Neena Robertson is an artist, photographer, and educator who believes photography is a stepping stone from feeling to understanding. She currently lives and learns on the unceded and unsurrendered territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, also known as Vancouver.
Through film photography, she works to merge the worlds of internal identity and external understanding. Centering her projects around curiosity allows Neena to unlearn and redefine the subjects she has been taught are ‘worth’ devoting time to. There is an overarching theme of healing within her work and she is currently creating art based on her curiosity around power dynamics. Freedom to explore ideas and feelings is a valuable aspect of photography that she translates into educational settings.
Due to spending a significant amount of her childhood at after school programs, Neena understands the positive impact safe, creative, and engaging spaces can have. Leading workshops in a way that allows learning to be a choice rather than a task is an integral part of her goal within the education system. She takes pride in cultivating inclusive learning environments where people of all ages are able to explore and process their internal perspectives in a tangible way.
Ranging from infants to adolescents, Neena has extensive training in childcare and several years of experience working with children. She specializes in working with youth who have executive function deficits such as ADHD and autism. Neena will receive a BFA with a major in photography during the spring of 2021 and plans to continue showcasing her art in exhibitions and investigating the role photography plays in community healing.