Based in Toronto and originally from Smiths Falls, ON, Maggie Lucas is a multidisciplinary artist whose family hails from Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), NU.
Trained as a performing artist, Lucas holds a BFA in Dance from York University, where she was also a member of the 2018–19 York Dance Ensemble. [1] Formerly a member of Free Flow Dance Theatre Company in Saskatoon, SK, she has also performed in choreographic works at the 2020 London Dance Festival and in improvisation-based performances with Coexisdance in Toronto. In 2022, she performed in the dance film Making Sense of Something that Doesn’t Make Sense under the artistic direction of Morgan Stasiewicz. [2]
As part of Jaberi Dance Theatre’s 2023 Mentorship Co-hort, Lucas worked with multidisciplinary Inuk artist Zorga Qaunaq to explore the integration of visual art—and in particular, Inuit tattooing as an art form—into her dance and performance work. Focusing on the development and incorporation of visual art into her practice, Lucas draws inspiration from multiple sources—from the drawings and prints of Ningiukulu Teevee, to the sculptures of David Ruben Piqtoukun, to the legacies of women artists and performers, to her own experiences of nature, colour and visual perception. As she describes, “I'll have a day where I don't wear my glasses, and I'll kind of sketch things that look the way I seem them through my eyes when I can't see anything clearly.” Pulling from these varied points of inspiration, she is working towards building a cohesive body of work that integrates mixed media (such as acrylic painting, embroidery and collage) with movement-based practices.
Reflecting on lessons learned during her mentorship with Qaunaq, Lucas says: “If you are an Inuk artist and you’re making art, it is Inuit art. It is still valid to have an Inuit voice even if you grew up in the South, kind of not in your own community.” This observation continues to resonate with Lucas as she explores new directions and art forms in her practice. [3]
This Profile was made possible through support from RBC Emerging Artists.