HORIZON: Town Hall: Indigenous Arts Spaces - A self-determined way forward
Thu Nov 21 2019
3:00 PM
FREE
Studio Theatre
Harbourfront Centre
Clayton Windatt, Terri-Lynn Brennan, and JP Longboat. Courtesy of the speakers.
This Town Hall gathers the Circle together following Canada’s sesquicentennial, representing 150 years of colonial injustices against the First Nations. It considers the Calls to Action resulting from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and commits to honouring Indigenous peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land and waters, and their rich contribution to society.
JP Longboat and Terri-Lynn Brennan lead this discussion-based session for artists, cultural producers, trainers, presenters and others interested in creating and sustaining sovereign arts spaces, to continue the legacy of self-determined Indigenous arts practices.
JP Longboat is the Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Circadia Indigena. He is Mohawk, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River and is a storyteller, performer, and established multi-disciplinary artist. His work emanates from the cultural practices of his people: language, territory, and traditional teachings. Terri-Lynn Brennan is the CEO of Inclusive Voices Inc., and a community builder who focuses on Indigenous inclusion.
By sharing current research in the field and answering any and all questions, Longboat and Brennan will aim to shed light on the various needs of Indigenous artistic communities in Toronto. Based on their ongoing collaboration with renowned Métis artist and activist Clayton Windatt, and Alex Glass, Program & Assistant Executive Director at ArtsBuild Ontario, Brennan and Longboat will discuss their experiences working within Toronto’s cultural centres, and facilitate a dialogue on the topic of sustainable Indigenous creative spaces.
This is one of several Town Halls and Focus Groups organized by a collective of ten non-profit, non-collecting contemporary art/film organizations in Toronto that received Open Door funding from Toronto Arts Council. For more information, email info@thepowerplant.org.
ABOUT HORIZON In Fall 2018, The Power Plant and YYZ Artists' Outlet teamed up with seven other contemporary visual art and film organizations in Toronto for a two-year initiative, called HORIZON, funded with an Open Door grant from the Toronto Arts Council. During the first phase, the nine partner organizations are conducting focus groups and town halls to gather information about the needs of emerging and established artists in and around Toronto. During the second phase, the organizations will develop and offer programs that address some of the artists’ needs.