About the Founder
Orfe Millán
Orfelina Millan Narváez, is an environmental artist and creator of an eco-friendly community art program for children, Orfe EcoArt Program. Her passion for art, environmental and community commitment, and the invaluable experience of teaching art to several students, have strengthened her determination to motivate and teach children and youth to protect the planet.
Orfelina was born in Barranquilla, Colombia. At an early age she developed a deep love for art, which led to her pursuing a career where she could share her creativity and passions with the world. Orfelina graduated from the Autónoma Del Caribe University in Textile Design, where she learned diverse art techniques focusing on the creation and transformation of textile fibers. Since moving to Canada in 2011, she has been working as an artist, creating eco-friendly products made from recycled and organic materials and showcased her products at various venues. She was also invited to join a non-profit Canadian art organization, Raw Artist, which helped her to build her brand and extend her audience throughout North America.
In 2014, Orfelina had the incredible opportunity to volunteer her skills teaching art at Blessed Trinity Catholic School. She created workshops for students in grades 1 to 8 and immediately felt connected with the passion they had for their work. Wishing to share and instill a sense of environmental awareness within the students, she was motivated to create the Orfe Eco-Art Program which enabled children to explore their creative gifts while learning about the use of recyclable and natural materials.
The Orfe program has been running in several Catholic schools in Toronto and has had the support of the Toronto Arts Council, Neighborhood Art, North York Art, STEPS Initiative, Art Start, and New Arts Toronto Organization.
In June 2019, Orfe EcoArt Program was accepted as an educational programming partner with the Toronto District School board.
On September 15, 2019, Orfelina was chosen alongside Greta Thunberg and 3 more organizations to receive the first Climate Arts Awards in Canada, from the NewArts Toronto, a Canadian organization that launched the Climate Art Award to recognize artists and arts organizations who are changing the narrative on climate change.