Hollyhock Presenters

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Our presenters are curated for their quality, depth, integrity, and alignment with our educational purpose. Since 1982, a distinguished faculty of authors, educators, activists, artists, performers, and practitioners have shared their work at our Cortes Island campus and in Vancouver.

People smiling at Activate 2023 Hollyhock Leadership Institute

Emma FitzGerald

Emma FitzGerald was born to Irish parents in Lesotho, a small mountainous country in Southern African, and did most of her growing up in Vancouver, BC. She trained as an artist at the University of British Columbia, and received her Masters in Architecture at Dalhousie University in Halifax. She has taught sketching at Urban Sketching Symposiums around the world, and has taught drawing to both children and adults across Canada. She is the author illustrator of the bestselling book, “Hand Drawn Halifax”, and will be releasing its latest follow up book, “Hand Drawn Victoria” in April 2024. She has also illustrated many children’s books, including the award winning “EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street” (words by Sheree Fitch) and most recently “When the Ocean Came to Town”. She lives, draws and writes in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, first named E’se’katik (AY-SAY-kateek) or “place of Clams” by the Mi’kmaw people.

Events with Emma FitzGerald

Beacon Hill Park by Emma Fitzgerald from Sketch by Sketch: Connecting with the World Through Drawing
May 12 - 17, 2024

Learn to sketch without fear of making mistakes! Join celebrated author/illustrator, Emma FitzGerald as she leads participants through a series of exercises that build confidence and improves observation skills, while allowing for the happy accidents that make a drawing that speaks from the heart. Using pen and water colour paint,…