Frances Ferdinands
Cobourg, ON
Booth 722
Main
Born in Colombo Sri Lanka, Frances Ferdinands is an artist largely based in Toronto. Ferdinands holds degrees in Visual Arts (York University), Education (University of Toronto), and an A.R.C.T. (Piano) from the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto. For four decades, Ferdinands has exhibited her paintings in such Art centres as London, New York, Paris, Bogota and Honolulu, as well as across the Continental USA and Canada. She is the recipient of many Artist Grants and her paintings are held in Private, Corporate, and Museum collections including the Royal Ontario Museum. She was commissioned by the Royal Canadian Mint to design the Solid Gold 2017 and 2019 Multi-Cultural coin, celebrating “light and diversity.” In 2015 and 2017 under an Arts Council Grant, Ferdinands returned to her homeland to be mentored in traditional arts that are culturally at risk. This experience served to enrich Ferdinands’ understanding of her South Asian heritage and her sense of place within it. Under a Chalmers Grant Ferdinands traveled to London in 2019 to study Islamic patterning. The knowledge gained added another dimension visually and theoretically in exploring cultural differences and cross-cultural fertilization. In 2020 she had a Solo Exhibition at the Noble Sage Gallery in London, England and the Art Gallery of Mississauga in 2021 (Museum). Recent Solo Exhibitions include the Art Gallery of Northumberland in 2024 (Museum) and the Riverdale Hub Gallery in 2025.
