Creative Convergence Winnipeg: Reporting Back
/Last week, our executive director, Brenda Leadlay, attended a conference called Creative Convergence Winnipeg, presented by the Canadian Network for Arts & Learning (CNAL) . Here is her report.
I attended an inspiring conference in Winnipeg last weekend. Creative Convergence Winnipeg brought together artists, educators, arts administrators and and an exceptional line-up of keynote speakers to talk about the value and practice of art in schools, professional arts organizations and communities. It was the best networking experience I’ve had in a long time.
My favourite keynote speakers, of which there were many, included Ben Cameron (you may remember him from our 2017 conference, REVOLUTION), Dr. Stephen Borys (Winnipeg Art Gallery), David Shimsky (UNESCO), Senator Patricia Bovey, Dr. Niigaanwewidan Sinclair (son of Senator Murray Sinclair), and our very own Dr. Judith Marcuse, who was also honoured with a prestIgious Prix Award for Lifetime Achievement for her leadership in the Arts for Social Change movement.
Borys spoke about his transformative experience building the new Inuit Gallery at the WAG and shared some personal stories of working with an Inuit advisory council. David Shimsky from UNESCO talked about the promise of art in a time of crisis and how the basis of arts and culture is rooted in human dignity and the right to self-expression. He also spoke about how culture is at the heart of earth stewardship, and the need for artists to focus on climate action and other major issues facing the world. Senator Bovey shared some astonishing statistics about the social impact of art, creativity and culture, and talked about her efforts to craft a status of the artist policy in the senate. James Sinclair, when asked what an Anishinaabe art practice looks like, explained that art is everything – it is the purpose of life. He shared that art for art’s sake was not a concept in Anishinaabe culture because art equals life and everything has beauty. And finally, Judith Marcuse talked about how art for social change can help to address some of the biggest issues facing society today.
All of these speakers emphasized the need for arts and culture to play a central role in government policy making and in our every day lives and agreed that capitalism was at the very heart of the biggest issues facing us all.
I also got to meet the impressive board of CNAL – Tim Borlase, Angela Elster, Marnie Gladwell, John Hobday and Douglas Riske – all of whom believe that “by connecting Canada’s diverse arts and learning communities, we can shift mindsets about arts education and increase access to meaningful arts experiences for all Canadians, laying the foundation for social, economic and cultural transformation.”
In addition to rubbing shoulders with some of Canada’s smartest art advocates, I was treated to stimulating conversations, workshops, artist presentations, gallery tours and a number of performances by Indigenous artists including throat singer Nikki Komaksiutiksak, Juno award-winning singer songwriter William Prince and slam poets Jennifer Alicia and El Poeta. We were also given tours at the WAG and the Museum for Human Rights and had a variety of other tours to choose from ranging from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
I feel grateful to have had the opportunity to attend Creative Convergence because it gave me hope for the future. It also reminded me that there is much work to be done to change people’s perceptions about the enormous value that the arts bring to society. I hope you will join me in that work as many voices will be needed.
With respect,
Brenda Leadlay
Executive Director
BC Alliance for Arts + Culture
