Basketball x Art

Where basketball meets art – explore how the game inspires self-expression, identity, and storytelling across creative disciplines.

PANELISTS:

Kae St. Kitts - Multi-Disciplinary Visual Artist

Kae St. Kitts is a seasoned creative professional and multidisciplinary artist whose 14+ year career spans sustainable art, public floral installations, wardrobe styling (notably for WNBA clientele), visual merchandising, and event and interior design across both Canadian and American markets.

In 2020, Kae launched nugift, an eco-conscious brand that brings her diverse talents into harmony. nugift specializes in personalized, one-of-a-kind sustainable artworks, large-scale floral installations, and hands-on workshops. Each creation is made using recycled textiles and found materials ranging from discarded clothing and sports equipment to wood, metal, flowers, and paper infused with cultural influences like sport, fashion, community, and music. Kae’s work is rooted in sustainability and storytelling. Every nugift project is intentionally designed to be unique, often tailored to the recipient, participants, or partnering organizations. Through this, she creates experiences that ignite conversation around environmental responsibility and foster a sense of connection and community. nugift has proudly collaborated with leading organizations including the Toronto Raptors, Canada Basketball, Nike, Pinterest, Scotiabank Arena, Elevate Festival, Lay-Up Youth Basketball, Breakfast Television, and Toronto Tempo. Driven by a mission to inspire creative climate action, Kae continues to spark deeper reflection on our planet’s health. Her signature style—a vibrant fusion of florals and sustainability offers a fresh, visually inviting way to engage with environmental issues. Through her art, installations, and workshops, she’s changing the world, one meaningful piece at a time.

Samantha Woj - Visual Artist

Samantha Woj is a Canadian visual artist born with Ectrodactyly, a rare condition that affects the fingers and toes. Her disability has shaped her approach to art and sports, which lead her to combine her love for sports with her passion for painting. Using sports equipment as an unconventional paintbrushes, she captures the energy and movement found in sports. Through throwing, rolling, and gliding these objects across the canvas, Woj creates dynamic, abstract forms that reflect the spirit of sports and the sense of community they foster. Each painting is a unique expression, shaped by the interaction of motion, materials, and her own physical perspective.

Mallory Tolcher - Visual Artist

Mallory Tolcher is an multi-disciplinary artist whose sculptural work empowers audiences by reimagining the world of sport through a distinctly female lens. Inspired by fashion, basketball culture, and the power of self-expression, Tolcher works with materials such as flowers, textiles, and—most recently—repurposed jewelry. Tolcher balances softness and strength, celebrating the beauty, resilience, and complexity of women in athletics. Tolcher’s installations have been exhibited across Canada and internationally, and featured in women-owned spaces like The Sports Bra and Makeway.

Olivia Ho (Moderator) - Founder of The Give and Grow

Olivia Ho is the owner of The Give and Grow, whose mission is to harness the power of sport to inspire the next generation of girls and women. Since starting in 2020, she has spread her love and mission over the world, hosting over 111 workshops in 18 different cities and inspiring over 3500 participants of all ages. She has worked with global brands such as Nike, Jordan, Puma, adidas, Footlocker, Canada Basketball, Canada Goose, Hennessy, Shopify, the NBA, KFC, and has worked with NBA teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trailblazers, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks. Olivia's passion for creating meaningful partnerships and relationships has allowed her to travel all around the US, Mexico, and Canada to share her love for sport with the world.

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