A Bermudian living abroad is using art to break down social and racial barriers in Canada.

Joan Harvey Butterfield is the curator of 'Beyond the Rhythm: Caribana Art Exhibit' at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) from July 23 to August 3.

She is an artist and also curates exhibits in Toronto as art director for the Association of African Canadian Artists.

'Beyond the Rhythm' is being shown as part of the two-week long Scotiabank Caribana 2009 Toronto festival. The festival celebrating the Caribbean attracts over a million spectators from around the world to Toronto annually.

Artists featured will be Nicole Peña, who has shown work in Bermuda, Charmaine Lurch, Izzy Ohiro, Joy Andre, Sonia Farquharson, Angela Hayes and many others.

There will be 50 canvases in the show done by 25 different artists.

"Half of our artists were born outside of Canada," said Mrs. Butterfield. "They come from Africa, England and all over the world. They bring with them their differences, their histories, their traditions and their struggles to their canvases.

"Izzy is an African artist, but his work is more like Pablo Picasso's work. It is very cubist. He is one of my lead-in artists. His work is so colourful. One of his pieces is being used to make a 50 foot banner outside the ROM."

As curator of various art exhibits, Mrs. Butterfield has always aimed to promote human rights and equality.

She has also worked to bring more recognition to Afro-Canadian artists.

And she does feel that she has had some success.

"Just the fact that as a black association, we got our work into the ROM was an accomplishment," said Mrs. Butterfield.

This will be the second time for the Caribana art exhibit at the ROM. "Last year was the first time in ROM's history that they ever hosted an exhibit by a black art association in Toronto."

To be a part of the exhibit, artists had to create art to answer the question of what the Afro-Canadian community had accomplished beyond the hardships of the past.

Many of the artists used American President Barack Obama as subject matter.

"Sonia Farquharson devoted three pieces to Obama," said Mrs. Butterfield.

Last year the theme was 'Roots to Rhythm' and several Bermudians entered their work including April Branco and Barbara Dillas.

"This year the Bermudians didn't make it before the entry deadline," said Mrs. Butterfield.

She said she is trying to stimulate dialogue through art.

"The art forms part of a travelling exhibit that goes into spaces and public places where most people won't see art, leaving out art done by Afro-Canadian artists," she said.

These locations include government buildings, libraries and public spaces such as Toronto City Hall.

Mrs. Butterfield immigrated to Canada in the 1960s.

"Like most Bermudians, we went away to school," she said.

"I went to the Cambridge School of Business in Boston. When we were finished with school we decided to marry and live in Canada."

She regularly returns to Bermuda to visit her two children, Doyle and Sherri Butterfield.

"I was always artistic," she said. "I studied art in Bermuda before I went away to school. I lived in Bermuda for about a year in 1985. Now defunct department stores Triminghams and Smith's started buying it. I supplied them with my artwork when I moved back to Canada."

Mrs. Butterfield became known for her own style of 17th century three-dimensional decoupage.

She was regularly commissioned to create works of art for guest speakers for such places as the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Time Warner of New York.

She has curated exhibits for Essence Art, the city of Toronto, the Bank of Montreal, Scotiabank, City of Hamilton, Burlington Art Centre, Heritage Galleries, Coca-Cola, The Canadian Human Rights Commission and more.

Mrs. Butterfield said before she decided to try making a living from art she had a family meeting.

"I told my family that if I didn't make any money in 18 months I would go back and make a real job. The first year I made about $21,000. I had contracts in Bermuda."

And she has been making a living through art ever since. A lot of it was sold in the United States rather than Canada or Bermuda.

"Canada is a difficult market to break into," she said. "That is why I worked in the United States for about 15 years. I was based in Washington, DC."

Mrs. Butterfield hoped to see Bermudians come to Toronto to see the exhibit.

"Come up to enjoy Caribana," she said. "It is a whole two-week festival.

"There is a kick-off party in Yonge-Dundas Square. Then we have the calypso tent, we have a big gala. There is a costume competition, and then we have the art exhibition."

Unfortunately, some of the events have had to move because of a strike of city workers going on in Toronto.

Mrs. Butterfield lives in Brampton, a suburb of Toronto, so she has not been directly effected by the strike.

The art exhibit will be on the third floor of the ROM's Centre Block from July 23 to August 3.

The museum is located in the heart of Toronto. It is the fifth largest museum in North America.