Farwell is a multi-disciplinary artist and visual arts advocate, working to help promote a strong sustainable visual arts sector in Waterloo Region. In 2016 Farwell founded Art$Pay, a non-profit regional initiative with a mission to connect visual art practitioners with opportunities, community, and advocate for fair pay www.artspay.org. In 2018 through the generosity of HIP Developments, Art$Pay established the non-profit Art Incubate, with 2 galleries and 15 studios including a sponsored Incubator for five recent artist graduates. Farwell also founded the award winning BOX Art Show & Sales, the Artist Crit Group, has designed unique art rental and workplace programs including those at WalterFedy and The Centre In The Square and has served as an art curator, juror, donor and speaker, among other volunteer community art activities.
Farwell taught children with special needs for the Waterloo County Board of Education and left teaching to become a full-time mother. Community courses in drawing, painting, fiber arts and clay led to a decision to seriously pursue art studies as a mature student in the Fine Arts program at the University of Waterloo in 1993 where Farwell received numerous awards for artistic merit and academic excellence.
The artist lives in Waterloo with her family and has a working studio an old factory in downtown Kitchener. Locally Farwell’s work has been shown in juried Art$Pay shows, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Globe Studios, Cambridge Centre for the Arts, Kitchener City Hall Rotunda Gallery, Homer Watson House & Gallery, BOX Art Show & Sales 2009-13, WalterFedy, Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery and Harbinger Gallery among others. Farwell was a featured artist in Roger’s TV Studio 20 program, premiering January 2014, and in the Grand Magazine November- December 2013 issue.