.<ref name="cbc2"/><ref name="gleaner">{{cite web |url=https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20240120/commemorative-bust-ontarios-first-black-lieutenant-governor-installed |title=Commemorative bust of Ontario's first black lieutenant governor installed at legislature |author=Neil Armstrong |date=January 20, 2024 |website=Jamaica Gleaner |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref>
The bust, nicknamed ''Suited for Greatness'', was inspired by Alexander's personal motto: "Every day I wake up and I suit up to be greater than I had been before."<ref name="gleaner"/><ref name="canadainfo"/> VerCetty drew from his personal connection to Alexander, having attended Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School and briefly meeting Alexander as a student when the statesman told him, "I see great things in you."<ref name="observer"/><ref name="cbc2"/>
The sculpture incorporates Afrofuturist elements and science fiction elements, including a base inspired by spaceships from ''Star Wars''.<ref name="observer"/><ref name="canadainfo"/> The project was supported by the Black Opportunity Fund, Licensed to Learn, and the RBC Foundation.<ref name="cbc2"/><ref name="gleaner"/>
'''''Gait of Rexdale''''' – VerCetty created ''Gait of Rexdale'', a permanent bronze public sculpture commissioned by Woodbine Entertainment Group and installed in the Rexdale area of Toronto.<ref>{{cite news |title=How would you grade Toronto? We asked Torontonians to give their city a report card |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/how-would-you-grade-toronto-we-asked-torontonians-to-give-their-city-a-report-card/article_4cf386f2-d899-4b6c-885b-cf6f4b25c8a7.html |work=Toronto Star |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref>
'''''Exploring the Heart''''' – ''Exploring the Heart'' is a 2.7-metre mixed-media public sculpture by VerCetty installed along Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto. Commissioned by The Eglinton Way Business Improvement Area in partnership with the City of Toronto, the aluminum and cement work depicts a figure emerging from a geometric form and references the architectural history and cultural legacy of the surrounding neighbourhood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Exploring the Heart |url=https://www.theeglintonway.com/quentin-vercetty |publisher=The Eglinton Way BIA |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Exploring the Heart |url=https://codaworx.com/projects/exploring-the-heart-24775 |publisher=CODAworx |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref>
== Scholarly and editorial works ==
VerCetty served as an editor of ''Cosmic Underground Northside: An Incantation of Black Canadian Speculative Discourse & Innerstandings'', an anthology of Black Canadian speculative art, literature, and visual culture published in 2020. The volume brings together contributions from Black Canadian writers and artists across multiple generations and disciplines.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cosmic Underground Northside: An Incantation of Black Canadian Speculative Discourse & Innerstandings |publisher=Cedar Grove Books |year=2020 |location=San Francisco |editor-last=VerCetty |editor-first=Quentin |url=https://tpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S234C3896966 |access-date=28 January 2026}}</ref>
In 2022, VerCetty published the peer-reviewed article "Parable of Museum Learning: Activating Afrofuturistic A-R-Tography Approaches" in the ''Journal of Museum Education''. The article examines Afrofuturism in relation to museum education, public engagement, and art-based pedagogical practices.<ref>{{cite journal |last=VerCetty |first=Quentin |year=2022 |title=Parable of Museum Learning: Activating Afrofuturistic A-R-Tography Approaches |journal=Journal of Museum Education |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=32–43 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |doi=10.1080/10598650.2021.1998880}}</ref>
== Awards and honors ==
In 2010, VerCetty received the Governor General's Bronze Medal for Academic Excellence, awarded annually to the graduating student with the highest academic standing at participating Canadian secondary institutions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Governor General's Academic Medals |url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/governor-generals-academic-medals |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref>
In 2020, VerCetty was selected as part of the Monument Lab Fellowship program based in Philadelphia, becoming the only Canadian among ten "memory workers" in the cohort.<ref name="fanfair"/><ref name="monumentlab"/> Monument Lab is an organization that supports projects addressing long-term inequities in monument building and proposing new approaches to public art and history.<ref name="cbcarts"/><ref name="fanfair"/>
VerCetty has worked as an educator at the Art Gallery of Ontario for over five years and has collaborated with the Goethe-Institut on transnational exhibitions exploring monuments, public memory, and accessibility.<ref name="concordia"/><ref name="cbc3">{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-black-history-month-1.6335877 |title=City to mark Black History Month through virtual programs, short films, posters by local artists |publisher=CBC News |date=February 1, 2022 |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref>
== Parliamentary recognition ==
VerCetty has been formally recognized in the House of Commons of Canada. In 2021, then-Member of Parliament Kirsty Duncan (representing the riding of Etobicoke North) acknowledged his contributions to public art, education, and Black Canadian representation, with reference to his Joshua Glover memorial and international artistic work.<ref>{{cite web |title=House of Commons Hansard, Sitting No. 98 |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/DocumentViewer/en/43-2/house/sitting-98/hansard |publisher=Parliament of Canada |access-date=January 26, 2026}}</ref>
== Influences and legacy ==
VerCetty cites his paternal grandfather, Rupert Jeeper, who died in 2006, as a major influence on his life and artistic practice.<ref name="fanfair"/> He also draws inspiration from his great-grandfather, who was a blacksmith in Clarendon, Jamaica, and from Jamaican sculptor Basil Watson.<ref name="gleaner"/>
His work addresses what scholars have identified as systemic gaps in Canadian public commemoration. As noted in commentary about his Joshua Glover memorial, the monument landscape in Canada has historically been "overwhelmingly white and male," with Black women historical figures particularly underrepresented.<ref name="spacing">{{cite web |url=https://spacing.ca/toronto/2024/03/05/how-can-we-make-black-history-matter/ |title=How can we make Black history matter? |author=Cheryl Thompson |date=March 5, 2024 |website=Spacing Toronto |access-date=January 5, 2026}}</ref>
VerCetty has stated that he hopes his work opens doors for other artists and inspires communities to consider which other Black Canadian leaders and historical figures deserve recognition in public spaces.<ref name="canadainfo"/> His approach combines rigorous historical research with speculative and futuristic elements, aiming to create monuments that engage multiple generations and spark ongoing conversations about history, identity, and social justice.<ref name="vision"/><ref name="ago"/>
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Canadian sculptors Category:Black Canadian artists Category:People from Etobicoke Category:Concordia University alumni {{DEFAULTSORT:VerCetty, Quentin}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people