About
Shiemara Hogarth is a Jamaica-born textile artist, designer, and curator based in Brampton, Ontario. Her practice is rooted in histories of migration, ancestry, and place, using textiles as a way to explore how memory, identity, and belonging are formed and carried over time.
Working across weaving, embroidery, digital printing, and sculptural and 3D-fabricated forms, Hogarth approaches making as both material exploration and research. With a background in History, Material Art and Design, and Craft Media, she brings together traditional fibre and craft techniques with contemporary processes to examine the relationships between body, landscape, and cultural inheritance.
Her work has been exhibited nationally, including at the Craft Ontario Gallery, and her MFA thesis project, Personal Geographies, was supported by the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship. Alongside her studio practice, Hogarth has curated select exhibitions and contributed to conversations around craft, identity, and representation through writing and public programming.
Education
2019 - 2021. Alberta University of the Arts
Research-led studio degree focused on contemporary craft, material inquiry, and interdisciplinary practice. MFA thesis Personal Geographies examined migration, memory, and diasporic identity through textile installation, integrating weaving, embroidery, digital printing, and 3D fabrication. Developed advanced skills in studio research, critical theory, and exhibition design. Awarded the Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship in support of thesis production. Gained experience in academic research through a SSHRC Insight Grant–funded project and teaching support roles across fibre and art history courses.
2015 - 2019. OCAD University
Professional design degree emphasizing material experimentation, textile processes, and conceptual development. Developed technical proficiency in weaving, felting, stitching, surface design, and mixed media. Undergraduate thesis Between: Mapping Home & Self explored geography, memory, and identity through textile installation, incorporating mapping and visual semiotics. Graduated with a strong foundation in design thinking, material literacy, and interdisciplinary making.
2006 - 2011. York University
Humanities degree focused on historical research, critical theory, and cultural analysis. Developed strong research, writing, and analytical skills with a focus on colonial histories, migration, and the Caribbean diaspora. This academic foundation informs a research-driven art practice grounded in archival inquiry and critical context.