Rita Winkler (artist)
{{Short description|Canadian artist}}
{{Infobox artist
| honorific_prefix =
| name = Rita Winkler
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| image = Rita Winkler - Artist.jpg
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| birth_name = Rita Winkler
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1987}}
| birth_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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| alma_mater = Drewry Secondary School
| known_for = An artist with Down syndrome
| notable_works = My Art, My World
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| father = Jay Winkler - deceased
| mother = Helen Winkler, nee Jundler
| relatives = Leora Winkler, Rachel Winkler (sisters) - Mark Winkler, Lawrence Winkler, Sam Jundler (uncles)
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| website = {{URL|https://www.ritawinkler.art/}}
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Rita Winkler (born 1987) is a Canadian artist who is known for her paintings and artbook, My Art, My World.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/article-books-are-a-crucial-escape-for-kids-of-all-ages-especially-in/|title=Kids' books gift guide: Find new ways for young readers to explore the world|first=Jeffrey|last=Canton|date=November 19, 2021|website=The Globe and Mail}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/my-art-my-world-1.6161747|title=My Art, My World|publisher=CBC Books|date=September 2, 2021|access-date=2022-03-02}}
Biography
Rita Winkler was born in 1987 with Down syndrome in Calgary, Alberta.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/41-canadian-picture-books-to-watch-for-in-fall-2021-1.6159465|title=41 Canadian picture books to watch for in fall 2021|publisher=CBC Books|date=September 2, 2021|access-date=2022-03-02}} She attended Drewry Secondary School where she learnt sign language.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nivmag.com/articles/the-unbridled-joy-in-rita-winklers-world-and-art/|title=The unbridled joy in Rita Winkler's world and art|first=Orly|last=Zebak|date=April 11, 2021}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kenoraminerandnews.com/news/local-news/my-art-my-world-is-a-riveting-read|title='My Art, My World' is a riveting read|website=Kenora Miner and News}} Later, she went to DANI, an organization which is helping people with disabilities, where she participated in their stage productions and wrote their newsletters. At DANI, she discovered her passion for art.
After the death of her father due to cancer in 2002, her family moved to Toronto, Ontario in 2003. There, Rita began a life that included folk dancing, yoga, signing, and painting.{{cite web |title=My Art, My World {{!}} CBC Books |date=2021-09-02 |website=CBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603000503/https://www.cbc.ca/books/my-art-my-world-1.6161747 |archive-date=2023-06-03 |url-status=live |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/my-art-my-world-1.6161747}} As a folk dancer, she used to perform dance until COVID-19 pandemic at Prosserman Jewish Community Centre with her mother, Helen, who also taught a course called Move N'Mingle at the center. Nowadays, she performs a dance with her mother for Jake's Jam every Sunday.
In the past few years, Rita flourished as an artist, painting how she sees life through her own eyes.{{Cite web|title=My Art, My World: A book by Rita Winkler|url=https://globalnews.ca/video/8440367/my-art-my-world-a-book-by-rita-winkler/|access-date=2022-02-19|website=Global News|language=en-US}} Alongside creating paintings, she also likes to paint birthday cakes and create birthday cards.
During the pandemic, she took classes at L'Arche London and learnt watercolor painting.
In 2021, a publishing company approached her family, and with the help of her mother, Helen Winkler, and her uncle, Mark Winkler, from New York, they co-authored an educational picture book entitled, My Art, My World.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1269275079|title=My Art, My World|first=Rita|last=Winkler|date=March 2, 2021|publisher=Second Story Press|oclc=1269275079|via=Open WorldCat}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cmreviews.ca/node/2383|title=My Art, My World|website=Canadian Review of Materials}} The book shows how she views her life through paintings and teaches inclusion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.breakfasttelevision.ca/videos/rita-winkler-on-seeing-the-world-through-her-artwork/|title=Rita Winkler on seeing the world through her artwork – Breakfast Television}} The book received positive reviews, including a star in Kirkus Reviews.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/rita-winkler/my-art-my-world/|title=MY ART, MY WORLD|publisher=Kirkus Reviews}}
Rita is also a member of the Ontario Folk Dance Association.{{Cite web | url=http://www.ofda.ca/fdo/archives/2015/2apr15.pdf#page=5 | title=Party! Party! Party! | page=5 | journal=Folk Dancer Online | publisher=The Ontario Folk Dance Association | volume=46 | issue=2 | date=April 2015}}
Bibliography
- Winkler, Rita; Winkler, Helen; Winkler, Mark (2021). My Art, My World
References
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External links
- [https://www.ritawinkler.art/ Rita Winkler - Official website]
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Category:Artists with Down syndrome
Category:Canadian artists with disabilities