Story by Tamara Botting
When Araya-Lee Smith first walked down the halls of Lansdowne Children’s Centre (LCC) with Speech Language Pathologist Fran Talarico, “She couldn’t help but stop to admire the artwork created by previous Terry Fisher Memorial Award winners,” Talarico told the audience at the LCC annual general meeting on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
“You could see it even then; her deep appreciation for art, her curiosity, and that spark of inspiration in her eyes.”
Little did Smith know then that her work would be joining the others on the wall, as she was named the 2025 recipient of the Terry Fisher Memorial Award.
Smith said “I was pretty happy” when she found out that she’d been chosen.
Tamie Aubin, Director of Client Services for LCC, said that the award, which was established in 1988, honours the memory of former client Terry Fisher, who “had a real love for art, and was known for his joyful spirit and creativity. Even though he’s no longer with us, his memory continues to inspire the work we do today.”
Each year, the award recipient is nominated by staff, “Who see up close the joy and effort our clients put into their art all year long,” Aubin said.
In her presentation of the award to Smith, Talarico said that she works on her craft every day.
“For her, art is more than a hobby, it’s a way of bringing her imagination to life,” Talarico said. “Her submission, ‘Peace Land,’ is a perfect example. It’s a vision of a peaceful planet and depicts a magical creature carefully weaving a flower crown. It’s whimsical, thoughtful, and filled with the quiet beauty that only someone who truly sees the world through an artist’s lens could create.”
Smith works in a wide range of mediums, including pencil crayons, oil pastels, markers and digital tools; she’s also expanding into ‘wearable art’ – fashion and jewelry designs.
Smith said she wants to become a fashion designer someday, because “I get to show my artwork in fashion, and other people wear it.”
Talarico praised Smith’s dedication to the world of art, saying, “Whether she’s sketching, designing, animating, or simply stopping to admire someone else’s work, Araya brings heart, imagination, and generosity to everything she does. Her future is bright, bold, and beautifully creative.”
