文化365博客
RE:想象系列
这是一个特别的博客系列，邀请了来自加拿大各地(以及其他地方!)的作家和创意人员，并以故事强调和庆祝2021年文化日的主题:RE:IMAGINE。
By stimulating multiple senses at the same time, immersive art seeks to transport visitors out of the world of the everyday into an artistically heightened experience of bodily immersion. Instead of addressing audiences as passive viewers whose job it is to consume external content, immersive art seeks to create the impression that the visitor is \u201centering into\u201d the work of art. \n\nAs the use of immersive art technologies overlap with political artistic projects of empathy and activism, it seems the logic at play is that by engaging the visitor\u2019s body more fully to interact with the experiences of other and even blur the lines between self and other, it is also possible to activate an \u201cempathy muscle,\u201d that unleashes feelings of closeness, consideration, and care. In turn, the logic seems to follow, by producing more empathetic citizens, immersive art technologies might even have the power to bring about more equitable and inclusive futures.\n\n[Neuroscientific research](https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352154617301031) on empathy does suggest that empathy can be grown through experiences of trying to occupy another\u2019s perspective and of imagining how another might be feeling, especially through reading body language and other non-verbal cues. In their engagement of multiple senses to make the audience interact with the experiences of others, it might be true that immersive art technologies are especially well-poised to provoke experiences of empathy. But leading research on empathy also insists on the importance of regular feedback from other people as a factor in building empathetic capacities; this ensures that we are not simply projecting our own feelings onto others, but actively engaging with their responses to our attempts at empathy. Because this kind of feedback is not consistently built-in to immersive art experiences, these experiences run the risk of becoming focal points for inaccurate and even harmful projections and assumptions. They also run the risk of merely being trauma porn, or \u201cmedia that showcases a group\u2019s pain and trauma in excessive amounts for the sake of entertainment.\u201d (Brittany J. [\"What Trauma Porn Is, and Why It Hurts Black People\"](https:\/\/themighty.com\/2020\/10\/trauma-porn\/)). \n\n{.pull}\n\nEven if immersive art technologies are particularly apt for producing experiences of empathy in audiences, what proof do we have that, after being immersed in fragments of the unsettling realities of others, these experiences will go on to have any influence on their actions as citizens and political subjects? This is a question worth taking seriously by audiences and art institutions alike as the latter tout immersive art technologies as would-be empathy machines that can open up horizons to a better world. This question also speaks to the temporality of immersive experiences. Are these experiences somehow \u201cover\u201d once we fall back into step with the rhythms of our everyday lives? Or do they have (and perhaps especially so for their multi-sensorial stimulation of our bodies) staying power that carries forth into our future actions and decisions? Moreover, is there a hidden danger in investing in the notion that having empathetic feelings towards another person or group is or should be a requirement for protecting their human rights? Are a person\u2019s human rights not worth protecting even if we are not able to experience empathy for them? \n\nWhile it is exciting that artists are mobilizing immersive technologies like VR to make tangible politically invisibilized experiences of marginalized populations and human rights violations, many questions remain about the relationships between immersion, empathy, and political action. Rather than taking the assumptions promoted by arts institutions about the utopian potential of their exhibits at face value, let\u2019s keep putting pressure on questions about how, precisely, immersive arts technologies enter the realm of the political and activate alternative futures.\n![]()
移情机器?:探索沉浸式艺术技术与感觉之间的关系
Jozef Spiteri和Sunita Nigam文化日
2021年9月9日
Let\u2019s transform our grief into anger\u2014because it is anger that motivates us to act. Let\u2019s marshal our anger into action for the good of our sector and our communities.\n\nMany Canadians, artists included, long to return to normal\u2014especially now as theatres, concert halls, cinemas, studios, museums, galleries, and other venues that provide arts and cultural experiences slowly but tentatively welcome back in-person gatherings. But for Indigenous and racialized artists, \u201cnormal\u201d has never been an option in the Canadian cultural landscape. As we approach the end of our second summer of a global pandemic, this is a fantastic opportunity for us to consider how we might redefine normal.\n\nLike Toto pulling back the curtain to reveal the truth behind the Wizard of Oz, COVID-19 peeled back the synthetic veneer of normalcy to expose widespread and egregious systemic inequality, particularly the twin plagues of systemic racism and white supremacy. The stories and the stats are disheartening: [anti-Blackness is alive and well](https:\/\/www.citynews1130.com\/2021\/05\/17\/vancouver-systemic-racism\/) in our country; the UK-based _The Guardian_ named Vancouver the \u201canti-Asian hate crime capital of North America\u201d following a mind-boggling 700% increase in police reports; and the [recent mass murder of a Muslim family](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/07\/world\/canada\/muslim-family-targeted-truck.html) is but the [latest outrageous act of unchecked Islamophobia in Canada](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/remembering-the-quebec-city-mosque-attack-islamophobia-and-canadas-national-amnesia-152799).\n\nMore recently, the horrifying truth of genocide on Canadian soil following the discovery of the [remains of hundreds of Indigenous children in unmarked graves](https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2021\/jun\/27\/canada-must-reveal-undiscovered-truths-of-residential-schools-to-heal) on the grounds of [multiple residential schools](https:\/\/nationalpost.com\/news\/canada\/how-canada-forgot-about-more-than-1308-graves-at-former-residential-schools) has many non-Indigenous people finally questioning the colonial roots of Canada Day\u2014having overlooked the fact that for nearly a century, some [Chinese-Canadian communities mark the holiday as \u201cHumiliation Day\u201d](https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/nova-scotia\/humiliation-day-chinese-canadian-head-tax-exclusion-act-july-1-1.4175025), ever since the Chinese Exclusion Act banning Chinese immigration was enacted on July 1, 1923.\n\n{.small}\n\nNormalizing the dehumanization of people because of their race, gender, religion, sexuality, or disability is, well, \n_not normal_. It\u2019s frankly toxic. (And to be fair, it\u2019s not just white folx who are guilty of this; bigotry and discrimination exist among communities of colour as well.) Personally, as an East Asian multidisciplinary artist, I\u2019m well aware of the phenomenon of the [Interchangeable Asian](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/06\/business\/the-cost-of-being-an-interchangeable-asian.html) \u2014 though in my play, [_In the Shadow of the Mountains_](https:\/\/www.visceralvisions.com\/shadow_of_the_mountains), one character puts it more succinctly: \u201cYou know, it's a fallacy that Asians look alike. What that person really is saying is that they don't give a shit enough to really see you.\u201d As the past year\u2019s events have demonstrated, the normal too many yearn for is deadly for far too many.\n\nWhile we mourn in solidarity with Indigenous artists and communities across Turtle Island, and with all communities touched by the injustices of this year and beyond, it\u2019s too easy to wallow in sadness, and indulge in helplessness and paralysis\u2014or worse, performative and pious virtue-signalling. Instead, let\u2019s transform our grief into anger\u2014because it is anger that motivates us to act. Let\u2019s marshal our anger into action for the good of our sector and our communities.\n\nFor [Visceral Visions](https:\/\/www.visceralvisions.com\/), the multidisciplinary arts company I founded 18 years ago, the cycle of transforming grief into anger into action has been an ongoing process of redefining normal for the past decade. Over the last five years, we\u2019ve been developing [CultureBrew.Art](https:\/\/culturebrew.art\/) (CBA), a digital platform that features a searchable national database of Indigenous and racialized artists. While the growing number of databases of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) working in screen-based media are much-needed additions to the cause, CBA is the only platform thus far to also include artists in the performing and literary arts, acknowledging the reality that so many of us work across multiple disciplines. CBA was conceived to push back against the myth that the lack of diverse representation in the faces and stories onstage and onscreen is due to a perplexing inability to find us, along with the fallacy that because we\u2019re \u201chard to find\u201d, we therefore don\u2019t exist. \n\n\n\nBuilt and developed by racialized artists for [POC artists](https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/bipoc-isnt-doing-what-you-think-its-doing-opinion-1582494), the site is intercultural, interdisciplinary, and intersectional in the way we embrace and make space for the multiplicity of identity and lived experience that informs the work of Indigenous and racialized artists. \n\n> By seeking to build connection, collaboration, and community among racialized artists, CBA centres artists of colour rather than serving white power structures. While these values already make CultureBrew.Art unique, we are also far-reaching in our vision for CBA to benefit communities beyond the arts. \n\nThe work of racialized artists can disrupt systemic racism in other sectors of civil society, from education (working with students in schools and post-secondary training programs as faculty and guest artists), community and social service agencies (working with immigrants, refugees, POC queer youth, and other marginalized groups), to government (arts advisories, funding juries), media outlets, ad agencies, and more! \n\nIn addition to searching directly for artists, anyone wanting to promote a call for artists, job positions, or notices about awards and funding programs, can easily [post an opportunity on the site](https:\/\/culturebrew.art\/post-an-opportunity). This summer, we were especially excited to be working with a racialized team of grad students as part of an Industry Project Partnership with the [Centre for Digital Media](https:\/\/thecdm.ca\/), developing a CBA mobile app prototype equipped with a geolocator that will allow racialized artists in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities to more easily connect\u2014a kind of Tinder for POC artists.\n\n\n\nOne aspect of working in the digital space we hadn\u2019t fully appreciated before embarking on this journey is that because [racialized Canadians are three times more likely to be targeted by online hate](https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/toronto\/racialized-canadians-3-times-more-likely-to-experience-online-hate-1.5958457), ensuring the privacy and safety of the artists in the CultureBrew.Art community is a significant concern. We have therefore had to invest (and continue to invest) considerable time, protocols, and resources to mitigate digital risks, ranging from identity theft, to trolls and cyber hacks. Despite claims to the contrary, technology is neither objective nor neutral\u2014and more often than not, perpetuates or even [exacerbates current oppressive systems](https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/2019\/4\/3\/18291995\/amazon-facial-recognition-technology-rekognition-police-ai-researchers-ban-flawed).\n\n{.small.right}\n\nFinally, we envision the long-term outcome of CBA as one beyond numbers and statistics: a complete systemic, mindset-shift in the arts community encompassing gatekeepers, practitioners, and audience members. It will simply be accepted as a truism that, in a multicultural society like Canada, racial diversity and radical inclusion are par for the course; and engaging in a respectful intercultural way that accurately reflects demographic realities will no longer be seen as a \u201cspecial interest\u201d anomaly, but as a basic professional standard. \n\nMore than anything, CultureBrew.Art is meant to facilitate a structural reimagining of how we might collectively redefine the cultural landscape and its operational definition of who belongs, whose stories are important, and who gets to tell our stories. \n\nLike a well-formulated vaccine, the arts have the potential to immunize Canadian society from the worst of what ails us. But acquiring herd immunity from systemic racism and white supremacy requires compassion, persistence, and vigilance\u2014and a willingness to call a plague a plague.\n\n_Cover image: Sammy Chien. Photo credit: Cyrus Wu._ \n![]()
回复：定义正常：恢复中的加拿大文化景观处方
瓦莱丽·辛·特纳文化日
2021年8月16日
In times of uncertainty, art can be a steadying force. When we marvel at something, whether it is a painting, a turn of phrase or a piece of music, we\u2019re reminded of the human capacity to create and endure. (Chaves, 2020, para. 5).\n\nNow, more than fifteen months since the World Health Organization officially labeled the outbreak a pandemic, the arts sector has landed on its feet. As creative industries continue to reinvent and reshape the ways people interact with art in virtual contexts, artists around the world are boldly pushing the envelope in terms of impact. As we inch closer to post-pandemic normalcy, creative industries are playing an increasingly significant role in the advancement of sustainable practices and perspectives. To an unprecedented extent, government agencies, NGOs, and other powerful actors are demonstrating strong commitment to artists and the merits of their respective creative practices. _And for what cause?_ Artists wield not only tremendous capacity to inspire sustainable development\u2014but also to imagine, innovate, and create bright and healthy futures.\n\nAdmittedly, the term _sustainable development_ is both clunky and non-specific in meaning. A concept that transcends disciplinary boundaries, _sustainability_ is perhaps best summarized as unified and disciplined commitment to _both_ present and future populations. In short: how can we adequately satisfy the needs of people today without sacrificing the needs of future generations? Representing a fifteen-year blueprint for collaborative action, [the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)](https:\/\/www.undp.org\/sustainable-development-goals?utm_source=EN&utm_medium=GSR&utm_content=US_UNDP_PaidSearch_Brand_English&utm_campaign=CENTRAL&c_src=CENTRAL&c_src2=GSR&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0K-HBhDDARIsAFJ6UGhcuA87im4evf_9QOFn738updhF4ydFiCp5OHdlQmQRpGfWnCV2zZ8aAuP7EALw_wcB) refer to a series of science-based objectives with a deadline of 2030. [The seventeen ambitious goals](https:\/\/sdgs.un.org\/goals)\u2014which range from climate action to the reduction of inequalities\u2014demonstrate an international commitment to three sustainability pillars: _environmental, economic,_ and _social_.\n\n\n\nExploring contested terrain between art(ists) and sustainability, Canadian arts-researcher Dr. David Maggs describes three ways that artists uniquely advance sustainability trajectories. The first, which he refers to as _greening the sector_, involves \u201ccarbon accounting associated with artistic activity\u201d and the deliberate eco-conscious retooling of personal and industry mechanisms connected to the environment (Maggs, 2020). From the recycling of theatrical props and costumes to the cutback of air travel involved in artist tour planning, effective greening of the creative sector requires intuitive and innovative thinking across a multitude of artistic disciplines. Beyond environmental considerations, this model of artist-led _recognition_ and _mitigation of adverse impact_ can be aptly applied within economic and social contexts as well. Regardless of artistic medium, the fruit of impassioned creativity often conveys abstract messaging that _can_ have tangible and measurable impact on society. \n\nFor the creative sector to truly harness the unifying and transformative power of creative practitioners, it is essential that theatre halls, concert venues, galleries, record labels, festival planning committees, and other leading arts entities develop informed sensitivity to the cultural impacts of presented work. For example: might certain creation or dissemination processes directly or indirectly perpetuate racial, gender-based, or socio-economic divides? Furthermore, how might the thematic content or perceived aesthetic character of a given work impact marginalized communities? Just as creative industries can advocate for progressive environmental policies, conscious effort can _also_ be made to address social and economic injustices.\n\nThe second way that artists advance sustainability is through the aestheticizing of known scientific information. Built upon the notion that media consumers lack adequate environmental knowledge and\/or key perspectives, the artist might _raise the profile_ of select issues through the crafting of artistic communications. For example: National Geographic has brought considerable awareness to melting glaciers through photography of disrupted northern wildlife. Likewise, demonstrating projected coastline erosion within Atlantic Canada, artist Rilla Marshall debuted an installation in 2014 that illuminated Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island\u2019s imminent loss of land to the ocean. Featuring a series of intricately placed pegs along the shore, onlookers were exposed to future realities incompatible with their points of observation\u2014land soon to disappear beneath the waves (Murchie, para. 9).\n\nThirdly, Maggs articulates his vision of artists as conceptual engineers. Beyond simply advocating for awareness of sustainability principles, artists can act as innovators and leaders of positive change. Speaking to environmental concerns, what Maggs refers to as _reauthoring the world_ involves:\n\n> turning to art to explore meanings, identities, and purposes beyond carbon economies. Here, the goal is not to inspire and support climate art that carries \u201cthe message\u201d to diverse communities, but to embolden communities to find their own climate visions through the aesthetic. (Maggs, 2020).\n\nIntimately connected to respective creative processes, there remains a great deal to be learned from the ways that artists engage with and resolve internally-defined problems. No doubt, environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainability require creative solutions to complex and ever-evolving issues.\n\n{.pull}\n\nA jarring disruption to creative industries across the globe, COVID-19 has presented a tremendous opportunity for artists to reorchestrate the future. Members of the RTVE Symphony Orchestra have since returned to the Teatro Monumental. Museums, libraries, and art galleries are welcoming communities back into shared spaces. And, while many share an insatiable yearning for pre-pandemic comfort and to reclaim what feels like a year of lost time and experience, modern science shows that a bright and healthy 2030 is _only_ possible through collective, urgent, and informed action. Pioneers of the imagination, the artist\u2019s intimate familiarity with creative processes appropriately reflects their capacity to engineer pathways forward. There are very good reasons why the United Nations has designated 2021 the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development. In designing the post-pandemic world, creative people are among our greatest assets.\n![]()
RE:规划我们的未来:通过艺术促进可持续发展
文化日的瑞安·艾略特·德鲁
2021年8月9日
My perspective, however, is that if we want to produce truly innovative work post-COVID, the industry needs to learn from the rest of us\u2014those whose pandemic experiences were defined by uncertainty, CERB payments, and an unintended pause from theatre\u2019s unrelenting burnout culture.\n\nFor [Rebecca Bauer](https:\/\/rebeccabaueractor.com\/), a Montr\u00e9al-based theatre artist, the decision not to fight to \u201cstay relevant\u201d during the pandemic was an easy one.\n\n\u201cMy hunch is that a lot of Canadian theatre artists don\u2019t understand what it means to give into the process,\u201d Bauer said.\n\n{.small.right}\n\nAs an emerging artist myself, her words resonated with me. I have been fortunate enough to dip my toes in multiple creative industries\u2014theatre, film, magazine publishing\u2014and I\u2019ve noticed that while many artistic institutions are invested in appearing socially progressive and forward-thinking, this investment stops short of tangibly improving working conditions. Many artists find themselves expected to accept unpaid labour, balance full-time rehearsal commitments with day jobs outside the field, and the pressure to prioritize commercial viability over artistic potential. None of this feels innovative\u2014or sustainable.\n\nIn all honesty, I understand how easy it can be for an artist (especially one just breaking into the theatre world) to accept these unfair conditions. After all, when the work you\u2019re doing feels so important to you, isn\u2019t it natural for the exploitation that comes with it to feel important too? Since the pandemic has started, however, some artists have noticed a shift in mentality.\n\nAccording to [Samantha Megarry](https:\/\/youngpeoplestheatre.org\/dramaschool\/front-page\/faculty\/samantha-megarry\/), a Toronto-based theatre practitioner, for many of her peers, the lockdown has spurred a period of reflection. While a pandemic could never be well-timed, the beginning of lockdown was a particular blow for Megarry, who had been back at work for just nine weeks following a year she had taken to treat a cancer diagnosis. As the pandemic continued, she watched as many artists engaged with the same questions she had been asking herself the year prior.\n\n\n\n\u201cI think I went through the identity crisis that a lot of artists went through this past year, which is, who am I if not my job? What value do I have as a human if I am not doing this,\u201d Megarry said, reflecting on the period after her diagnosis. \u201cI had already learned some pretty big lessons by the time the pandemic happened.\u201d\n\nMegarry added that a lot of artists she knew continued to create in lockdown\u2014just primarily for their own fulfillment, rather than an audience or employer.\n\nUltimately, this is one of the most important things that theatre institutions should understand as the industry reopens: no one has stopped working this year. Staying alive during a pandemic is a feat that demands constant labour of all kinds. \n\n> The fact that artists have continued to create at all is a testament to our resilience, and it should be rewarded with structural industry change.\n\nIf we are truly committed to accessible, inclusive theatre, we need to include artists who cannot work within restrictive timelines such as the three-week\/three-week model. We need to re-prioritize rest, and acknowledge that in order to innovate, every artist must first have the ability to pursue a creation timeline that works for their needs.\n\n{.small}\n\nOf course, artists cannot simply reshape these industry norms on their own. They\u2019ll need time and money, which, as Megarry noted, has not been extended to artists nearly enough during lockdown.\n\n\u201cEveryone\u2019s not in the same position. If you don\u2019t have the privilege to wait until theatre comes back, if you have a child to feed, you might have to find a new career at this point,\u201d Megarry pointed out. How else can we develop better, safer communities post-COVID? It\u2019s a loaded question, but one that needs to be answered. For Bauer, it\u2019s important enough that the next step in her creative practice is to pursue funding for professional development on the topic.\n![]()
当少即是多:戏剧可以从一年的慢动作中学到什么
梅根·亨特参加文化日
2021年7月28日,
Instagram\u2019s real strength is its ubiquity. The platform evaded the frustrating pandemic cycle of closing, reopening, and closing again: it was just always there. And, while that pandemic cycle ran on a loop, communities were formed and solidified on this social network by sharing artworks, information, thoughts, and opinions as the art world changed around us.\n\nOver the past year, as pandemic measures forced galleries and other physical arts and culture venues to close, internet connectivity surged and Instagram became the predominant photo-sharing platform for many emerging artists. Stuck at home throughout provincial lockdowns and curfews, many of us swiped down to refresh our IG time-line multiple times a day\u2026maybe more than we\u2019d like to admit. There\u2019s no doubt that the smartphone-based platform flattens and simplifies both the actual artworks and the conversations around them; however, in the pandemic context it became an invaluable starting point to strengthen our community connections and define our intentions as artists or organizations going forward.\n\nAt times, the move online was a reluctant one. An Instagram post cannot compare to a physical art exhibition\u2014as any painter will be quick to tell you, it looks much better in person. An online interaction does not equate to a real-world social exchange, nor can we rely on the app to be the only community network, or even a truly democratic one. What\u2019s most interesting is how Instagram developed parallel to art spaces and institutions as a public system of connectivity and support between creatives. \n\nInstagram\u2019s real strength is its ubiquity. The platform evaded the frustrating pandemic cycle of closing, reopening, and closing again: it was just always there. And, while that pandemic cycle ran on a loop, communities were formed and solidified on this social network by sharing artworks, information, thoughts, and opinions as the art world changed around us. Throughout this past year, the platform was redefined as a site for alternate modes of sharing and selling contemporary art, through digital art spaces built by the community for the community.\n\n\n\nThis engagement on Instagram actively refreshed our systems of disseminating contemporary art. The platform facilitated the development of a community-led annex of emerging artists and events; when galleries and art institutions closed, curated accounts emerged to show work on a local and global scale. Over the course of an ex-tended lockdown in Qu\u00e9bec, new accounts like [@mtlpainters](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mtlpainters\/?hl=en) and [@peinturecontemporaine_quebec](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/peinturecontemporaine_quebec\/?hl=en) gained traction with a mandate to keep our community strong. In Ontario, [@curatedtoronotart](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/curatedtorontoart\/?hl=en) has asserted itself as an online gallery space featuring works from Toronto-based artists. Existing on a free, accessible platform meant users could build networks easily, effectively forming a digital archive of emerging artists and works produced over the last year.\n\nInstagram-based projects also regenerated systems of marketing and selling artworks using online auctions or flash sales. [\u201cLes Encans de la Quarantaine\u201d](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/lesencansdelaquarantaine\/?hl=en), an initiative auctioning off local artworks on Instagram and Facebook, was founded during Montr\u00e9al\u2019s lockdown to support artists amidst uncertainty and anxiety. The team behind the project identified the spike in online media consumption during the early days of the pandemic and the sense of solidarity forming between artists on social media platforms, explaining that \u201cthe audience was there for it, waiting for anything to happen online.\u201d This year the project successfully helped over 300 artists sell works and the team recently received a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts\u2019 Digital Strategy Fund to create an independent web platform, solidifying their position as a resource for independent and unrepresented artists in Canada.\n\nInstagram can also be a place to build and shape the identity of existing galleries and institutions, or call to restructure them. Throughout the pandemic, we witnessed power shifts within major Canadian cultural institutions\u2014labour disputes at the MAC, the controversy surrounding the firing of MMFA Director Nathalie Bondil, allegations of discrimination at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights\u2014which reflect a current heightened awareness of social and racial justice issues. In this context as well, Instagram prevailed as an accessible resource for the arts community, as accounts like [@artsaccountability](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/artsaccountability\/?hl=en) shared information surrounding current events. In this way, Instagram was used as a tool to amplify voices calling out racism and injustices in the art world.\n\n\n\nThis opened a space for institutions to reinstate their intentions on Instagram, already a platform for identity building. Artist-run centre Articule posted an [open letter](https:\/\/www.articule.org\/en\/open-letter-to-artist-centres-moving-beyond-solidarity-statements) to their contemporaries in Qu\u00e9bec, calling to move beyond statements of solidarity against systemic oppression online by aiming to integrate concrete changes into their programming. As they wrote, \u201cit is not adequate to post once a year on Instagram as proof of progressive politics or to rewrite an About section to include a mention of diversity\u2026We must commit to radical, tangible, long-term, proactive support for Black and Indigenous artists, members, curators, and publics.\u201d Moves like this one effectively used Instagram as an information-sharing tool and a starting point for progressive dialogue, while recognizing the performative quality of activism that is solely based online.\n\nInstagram has always been a place for discourse; users assert their opinions on everything from celebrity gossip to current events, but discussions on Instagram\u2014like the pictures, lifestyle blogs, and advertisements on the app\u2014can be misleading and do not show all angles. The photo-based format is simply not made for open dialogue, the algorithm prioritizes certain voices, and the app itself has been accused of deleting political posts. Recently, multiple Instagram members found their stories and posts on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) were removed from their social media on Red Dress Day, a day meant to raise awareness of the issue. Instagram promptly took to Twitter to assert that it was \u201ca global technical issue not related to any topic\u201d and was met with skepticism and mistrust. This series of events was immediately circulated in new posts and stories, encouraging users to research and raise awareness offline as well. While the app\u2019s ability to instantly transmit information is valuable, it functions best as a means of connection and point of departure for conversations, mobilization, and social change that happens beyond Instagram. \n\nBoth political movements and artistic ones are primarily, and indispensably, situated in real life; the two-dimensional aspect of viewing artworks on Instagram also applies to the dialogue around them. However, in the absence of public spaces over the last year, the digital sphere was reinforced as a tool for connecting, networking, and spreading information. Instagram has allowed us to reimagine systems of sharing and selling artworks, methods of community-building, and the hierarchies in place in the art world and beyond. As we all move towards a post-pandemic reality, it\u2019s clear that the ubiquity of Instagram and its new role as a resource for social equity will hold us accountable in creating inclusive and informed communities both on and offline.\n\n_Cover image: Artwork featured on Mtl Painters' Instagram feed. From left to right, paintings by: Francisco De La Barra, Catherine H\u00e9lie-Harvey, Petro Psillos, Marie-Chlo\u00e9 Duval, Chlo\u00e9 Gagnon, Eva Morrison. Screenshot, June 2021. Photo courtesy of the author._\n![]()
刷新：Instagram一年如何重新定义艺术社区
文化日的伊娃·莫里森
2021年7月15日
为…系列
你应该关注来自全国各地的新艺术家或正在崛起的艺术家、创意人员和/或集体。
Exhibiting my work has proven to be a great tactic (ice breaker), when inviting members of the public to participate in open dialogues, whether it be about art or more pressing matters such as activism or the current social climate. This includes connecting with new artists, reaching out to members of the community as well as other like-minded creators, all coming together for a common cause.\n\nDue to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, social media has become a primary source and powerful platform with few limitations when connecting to a wide range of audiences. This can be a pleasant form of communication, offering the opportunity to cultivate alternative perspectives or critiques between individuals that are keen on pushing boundaries on every level, granting me the opportunity to provide more insight into my goals as a creator and activist.\n\nI highlight the importance of strength in unity, for example, reflecting on moments within the George Floyd protests when white protestors created physical barriers between Black protesters and law enforcement, chanting \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d. This gesture alone signified that the first step to becoming an advocate is acknowledgment. Acknowledgment of the global issues surrounding race, colourism, State violence against minorities, or the social inequality that has shattered communities for decades, while being open to having uncomfortable discussions that can lead to necessary, massive changes within our communities. Acknowledgment is an active pillar to every conversation regarding race and the first step to becoming an advocate.\n\nIn conclusion, an advocate should not wait to be invited to the conversation. The conversation has been active throughout history and will continue far into the future. Simply pull up a chair at the table and jump right into the discussion, there\u2019s plenty of room.\n\n{.pull .right}\n\n**How has the role of community (however you choose to define \u2018community\u2019) impacted your arts practice?**\n\nMy community has acted as a support system throughout my career as a creator, encouraging my artistic drive, passion towards developing meaningful creations and self-expression, no matter the direction or manner I choose to conduct them in. It\u2019s the safety net that allows me to freely convey my truths without fear of judgment or non-acceptance by others.\n\nCommunity is a source of inspiration that has impacted my life in many ways. For example, I love engaging in enlightening conversations with strong female friends, who collectively support one another and encourage me to always speak my truth, no matter the outcome. I\u2019m also inspired by my family members, such as my brother and role model, Mohammed G\u00f6ess Peoples. Mohammed's form of creative expression in giving back to the community was to establish a BLM Zoom platform along with his friend and co-founder, Ikram Aslam. It serves as a safe space for members to share everyday experiences regarding race that have affected them personally and work together towards achieving social reform. Guest speakers from various educational backgrounds, including psychology, join the discussions and shed light on urgent topics such as maintaining mental health during the pandemic and much more. \n\n**What\u2019s next for you creatively?**\n\nCreatively speaking, I plan to place more energy into larger-scaled projects. As a child I found myself sticking to small but detailed doodles due to an inward discomfort or unease with being in my own skin. Over time my artwork has evolved from shy and polite to loud and confident and continues to grow. I\u2019m eager and looking forward to showcasing more of my work in the near future.\n\n**Where can people go to see what you\u2019re working on and keep up with your creative output?**\n\nInstagram: [@Aliagpeoplesart](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/aliagpeoplesart\/?hl=en)\n![]()
为…艾莉雅g .人民
文化日x.G.民族
2021年4月19日
I believe that our role is to continue pushing boundaries within the art world, and utilize what privilege we do have to uplift the voices of our peers.\n\n\n\n**What\u2019s next for you creatively?** \n\nI plan on pursuing formal arts education, and utilizing my degree to become an arts teacher for alternative high school programs. Along with this I hope to continue cultivating my arts practice, and remain active in the arts and culture community through working on new arts opportunities for young artists to have their voices heard.\n\n**Where can people go to keep up with your art projects and creative output?**\n\nMy virtual portfolio can be found on my Instagram [@dezzmonndd](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dezzmonndd\/?hl=en) and I can be reached through my email for inquiries.\n![]()
为…德斯蒙德·汤普金斯
文化日x Desmond Tompkins
2021年3月15日
As Latinx creatives in the arts and culture sector, we often experience social, individual, and collective barriers that follow us as we live, work, and create in Canada. Language and other cross-cultural barriers, harmful concepts around tokenism and stereotyping, and disproportionate access to resources are found at every corner of the art world and creative industries. Yet, as artists, we look for ways to challenge these concepts through creativity, resilience, and by making space for our individual, collective and multi-generational self-representation.\n\nBeing Latinx and creating in Canada means being influenced by vibrant flavours, colours, stories, and finding ways to bring them into foreign spaces. It means constantly asking yourself _Where do I belong? Where is home? Can I ever truly be part of, and embrace, my heritage? How?_ It sometimes means cooking food that reminds you of family and home because you need a warm embrace. It means looking for others who ask the same questions. It means finding unity in a commitment to make Latinx creative voices loud, and our multiple and intersectional identities seen. \n\n**How are you building community amidst the pandemic?**\n\nBuilding community during these times has been both a challenge and an opportunity to get creative. Given that Creato emerged in\u2014and greatly because of\u2014the pandemic, we have experimented so far with all virtual community-building initiatives. \n\nAt the moment, we mostly communicate through the online messaging platform Slack in order to connect and get to know each other. We have a wide range of channels within Slack so we talk about everything from job opportunities, events, and resources to sharing recipes, memes, or the latest Bad Bunny drop. It really is a space that a lot of us were missing in our lives and has become the center of where our community is connecting. \n\n\n\n**Tell us about some of the events and\/or initiatives you\u2019ve put together so far.**\n\nApart from our Slack community, which really has been the nucleus for engagement, we organize virtual hangouts every 2 weeks where anyone is welcome to join. Each and every hangout has left us with a huge smile on our faces and our hearts totally full. The calls started as a way to simply put faces to those taking part in online discussions, and now we\u2019ve been setting themes for the calls to help prompt deeper conversations and sharing resources or experiences. We like to say that these hangouts are go-with-the-flow-type of vibe, where we end up revealing weirdness, vulnerabilities, and hilarious stories. Friendships and bonds have formed instantly, and even though we can't wait to do it in person, these calls have been an amazing way to connect with each other.\n\nA huge part of Creato\u2019s mission is to give Latinx creatives in Canada more visibility. Currently, there are very few places where you can find or discover the great talent within our communities, so we are using [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/crea_to_\/) to feature artists on a regular basis; who they are, what they\u2019re about, and samples of their work. Go check them out, they will blow your mind! \n\nWe also have a firm belief that creators in our community don't only need to be seen, but paid. With this in mind, we created a holiday market or \u201cMercadito\u201d guide on Instagram, featuring artists that have beautiful creations for sale. We plan to do more of these in the future on a bigger scale. \n\n**What has surprised or delighted you most about Creato?**\n\nThis whole journey has been a surprise for me. The support and response from the community have been incredible and the constant reassurance that this space is needed is really our biggest motivation\u2014people are excited and happy to help this community grow! So many have found comfort and support with Creato, both on a personal and professional level. There are a number of people in our community who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic, others who are newcomers or even students still in or fresh out of school, and we are all doing our part in giving advice or opening doors when possible. We\u2019ve also felt an amazing sense of belonging and connection in the little things like sharing music, recipes, and anecdotes that connect us to each of our roots. \n\nPersonally, this has brought an immense sense of self-worth and purpose that I hadn't felt in a very long time. I love what I do for work, but when your 9 to 5 is the only creative work you\u2019re producing, it\u2019s easy to forget that you are worth more than just your job\u2014which can be pretty deflating at times. Building Creato has been that thing I\u2019ve been searching for without knowing. It\u2019s the intersection of 3 things I\u2019m so deeply passionate about: creativity, community work, and my Latinx identity, and I couldn't be more proud and happy spending my 5 to 9 on this.\n\n**What\u2019s up next for Creato? What goals do you hope to see the group accomplish in the future?**\n\nCreato\u2019s future is looking bright and powerful, just like our gente. As we\u2019ve said, we are a growing community, so self-discovery and ongoing development are crucial for us. We have been working on new community-driven programs, campaigns, and events with the goal of providing tools and learning opportunities to Latinx creatives so they can fully express their creative voices, challenge dominant culture, and maintain a sustainable and rewarding arts practice. We dream to one day have a physical space where artists, creative entrepreneurs, and any Latinx creator can showcase their work. However, for now, we have a very exciting virtual line-up for the year! \n\nIn line with our mission to build on Latinx self-visibility in the arts, we are developing a Latinx Directory of Creatives in Canada - an online database featuring creatives from across disciplines who identify as Latinx \/ Latine. We hope the directory will make collaboration amongst creatives more accessible while shedding light on the work Latinx creatives across Canada do. \n\nWe\u2019ll be launching a mentorship program later in the year with the hopes of better supporting emerging youth artists with arts entrepreneurship tools as they begin their professional arts practices. We also have a very special event lined up for Latinx heritage month (wink wink, October). We don\u2019t want to reveal too much right now but stay tuned for details \u2018cause it's going to be lively and of course, uniquely Latinx. \n\n**Where can other Latinx creatives in Canada find you?**\n\n[Crea-to.com](https:\/\/www.crea-to.com\/) where you can sign up for our upcoming newsletters, our Instagram [@crea_to_](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/crea_to_\/) or you can always drop us a line at .\n\n_Acknowledgment:_ \nAs a Latinx community made up of distinct cultures shaped by complex historical relations of power, we are in the process of learning more about how we can acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures, and Peoples, as we are committed to challenging the legacies of colonialism. We are forever grateful to be able to create and build community across Indigenous territories in the land that we now know as Canada. Creato is based in the city now known as Toronto, but remains Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the traditional territory of many peoples and nations including the Anishinabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.\n![]()
为…Creato
培养日x菲奥雷拉马丁内斯
2021年2月16日
意想不到的十字路口系列
一个交叉点——两个或多个事物交汇的点，这就是事物变得有趣的地方！受2020年文化日主题的启发，本系列展示了各行业之间的创造性结合和广泛合作。
As the Coronavirus restrictions gradually settled over my life in mid-March and my regular book club was put on hiatus, I found myself craving an arts-focused connection...\n\nAs the minutes tick towards 7pm, my computer is perched precariously on a stack of books while pages of discussion prompts lie on the desk underneath a dog-eared copy of our May book choice. The Facebook video interface is poised for recording; all I have to do now is hit the \u2018Go Live\u2019 button to begin our meeting. The 7pm MST beginning is late for some of our members in eastern Canada, but the promise of a satisfying deconstruction of our latest read is enough to pull people back to their devices at this hour. Once I begin the recording there is little preamble, I pause only to thank people for joining before I jump right into the discussion. After the requisite 40 second delay in the video feed, comments begin pouring in: a whole month\u2019s worth of observations scrolling down the screen.\n\nThere are two different kinds of book clubs. The first is an informal gathering of friends, eager to indulge in some libations and friendly gossip with some limited book talk thrown in. The second is a formal club with a regular meeting time, specific book choices voted on in advance and a discussion focused solely on the chosen reading material. Quite often the latter is made up of strangers, brought together over a love of the written word and a desire to meet like-minded people. Now, while in-person gatherings are on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attention is shifting to online groups as an accessible and efficient way of connecting those with similar interests.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nAs the Coronavirus restrictions gradually settled over my life in mid-March and my regular book club was put on hiatus, I found myself craving an arts-focused connection. As a critic I\u2019m lucky enough to have books mailed directly to my home, so I invited fellow bookworms to join me in reading through my collection by starting the [Ivereadthis Online Book Club](https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/ivereadthisonlinebookclub\/). The Club is a free and public Facebook group, connecting once a month over live video chats which allow for real-time discussion with an unlimited number of participants. As I write this our group includes over 200 members, but after only two meetings it is clear who will actively participate in our video chats and who is content to hover on the sidelines, popping in and out for book recommendations.\n\nFace-to-face interactions ensure a certain level of decorum is upheld while online discussions can easily devolve into bickering. As the group moderator I was mildly concerned that our conversations may become offensive, or worse, trolled by people looking to stir up pointless controversy. To avoid this, I decided our group would focus on works of fiction which allow people to voice opinions on issues external to their own lives, but relevant all the same. For example, character motivations are a frequent topic of discussion; why did someone act that way, were they justified in lashing out, what would you have done in the same situation? Criticizing the actions of a character tends to incite less controversy, keeping the tone of our discussions light and entertaining regardless of the dark subject matter the chosen books may address. \n\n{.pull}\n\nDespite the ease of voicing one\u2019s thoughts to strangers across the country in sweatpants, there are obvious downsides to staying solely online. Fran Kimmel, a writer and book club veteran points out: \u201cwhen online I might not try quite as hard to get my point across or to understand other people\u2019s points. There\u2019s the added layer of technology separating you from others, and all those emotional intelligence cues we get through body language are stripped away. But I\u2019m also hopeful that this is a learned skill, and the more we meet online, the better we\u2019ll become at sharing deeply.\u201d \n\nThe only distinguishing factor of each group member is their thumbnail-sized picture, so there is a distinct lack of background information to base judgements on. If someone voices an opinion that you vehemently disagree with at an in-person meeting, you are likely to fall back on their body language and tone of voice to help justify their comment. Online we can only go by a person\u2019s text-based contributions\u2014so although it seems easier to participate in a virtual chat, our words hold more weight than usual. Readers are especially aware of how important word choice can be, so thankfully our conversations have remained respectful and empathetic, even during disagreements. \n\nAs the organizer, my one question that looms above all others is the likelihood this club will continue. COVID-19 has not only shifted the way we currently interact with others, it has altered the way we imagine our future communications; the ease in which we have shifted our events online demonstrates this new way of meeting can continue even when moving restrictions have lifted. And even if the membership of the Ivereadthis Online Book Club slowly dwindles once life returns to normal, members now see the benefits to joining other public clubs like this in the future. One of the group\u2019s members, Jolena, confirms this newly discovered interest is one she\u2019ll continue with: \u201cI would join another book club, it was a great experience to be able to discuss a topic among peers.\u201d Knowing our members feel this way is incredibly validating\u2014the cultural richness of literature is a wonderful gift to share with others, especially with those you never would have met otherwise.\n\n{.overflow}\n![]()
陌生人与小说
文化日的安妮·洛根
2020年9月2日
Early on I must have seemed like some ultra-persistent grade school child to staff at the Canadian Light Source, which in some ways isn\u2019t that far off, I try to keep in touch with that curious grade 5-6 kid as part of my art practice. \n\nIn 2016, Fransaskois new media artist and sculptor, [Jean-S\u00e9bastien Gauthier](https:\/\/jsgauthier.com\/) (hereinafter referred to as \"JS\"), signed up for a tour of the [Canadian Light Source](https:\/\/www.lightsource.ca\/) (CLS)...and then another, and another...until he was convinced he wanted to make art using the CLS. \n\nThe CLS is a national research facility, one of the largest science projects in our country\u2019s history, producing the brightest light in Canada\u2014millions of times brighter than even the sun\u2014used by more than 1,000 scientists from around the world every year in ground-breaking health, environmental, materials, and agricultural research.\n\n{.small}\n\nThe synchrotron operates by accelerating streams of electrons to 99.99 per cent of the speed of light, fast enough to reach the moon in 1.3 seconds. Giant magnets bend the electron beam, creating a light millions of times brighter than the sun. When directed down beamlines, that light enables scientists to do analysis of physical samples such as plants and engine oil that is more detailed than with any other process, as well as to create images of structures at the molecular level.\n\nTo gain entry to this very exclusive instrument (there are only 40 synchrontons in the world and only one in Canada) JS realized he needed a partner, someone with inside access. He wrote a call for collaborators that was published in the CLS newsletter. Somewhat surprisingly he received numerous replies, but Dr. Brian Eames' response stood out.\n\n[Dr. Brian Eames](http:\/\/eameslab.ca\/) is a researcher at the University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine, in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, who uses the CLS, imaging techniques, and molecular approaches to study how cells turn into bone and cartilage. \n\nAll it took was one meeting over coffee, where they shared concepts on evolutionary biology and spitballed ideas for using the synchrotron to explore evolution, and they knew they could develop an exceptional collaboration. JS regularly visited Brian\u2019s lab where they continuously discussed intersecting interests and possibilities. Based on their talks, JS drafted grant applications, one of which was accepted by Canada Council for the Arts.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nSince 2017 JS has served as the Artist-in-residence at the Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology, at the University of Saskatchewan and facilities of the CLS synchrotron. No other artist has been granted research time at the CLS with artistic inquiry and aesthetic experimentation as the primary objective. \n\n> Art and science are natural collaborators. In the same way that art alters a perspective, or provides an unexpected revelation, so does science...\n\nCutting-edge 3D synchrotron radiation imaging techniques were used to create an immersive video installation, [_Dans la Mesure\/Within Measure_](https:\/\/vimeo.com\/235157911), which explores developmental biology, evolution, and the complex unity between humans and other life forms (specifically zebrafish, tiny and robust model organisms often used in genetic medical research.) \n\nAnd their collaboration continues. In 2019, JS and Brian created an interactive piece for Nuit Blanche (which was shown at the U of S campus and downtown Saskatoon.) [_Our Glass_](https:\/\/jsgauthier.com\/our-glass) engages viewers of all ages to peer within an hourglass, showing how embryonic development compares among animals with whom we share a close genetic heritage. \n\n{.overflow}\n\nJeff Cutler, past CLS Chief Strategic Relations officer had this to say, \u201cArt and science are natural collaborators. In the same way that art alters a perspective, or provides an unexpected revelation, so does science. Researchers from around the world come to our light source in order to see things differently, and their findings often change how we look at the world. It\u2019s this search for a new way of seeing things that brings art and science together, and that\u2019s why it\u2019s important for us to work with artists like JS. Not only does his work introduce the CLS to a new audience, but he has also challenged us to see our own work differently.\u201d\n\nStay tuned for more as JS continues to redefine contemporary art practices through research, technology, and building bridges across disciplines and people... he recently bought a VR (virtual reality) helmet!\n![]()
当你把一位艺术家、一位科学家和一束非常明亮的光线混合在一起时会发生什么？
维维安·奥尔文化日
2020年8月18日
Building a boat is a process of thinking, knowing, and doing\u2014of learning and creating, which are the two most important of all human activities. It is not a single big job; it is a thousand little jobs, some of them done over and over and over.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nDay 1 is over before you know it, and everyone goes home a little sore, but satisfied to see their boat taking shape. By Day 2, with the exterior of the rowboat complete, the builders add the interior frames, seat risers, and seats. In between the major steps there is always more planing, sanding, and tweaking to do to prepare for the big launch on Day 3.\n\nSituated on the boardwalk in the heart of the busy Halifax waterfront, the [Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (MMA)](https:\/\/maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca\/) was searching for a way to open up the doors of its boatshop and become a community anchor. They found it through the unexpected intersection of traditional craftsmanship and youth outreach. \n\n{.overflow}\n\nInspired by the Family Boatbuilding concept introduced in WoodenBoat Magazine in 1998, the MMA\u2019s program is simple: gather a few \u2018families\u2019\u2014whether bound by blood or simply friendship\u2014give each group a kit of pieces for a 12-foot rowboat, and help them put the pieces together in three days. Family Boatbuilding spreads wooden boatbuilding to a wider audience and keep the craft alive and vital.[^note1]\n\n{.overflow}\n\nThe [Alexandria Seaport Foundation](https:\/\/alexandriaseaport.org\/), in particular, ran with this idea. They introduced an element of social action, training and employing at-risk youth as apprentices. In the process, they also raised the profile of the movement, publishing Bevin\u2019s Skiff plans for other institutions to use for their own events.[^note2] This is where the MMA found their direct inspiration, and they are not alone. Similar programs have sprung up throughout the Eastern Seaboard and along the West Coast, independently run by an eclectic collection of museums, historical societies, boatyards, and community non-profits.[^note3]\n\nThe MMA built its first two boats in 2014. The next year, three. Then, four. Now, it runs the program multiple times a year in partnership with Mount Saint Vincent University\u2019s Child and Youth Studies program.[^note4]\n\n\n\nEvery time the MMA runs the program, the excitement on Day 3 feels fresh. By midday, the last quarter knee has been sanded, and each boat christened and ready to launch. Everyone gathers on the floating dock, poised to push their boats into Halifax harbour. They seem a long way from the Day 1 version of themselves. At first, they were reluctant to jump in with hammer in hand, afraid of making mistakes. They soon realized that, in itself, was a mistake. Here, mistakes are celebrated instead of frowned upon\u2014they\u2019re the best teachers. \n\n{.overflow}\n\nThe participants now know how to sand, plane, use a bevel gauge, build upside down, and drill straight. They can also translate angles, apply boatbuilding math, tell the difference between types of wood, and identify a transom or a seat riser. Above all, they\u2019ve absorbed craftsmanship as a concept\u2014what Richard Sennet called \u201cthe desire to do a job well for its own sake.\u201d[^note5] And no one is breaking drill bits anymore.\n\nThe MMA\u2019s Building Boats, Changing Lives program is building capacity in practical building skills, traditional wooden boatbuilding, and heritage craft. But they are doing much more than that.\n\nFirst, they\u2019re building up and empowering youth. Through something as subtle as hammering a nail, they\u2019re connecting youth to identity and belonging, through shared Maritime heritage. The type of boat commonly built during Family Boatbuilding, a flat-bottomed skiff, \u201ccan be found anywhere in the Atlantic provinces, not to mention anywhere in the world\u201d and has been historically indispensable for the inshore fishery.[^note6] Amateur and professional boatbuilders alike have built versions of it for centuries in North America.[^note7] These newest boatbuilders coming out of the MMA join a long line of those who have come before. They now have an elemental connection to boatbuilding heritage by literally making that heritage their own.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nSecond, and finally, the MMA is building a culture of craftsmanship\u2014one boat and one boatbuilder at a time. It\u2019s a culture that values patience, hard work, the impulse to preserve and honour the past, and good old-fashioned gumption in the face of mistakes.\n\nNova Scotia sailor, boatbuilder, and writer, Silver Donald Cameron once said, \u201cBuilding a boat is a process of thinking, knowing, and doing\u2014of learning and creating, which are the two most important of all human activities. It is not a single big job; it is a thousand little jobs, some of them done over and over and over.\u201d[^note8] The MMA teaches everyone who picks up a hammer or a drill during its program that boatbuilding \u2013 like life \u2013 is just a constant process of fixing our mistakes. While we do not live in an ideal world, we can continue to try and make it one.\n\n[^note1]: The WoodenBoat Show, \u201cFamily Boatbuilding,\u201d WoodenBoat Magazine, accessed May 1, 2020, https:\/\/thewoodenboatshow.com\/family-boatbuilding\/.\n[^note2]: \u201cFutures Handcrafted: About the Apprentice Program,\u201d Alexandria Seaport Foundation, accessed May 1, 2020, https:\/\/alexandriaseaport.org\/apprentice-program\/; \u201cBevin\u2019s Skiff,\u201d Alexandria Seaport Foundation, accessed May 1, 2020, https:\/\/alexandriaseaport.org\/get-engaged\/bevins-skiff\/.\n[^note3]: Some include the Antique Boat Museum in Thousand Islands, New York; the Reedville Fisherman\u2019s Museum in Reedville, Virgina; the Deltaville Maritime Museum in Deltaville, Virginia; the Lewes Historical Society in Lewes, Delaware; TSNE Mission Works in Boston, Massachusetts; the University of New Hampshire in Barrington, New Hampshire; and Eddon Boatyard in Gig Harbour, Washington.\n[^note4]: I helped out with the MMA\u2019s program in 2015 and 2016, helping to build the kits and serving as a small group leader.\n[^note5]: Richard Sennett, The Craftsman (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008), 9.\n[^note6]: David A. Walker and Wayne Barrett, Small Wooden Boats of the Atlantic (Halifax: Nimbus Publishing, 1990), 10. \n[^note7]: Howard I. Chapelle, American Small Sailing Craft: Their Design, Development, and Construction (New York: W. W. Norton, 1951), 100.\n[^note8]: Silver Donald Cameron, \u201cThe Nine-Year Seminar on Boatbuilding and Life,\u201d in We Belong to the Sea: A Nova Scotia Anthology, ed. Mary Stanton (Halifax, N.S.: Nimbus Publishing, 2001), 88.\n\n![]()
在大西洋海事博物馆，他们建造的不仅仅是船只
文化日的Aleen Leigh Stanton
2020年8月5日
Tea Base is a curious community arts space tucked away in Tkaronto\/Toronto\u2019s Chinatown Centre Mall. Tea Base aims to make accessible space for intergenerational activists and artists who support social justice movements in and around Chinatown. Tea Base is a space that develops solidarity across marginalized groups through relationships, joy, and collaboration.\n\nOne of the first gatherings held at [Tea Base](https:\/\/www.myteabase.com\/) was a wholesome meal. Hot pot is a shared meal where family and friends prepare a variety of raw ingredients to mingle and cook around in a communal pot of boiling broth. The organizers asked their community to bring ingredients, as if the items themselves were a symbolic gesture for the guidance and insight each person offered. Everyone huddled around the pot, breaking the ice by talking about the food items they brought. Throughout the meal, questions like, \u201cWhat kind of programming do you want to see?\u201d and \u201cWhat are the needs we can use this space to address?\u201d were discussed as bellies filled up. This simple act of sharing and asking questions was the impetus of how Tea Base started and continues to be at the centre of their work.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nTea Base opened in January of 2019 and is predominantly run by queer, non-binary, East Asians. Co-owner\/Co-parent Hannia Cheng jokes, \u201cBeing gay and Asian? That\u2019s unheard of.\" Tea Base has become a hub for East and South-East Asians of all genders and sexualities to not only comfortably express themselves, but to also embrace their cultural roots and relate to their heritage. Hannia explains, \u201cOther than Unit 2, Tea Base is one of the only few DIY spaces left downtown that prioritize queer and racialized artists. The collective response we\u2019ve received shows the need for these types of spaces.\u201d \n\nAs Tea Base grows, they hope to create opportunities for more intergenerational relationships between artists and activists through participatory art-based, social, and cultural programming. Hannia describes the overall vibe as \u201cTake off your shoes, living room energy...\u201d, It\u2019s this intention of making space for people to share their stories and lived experiences that make the space feel so cozy, \u201c...Mahjong Monday is mostly an excuse to hang out once a week. The ideas and collaborations happen organically as a result of fostering trust with each other.\u201d Hannia notes, \u201cWe don\u2019t fit into normative capitalist notions of success, we\u2019re in it for the people.\u201d Most of their events are Pay-What-You-Can and sliding scale. Other in-house programming includes Macrame with Jade, Bitch & Stitch, Tea Base & Chill, Mother Tongue language caf\u00e9s, and even a Chinese fermentation tasting workshop with [Paocai Bio](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/paocaibio\/?hl=en). \n\n{.overflow}\n\nWith a housing crisis upon the city, it\u2019s becoming evident that affordable spaces are nearly impossible to come by, pushing already marginalized communities further to the outskirts of Toronto. That\u2019s why Tea Base has also grown as a hub for local activism. Chinatown has long been the target of displacement gentrification by condo developers. Co-owner\/Co-parent, Florence Yee, emphasizes the importance of the connections made at Tea Base, \u201cThere\u2019s a larger commonality and interest in doing better for the neighbourhood. Fighting gentrification, all these housing and racial injustices, this young queer politically active space is cultivated well.\u201d Joining a longstanding legacy of Chinatown activist groups, a recent ad-hoc watchdog group, Friends of Chinatown Toronto (FOCT) was formed and is based out of Tea Base. Hannia shares, \u201cChinatown activists have been around forever, we want to learn from them and with them.\u201d \n\nHonouring the existing Chinatown community is part of Tea Base\u2019s mandate. \u201cArt spaces can be inadvertently gentrifying...\u201d says Co-creative Director, Chris Carriere, \u201c...It\u2019s exciting when someone who\u2019s [an] elder visits, or when people bring their kids in. It\u2019s easy for us to get 20-year-olds from the art scene, but when we connect to other generations, the intergenerational conversation shows we can be a space that is open [to all].\u201d In the spring of 2019, with a complete volunteer effort, Tea Base turned what was once a pile of bricks sitting in the mall\u2019s courtyard for 7 years into a garden called \u201cThe Anti-Displacement Rainbow Garden''. The courtyard became a thriving common area for the Kumon kids to play in the garden and for the seniors to play Chinese chess on the stage.\n\nCurrently in its second year of operation, Tea Base wants to leverage their platform to support and amplify other grassroots efforts. Policy Director, Jennifer Chan, offers, \u201cAs East Asians, we\u2019re now established as a diaspora\u2026we faced our challenges to get where we are, and \\[now] we need to lift others up.\u201d They hope to continue getting to know different collectives with an intention to build a truly Pan-Asian community arts ecosystem. \n\n{.overflow}\n\nIn the midst of the pandemic, they\u2019ve had to reimagine what community engagement looks like. \u201cA lot of people are very isolated, not just in quarantine...people find stability and friendships at Tea Base \\[that] they can rely on,\" states Florence. Most recently, Tea Base wrapped up their 2020 Spring Camp, a series of four online events that gathered their community together for some quality digital connection, like a knot-making workshop and a town hall for example. They\u2019ve also written up their [Community Guidelines](https:\/\/www.myteabase.com\/community-guidelines) (with consultation from the town hall) for a safer space.\n\nPlans for the future are already in the works. \u201cComing out of Covid, we will need time and help to get things going,\u201d Chris asks for a call to action. Tea Base is open 3-4 times throughout the week with events usually on the weekend. You don\u2019t need to purchase anything to exist at Tea Base, genuine human-to-human conversation is enough. Florence suggests, \u201cJust show up! A lot of what we do is about presence, and being there. The small and big ways.\u201d\n\n[Tea Base](https:\/\/www.myteabase.com\/) updates their hours on a weekly basis every Monday via [Instagram](https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/tea.base\/).\n![]()
唐人街的客厅:一个崭露头角的激进分子社区聚集的地方
安徒生为文化日致辞
2020年7月21日
_They know this River will still be here long after we have turned to nuclear dust and blown away, saith the river..._\n>> -_Beholden: A poem as long as the river_, Rita Wong and Fred Wah\n\nRolling from one valley to another, streaming across coarse contours, sometimes surrendering to the whims of winds and pouring rain, other times cutting through the rock-ribbed plains; rivers have always made the most enchanted neighbourhoods. A river\u2019s ample bosom has cradled pioneering civilizations and nurtured childhood memories. Its panoramic views have kindled weary eyes and inspired grandiose dreams, and through centuries its gentle ripples have concocted timeless fables of love and romance. By the virtue of their romantic allure, rivers have always been a recurring theme in poetry and literature.\n\nWhile artists have always, liberally and quite blatantly, borrowed from nature; they have also been moved, time and again, to devote their craft to salvage the very landscapes that enriched their imagination. [_River Relations: A Beholder\u2019s Share of the Columbia River_](http:\/\/www.riverrelations.ca\/), an artistic investigation by a group of creatives from Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECUAD), is one such venture that delves into the destruction inflicted upon by the \u2018damming and development\u2019 of the Columbia River, in the wake of the renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty.\n\nRising in the clear waters of the Columbia Lake in B.C. and surging through glaciated Canadian Rocky Mountains, the Columbia River flows through the Kootenay River\u2014the river\u2019s largest tributary on the Canadian divide of the border. It enters the U.S. at the confluence of Pend d\u2019Orielle River in the Washington state, before conclusively disappearing into the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. Columbia River is a water wonderland, flowing with ferocious abundance, making it the largest river in North America\u2019s Pacific Northwest region, and a sanctuary for the largest salmon runs in the world.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nModern civilization has turned rivers into economic powerhouses, plugging them with gargantuan concrete structures to harness hydroelectric power and divert water for irrigation. The Columbia River was subjected to a similar fate, transforming its free-flowing bliss into a curse. A violent flooding spell in 1948 that wrecked the Fraser Valley in B.C, Canada, and the town of Vanport in Oregon, U.S. became the impetus for securing a cooperative development between the two countries. The talks sought to regulate water flows and to capitalize on the river\u2019s enormous hydroelectric capacity, finally culminating into a formal [_Columbia River Treaty (CRT)_](https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/corporate\/international-affairs\/partnerships-countries-regions\/north-america\/canada-united-states-columbia-river.html) in 1964. Canada committed to build three water storage reservoirs in exchange for an upfront payment of $64 million in recompense for extending sixty years of flood control to U.S., in addition to receiving one-half of the estimated hydro-power generation benefits to the U.S, on continual basis. Today, CRT is upheld as a successful example of two countries \u2018sharing the benefits\u2019 through a collaborative transboundary arrangement. Yet, the ramifications the treaty had on the Indigenous peoples and the river\u2019s salmon reserve have become a despicable addendum to the treaty.\n\nThe _River Relations_\u2019 team scrutinized historical and contemporary images of the Columbia River to understand the evolution of its landscape, outrageously interrupted by dams. The most notable output of the project is the image-text poem, published in the form of a book, entitled [_\u2018Beholden: A poem as long as the river\u2019_](https:\/\/talonbooks.com\/books\/beholden), composed by [Fred Wah](https:\/\/fredwah.ca\/), a former Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate and [Rita Wong](https:\/\/www.poetryinvoice.com\/poems\/poets\/rita-wong), a poet and an environmental activist.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nWah and Wong travelled the entire river stretch, from Canal Flats in the East Kootenay all the way to Fort Astoria, Oregon as a part of their research for the book. \u2018Having lived along the Kootenay River for much of my life I had always felt that the river should be called the Kootenay; that the Columbia was really just a tributary of the Kootenay\u2019, says Wah.\n\nWah believes that the treaty insolently disregarded the \u2018spiritual value\u2019 attributed to the river\u2019s salmon by the First Nations. To them, salmon is the \u2018harbinger of good news\u2019, revered as a gift from the salmon king. They believed that the salmon were actually humans, and at the start of each salmon season, they would transform into fish form on the king\u2019s command. They also celebrated the \u2018First Salmon Ceremony\u2019 to mark the beginning of each salmon season. Even today, certain tribes celebrate \u2018Salmon ceremonies\u2019 with a communal prayer for the salmon to return and inhabit the river again.\n\nThe loss of salmon has chronicled a poignant chapter in the river\u2019s history. Wong was swamped with emotions when she watched Upstream Battle (a documentary by Ben Kempas) \u2018One moment that always stays with me from that film is footage of salmon trying to swim upstream to return to their spawning grounds - and hitting a dam, and trying over and over to get beyond that obstacle - it\u2019s a heart wrenching glimpse into the painful destruction wrought by megadams.\u2019\n\nBeholden is a reflection on the devastation brought on by the damming of the river and focuses on themes of colonization, indigenous rights and mutilation of the river\u2019s ecology. \u2018Most of the language in the poem comes from a struggle between simply describing the river, (..) and finding ways to \u201clisten\u201d to the river\u2019. It was Wah who proposed to write \u2018a poem as long as the river\u2019, in collaboration with Wong. \u2018With him writing along one side, and me along the other, the words came from our experiences along the river\u2019, Wong reminisces about the poem\u2019s origins. \u2018Each of us would write along a shore of the river, from beginning to end, occasionally having our texts cross the river at bridges or dams. Rita\u2019s and my texts were not in conversation as they were written, but, finally, feel tethered to a similar poetic impulse and imagination\u2019 explains Wah.\n\n{.pull .right}\n\nJust like Wah, Wong also let the river \u2018speak to\u2019 her and guide her writing process. \u2018Near the headwaters of the river, I made an offering and asked the river for permission to share the words arising from my journeys along it. I listened and keep listening.\u2019\n\nNick Conbere, a visual artist and an Associate Professor at ECUAD, [skillfully transcribed Beholden on a 114 feet long map of the Columbia River](http:\/\/www.nickconbere.com\/river-relations.html), with Wah and Wong\u2019s share of poems meandering along the river, as if two tributaries spiraling the entire stretch of the river. The poem\u2019s two halves are distinctly recognizable, as Wah\u2019s half has been typeset whereas Wong\u2019s is handwritten, a decision she consciously made. \u2018I felt it was important to stay with the bodily experience of writing by hand and following the river\u2019s contours. It felt closer to the experiential aspect of being along the river (\u2026)\u2019 While the book was shortlisted for the B.C Book Prize, the poem\u2019s winding digital image has been showcased at numerous art exhibitions.\n\n{.overflow}\n\nAs the two countries renegotiate the Treaty, uncertainty abounds. Would the revision of the Treaty offer a second chance at reviving all that is lost? Only time can tell. Wong reminds us \u2018There are ways to use the land that help to regenerate or heal it \u2026 (the way) Indigenous peoples coexisted with what was here - taking care of it rather than exhausting it\u2019.\n\nToday, many artists romanticize nature as well as assume an advocate\u2019s mantle. Wong believes one way the artists can solicit support for environmental issues is by dwelling on \u2018how to heal our relations with the land and water\u2019, and by imploring the society \u2018to actually care about this\u2019.\n\nThe project has drawn to a close, and the artists have moved on to explore further avenues of nature advocacy. For as long as there is heartache for all that has been lost, I\u2019ll quote Wah;\n\n> _Let\u2019s reach for solace of water to find some deep pool of larger memory that will float us past Savage Island_.\n![]()
聆听河流：哥伦比亚河颂歌
萨巴达尔文化日
2020年7月8日
与我们的组织者系列会面
我们的活动组织者来自各种各样的文化创作者——从基层社区志愿者、公共图书馆、独立艺术家，到主要的艺术、文化和遗产机构、特殊节日和市政当局。你可以在这里了解他们中的一些人。
创意、艺术和幸福系列
一个特别的博客系列，探讨2019年文化日的主题“创造力、艺术和幸福”。
BC大使系列
卑诗省文化日大使是卑诗省文化日的发言人和社区促进者。大使计划贯穿5月至10月，一直持续到文化日(Culture Days)。
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RE:GENERATE: A Journey of Creative Resilience
马洛里宝石
2021年9月20日
