Quentin VerCetty

VerCetty was born and raised in Rexdale, Etobicoke, Toronto, and attended Greenholme Junior Middle School and Lincoln M. Alexander Secondary School in Malton, Ontario. 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. He later pursued a Master's degree in Art Education at Concordia University. == 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. 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. 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. == 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. This was the first monument in Toronto to commemorate a person of African descent. Ancestral Uprising – Also in 2021, VerCetty created Ancestral Uprising, an augmented reality installation that can be viewed anywhere in Toronto using a smartphone. 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. The portrait commemorates the Blackburns’ contributions as freedom seekers and entrepreneurs in Toronto’s early history. 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. 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. 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." 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. == 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. 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. == 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. 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. == 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. == Influences and legacy ==

VerCetty cites his paternal grandfather, Rupert Jeeper, who died in 2006, as a major influence on his life and artistic practice. 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. 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. == References ==