Do you identify as a Black, Indigenous or racialized self-employed artist? Do you find the existing cultural policies in Canada supportive of your art and community partnerships?
Join us for a panel discussion with arts practitioners, managers, and policy makers
at Belfry Theatre on April 14th between 1:00-2:30 pm PDT
Panelists:
Rebecca Hass, Director of Engagement Programs and Partnerships for Pacific Opera Victoria
Jasmindra Jawanda, Urban/Social/Community Planner, Diversity, Anti-Racism & Gender Specialist
Kenji Maeda, Executive Director, Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance
Moderated by Taiwo Afolabi and Deniz Ünsal
For the past eight months, Taiwo Afolabi (Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre at University of Regina) and Deniz Ünsal (School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University) have been co-leading a community-based research, in collaboration with Yvette Nolan, on equity in cultural policy. The research focuses on creating space for Indigenous, Black and racialized artists and cultural entrepreneurs in Western Canada to speak to and about the impact of the existing cultural policies on their art practices.
Register and reserve a spot to either attend in-person or in zoom:
Panelists Bios:
Rebecca Hass is the Director of Engagement Programs and Partnerships for Pacific Opera Victoria. She is the winner of the 2022 Opera Canada Ruby for her role as a change maker in the field, and the Creative Builder Award for the City of Victoria for 2021. She is an alumna of Opera America’s Leadership program and the Banff Indigenous Leadership program. A citizen of the Métis Nation of British Columbia, Rebecca is deeply invested in her community and is co-director of the Indigenous drum group, ANSWER. She is also an accomplished mezzo soprano, theatre maker, broadcaster, podcast creator and host.
Jasmindra Jawanda is an Urban/Cultural Planner who is committed to “creating space for people and place” that lead to equitable, inclusive, socially just, sustainable, vibrant and resilient communities. Born on the unceded lands of the WSÁNEĆ peoples (Saanich, BC), Jasmindra is a Canadian who is proud of her Indian heritage. As a racialized woman she is professionally and personally committed to bringing diverse voices into the center of political, social, environmental, cultural, artistic, and community arenas. With over 25 years of professional experience, Jasmindra has a varied planning career working in the areas of urban planning, land use planning, community planning, social planning, cultural/anti-racist planning, environmental planning, gender responsive planning, creative place-making, youth development, arts and culture, and international development.
Kenji Maeda‘s (he/him) experiences are diverse and grounded in his passion for the arts, education, and building community, and influenced by his Uchinanchu heritage. Based on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, he is the Executive Director of the Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, Project Director of SEARA (Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts), and an arts and culture consultant. Kenji currently sits on the board of Mass Culture, a national organization where research and the cultural sector intersect, and an alum of the Banff Centre’s Cultural Leadership Program. He loves spreadsheets, chewy chocolate chip cookies, and his husband, Alan.
