CONFERENCE 2022

Patricia looks forward to welcoming participants in this interactive workshop on development planning— an in-demand area of focus for many arts organizations who, through additional pandemic-related funding, were able to get on solid financial footing and begin to consider a more in-depth look at sustained donor development.

The session will begin by looking at development readiness for organizations, and will lead participants through a development assessment process while using an advancement approach that considers your strategic plan, member/audience relations, communications and engagement, values, and org culture. In addition to ensuring an understanding of fundraising and development basics such as the donor cycle; major donor trends, prospect mapping; ways of giving; etc, the workshop will go deeper into brand-based thinking towards building your Case for Support; and communications and engagement strategies.

We will finish off the day with a closer look at incorporating your digital strategy in development and outline your organization’s Year 1 actions. Small group discussions and solo exercises will be incorporated throughout the day, and participants will be provided with all of the materials used during the session. Patricia has worked in advancement roles for nationally-mandated organizations as well as smaller local arts orgs who are just getting started in their fundraising and development processes, and will be happy to tailor the session to the size/scale of the organizations joining for this fundamental pro-d day.

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Patricia Huntsman is a two-time nationally award-winning arts and cultural strategist having received the Award of Excellence in Cultural Planning from the Creative City Network of Canada for her work in both 2018 and 2019. She has held senior creative industry roles both internationally and nationally, including as Chief of Major Gifts and Corporate Giving at the National Gallery of Canada. Patricia is a sought-after voice on Canada’s $63.2 billion cultural sector. She led Arts BC’s Renewal process from 2015-2021 and helped develop many of the organization’s core programs and services, including the Insight Team, Arts 911 Hotline, Mastermind Group, and Community Cultural Forums. Through her residency at the Banff Centre in 2016, Patricia has been active in supporting systems change. She works with an intersectionalist lens and pairs a deep understanding of BC’s cultural sector with expertise in local government and arts and culture based community and economic development. Patricia holds an MBA with a focus on organization assessment and advancement. She is a bilingual settler on stolen Coast Salish territory including the lands of the Snaw-Naw-As People where she resides on Thi-Skwithe (known colonially as Vancouver Island in the local Hul qumi num language).

 

Do you want to grow, deepen, convert and retain audiences, supporters, donors, and members? You can! You can implement a Constituent Relationship Manager (CRM). These tools help make your staff, board, and everyone that engages with you, happier in the long term. With cost and time savings, you can collaborate faster, earn revenue more efficiently and use data to make better decisions. But CRMs aren’t straightforward and you need to have a strategy and be ready for what is needed to make them successful. In this 3 hr masterclass, we’ll lay out the fundamentals and get you started on your journey.

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Jai Djwa (MFA), an artist, facilitator and digital strategist that works in the cross-section of arts, games, technology and people. Jai incorporates his understanding of the world as a person of colour to his life and artistic practice. He cares deeply about community, creativity and convening. Jai is appointed to the BC Arts Council, the Vancouver Fringe, and is a business mentor for new immigrants at MOSAIC. Read more at www.djwa.ca.

 

 

 

 

*This session is part of the THRIVE Digital Literacy program.

As we become increasingly reliant on data to drive decisions, it is more important than ever to take a careful and considered approach to how we collect, analyze, and communicate that data. Collecting data for the sake of data cannot lead to impact. Data must have both intention and purpose. That’s why, in this session on IDEA-led Data Collection (IDEA refers to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access), we will create space to understand fundamentals around data and data collection. In this Masterclass, we will collectively work on answering the following questions:

• What does IDEA-led data mean?
• Why do we need to collect data responsibly?
• What are the fundamentals of “data” itself?
• How can we ensure surveys (a data collection tool) become more inclusive?

Throughout the session, we will have opportunities to talk and discuss. Participants are welcome to bring their specific questions around data collection.

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Meena Das (she/her/hers) is the founder, data consultant, trainer, and an ethicist with her nonprofit consulting practice, NamasteData. She specializes in designing and teaching equitable research tools and analyzing engagement. Meena appreciates spending her time outside work as a mentor to immigrants. Her three recent favorite projects are talking about IDEA-led data and research through her LinkedIn-based newsletter “data uncollected”, publishing her first kindle e-book “Some Data Posts”, and building a virtual school for advancing equity through data, “Data Is For Everyone”.

 

 

*This session is part of the THRIVE Digital Literacy program.

We will close the day with an evening of reconnection during our Social open to all at the Richmond Art Gallery, located in the Richmond Cultural Centre. Reconnect with colleagues, make new friends, and turn online connections into IRL relationships. Take the time to enjoy Vanessa Brown’s solo exhibition That Other Hunger. Everyone welcome!

Learn more about the Richmond Art Gallery here

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We will begin the day with a traditional welcome by Christie Charles (also known as Miss Christie Lee), followed by opening remarks by Arts BC President Laurel Wood. Parliamentary Secretary Bob D’Eith and Dr. Sae-Hoon Stan Chung (BCAC Council Chair) will give an introduction and overview of Extending Foundations (BCAC Action Plan), followed by remarks by our Destination Sponsor, Tourism Richmond.

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Christie Charles: From Musqueam and Tsleil Wahtuth Nations, Christie Charles is a direct descendant of the great warrior Capilano. She was named the City of Vancouver’s first local Indigenous Poet Laureate in 2018. Christie is an accomplished spoken word artist with a background in Indigenous hip hop. She is a storyteller, poet, coastal hand drum singer, filmmaker and speaker for her ancestors, with a passion to empower Indigenous youth to be proud of their roots. Christie’s connections to multiple communities are instrumental in elevating the role of Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and urban Indigenous poetry, literary and cultural practices.

 

 

Laurel Wood, Arts BC President: Retired after a 30 year career in professional services, Laurel now calls Victoria – the magnificent traditional territory of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations – home. As a collector, maker and above all appreciator of art, she is passionate about the value of art in society. As an experienced Director, she knows that good governance empowers the work of members and volunteers. Laurel is committed to our progressive journey as an arts community and proud to support and engage with Arts BC as ‘We Power the Arts.’

Dr. Sae-Hoon Stan Chung (BCAC Council Chair) is a Korean Canadian writer, academic, and consultant. Dr. Chung is a senior advisor to the Ktunaxa Nation Council and a former associate professor of communications, dean of arts and science, and vice-president academic. He has conducted research, written award-winning screenplays, and published books, reviews, and academic articles. The Kelowna Daily Courier featured his column, Global Citizen, for ten years. Dr. Chung holds a PhD from UBC. His dissertation explored neuroscience and artificial intelligence in the work of Pauline Oliveros. Dr. Chung is currently the principal of a strategic consultancy focussed on Indigenous socio-economic innovation. He is the author of peer-reviewed articles “The Courage to Be Altered: Indigenous Decolonization for Teachers” and “The Morning After Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report: Decolonisation through Hybridity, Ambivalence, and Alliance”. His books include Global Citizen: River of Love and Other Essays and I Held My Breath for a Year. A member of Council since 2020, his current appointment is for a term ending July 31, 2024.

Parliamentary Secretary Bob D’Eith (Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film) was elected as the MLA for Maple Ridge-Mission on May 9, 2017. He was re-elected for a second term on October 24, 2020. He currently serves as the BC NDP Caucus Chair and is the Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film. He previously served as Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services. For twenty-eight years, as an entertainment lawyer, author and music consultant, Bob D’Eith has helped Canadian musicians achieve their dreams. For over a decade as Executive Director of Music BC, he was a fierce advocate for the music industry and co-creator of the award-winning artist development program “The PEAK Performance Project.” Additionally, Bob spent many years serving the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Arts Council. Bob is a two-time JUNO Award nominated recording artist and founding member of the musical group “Rymes with Orange.” For 20 years, Bob has produced, written, and performed with the duo “Mythos,” a group that had major label releases and achieved Top 20 status on the Billboard Charts. While serving as BC NDP Government Caucus Chair and Parliamentary Secretary for Arts and Film, Bob also sits on the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, Treasury Board, and the Special Committee of Selection. Bob has lived in Maple Ridge-Mission with his wife and children for the past 19 years.

Opening the Circle
Carla Stephenson of the Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) will open the circle with reflections on a sector in transformation through the lens of equity and capacity, highlighting key sector priorities and considerations for the future.

Setting the Stage for Sharing and Exchange
Join Carla Stephenson and the team from the Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) throughout the conference for activities that offer opportunities to ground yourself in the space and dig deeper into the undercurrents of the work we are doing as we gather in this place and time. The RAIL team will introduce multiple avenues of recording and sharing where you are at, as quietly or loudly as you wish, that will be made available to you. We will also be joined by Kelly Foxcroft-Poirier of White Raven Consulting, who will be providing graphic recording for the conference. What we read/hear/see will be reflected upon in the closing circle on Saturday afternoon.

Learn more about RAIL here
Learn more about White Raven Consulting here

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Carla Stephenson is the project lead for the Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) a systems change project funded by the Vancouver Foundation. Carla has been working in small rural communities for over two decades, she is the co-founder of the Tiny Lights Festival and the Executive Director of Renascence Arts and Sustainability Society and a member of the Arts BC Insight team She has presented at the Canadian Arts Summit and the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation Conference about the innovations that her organizations have made in equity and sustainability. Through her work with RAIL, she has been facilitating many conversations to address colonial systems that perpetuate inequality by design. Her facilitation work is grounded in creating conditions where emergence can happen through listening and collective story harvesting. She believes art plays a vital role in disrupting and getting to the truth of issues in subversive and overt ways. Carla brings to her work the lived experience of being a mixed-race woman of colour and mother who is grateful to live and work on the unceded territories of the Sinixt and Ktunaxa Peoples.

 

RAIL: The Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) is a project created to address the systems that exclude marginalized voices from arts organizations, audiences and performers in rural British Columbia. This three-year place-based project, a partnership between the Nelson Civic Theatre and Renascence Arts and Sustainability Society is supported by a systems change grant from the Vancouver Foundation. In the past year, we have facilitated over 250 artists, administrators and funders in 8 cohorts. Through this process, the most important thing we have learned is that the relationships we are building are the fabric and web that hold our sector together.

 

Kelly Foxcroft-Poirier: With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr (ECIAD), Kelly has been a practitioner facilitation methods and frameworks through the Art of Hosting and Visual Facilitation at UBC for 13 years. Kelly is deeply influenced by community values and a spirit of innovation; gifting forward a strong sense of ingenuity, imagination, and resilience in all of her work. Constantly inspired by her Tseshaht roots and her grandfather’s background in organizing, advocacy and workers rights, Kelly combines playful courageous curiosity to shift into places and possibilities where courage and vulnerability gift forward connection, potential and community building.

Beginning with a presentation by the City of Richmond, this plenary session will showcase sector leaders as they share innovative projects, new strategies, and stories of community successes. Despite the uncertainty and struggle in the sector, many communities, organizations and individuals have found creative ways to continue with initiatives, create new ways of working, and spotlight the power of the arts.

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Camyar Chaichian (City of Richmond)
Elyssia Sasaki (Island Mountain Arts)
Maurina Joaquin (Art of Adapting)
Miriam Manley (LUNA Fest)
Haley Bassett (Dawson Creek Art Gallery & Peace Liard Regional Arts Council)

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Many of us experience burnout at some point in our careers.

Characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, and inefficacy, burnout has a huge toll on our job satisfaction, personal relationships, and overall well-being. When we experience burnout, we often find ourselves feeling helpless or powerless, like there is no way out of it. However, there are strategies that can help you reduce its negative impacts so you can thrive professionally.

This session will explore the following topics:
· recognizing the signs of burnout
· engaging your values in the workplace
· building community and connection at work
· setting boundaries to conserve your energy
· reconnecting with meaning and purpose
· exercising self-compassion and emotional awareness

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Esther Oh (she/her) is a counsellor based in Vancouver, BC. Prior to becoming a counsellor, she was a tax and estates lawyer at one of Canada’s leading law firms. As a Korean Canadian woman and former lawyer, Esther draws upon her lived experiences in helping clients come to a fuller expression of who they are. She specializes in helping clients who are working through issues such as: anxiety, depression, career or life transitions, stress and burnout, relationship difficulties, grief, perfectionism, low self-esteem, professional identity, and cultural identity.

Disabled people have developed ways of being together that recognize people’s inherent worth and values what each individual has to offer. Join us for a discussion about how crip kindness and community care can be transferred to everyday life.

Discussion includes:

• Who sets the boundaries of good versus bad behaviour and professionalism.
• How to engage in community care to ensure people’s inherent worth is recognized and celebrated.

Learn more about Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods (CAN) here

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Heather McCain (they/them) is founder and Executive Director of Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods (CAN), a non-profit they started in 2005. Heather built CAN from a small grassroots organization in two communities to an organization delivering workshops and adding their voice to projects and events across Turtle Island (colonially known as North America). Heather works on the stolen land of the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), in what is colonially called Vancouver.

Heather’s own experiences with multiple types of disabilities, neurodivergence, inaccessibility, and ableism led them to become a well-known and respected advocate, speaker, educator, and activist who works to create equity, celebrate diversity, and educate about and implement accessibility. Heather recognizes that those within the disability community have intersecting identities and works hard to ensure a multitude of voices and experiences inform their work and the work of CAN. Heather is committed to centering decolonialization, using an intersectional lens and disability justice framework. Heather is proudest to be called a Crip Doula. This is a Disability Justice term for someone who helps disabled people navigate our complex systems, provides resources, support, and builds community. Members of Chronically Queer gave this title to Heather. CQ is a support group Heather facilitates for 2SLGBTQIA+ folk with chronic health conditions.

The Indigenous Resurgence Project is a Kamloops initiative to support and build the Indigenous arts community by working alongside the many talented artists and crafters in the region. The goal of the project is to address the distinct gap in resources and support of local and regional Indigenous artisans, businesses, and entrepreneurs in the arts sector. Join Beng Leng Tan Favreau in conversation with Project Director Shay Paul, to learn more about the collective and initiative, and discuss the role of artists as organizers/advocates and how artist support initiatives contribute to sector change.

Learn more about the Indigenous Resurgence Project here.

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Shay Paul is a Secwepemc artist and also the director of the self-made Indigenous Resurgence Project, which exists to support and showcase indigenous artists and culture from holding free public exhibitions to helping mentor emerging artists. Shay is a multi-media artist, graphic designer, community organizer, public speaker, and has experience in various field backgrounds.

 

 

 

Attendees will have the on-site opportunity to sign up for small group chats with representatives from arts funding agencies, as well as Arts BC Insight Team members. 

Interested in knowing more about funding opportunities? Book a time with a grant coordinator or advisor. 

Have a burning question related to your organization, or just looking for more information on what Insight Team services are available to Arts BC members? Take this opportunity to chat with Arts BC Insight Team members. 

Timeslots will be 15mins. Artists, cultural workers, and Board members are welcome to participate. *Sign up will be available on-site.

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Sheryl McGraw, Program Coordinator, Community Presenters (BC Touring Council)
Krista Patterson, Program Advisor, Community Arts (BC Arts Council)
Hayley Slipiec, Senior Program Advisor, Building Communities through Arts and Heritage (Canadian Heritage)
Brenda Grunau, Manager, Music Programs (Creative BC)
Mizzy Mejia, Coordinator, Music Programs (Creative BC)

Patricia Huntsman is a two-time nationally award-winning arts and cultural strategist having received the Award of Excellence in Cultural Planning from the Creative City Network of Canada for her work in both 2018 and 2019. She has held senior creative industry roles both internationally and nationally, including as Chief of Major Gifts and Corporate Giving at the National Gallery of Canada. She is a sought-after voice on Canada’s $63.2 billion cultural sector. She led Arts BC’s Renewal process from 2015-2021 and helped develop many of the organization’s core programs and service including the Insight Team, Arts 911 Hotline, Mastermind Group, and Community Cultural Forums. Through her residency at the Banff Centre in 2016, Patricia has been active in supporting systems change. She works with an intersectionalist lens and pairs a deep understanding of BC’s cultural sector with expertise in local government and arts and culture based community and economic development. Patricia holds an MBA with a focus on organization assessment and advancement. She is a bilingual settler on stolen Coast Salish territory including the lands of the Snaw-Naw-As People where she resides on Thi-Skwithe (known colonially as Vancouver Island in the local Hul qumi num language).

Meena Das (she/her/hers) is the founder, data consultant, trainer, and an ethicist with her nonprofit consulting practice, NamasteData. She specializes in designing and teaching equitable research tools and analyzing engagement. Meena appreciates spending her time outside work as a mentor to immigrants. Her three recent favorite projects are talking about IDEA-led data and research through her LinkedIn-based newsletter “data uncollected”, publishing her first kindle e-book “Some Data Posts”, and building a virtual school for advancing equity through data, “Data Is For Everyone”.

Jules André-Brown is a leadership consultant and musical artist best known for producing Horsepowar, a Richmond-based hip hop artist. Jules is involved in many local music and visual arts organizations on Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Jules’s forthcoming graduate work looks at how young people see the future of leadership in arts organizations. He serves as a board at CiTR radio and Discorder magazine. In addition, Jules has worked in social services supporting advocacy for people with disabilities. Jules is also a founding member of the new International Leadership Association’s Arts & Leadership community. He was appointment as a member of the BCAC Council December 31, 2021 for a one year term.

Saskia Vermeulen (Southlands Financial) is a third-generation insurance broker specializing in employee benefits as well as health and life insurance. She completed her BA (Major/minor) at the University of British Columbia. After a successful career in marketing, she moved into the insurance and financial services industry. In 2016, she launched her own practice, Southlands Financial. She is proud to provide high levels of service to her group and individual clients. Saskia has high ethical standards and the needs of her clients are her top priority. By carefully researching and identifying financial goals and objectives she is able to help clients set up, implement and review their personal financial plans on an ongoing basis. She is committed to continuing education and has earned her Certified Health Specialist (CHS) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designations. Saskia is on the Advocis board for the Financial Advisors of Canada professional association in the Greater Vancouver chapter. She is part of a charity which helps raise money for women’s education. She is passionate about the arts and making sure that artists are afforded the same standards of employee benefits, health and life insurance that other industries are able to enjoy.

Mykel Hurlburt (Axis Insurance)
Jamie Saunders (Axis Insurance) is a graduate of UBC with a commerce degree and spent several years as Account Executive with Axis Insurance Group. He developed a deep understanding of the claims process, advocating for clients interests and working closely by their side from start to finish. This experience provided a great foundation of industry and technical insurance knowledge, before moving on to his next role, managing several provincial non-profit insurance programs. Jamie has been managing Arts BC’s insurance program since 2014 with a continued focus on making insurance as easy, informative, and affordable as possible for its members.

 

 

Students are a great solution to your seasonal or project-based needs with their up-to-date digital skills and fresh perspectives. But how do you hire students? Is there funding available? And what exactly are you signing up for when you bring on a post-secondary student?

Aimed specifically at museums, arts, tourism, culture, and hospitality organizations, Talent MATCH is here to answer these questions and more! During this presentation, Talent MATCH’s Project Manager, Debby Reis will share details on the hiring process, where to find students studying topics relevant to your organization, funding sources, and other resources that can support you in planning to hire a student. Students are available across the province and throughout the year to work on-site or remotely to support your organization grow.

Talent MATCH is a collaboration between the Association for Co-operative Education & Work-Integrated Learning BC/Yukon, the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture, go2HR, and the BC Museums Association.

Learn more about the Talent MATCH Program here.

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Debby Reis is Talent MATCH’s Project Manager, which supports museums, arts, tourism, culture, and hospitality organizations to hire students for co-ops and other work placements. Debby has a long history of working and volunteering with arts and community organizations, primarily in communications roles at the Vancouver Fringe Festival, the Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards, Discorder Magazine, the Vancouver Farmers Markets, and the Vancouver Writers Festival. She currently sits on the board for Geist Magazine, a national literary magazine. Outside of work, Debby loves to travel, dance, and cook foods from her Portuguese cultural roots.

 

 

All organizations face uncertainty. How will the work we’ve already done prepare us for what we can’t anticipate? Evaluation can help. Yet, many leaders and teams in the space have limited time, resources, and skills to effectively scaffold evaluation and organizational learning into their work. Our clients worry that: gathering feedback could disrupt more important work, collecting data will be too onerous, or that surfacing past mistakes could compromise relationships and funding. While evaluation and reporting can be icky, it doesn’t have to be.

This workshop will debunk myths about evaluation, introduce easy and resource-efficient strategies for organizational learning, and offer creative and arts-based techniques to gather feedback and support reporting requirements. By fostering good practices for feedback, growth, and data-driven decision-making, this workshop will help leaders across all skill and experiences levels use evaluation techniques to guide their teams and arts programs/projects through uncertainty. No evaluation experience required.

Learn more about the AND implementation Inc. here.

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Maya Lefkowich is a research methodologist and evaluator with 12 years of experience and a passion for creative, community-led, and anti-oppressive strategies. Maya prioritizes approaches that (re)centre the joy, desire, and wisdom of clients and community partners to counter practices that extract, exhaust, and deficit-frame. She holds a BA in international development, a Master of Public Health, and a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies. Outside of evaluation, Maya is a ceramic artist under the name “the leaning handle” and aspiring writer working on her first novel – an ecofeminist thriller.

 

Jennica Nichols I am an evaluator who is passionate about supporting organizations to do meaningful measurement and useful evaluations (less bad evaluations is my goal). I am also an implementation scientist who works to increase research use in the real-world and to better engage patients and their families in health care. I have a masters degree in public health (epidemiology) and hold the Credential Evaluator designation. I am currently finishing my PhD at UBC, where my research explores using research-based theatre to design health interventions. Outside of work, I like being in nature and exploring hole-in-the-wall restaurants.

 

The ability to adapt is key to the success and sustainability of arts organizations. In this session, the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District will share how they changed operations to accommodate new ideas, changes in leadership and location, and the pandemic, all during the past 3 years. As well as goals and strategies they continue to implement to rebound from these changes. Learn how they expanded relationships with other non-profit organizations and the business community; dealt with massive growth, changes of organizational structure, and the loss of their previous gallery location; and persevered to continue to support local arts on Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands.

Learn more about the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District here.

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Delie Lawley is the current executive director of the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District (ACLD). She has a Bachelor degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. She has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years as a bookkeeper and administrator. Working for the ACLD for the past 4 years, she was appointed ED in Fall 2021.

 

 

 

 

Francesca Reside is a visual artist, performer, digital literacy and arts educator. She is the media director for the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District and has worked with many arts organizations on the island and Gulf Islands.

The Four Worlds Teaching is also called Dominion versus Dependence. Based on an Aanishinaabe Creation Story, we compare and contrast the dominant Eurocentric world view to an indigenous one and YOU decide which one seems to work in an age of environmental crisis.

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Darin Corbiere is an Indigenous artist, writer and teacher from Wiikwemkong, an Indigenous community on Manitoulin Island, Ontario. Darin is Anishinaabe (Indigenous people from the Great Lakes region). His spirit name is Waabshki Makwa (White Bear). Darin belongs to the Bear Clan. Darin drew upon his role as an Indigenous culture and language teacher to create “The Truth in Truth & Reconciliation” educational board game. He also created DED-C-Comics, the label producing his graphic novel and comic books series. In 2015, Darin embarked on a healing journey from church-related, childhood trauma. His technique of using ink on sculpted wood originated from a desire to connect with the spirit of each individual piece, which in turn, has a story to tell. It is in their creation that he has found a way to heal. Reconciliation is an emerging theme in Darin’s projects.

 

 

 

 

Francesca Reside is a visual artist, performer, digital literacy and arts educator. She is the media director for the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District and has worked with many arts organizations on the island and Gulf Islands.

 

Welcome Back & Poetry Reading
We will gather together again with Christie Charles who will welcome us back to the final day of the conference, and set the stage for another day of learning and reflection with a poetry reading.

 

Reflections & Sector Announcements
Join conference partners, Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) to share reflections on what we have heard so far. Followed by exciting sector announcements from Arts BC, Pacific Legal Education & Outreach, and more.

 

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There is a lot of focus on decolonizing the sector – but what does that look like? How can we, as an arts community transform a system based on scarcity, and change the way we work as individuals and organizations? Join Indigenous artists and cultural workers as they discuss structures and practices, current momentum, and share their work towards a different vision of the sector.  

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Cathi Charles Wherry is Anishinaabekwe and a member of the Chippewas of Rama (Mnjikaning) First Nation, where her Father was born. Her Mother’s ancestors came from England and Northern Europe. In 1979 Cathi moved to Lekwungen territory on Vancouver Island, and now lives in W̱SÁNEĆ with her husband Andy, with their adult children nearby. Cathi studied visual arts at Camosun College and earned a BFA with Honours in Studio Arts from the University of Victoria (1994). She is a visual artist, curator and writer, with projects that include: invincible spirit (Open Space, 1995), earthy gestures (Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, 2001), and Transporters – Contemporary Salish Art (AGGV, 2007).
For three decades Cathi has devoted herself to advocacy, and generating and delivering resources and strategic initiatives to support the vitality of Indigenous arts in B.C.. From 1996 – 2018 she served as Art Programs Manager for the First Peoples’ Cultural Council, where she envisioned and developed a suite of grant programs, and developed and facilitated community arts development workshops, and provincial and national gatherings. She was the lead for engagement with the Indigenous arts community for numerous FPCC partnership projects, including the Vancouver Opera’s Magic Flute, and the commission of major artworks for Government House, the Our Living Languages exhibit at the Royal BC Museum, and four BC Ferries Salish Class vessels. She served as a Special Advisor for the FPCC from 2019 until 2022. Cathi now looks forward to attending to her own art practice and reclamation of her Anishinaabemowin language and culture as she works toward being a good ancestor.

Senaqwila Wyss is Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), Tsimshian, Sto:lo, Hawaiian and Swiss. She holds a Bachelors of the Arts Degree in the faculty of Communications, Arts and Technology, minor in First Nations Studies. She also holds a First Nations Languages Proficiency Certificate and Diploma in the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim. She and her husband, Lil̓wat filmmaker Justin Leo, are raising their 6 year old daughter, and adopted her 10 year old niece, to be first language speakers, which has not been done in her family four generations after colonial impacts. She practices ethnobotany with traditionally trained mom Cease Wyss with indigenous plant medicines. Senaqwila was raised learning these ancestral teachings and uses plants as teas, medicines, tinctures and ceremony. Senaqwila is highly sought after for her work and years of experience in event planning, programming for festivals, education, public and indigenous knowledge expertise in programs.

Chase Gray is a trans-Indigiqueer or 2 Spirit xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Tsimshian artist. At 12 years old, he was introduced to mask-dancing and has danced with the Git Hayetsk Dancers, “The People of the Copper Shield,” who have greatly influenced his art. As a visual artist, Chase’s work often takes inspiration from the Indigenous characters and stories of his childhood and blends them with mainstream concepts. Recent works include the Pixel Moments AR (augmented reality) mural titled “Breathe”, and a new mural created as part of the Chilliwack Mural Festival titled “Legendary Birds.” Chase also designed a recent Vancouver Canucks warm-up jersey inspired by traditional Coast Salish art, incorporating three Musqueam colours: tumuth, sunset yellow, and black. Chase believes people from every culture can understand and appreciate Indigenous artwork in some way, and hopes his work captivates a wide audience.

Eli Hirtle is a nêhiyaw(Cree)/British/German filmmaker, beadworker, youth mentor and curator based on Lekwungen Territory in Victoria, BC, Canada. His practice involves making films about Indigenous cultural resurgence and language revitalization, as well as investigating his nêhiyaw identity through beadwork. Current areas of interest are learning how to speak his ancestral language of nêhiyawêwin and mentoring emerging Indigenous artists. Eli is currently the Curator, Indigenous and Contemporary Art at Open Space Arts Society. Past curatorial projects include Sacred at Victoria City Hall, Pretty Good Not Bad Festival, IndigeVision Film Showcase, and the Wapakoni Cinema on Wheels Tour.

 

With mounting pressure to deliver on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA), many organizations and government leaders, especially at the executive and board level, are desperate for inspiration. The non-profit world is no stranger to big “IDEAs”. Some art organizations have taken the lead on IDEA initiatives as champions of local communities. In this presentation, we explore common questions that organizations often ask. How can organizations tap into such diversity? How can leaders escape self-imposed silos within their organizations? How do we engage effectively and inclusively with different stakeholders? As governance is more art than science, we introduce a whole-systems approach that draws upon principles of community engagement, agile methodology and design thinking to reimagine governance and empower decision-making at all levels of the organization.

Learn more about Go Beyond Equity Inc. here.

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Bessie Chow is the principal and co-founder of Go Beyond Equity Inc., where she helps organizational leaders develop meaningful inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility (IDEA) strategies. Before starting Go Beyond Equity, Bessie worked for 15 years in governance and executive support. After a successful career helping board members and senior executives from various industries including corporate media, small business, government and arts & culture, Bessie now advises them on how to engage effectively with internal and external stakeholders. Bessie has a BA in political science and sociology from UVic and an MBA from SFU. She is an avid reader and dog lover.

 

Allan Cho: INCLUSION, DIVERSITY, EQUITY & ACCESSIBILITY (IDEA) STRATEGIST Allan Cho is an academic librarian, literary editor, and community organizer, whose research is at the intersection of Asian Canadian identity, culture, and history. As Community Engagement Librarian at UBC, Allan works closely with historically underrepresented and marginalized communities in British Columbia on cultural and heritage preservation and outreach. He is currently the Executive Editor of Ricepaper Magazine, festival director of LiterASIAN Writers Festival, and the Executive Director of the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW). He has served on the board of directors for a number of non-profit organizations. Allan has BA and MA degrees in History, Masters in Library and Information Studies (MLIS), and Masters of Educational Technology (M.E.T.), all from the University of British Columbia.

 

Ray So is the Chief Strategist and co-founder of Go Beyond Equity Inc., where he helps organizational leaders apply systems thinking to business problems and design appropriate solutions. Before starting Go Beyond Equity, Ray was a project manager in the marine industry with over a decade of proficiency in leading multinational teams. Ray’s inspiration in diversity and inclusion began with witnessing firsthand the benefits of a diverse engineering team and the inputs that people from different backgrounds can bring to the table. Ray has a BAS in engineering from UBC and an MBA from SFU. He enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and paddling.

How can institutions better understand and support third-space artists? How can we build solidarity and a deeper understanding between these artistic cultures?

Institutions are seeking more outreach, community engagement, and ways to address racism, homophobia, sexism, violence, erasure, mental health, marginalization, and other challenges. Third Spaces were created out of a need to address these challenges, and have been doing this work since inception, offering valuable experience and connection. Third Spaces want stability, funding, mentorship, support, access, and validation. Institutions can offer and support this.

Join presenters from Centre Centre who will discuss ways in which third-space artists and arts administrators can work together in communities, and share key findings and highlights from their recent research and accompanying guide IN-KIND: a best practice guide for working with third spaces.

Learn more about the IN-KIND guide here.

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Jenny Lee Craig & Heidi Nagtegaal

Centre Center is a collaborative, artist-run initiative that highlights DIY, underground, and alternative artists and spaces, validating them as frontline cultural creators. Our first project was the creation of InKind: A Best Practice Guide For Working With Third Spaces. Currently anchored by Jenny Lee Craig and Heidi Nagtegaal, Centre Center is owned by no one and embraces the input of a fluid participant advisory committee that spans diverse disciplines and experiences across so-called Canada. The committee is a group of third space artists and organizers who have a spectrum of abilities, sexualities, genders, classes, ethnicities, and experiences across Canada, and beyond. The Guide was built from the feedback of nearly 100 artists across Canada who participated in our survey.

 

Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) founders and composers share ideas and paths for building a landscape of diversity in local community arts.

“VICO musicians and composers come from widely differing backgrounds. We have different frameworks for thinking about music. We often speak different languages — both literally and artistically. How do we work together to weave these separate threads into a new and brilliant sonic tapestry?”

A recipient of the City of Vancouver Cultural Harmony Award, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra has been described as “the United Nations of music” (CBC Radio) and “music that sounds like Vancouver looks” (Georgia Straight).

After twenty years of developing a methodology to successfully achieve a voice for Canadian composers and musicians of diverse backgrounds, VICO has fostered the creation of musical works that both fuse and transcend cultural traditions. It offers varied and innovative programming on a year-round basis: full-scale concerts, an annual festival, educational outreach and professional development workshops.

VICO’s education programs foster self-determination, teamwork, community building, and leadership and examine what it means to be part of a positive inclusive arts community. In this presentation we will explore long term strategies for growth, building sustainable support networks and creating a career path for diversity using the power of artistic collaboration and how it can transcend cultural and geographical boundaries.
From artists to presenters to audiences we will discuss how to support inclusion, creativity, equity and diversity.

Learn more about the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra here.

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Mark Armanini, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, holds a Bmus (1981) and Mmus (1984) in composition from UBC. Since 1989 Mark has composed for combinations of Chinese, Asian, and Western instruments, and received numerous commissions and awards for his work. His catalogue includes over 60 works for choir, solo voice, chamber and orchestral ensembles and has been performed by the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony, the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, the BC Chinese Orchestra, Orchid Ensemble and Silk Road. Mark is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a faculty member at Capilano University in North Vancouver.

 

Farshid Samandari‘s music reflects his interest in contemporary classical vocabulary, spectral analysis, and extended techniques. In addition his belief in Unity in diversity stirred him toward utilizing different elements from a variety of non-western music in his compositions. This has directed him to collaborate with a variety of choirs and ensembles including Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Esprit Orchestra, Atlas Ensemble, Turning Point Ensemble, Nu:bc Collective and VICO as well as many acclaimed soloists. He is the winner of VNM06, CUMS09 and CUMS/CLC11 best compositions. He is currently serving as the composer-in-residence for the Vancouver Intercultural Orchestra.

 

Paul Armstrong is the founder of International Arts Initiatives (mundomundo.com), a broad based instigator of progressive ideas to stimulate and develop the growth of the arts in British Columbia and the Coast Salish Nations. As a non-profit artist management agency, producer and arts presenter, IAI is focused on excellence, innovation and cultural connectivity. IAI produces projects that are interdisciplinary and collaborative in nature. Paul’s background is both global and diverse, including programming for arts festivals and presenting live music projects with international luminaries and innovators. At the heart of his working methodology is a focus on the essential dynamics of the artist-audience experience.

Join us to close the circle, where we will hear reflections on the conference, report back from the Rural Arts Inclusion Lab, and closing remarks from Arts BC President Laurel Wood. 

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Looking for an easy way to create professional designs for your organization or art practice? Maybe you’ve heard of Canva but are not sure what it does or how it can help you. Join us for this demonstration and brief overview of this powerful and easy to use tool. We will go over both the free version, which is great for artists and pro version (free for non-profits) which is great for teams. *Canva is a free-to-use online graphic design tool. Use it to create social media posts, presentations, posters, videos, logos and more.

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Francesca Reside is a visual artist, performer, digital literacy and arts educator. She is the media director for the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District and has worked with many arts organizations on the island and Gulf Islands. Learn more about Francesca’s work with the Arts Council of Ladysmith & District here.

 

 

 

 

*This session is part of the THRIVE Digital Literacy program.

In this session, Juan Ramirez and Laura-Beth Keane will talk about why it’s important for artists to understand cutting edge technology and why diverse voices are needed in the art-tech sector to solve some of the big issues created by the blockchain, cryptocurrency and NFTs. They will also share how an accessible artist incubator model works and why the model is an important template for other art-tech programs to learn from.

Whether you love them or hate them, non-fungible tokens or NFTs are here to stay. It’s crucial for artists and creative professionals to understand the emerging technology behind this weird and strange, yet rapidly developing industry to make informed decisions and take advantage of the brave new opportunities created through the blockchain.

Learn more about the Esquimalt Community Arts Hub here.

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Laura-Beth Keane (she/her) is a project manager and visual artist living on the Lekwungen Territory in Victoria, B.C. She is a multimedia artist and creative professional specializing in community-focused art. As a neurodivergent person, LB is interested in using art and creativity as a way to bring disparate groups together and find connection in a world that doesn’t often make sense to her. She is the founder of the Esquimalt Community Arts Hub and currently working for Creative Coast BC and an artist collective exploring the future of the Trackside Art Gallery. She is the more anxious half of art.Biin.

 

Juan Ramirez was born in 1988 in the Amazonian region of Caqueta, Colombia. When he was 14 years old, his family immigrated to Canada as political refugees.
Juan is a software developer, designer and musician, different skills which he combines to create digital collages. His artwork often explores the relationship between people and the digital world we have created around us, how it affects us and how we perceive it.”

 

 

*This session is part of the THRIVE Digital Literacy program.

Over the past 2 years, Voice of Purpose has been on a journey of transformation convening leaders in community arts across North America to uncover critical needs and opportunities around equity and impact in digital engagement. Along the way, we have also been developing avenues internally for deepening in the embodiment of our purpose – innovating and integrating more holistic models and approaches across the organization. In this interactive session we will share about this journey, our learnings in community, and the call to action for embodiment of equity to progress our sector toward a future of co-liberation.

Learn more about Voice of Purpose here.

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Nate Gerber is the Director of Enterprise Development and Digital Strategy with Voice of Purpose. Nate is a strategic design leader and facilitator working at the intersection of culture, technology, and business. With a unique background as an arts educator and community organizer turned digital service and enterprise design consultant, Nate has helped social ventures, mid-market technology firms and government agencies leverage experience design for innovation. Currently Nate provides advisory services for and through ThinkFresh Group.

Past clients and employers include the City of Toronto, the Ontario Public Service, Taboo Health, Baycrest Hospital, the Canadian Centre for Brain Health Innovation, GSI Solutions Inc., QoC Health Inc., Normative Inc., LawLignment Professional Corporation, the Tetradian Futures Institute, The Lausanne Congress, Partners International Inc., On The Spot Language School, and Parissis Partners Inc. In addition to equitable systems design, Nate is passionate about developing interactive installations and movement art.

 

 

 

 

 

*This session is part of the THRIVE Digital Literacy program.