sonya gracey (she/they)

artist

divergent-creative

white irish/scottish/germanic settler

solo momma of two magical beings

actively anti-racist intersectional critical witch

cis-femme-ish-fat-queer

emergent non-binary (neuro and otherwise)

community care’er

disruptor-resistor

lover and laugher :)

About Sonya

Sonya (she/they) is a polydisciplinary creator whose practice is rooted in living decolonization, neuroqueer world-making, and justice-oriented mutual care (that sure is a mouthful! they are also at times very playful/goofy, and considered by some to be hilarious))

As a white settler of irish, germanic bukovinian ancestry that came to live on and benefit from the unceded stolen lands of the Xwsepsum and lək̓ʷəŋən peoples by way of her peoples occupation of several First Nations lands including Kahnawá:ke (Mohawk), Anishinabek, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ (Sioux) and homelands of the Métis. Sonya’s practice is an emerging action of coming into right relationship with this land, place and time - and the impact that my being here has on local peoples.

I considers herself a recovering benevolent. My work is deeply personal and related to my own lived experiences of struggle, grief and transformation. I am a neuroqueer solo mom to two autistic teens surviving in capitalism. I spent 23 years as an RN working in healthcare (street outreach, reproductive justice, harm reduction) where I became increasingly aware of the violence of the status quo and my role in that. Last year I gave up my registration as a nurse – but kept all my lived experience with people and relationships! I have refocused my practice towards art and am just about finished a 2 year diploma in art therapy. I work from a decolonial, intersectional framework that centers relationship and access. I am currently using a sliding scale and pay-what-you-can model rooted in mutuality and collective sustainment.

Through relational, somatic (body-based) art-making, Sonya’s work fosters personal growth, embodied political action, and a critical awareness of the interconnectivity of the personal, collective, and systemic narratives that shape us and we shape. Their practice integrates neurobiology and eco-attachment-informed approaches while challenging dominant therapeutic frameworks that reinforce settler colonial and capitalist ideologies.

Sonya completed their Art Therapy Diploma at Kutenai Art Therapy Institute , is a member of the Canadian Art Therapy Association, a facilitator with the Erotics of Liberation Practice Field and a care weaver member with The Liberatory Wellness Network (LWN). They have also applied to become a Registered Clinical Counsellor.

Full CV can be accessed here