The ED Report, December 2020

Dear friends and colleagues,

After such a gruelling 2020, I can only imagine that we are all looking forward to some much-needed down time in December. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the pandemic will slow down so that we can spend some time with our families. 

This last month has been another busy one at the Alliance.

We wrapped up the Artist Brigade: Artists for Climate Action project — a collaboration with Kendra Fanconi (The Only Animal), Sue Biely (Story, Money, Impact), Lolehawk (Stó:lō activist), Marie Lopes (Vancouver Park Board) and Sherry Yano (David Suzuki Foundation) — by awarding five $1,000 micro-grants to five artist-driven climate projects. Originally intended as a one-day summit pre-COVID, the project was re-imagined to bring smaller groups of 15-20 people together (artists, scientists, climate activists and Indigenous elders) to four different locations in and outside of Vancouver which have been affected by climate change. We called them ‘lily pads’. 

The lily pads took place at the Vedder River in Chilliwack, to learn about the dwindling population of BC’s wild salmon; the Dakota Bear Sanctuary on the Sunshine Coast, where old growth forests are threatened with logging; the Vancouver Heather Lands, to help us understand the link between urban planning and climate action; and virtually, to draw attention to the threats facing the waters of Howe Sound.

The experience of being outside ‘on the land’ with Indigenous elders sharing stories of the history of place, as well as scientists and climate activists sharing their experiences, gave artists knowledge of the challenges and possibilities ahead and helped them build relationships with people on the front lines of the climate crisis. More profoundly, the project brought awareness and understanding of our vital relationship to the earth.

We are ramping up our research project with a survey, in collaboration with Nanos, to look at the connection and impact of everyday creativity on the lives of BC residents before COVID-19 and during the pandemic. The project is being led by Carolyne Clare, postdoctoral fellow at the School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU, who will study how communities around the world have implemented new strategies to support equitable access to arts and culture and review key strategies that might be taken up in British Columbia.

In collaboration with SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs, we co-presented Why Art? Why Now?, a pair of online conversations between artists and experts to untangle how artists can best unlock their potential to revitalize and rebuild post-COVID. Jan Derbyshire and Lisa Brown shared their experiences of arts and mental health, while Judith Marcuse and Arlene Goldbard spoke about creating a culture of well-being. I believe these conversations are important to better understand how we can use art, culture and creativity to shape a better world.

On November 20, I was invited to make a presentation to BC’s Tourism Task Force. I talked about the important economic value of domestic tourism and how connected it is to arts and cultural experiences. I emphasized how we need to work together to rebuild our industries and stressed that we need to show resilience through critical thinking, innovation, and collaboration to re-energize the arts and tourism sectors and the overall economy. We can be the catalyst for change in a time when systemic change is required and lead the way for equity, inclusion and diversity by championing anti-racism. We can assist BC communities by putting people first.

As we head into December, I am very excited to begin a six-month strategic planning process with the board and staff of the BC Alliance to clarify our values, mission and vision to reflect our commitment to decolonization. Our approach will be informed by Indigenous values and perspectives in a process that will be co-led by Dzawada’enuwx elder Alex Nelson, Rachel Mason of Arrive Consulting, and Métis artist and planner Mallory Blondeau.

Finally, I’d like to thank Shayan de Luna-Bueno, our Canada Summer Jobs intern, who recently completed her contract with the Alliance and brought so much wisdom, joy and great skill to the Alliance over the past six months.

To all of you, thank you for your support of the Alliance over the past year and all the very best of the season to you and your loved ones.

Take care,

Brenda Leadlay
Executive Director
BC Alliance for Arts + Culture

[Cut image: Howe Sound. Wikipedia.]