Meet The Nelson International Mural Festival Team - Nelson & District Arts Council

Sydney Black

Nelson International Mural Festival Founder

Sydney Black loves making things happen, especially with teams of amazing people. She was born (and currently resides) on unceded Sinixt, Ktunaxa and Syilx territory known as Nelson, BC with her incredibly supportive husband and children. When she isn’t organizing events, you can find her producing and performing in theatrical extravaganzas with her company Black Productions. She is grateful to the City of Nelson and all the sponsors, wall owners, staff and volunteers for their help with making the Nelson International Mural Festival a success!

Amber Santos

Festival Coordinator

Amber Santos is a multi-ethnic, multidisciplinary artist who also has a passion for art education and being part of making big things happen, like the Nelson International Mural Festival, and many community projects and murals over the years. She is excited about how we can shape our public space into a welcoming and inclusive space and how art can inspire conversations and connections. See her work at www.arti2de.com

Zan Comerford

Marketing Coordinator

With seven years of success in marketing niche events, artists, and ideas to international audiences, Zan is an enthusiasm expert. She specializes in creative, connective marketing campaigns that increase sales, grow community, and push good into the world. Zan currently works in media and marketing with many events, festivals, record labels, artists, and businesses up and down North America’s west coast. She trains artists and musicians how to market efficiently with www.rhythmclub.ca

Dee Landsberg

Music Curator

Dee’s diversity and musical capabilities have taken her all over the world, From Brazil to Israel to Europe. She has an infectiously warm personality, which can be felt by the way she lives through her heart and centres her passion for authenticity in her music. Dee has had the opportunity to collaborate with and be mentored by Renowned Grammy Award Winner Jerry Wonder (The Fugee’s), electronic producer Lorin Bassnectar and multi-instrumentalist Mr. Carmack.

Dave Ronald

Technical Director

Dave Ronald is a multi-instrumentalist Music Producer and owner of All Ears Music Productions. Dave loves mixing and mastering music and enjoys working with artists from around the world. He fell in love and laid his roots in the Kootenay’s after attending Selkirk College Professional Music Program. In 2018 Dave teamed up with Bonnie Legion and began releasing music as the Wav-Legion collective. They have both embraced the technical aspects of collaborating online as Bonnie lives in California. Dave is proud to be involved in the technical aspects of Nelson’s International Mural Festival and performing as well.

Adham Shaikh

Festival Technician

Adham Shaikh is a Emmy and Juno Award-nominated music producer, composer, sound designer, and DJ who brings his uniquely powerful global sounds to the world stage and screen, not to mention many a crowded dance floor.

Adham has scored original soundtracks for numerous film and television productions, including National Geographic (Emmy nomination) , Sacred Planet (Disney Imax), Velcrow Ripper’s Fierce Light (National Film Board, Fierce Light Films), Rainbow Jaguars’ Earth Pilgrim, Word Love (Avanti Pictures), Getting Married (TVO), and Secrets: A Parent’s Guide to the Teen Sexual Revolution (CBC’s Passionate Eye, Make Believe Media), for which he received a Leo Award for Best Musical Score in a Documentary Program. His music has also been licensed to an extensive list of media productions, including BBC Orphan BlacK , Suzuki Speaks (Avanti Pictures). Look out for his latest original work on the upcoming television series The Edge of the World: BC’s Early Years (Knowledge).

Bonnie Legion

Video Editor

Shavon Grass is a multi-genre Singer-Songwriter and owner of Sound Legion International collaborative artist music house and production company.”I enjoy working in various genres of music and also producing and editing original videos and artwork for myself and other artists as well as promotional project work”. Now recording and working under the name Bonnie Legion after starting in 2008 under the artist name Sounds Like Shavon.”I have worked with hundreds of artists and producers over the years, traveled many different places creating an empire of collaborative music. In 2018 I joined forces with Dave Ronald aka wav-Dr. to create the fusion music project Wav-Legion.I am very excited and happy to be apart of the Nelson’s International Mural Festival as a performing artist and Video production editor.”

Avi Phillips

Technical Assistant

Avi Phillips enjoyed a healthy arts education in Toronto, through intensive arts programs in elementary and high school, the Theatre Arts program at Humber College, and performing professionally on screen and stage. Avi and his family relocated to beautiful Nelson in 2016, where he’s gratefully joined the local theatre community as a performer and director. Avi was proud to be on the live stream broadcast team for NIMF, as well as Nelson’s ArtWalk 2020 live stream broadcast team.

Zak Shaikh

Technical Assistant

Ingrid Love

Assistant Marketing Coordinator

Ingrid Love is an interdisciplinary artist and aspiring academic, currently pursuing a degree in English Literature while feeding her growing interest in Anthropology. She is intrigued by the pockets and seams where artistic disciplines overlap and interact with one another, and finds herself constantly studying these interactions as a writer, dancer, and theatre artist.

Brian McIntyre

Assistant Mural Coordinator

With over 5 years of experience working for musical festivals, helping in artist hospitality, setting up tents and aiding with the assembly and teardown of art installations, Brian was a perfect fit for the Assistant Mural Coordinator. Brian also has an Associate of Arts Degree at Capilano University in Global Stewardship and is certified in Air Rescue and MEWP. Brian’s favourite part about his job is being given the opportunity to help create art and engage with different parts of the community he grew up in.

Soliel Babcock

Mural Assistant

Soleil Babcock is a nonbinary artist who specializes in interdisciplinary and visual arts, particularly revolving around intermedia and social engagement. They are passionate about the development of large-scale projects and about the importance of art as it relates to communities, culture, and a globalized society. Having recently completed their first year of studies in Halifax at NSCAD University, Soleil is excited to be involved in the Nelson arts community before returning full-time in the fall to further evolve their research and their practice, and to hopefully work with more artistic and inspiring people.