The Gallery of Human Migration Launches Its Digital Space
Toronto, November 7, 2025 ~ The Gallery of Human Migration has officially launched its complete online platform, marking a milestone in its mission to celebrate the human experience of migration through art, story, and reflection.
Migration is more than movement. It’s a journey through identity, memory, and belonging.”
“Our website is the Gallery, and the Gallery is our website,” explains founder Rocco Maragna, who envisions it as a global hub for memory, meaning, and legacy—a poetic, artistic, and reflective space fostering empathy and celebrating diversity.
Celebrating the 2025 Inaugural Literary Award and Its Winner
The 2025 Gallery of Human Migration Literary Award—the Gallery’s first formal recognition of artistic expression inspired by migration—honours stories that illuminate the courage, creativity, and resilience that migration evokes, recognizing these as values at the heart of our shared humanity.
The inaugural edition was dedicated to Danny Montesano, founder of Lido Construction, and his wife, Madeleine Brazeau, in tribute to their legacy of perseverance and community spirit.
A volunteer juryreviewed all eligible submissions through a blind process, evaluating each piece based on voice, craft, and insight into the migration experience.
The Grand Prize has been awarded to Mohamed Hammoud for his story “Reclaiming My Name.”
Honourable Mentionshave been awarded to Ana-Maria Posada-Borda, Irene Yi, Keiko Honda, Morsal Yakuby, The Prairie Collective, Elisa Bryce, and Brenna Tomas.
The Recognition
Grand Prize: A faithful reproduction of the sculpture created by artist Ester Crocetta, symbolizing the award’s spirit.
Honourable Mentions: A framed, original sketch of the sculpture by Ester Crocetta
Visibility: Selected stories are featured on the Gallery website.
Legacy: Each contribution enriches our collective understanding of migration’s creative and transformative role in shaping humanity.
Sculpture by Ester Crocetta: “I’M MIGRATION”
The Sculpture “I’M MIGRATION,” and Our Message
The Gallery’s motto, “I’M MIGRATION,” plays with dual meaning. With the apostrophe, it affirms identity—I am Migration. Without it, it becomes IMMIGRATION—”the act of moving toward.”
The Gallery reframes migration not as immigration or emigration, but as movement itself—the essence of life and creation. Each of us carries a migration story shaped by dreams, departures, and belonging.
Migration is a human right and a creative force that binds humanity.
Each story we collect is a journey. And yet, not all journeys are made by people. Some travel through symbols — quiet, mysterious messengers that carry the same pulse of movement and connection. Think of a coconut carried by ocean currents, finding new shores where life begins again.
Or a red box—simple, vibrant, unstoppable—journeying from place to place, crossing borders and touching lives, reshaping landscapes and societies forever.
Support the Gallery of Human Migration Award
“Our mission is to celebrate the powerful shared experience of human migration by fostering understanding, embracing diversity, and cultivating empathy. Our vision is a world where everyone recognizes migration as a vital force of human connection and creativity.”
Every story begins with someone who moved us. Dedicate the 2026 edition of the Literary Award in honour of a friend or family member whose courage and creativity continue to inspire. Reach out to us for details.
About the Gallery of Human Migration
The Gallery of Human Migration is a digital and physical initiative founded by Rocco Maragna. It is a non-profit, independent organization. We are a collective of thinkers, artists, and changemakers exploring migration as a powerful shared experience. Through storytelling and reflection, we invite you to discover how migration shapes our identities, communities, and shared future.
Join us in standing with the human community and in honouring its stories with dignity, respect, and empathy.
Explore, participate, and share your story here.
For more information on the Gallery of Human Migration, Toronto, visit www.galleryofhumanmigration.org
Media Contact
For additional information and images, please contact:
Nancy Perin, Executive Director