2018 Schedule
Music
TROIS TRIPTYQUES D’AMOUR
Friday October 19, 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Cliff Ridley, baritone, and Danielle Marcinek, piano, present three French art song cycles of three songs each – the “triptyque” as the French called it. Featuring Don Quichotte à Dulcinée by Maurice Ravel,Trois Poèmes D'amour by Erik Satie, and Poème d'un Jour by Gabriel Fauré. The form betrays the meaning. How precious, how sweet and sometimes how brief is love. Linking the cycles are interludes of piano music by Debussy and Ravel. This recital is all about treasuring the moment. Join us for music in the French romantic tradition.
Workshop
SEEDS AND ROOTS with Karen Thorpe
Saturday October 20, 11am – 1pm
Listening Post, 382 Main Free
Come and create artwork using seeds, roots and found natural materials gathered in the neighbourhood. We will celebrate and be inspired by the Heart of the City Festival theme “Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope”, and make mini-rustic creations mounted on cedar shingles; art that will only last as long as the season. The workshop is led by Karen Thorpe, a volunteer with the Listening Post and a contributor to many previous Festivals. Children welcome.
Workshop
TRACING HISTORIES WEEKEND WORKSHOP
Saturday October 20, 5pm – 7pm (day 1)
Sunday October 21, 5pm – 7pm (day 2)
DTES Neighbourhood House, 573 E. Hastings
Free, registration info below
Tracing Histories is a weekend workshop where youth, together with their parents/caregivers, create a life sized tracing of their bodies to depict real and imagined family and ancestral history.
Day 1: Coast Salish welcome, singing and drumming, theatre games; discussion about history and ancestry.
Day 2: Participants trace their body onto paper, colouring it with images and impressions from their family and ancestral history. The body maps will be displayed for an invited audience giving participants the option to share their stories and maps from their perspective. Snacks provided. All ages. All welcome. Presented by Julia Siedlanowska, Kat Norris, Allie Pev. Contact Julia at siedlanowskaj@gmail.com to register for the entire weekend workshop.
Cultural Sharing
SINULHKAY AND LADDERS: DECOLONIZING BOARD GAME
Monday October 22, 5pm – 8pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Join Carnegie Cultural Sharing to play Sínulhkay and Ladders, a giant board game designed by Michelle Nahanee that promotes the Squamish practice of Chen chen stway (holding each other up) while working through neocolonial scenarios of oppression. A twist on the well-loved game Snakes and Ladders, the purpose of the game is to provide a framework for developing decolonizing practices and to better Indigenous to non-Indigenous relations, making sure we are holding each up – not sliding down the double-headed serpent, called Sínulhkay in the Squamish language. Michelle recently completed a Master of Arts in Communication from Simon Fraser University where she wrote “Decolonizing Identity: Indian Girl to Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Matriarch.” Play the game with friends at Carnegie and we will have a springboard for lively conversation. Come at 5pm to pick up a ticket to the October 29 Aboriginal Feast. First come first served.
Workshop Presentation & Panel
UNSETTLED
Monday October 22, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
KW Production Studio, 111 W. Hastings
By donation at the door
Unsettled is an intergenerational multi-arts theatre project created with and performed by community artists who live with and experience disability(s). Participating artists include Caroline Hebert, Stephen Lytton, Kat Norris, Kaitlyn Pedersen, Sandra Pronteau, and director Julia Siedlanowska. The presentation style blends poetry, narrative, song, stylized gesture, movement, live drumming and incorporates ASL interpretation. Join us for a workshop presentation of this work in progress. We want your feedback. Followed by a panel discussion with the artist creators and community members around disability and access in theatre. Guest panelists include Susanna Uchatius from Theatre Terrific and Terreanne Derrick, Gitxsan filmmaker. ASL interpretation provided. Sponsored by Kokoro Dance Theatre Society/KW Studios.
FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONY
Wednesday October 24, 2pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Join friends from the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood and special guests for this year’s Opening Ceremony with a focus on the 2018 Festival theme "Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope".
Featuring Les Nelson, Carnegie’s Elder in Residence and Kat Norris, Festival Elder in Residence leading the afternoon’s cultural work; the newly formed Cultural Sharing Drum Group from the Carnegie Centre, an exciting addition to our community; gospel and blues singer Tom Pickett will sing the classic, Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime, accompanied by pianist Bill Costin (from East End Blues & All That Jazz); festival artist in residence Earle Peach will sing the much-loved Hastings Street Ramble with lyrics by Bob Sarti (from Bruce: The Musical); Dalannah Gail Bowen will read her new poem Dignity in the Downtown Eastside; and Love Medicine drummers and fancy dancer Madeline McCallum will lift our spirits. We are very honoured that the family of the late Chief Dan George will present a special reading of his A Lament
for Confederation. At the Opening Ceremony we are also thrilled to honour a number of individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to our community. Refreshments! Everyone welcome.
AFTERNOON WITH FESTIVAL ELDER IN RESIDENCE
Wednesday October 24, 4pm – 6pm
Carnegie 3rd Floor Gallery, 401 Main Free
The Festival is thrilled to welcome back Kat Norris as our Elder in Residence. In this role Kat advises on community protocol, and participates and shares knowledge at selected Festival events. This afternoon with Kat is a wonderful opportunity to sit around the campfire with an amazing, gentle, big-hearted woman, mother, and grandmother and listen to her stories, memories and reflections on her life as a poet, writer, social activist, dancer, singer, activist and public educator. Kat is the founder and spokesperson for Indigenous Action Movement and speaks on the impact of colonization and Indian Residential Schools. Her traditional name, Zucomul’wat, is from her Musqueam Great-Great-Great-Grandmother. Refreshments.
Music
SONGS OF JUSTICE, SONGS OF HOPE
Wednesday October 24, 7pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
This evening of stirring sing-along activist songs launches the Festival and this year’s theme "Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope". Led by musician, composer, conductor, longtime community artist, and 2018 Festival Artist in Residence Earle Peach (2017 Mayor Arts Award). This evening of song features, among others, social justice Solidarity Notes Labour Choir singing about historical and current events and issues; the highly-accomplished students of the Saint James Music Academy Orchestra; a capella folk quartet Quatro; and special guest, Geoff Berner accordionist-extraordinaire, whose powerful and biting social satirical songs can make you laugh or weep – often at the same time. We will provide the lyrics; you come ready to sing!
Open church
Wednesday October 24, 10am – 2pm
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova
On Wednesdays between the hours of 10am and 2pm, St. James’ main church is open to welcome visitors for prayer or to look around and explore the main sanctuary. The regular Wednesday Mass is at 12:10pm. On the last Wednesday of each month there is a Bible study. All are welcome.
Art in the Streets
STREET VENDORS IN THE ATRIUM
Wednesday October 24, 11am – 5pm
Woodwards Atrium, 111 W. Hastings
Also on Oct 25, 26 & 27
The Street Vendors Collective is a peer-managed, independent collective of vendors and peers from the Downtown Eastside community. Based out of the Carnegie Community Centre, the pilot project offers vending opportunities to low-income artists, craftspeople and entrepreneurs with experience in the informal economy. The project aims to create more accessible legal low-barrier economic opportunities for community members. The Street Vendors Collective is thrilled to be part of Heart of the City again this year! Stop by and visit us at the Woodwards Atrium! A great opportunity to purchase locally made jewelry, carvings, cards, paintings and more. Info: vancouver.ca/street-vendors-collective, email: svc@vancouver.ca, phone: 604-353-6729
Open Rehearsal
VANCOUVER CANTATA SINGERS
Wednesday October 24, 7pm – 8:30pm
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova Free
The Vancouver Cantata Singers prepare for their November 10 season opening performance of Threnody: Requiem and Remembrance with this open rehearsal at St. James’ Anglican Church. The choir will explore and share choral music of consolation and reflection at this time of year when we honour those no longer with us. Enjoy excerpts of Howell’s Requiem, Jean Coulthard’s Threnody, and John Tavener’s Song for Athene. For more details about the choir go to: www.vancouvercantatasingers.com. All welcome.
Workshop
DROP-IN PAINTING WORKSHOP
Wednesday October 24, 7pm – 9:30pm
Evelyne Saller Centre, 320 Alexander Free
Drop in and paint your personal vision of the Heart of the City Festival theme: “Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope”. What does it mean to you? Supplies, paint, paper, and canvas, provided on a first come first serve basis. No experience necessary and open to everyone!
Discussion
GENOCIDE, CHILD WELFARE, AND THE WAY AHEAD:
jaye simpson and Tamara Starblanket
Wednesday October 24, 7pm – 9pm
Massy Books, 229 E Georgia Free
Writer, advocate, activist jaye simpson comes together with Tamara Starblanket, author of Suffer the Little Children, Genocide, Indigenous Nations, and the Canadian State. They will discuss the forcible removal of Indigenous Peoples’ children as a crime of genocide in residential school and the child welfare system, and look at ways to move forward through self-determination. jaye simpson is an Oji-Cree Two Spirit, former youth in care who speaks to complexities of intersectional identities in the foster care system. Tamara Starblanket is Spider Woman, a Nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman) from Ahtahkakoop First Nation (Treaty Six Territory). Co-Chair of the North American Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, she coordinates and teaches at Vancouver’s Native Education College criminology program. Presented in partnership with Massy Books.
Film & Discussion
THE EAGLE AND THE CONDOR:
FROM STANDING ROCK WITH LOVE
Wednesday October 24, 7pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings Free
Join us for a screening of the new film The Eagle and the Condor: From Standing Rock with Love from director Kahsto'sera'a Paulette Moore. From 2016 – 2017, Standing Rock water protection camps at the heart of Turtle Island became the largest assembly of Indigenous peoples in recent history. Gathered nations confronted big energy’s extreme extraction through the strength of their ceremonies, histories, and connections. Despite being met with violence, many brought their best intentions to this historic fight and continue to expand their love, knowledge and sovereignty to shift our world away from the trauma and isolation of modern days. The film is based around prophecy of the Eagle and Condor originating from nations of the South and features ceremony held at the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) site on Indigenous People’s Day, October 10th, 2016. The ancient prophecy predicted the epic Standing Rock water protection actions – and continues to challenge all to identify and unite our gifts and power.
Workshop and Community Installation
PULLING THREADS
Thursday October 25, 10am – 5pm
Ukrainian Hall lower hall, 805 E. Pender
Free, register: hotcworkshoppullingthreads.eventbrite.ca
Aanmitaagzi and Spiderwoman Theater present Pulling Threads, a fabric workshop as part of the play residency Material Witness. The play explores violence, healing and renewal in the lives of Indigenous women. The theatre set is an installation made up of “story-quilts”. Woven from stories of women from many different communities, the layered landscape of fabrics, piles and bundles hold stories to support the stories of the women on stage. Each workshop participant will build a layered piece of the “story-quilt”: her story will be the essence of the piece that she creates. This piece will be sewn and woven into the larger quilt which appears in the show Material Witness at the Ukrainian Hall and will travel with the production wherever it goes. Fabric and accessories provided. You are welcome to bring your own fabric if you wish to give it a personal touch. Come and enjoy some food, some talk and some laughter! This workshop is for women-identified persons. Workshop limited to 20 participants.
Art in the Streets
STREET VENDORS IN THE ATRIUM
Thursday October 25, 11am – 5pm
Woodwards Atrium, 111 W. Hastings
Also on Oct 24, 26 & 27
See description Wednesday October 24
Workshop
HOME: OUR WAY
Thursday October 25, 1pm – 3pm
Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre
1607 E. Hastings Free
Home: Our Way is a women’s writing and movement circle that explores ideas of refuge, transition, identity, cultural norms, blood memory and what it means to be at home in our lived experience. A safe space for creative writing and movement exploration is facilitated by Coast Salish storyteller Rosemary Georgeson (Dene-Sahtu) and Anishinaabe-Kwe dance artist Olivia C. Davies. We will invite words to transfer from the page to the body, and movement from the body back to the page. The focus is on personal responses to the theme of Home. Presented in association with O.Dela Arts. Participants: Women-identified persons, ages 18+ who have experienced transitions in and out of housing and homelessness, and are curious about story-sharing community art practice. Suitable for all bodies. For more info: www.oliviacdavies.ca/Home-Our-Way
Radio
WORLD POETRY CAFE on CO-OP RADIO
Thursday October 25, 1pm – 2pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
The Heart of the City Festival congratulates host Ariadne Sawyer and the World Poetry Café for celebrating their 20th year on Co-op Radio. The program is multilingual and multicultural with listeners in 106 countries. They share the work of local and international poets, and celebrate creators of all ages and levels of expertise, taking care to give coverage to those whose voices may not be heard. For more information: www.worldpoetry.ca
Music in the Streets
HASTINGS STREET BAND
Thursday October 25, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Carnegie, 401 Main Free
It’s music in the streets! Join the Hastings Street Band and their upbeat New Orleans style jazz and blues. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead, the band is composed of enthusiastic Downtown Eastside involved amateur and semi-pro musicians playing with professional musicians from across Vancouver.
Musical-in-Development
BATTLE OF BALLANTYNE PIER
Thursday October 25, 3pm – 4pm
Maritime Labour Centre
1880 Triumph Free
Also Friday October 26, 1pm Carnegie
Experience Vancouver labour history in the making. Join playwright Sherry MacDonald and composer Earle Peach as they present an excerpt from their new musical in-development, Battle of Ballantyne Pier. It’s a uniquely Vancouver story of the longshore workers’ strike of 1935 and the bloody confrontation that took place in and around the Downtown Eastside waterfront. Additional music by Lil’wat Nation songwriter Russell Wallace; directed by local theatre director Peter Jorgensen. Sherry MacDonald is a local playwright with work staged in many cities (Canada and USA). Earle Peach is a long-time fixture on Vancouver’s musical scene and Artist in Residence of this year’s Festival. Russell Wallace is an internationally recognized composer, writer and performer. Stay afterwards for a chat with the show’s creators. Presented with the participation of ILWU (International Longshore & Warehouse Union) Local 500.
Art Talk
11TH ANNUAL OPPENHEIMER PARK COMMUNITY ART SHOW: what these trees have seen
Meet the Artists, Thursday October 25, 6pm – 8pm
Gallery Gachet, 9 W. Hastings
Exhibition until October 28 Free
Join the Oppenheimer Park artists for a casual evening of art and conversation at Gallery Gachet. Artists will share their inspirations and insights behind this year’s exhibition: what these trees haveseen. All are welcome!
Presented by Oppenheimer Park and Gallery Gachet, what these trees have seen showcases artwork from the Oppenheimer Park community. The park is the site of Legacy Sakura trees planted in 1977 by a group of over seventy 1st generation seniors in a project coordinated by Tonari Gumi (Japanese Community Volunteers Association). Thirty-five artists consider the wisdom and beauty of these historic trees, and delve into themes of nature, time and place with diverse artistic interpretations.
The Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show began in 2008 in anticipation of changes, challenges, and loss in a pre–Olympic city. Oppenheimer Park artists represent a resolute community upholding a vision of the Downtown Eastside as a place for art, education, recreation, health and healing. Gallery hours: Tues to Sat, 12pm – 6pm. More info: www.gachet.org
Community
LEARNING CENTRE LIVE!
Thursday October 25, 1pm – 3pm
Carnegie Learning Centre, 401 Main, 3rd floor Free
Enjoy the annual showcase of poetry, stories, drama and music from the Carnegie Learning Centre. This year, they will also read from a new book celebrating thirty-five years in the Learning Centre, with stories from Learning Centre publications past and present. You will be invited to listen and respond to some of their favourite stories. The Learning Centre is a vital resource that brings tutoring and outreach programs to the people of the Downtown Eastside.
Radio
KLA HOW YA on CO-OP RADIO
Thursday October 25, 5pm – 6pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Host Gunargie O’Sullivan, Festival Multimedia Artist in Residence, kicks off a series of programs for this year’s theme “Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope”. Joining today’s discussion on Police Harassment and Knowing your Rights are: Sarah Blyth, DTES community advocate and founder of Vancouver’s Overdose Prevention Society; Sharon Warner, who advocates for those suffering from psychiatric abuse; Robin Banks, with an update on her child and family services court case; and lawyer Jai Singh Sheikhupura who is working on the 60s Scoop Settlement Agreement.
Community Celebration
ORANGE & BLACK HALLOWE’EN PARTY
Thursday October 25, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre, 920 E. Hastings Free
Join the gang at Ray-Cam for games and other entertainment. Family fun with good tricks and treats. Your favourite balloon artist Swallow Zhou will be there to twist wondrous balloon creations, and be sure to visit face-painter extraordinaire Randy Tait. Especially for children and families.
Radio
ARTS RATIONAL
Thursday October 25, 9pm – 12am
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio 100.5FM
Interviews and commentary on the local arts scene. For this special Festival program, Jay Hamburger, Artistic Director of Theatre in the Raw, shares a delightful and personal interview with Heart of the City Festival Artist-in-Residence Earle Peach; singer, songwriter, composer, teacher, choral director and performer. In 2017 Earle received the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Community-Engaged Arts. The Festival is honoured to have him involved this year. Knowing Jay and Earle and their many creative adventures together over the years, the interview promises to be entertaining, insightful and downright heartfelt. Not to be missed!
Reading
HOPE MATTERS: An Evening with Lee Maracle and Columpa Bobb
Thursday October 25 7pm – 9pm
Massy Books
229 E. Georgia Free
Acclaimed award-winning writer and elder Lee Maracle and award-winning actor, playwright, photographer, poet and teacher Columpa Bobb read from their upcoming book, Hope Matters. Written over a number of years by Lee with her two daughters, Columpa and Tania Carter, Maracle says, “in the end our voices blended into a song of hope and reconciliation.” Lee Maracle is a member of the Stó:lō Nation, an Officer of the Order of Canada, and one of the first Indigenous female authors to be published in Canada. Presented in partnership with Massy Books, a new neighbourhood cultural treasure.
Theatre
A DOUBLE BILL – THE REAL STORY OF THE TALKING FREDS & WOODY SED
Thursday October 25, 8pm – 10pm
KW Production Studio
111 W. Hastings
Suggested donation $10; advance sales: hotcdoublebill.eventbrite.ca
Also Friday October 26
This double bill of theatre, song and story focuses on activist artists who repurpose popular music to address community and political issues.
The Real Story of the Talking Freds features John Black and Downtown Eastside resident Jim Sands recollecting their days in the 1980s as a comic satirical music duo who performed at Downtown Eastside events, from the Expo-related evictions to the fight for CRAB Park.
Woody Sed, performed by Vancouver actor/creator Thomas Jones, explores the life and turbulent times of singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie. A prolific and provocative writer, Woody Guthrie was the father of the 1960s folk revival. The play was born out of the sheer astonishment Thomas experienced learning about Woody’s life and the relevance he saw in Woody’s work and story, to the world we live in today. With songs and stories, Jones bundles a cascade of colourful characters to tell a true to life tale of this legendary singer-songwriter: a man who wrote on his guitar,‘This machine kills fascists’.
Open House
Vancouver Police Museum
Friday October 26, 9am – 5pm
Vancouver Police Museum, 240 E. Cordova, 2nd floor
Free Also Friday November 2
One of Vancouver’s most unique attractions, the Vancouver Police Museum is located in the former Coroner’s Courtroom. Built in 1932, the building is a municipally designated heritage structure and houses an extensive collection relating to the history of policing in Vancouver. Check out the museum's new exhibit, exploring the 100 year history of the Vancouver Police Traffic Section. Join museum staff for a fifteen minute exhibit talk at 11:15am and 2:15pm on both days. For more information: 604-665-3346 or www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca or check out facebook and twitter! Everyone welcome.
Art in the Streets
STREET VENDORS IN THE ATRIUM
Friday October 26, 11am – 5pm
Woodwards Atrium, 111 W. Hastings
Also Oct 24, 25 & 27
See description Wednesday October24
Community
ST. JAMES’ WOMEN’S GUILD BARGAIN SALE
Friday October 26, 11am – 12:30pm
St. James’ Parish Hall, 230 Gore
An hour and a half in bargain sale heaven! Eagerly anticipated; here’s your chance to pick up clothing, jewelry, utensils, books, small appliances, Christmas presents, a last minute Hallowe’en costume, and oodles of goodies for cheap, cheap prices. It’s fast and furious so come for 10:30am if you can, there is usually a queue. All are welcome!
Musical-in-Development
BATTLE OF BALLANTYNE PIER
Friday October 26, 1pm – 2pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Also Thursday October 25, 3pm Maritime Labour Centre
See description October 25
Workshop
HOW WE WORK WITH STORY Lee Maracle
Friday October 26, 1pm – 4pm
312 Main, entrance on Cordova
Free, register: hotcworkshopleemaracle.eventbrite.ca
Working with original story and the long Indigenous history of oratory, Lee Maracle leads a writing workshop where she'll share research techniques. Lee says her point of view is "15,000 years old" and is framed by how she was raised by her family. Be prepared for exercises in writing. Lee Maracle is a member of the Stó:lō nation and one of the first Indigenous female authors to be published in Canada. With a career of over four decades, she has written award-winning books in a multitude of genres, including the recent My
Conversations with Canadians. Bring your favourite writing utensil and notebook. Workshop limited to 20 participants.
Roundtable
RECONCILIATION AND THE ARTS IN VANCOUVER
Friday October 26, 1pm – 4pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings
Free, register: hotc2018.eventbrite.ca
What does reconciliation mean for your arts practice? How can the arts community work for redress in 'Vancouver?' Join this afternoon session which features a roundtable discussion with Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and settler artists and cultural planners. There is a lot of talk about reconciliation, but what are the structural changes that are taking place? Today's conversation will promote a faster rate of change towards place-based reconciliation and redress in our own lives, in our neighbourhoods, and with arts policies in the city and suburbs. Small groups and plenary dialogue will also make room for everyone's questions. Refreshments served.
Community Celebration
WORLD FOOD DAY CELEBRATION
Friday October 26, 2pm – 4pm
Strathcona Community Centre, 601 Keefer Free
The Backpack Program Leadership Committee hosts a community celebration in honour of World Food Day. Come and enjoy family-friendly activities, games, live music and prizes. Made possible by a grant from the Neighbourhood Small Grant program. Drop in, no registration necessary.
Reception
FROM THE COLLECTION…
Artist Reception, Friday October 26, 2pm – 4pm
Downtown Community Health Clinic, 569 Powell Free
Exhibition October 26 to 28
Staff at the Downtown Community Health Centre (DCHC) on the corner of Princess and Powell, have long been aware of the many artists in our midst here at the clinic. When the Heart of the City Festival invited us to showcase some of these artists’ work we jumped for joy! Please join us in celebrating over twenty artists that live and work in the DTES and will be exhibiting their work in our clinic, drop by October 26 to 28, 10am to 4pm. Open to all.
Music
FIXED INCOME & CARNEGIE FOLK CIRCLE
Friday October 26, 3pm – 4pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Fixed Income is a collection of retired folk who love picking and singing songs, and because they are all “technically” in their sunset years, they are doing everything possible to turn back time. They do this by playing songs they heard years ago – folk, blues, pop, rock and country – as long as they can remember the lyrics. The Carnegie Folk Circle is a collection of Carnegie members who also love to fool around with picking and singing. They meet every second Friday (Oct 19, Nov 2, 16 etc) at 1pm in the 3rd floor classroom and are open to all levels of skill, talent and experience. From time to time some members feel inspired to preform, and The Heart of the City Festival is one of those times.
Community Celebration
HALLOWE’EN CARNIVAL 萬聖節셰쾨華
Friday October 26 枷墩랗枷짇휑 (槿퍅巧휑)
3pm – 5pm 苟敎힛時逞巧時
Strathcona Community Centre Gym, 601 Keefer 運動場
Free
Enjoy spooky games, creepy crafts, and tasty treats at the Strathcona Community Centre’s annual Hallowe’en Carnival! Dress in your best costume and celebrate the spookiest time of year! This event is made possible by the Neighbourhood Small Grant program and all youth volunteers from the Strathcona Youth Council!
Theatre
A DOUBLE BILL – THE REAL STORY OF THE TALKING FREDS & WOODY SED
Friday October 26, 8pm – 10pm
KW Production Studio, 111 W. Hastings
Suggested donation $10; advance sales:
hotcdoublebill.eventbrite.ca
Also Thursday October 25
See description October 25
Showcase
DTES FRONT AND CENTRE:
Standing Up for Ourselves
Friday October 26, 7pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
The Downtown Eastside is alive with talent and the Festival brings together an evening of music, words, film, and comedy. Enjoy artists who have been here for a long time, and artists who are relative newcomers. Together! Standing up for ourselves. For each other.
After a traditional welcome by festival Elder in Residence Kat Norris, emcee Heidi Morgan will share soulful blues accompanied by Michael Bellwood (guitar). Valeen Jules returns to the Festival with her personal and fierce spoken word poetry accompanied by Alex Taylor-McCallum. Music veteran Joe Chow, channels the likes of Elvis Presley and James Brown in his rock n’ roll duo. After discovering each other at Carnegie, Erin Ryan and Johnny Shy formed Apendiglo Duo, playing roots-based covers and original songs. Performer Madeline Terbasket (Syilx, Ho-Cak, Anishinaabe) is reconciling via “healing our colonial history through play and laughter.” Diane Wood, host of the Carnegie’s monthly poetry cabaret, shares her recent work, followed by DTES warrior-poet-janitor Henry Doyle who will read live and show the animated short video Drunken
Laundry Day with Charles Bukowski: A Poem by Henry Doyle. Local favourite, acoustic blues and roots band Haisla with Nasty, Brutish and Short (Haisla Collins, Gabriel Hebert, Lorenzo Watters and Theo Collins) will wow us with their finale to this raucous evening of standing up for ourselves.
Theatre
MATERIAL WITNESS
Friday October 26, 8pm
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
$20/$15. Tickets at door or advance tickets: materialwitness.eventbrite.ca
Also Saturday October 27
The Festival is thrilled and honoured to present Material Witness, an Aanmitaagzi and Spiderwoman Theatre Co-production. Material Witness brings together three generations of Indigenous women performers in a multigenerational exploration of violence, healing and renewal in the lives of Indigenous women in urban and rural communities on Turtle Island.“Their stories burst onto the stage in raucous storytelling, dance and music fueled with energy, strength and goodwill.” – New York Times
Co-writers/Ensemble are legendary director/actor Muriel Miguel*, Penny Couchie, Cherish Violet Blood, Donna Couteau, Ange Loft*, Henu Josephine Tarrant**, and Elder Gloria Miguel. Assistant Director Sid Bobb. (*Co-writer only, **Ensemble only)
Aanmitaagzi is an Indigenous multi-disciplinary-arts company from Nipissing First Nation, Ontario, and renowned Spiderwoman Theater of New York City is the longest running Native American women’s theatre company in the USA.
Walking Tour
WOMEN AT WORK IN THE HOME AND THE NEIGHBOURHOOD:
Chinatown/Strathcona 1917-1960
with Marcia Toms
Saturday October 27, 11am (approx. 2 hours)
Meet at Chinese Cultural Centre courtyard
50 E. Pender
$10; pay what you can for local residents
Last year Marcia said “I have more material that can be fit into the time I have, and that is exciting.” She was right! This year Marcia returns to continue the tour! Join Marcia on this fascinating walk that sheds light on vital work of women in the home and in the Chinatown and Strathcona neighbourhoods. Marcia draws on stories of women from many different cultures and marginalized backgrounds, most of whom worked outside of the realm of organized labour. Born and raised in Vancouver, Marcia is a retired educator and advocate for public education who has a passion for local social history.
Music in the Streets
BALKAN SHMALKAN
Saturday October 27, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Carnegie, 401 Main
Free
Global music with local attitude: Balkan Shmalkan’s funky brass dance beats are rooted in the aural traditions of the Roma and Klezmorim of Eastern Europe and blended with a mix of pop and jazz. Balkan Shmalkan is the brain-child of a group of musicians with a long history of collaboration in traditional South Serbian Trubaci music. The Festival is delighted to present this street band on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.
Concert
TZO’KAM and SAWAGI TAIKO
Saturday, October 27, 2pm – 3pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings Free, registration info below
A unique collaboration of singing and drumming between the all-women taiko group Sawagi Taiko and the First Nations performance group Tzo'kam. Led by composer, producer and traditional singer Russell Wallace, Tzo'kam is a Lil'wat family group who offer traditional and contemporary songs including drumming and dancing. The combination of these songs with the exploratory nature of Sawagi Taiko's approach to the taiko art form makes for a fascinating performance of a Japanese Canadian cultural form with Indigenous rhythms. Please arrive by 1:45pm to guarantee your spot. Register at: sfu.ca/sfuwoodwards/events.html
Note: due to lobby renovations, the World Art Centre is only accessible via the Cordova courtyard entrance.
Lecture
SHIPWRECKED: TREASURES AND MONSOON WINDS, CERAMICS FROM ANCIENT SHIPWRECKS with Paula Swart
Saturday October 27, 2pm – 4pm
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall
Exhibition: Sunken Treasures, until November 8
Sunken Treasures is an exhibition of ceramics from shipwrecks found at the bottom of Pacific seas. Shipwreck cargoes attest to the vigorous trade and rich cultural history of the Asian region. Ships laden with ceramics- especially the esteemed blue and white porcelain – tell stories of wares treasured from Asia to the Middle East and Europe. Snapshots in time, exhibits expand our understanding of cultural treasures from long ago. Paula Swart, an an art historian with expertise in Asian art, culture and history, has spent most of her professional life as Curator of Asian Studies. She lectures in the Continuing Education Departments of UBC and UVic, and holds degrees in Sinology, Asian art history, Chinese history, and archaeology. Regular garden hours: Mon to Sun, 10am – 4:30pm (closed Mon beginning Nov 5). Admission to the Garden: adult $12, student $9, senior $10, family $25.
Community Celebration
9th ANNUAL FAMILY HALLOWE’EN DANCE 뒤씽屆『萬聖節소磎谿樂휑』
Saturday October 27 枷墩랗枷펌휑, 6pm – 9pm
苟敎짇時逞씽時 Strathcona Community Centre Gym
601 Keefer 運動場 Free
It’s almost Hallowe’en and everyone’s ready to party! Dance the monster mash and have your face painted at this spooktacular all ages event. Admission by cash or food donation to support the Strathcona Food Security Programs for families. Everyone welcome!
Song
IT’S A CHORAL DEMOCRACY!
Saturday October 27, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Woodward’s Atrium, 111 W. Hastings Free
The Festival has the pleasure to present a Saturday afternoon of choral voices in the Woodward’s Atrium. Earle Peach, singer, songwriter, performer, and Festival Artist in Residence, leads an afternoon of rounds, loops and simple songs. Rounds and loops are pieces of music that are superimposed on themselves, creating exciting harmonies that have a life of their own. Joining Earle for the afternoon are the Solidarity Notes Labour Choir, a choir of activists who know that music is a powerful language that connects us and reminds us of our strength; The Highs & Lows Choir, a fun and friendly choir for people with lived experience of mental illness and their friends and supporters; and members of Acapellaboratory and Choral Conspiracy, both directed by Patti Powell, a grassroots musical institution. Patti welcomes singers of any ability or background and leads with humour and compassion.
Community Celebration
GUNAJADIL: DTES WOMEN'S
FASHION SHOW AT HOME
Saturday October 27, 7pm – 8:30pm
Downtown Eastside Women's Centre
302 Columbia Free
From grassroots beginnings in the neighbourhood, the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre has always been rooted in women caring for women. These days, hundreds of women access the DEWC drop-in centre and emergency shelter, which remain a haven, sanctuary and platform towards empowerment for women in the Downtown Eastside. In celebration of the Centre’s 40th anniversary, women of the community showcase their strength, resilience, and culture through fashion in Gunajadil (“They went home” in Tsilqot’in). Share in the joy of women expressing their creativity, power and inner essence, and enjoy a live fashion show which bears witness to sisterhood and community. For this event at the Centre, all genders are welcome.
Films & Video
AFTERNOON & EVENING OF DOCUMENTARIES
Saturday October 27, 1pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
1pm – 1:30pm
Hymn to the Layman (2018, 30 min), directed by Nathan Slattery
The short documentary Hymn to the Layman is inspired by words, cultures and people on the streets of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Nathan Slattery is an artist on a world journey; from the Emerald Isle to Los Angeles, from Toronto to New York, Ethiopia and Somalia, to the summit of the Himalayas, and now to the streets of the Downtown Eastside. Seeing the peaks of the North Shore Lions, Nathan thought of Nepal and that cured the loneliness of the moment…”we are all one step away from being anywhere...at any time or any situation”.
2pm – 5pm
The Land is the Culture: A Case for Indian Land Claims (1975, 30 min), directed by Fred Cawsey
The Land is the Culture: A Case for Indian Land Claims is the first documentary film produced by the Union of BC Indian Chiefs and tells the story of colonization; land theft, railway and road construction, land expropriations, hunting and fishing conflicts, pointing out the need for justice. In interviews, The Land is the Culture reveals impacts of land loss and the resistance and resilience of Indigenous peoples. Narrated by Chief Phillip Paul, the film highlights that struggles for land are truly about cultural survival. From the Archives of UBCIC.
The Road Forward (2017, 101 min), directed by Marie Clements
The Road Forward, a musical documentary by Marie Clements, connects a pivotal moment in Canada’s civil rights history – the beginnings of Indian Nationalism in the 1930s – with the powerful momentum of First Nations activism today. The Road Forward’s stunningly shot musical sequences, performed by an ensemble of some of Canada’s finest vocalists and musicians, seamlessly connect past and present with soaring vocals, blues, rock, and traditional beats. A rousing tribute to fighters for First Nations rights, a soul-resounding historical experience, and a visceral call to action.
There will be a post-screening conversation in response to the films moderated by Vicki George with guests including award-winning writer Lee Maracle (Sto:lo Nation) and a representative from the Union of BC Indian Chiefs. Generational activism has deep roots for Vicki, who developed and produced The Constitution Express: A Multimedia History (2005-2006). The daughter of Indigenous leader Ron George, a key participant in the Constitution Express, Vicki comes from the Wet’suwet’en Nation and is based in Vancouver.
7pm – 9:30pm
In Chinatown (2018, 39 min), directed by Stephanie Chong and Bryce Quan
In Chinatown is a Telus StoryHive documentary series of enduring stories from people and places of Vancouver’s Chinatown. The trilogy includes “Fook – Luck, Health & Happiness”, about 16-year old Shawn and 90-year old Mrs. Hui; “Luk – Success & Stability”, with legacy business owner Keller and new store owner Doug; and “Sau – Longevity”, where we meet senior society member Grace and youth community organizer Doris. Produced by Jean Parsons, and directed by Stephanie Chong and Bryce Quan.
Paint It Red (2017, 54 min), directed by Eva Cohen
What happens when a bunch of seniors face evictions and homelessness? They fight back! The documentary follows Beverly Ho, a young Chinese Canadian organizer for the Chinatown Concern Group that’s dedicated to preserving and continuing Chinese cultural heritage in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Can her efforts, along with neighbourhood volunteers,stem the rapid proliferation of million-dollar condos and pricey cafes? The group succeeded in putting a pause to development at 105 Keefer. Ho said “the biggest victory is…we’ve grown so much closer and that we’re more confident in ourselves as women of colour…”
Refreshments and conversation to follow.
Community Celebration
EMERGING HERITAGE FAIR 1928-2018-2108
Saturday October 27, 1pm – 4pm; 7pm – 9pm
Vancouver Japanese Language School & Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander Free
Join the Japanese Language School to celebrate the shared 90th anniversary of the Japanese Hall and of Japan/Canada diplomatic relations; and to laud the 15th anniversary of the groundbreaking Downtown Eastside Community Play: In the Heart of a City.1pm – Opening Ceremony and Education Fair
Vancouver Okinawa Taiko opens the celebration, and we welcome Shoichi Nejime, the award-winning Japanese children's poet and novelist from Tokyo brought to Vancouver by the Tasai Artist Collective. Afternoon activities include talks, workshops and displays with Tonari Gumi, Landscapes of Injustice, Kayla Isomura and The Suitcase Project, Highway Legacy Sign Project and much more!7pm – Performances and Family Dance
A packed evening of music, poetry and dance: Tasai Artist Collective and Soramaru Takayama present a dramatic and interactive poetry performance; and the Downtown Eastside’s own award-winning Dalannah Gail Bowen shares songs from the DTES Community Play: In the Heart of a City accompanied by pianist Michael Creber. Sawagi Taiko, an all-women taiko group collaborates with Tzo’kam, a Lil-wat family performance group led by composer and traditional singer Russell Wallace, to bring together cultural traditions from across the waters, merging Asian and Indigenous rhythms; and jazz vocalist Angela Verbrugge, backed by her cool band, performs classic swing, jazz and bebop to dance the night away.
Theatre
MATERIAL WITNESS
Saturday October 27, 8pm
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
$20/$15. Tickets at door or advance tickets: materialwitness.eventbrite.ca
The Festival is thrilled and honoured to present Material Witness, an Aanmitaagzi and Spiderwoman Theatre Co-production. Material Witness brings together three generations of Indigenous women performers in a multigenerational exploration of violence, healing and renewal in the lives of Indigenous women in urban and rural communities on Turtle Island.“Their stories burst onto the stage in raucous storytelling, dance and music fueled with energy, strength and goodwill.” – New York Times
Co-writers/Ensemble are legendary director/actor Muriel Miguel*, Penny Couchie, Cherish Violet Blood, Donna Couteau, Ange Loft*, Henu Josephine Tarrant**, and Elder Gloria Miguel. Assistant Director Sid Bobb. (*Co-writer only, **Ensemble only)
Aanmitaagzi is an Indigenous multi-disciplinary-arts company from Nipissing First Nation, Ontario, and renowned Spiderwoman Theater of New York City is the longest running Native American women’s theatre company in the USA.
Workshop
PAPER DECORATIONS
Sunday October 28, 11am – 12pm
Jim Green Residence, 415 Alexander Free
Come on down to the Jim Green Residence for a workshop led by Jesus Cristobal in making decorations for Hallowe’en, a favourite time of year. Try your hand at traditional paper decorations in preparation for Day of the Dead. Supplies provided. The Lookout Society will provide pumpkins to carve. Help decorate for the afternoon party. Snacks. Everyone welcome.
Games
HEART OF THE CITY FESTIVAL SNOOKER TOURNAMENT
Sunday October 28, 11am
Carnegie Centre Pool Room, 401 Main Free
Games, fun, prizes! The Carnegie Pool Room hosts a sixteen player single elimination Snooker Tournament. Sign up at 10am in the pool room. First come, first served. The day ends when the game is finished. First, second and third place prizes! Pool room open to the public. For further information: Sindy, Carnegie Volunteer Coordinator, 604-606-2708. Everyone welcome!
Music in the Streets
BALKAN SHMALKAN
Sunday October 28, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Abbott & W. Hastings Free
Balkan Shmalkan’s funky brass dance beats are rooted in the aural traditions of the Roma and Klezmorim of Eastern Europe and blended with a mixture of pop and jazz. The musicians play reed, brass and percussion instruments of both eastern and western origin. The Festival is delighted to present this new street band on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.
Workshop
UKRAINIAN BEADING WORKSHOP with Tetiana Zaruba
Sunday October 28, 1pm – 3pm
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings Free
Just around the corner from the EWMA Studio is the Ukrainian Hall, home to an active cultural community of artisans, performers and history buffs. EWMA and the Festival are pleased to offer a workshop with one of these artisans, Tetiana Zaruba, who will lead a session on beadwork, based on intricate designs of Ukrainian folk art. You can complete a bead project at the workshop! Printed schemes (plans) and bead kits provided. Workshop for women only.
Open House
OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING OF THE NEW GALLERY GACHET + WEPRESS SPACE
Sunday October 28, 1pm – 4pm
Gallery Gachet + WePress, 9 W. Hastings Free
It has been just under a year since Gallery Gachet + WePress opened their doors at the new space on the ground floor of the Beacon Hotel at 9 W. Hastings Street. Now they’re ready to celebrate their new home and thank everyone who helped them reach this milestone by hosting an Open House. Join artists, organizers and friends for an afternoon of letterpress and 3D printer demonstrations, refreshments, and a chance to hang out and meet new people. A collaboration between the Heart of the City Festival, Gallery Gachet, WePress, and Powell Street Festival Society. Open to all. Snacks, materials, plus ASL, Mandarin, and Cantonese Interpretation provided.
Community Celebration
HALLOWE’EN PARTY
Sunday October 28, 2pm – 3:30pm
Jim Green Residence, 415 Alexander Free
Join Lookout Housing + Health Society at the Jim Green Residence for an afternoon Hallowe’en party. Go to the morning workshop and help decorate for the party. Celebrate the season with seasonal treats, activities and enjoy musical entertainment. Dress up as your favourite alter ego for the costume contest. Prizes and refreshments. Everyone welcome!
Dance
RECOLLECT Work-in-Progress
Sunday October 28, 3pm – 4pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings Free
Since 2006, the principle supporting the Carnegie Dance Troupe is absolute inclusivity. Performances are created through processes of collaboration, seeking to connect us to our body, to our breath, to the energy of the earth, to each other and to our diverse communities. Exploring themes and ideas in a collaborative style, the work-in-progress presents new work that will contribute to the group’s next production. The Carnegie Dance Troupe is part of Karen Jamieson Dance and partners with the Carnegie Community Centre and SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Note: due to lobby renovations, the World Art Centre is only accessible via the Cordova courtyard entrance.
Music & Spoken Word
HOME GROWN STORIES & OPEN MIC
Sunday October 28, 6pm – 7:30pm
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings Free
Join Enterprising Women Making Art (EWMA) for Home Grown Stories, with guest readers and writers, followed by a community open mic. Special musical guest is singer, songwriter, poet and artist RedSoulBluez, featuring David Stone, multi-award winning recording artist and musical genius. EWMA, a program of Atira Women’s Resource Society, blends art, creativity and entertainment. For more information visit www.atira.bc.ca/enterprising-women-making-art or www.facebook.com/EWMA-store. We invite the neighbourhood to an evening where all are welcome to participate!
Meet the Artist
ONWARD! Comics, posters, paintings by David Lester
Sunday October 28, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall
Free Exhibition October 25 to November 3
An exhibit of digital prints of comics, posters, and paintings by David Lester. Meet the artist at an informal talk about his art and gain secrets of creating a graphic novel. David’s comic The Battle of Ballantyne Pier is part of the exhibit, plus a selection from his upcoming graphic novel, 1919: A Graphic History of the Winnipeg General Strike. David Lester is the guitarist in the underground rock duo Mecca Normal and cited as an influence on the social movement known as Riot Grrrl. As a guitarist, David collaborated with Downtown Eastside poet Bud Osborn and recorded an album of Bud's poems. Lester's poster of anti-war protester Malachi Ritscher was exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. Regular gallery hours: Wed to Sat, 1pm – 5pm.
Workshop
DRUM CIRCLE with Ron Stelting
Sunday October 28, 2pm – 4pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
If you love drumming or ever had the inkling to try it out, this Drum Circle is for you! Led by the enthusiastic and long-time drum circle leader Ron Stelting, rhythmist, performer, facilitator and percussionist. Drumming cuts through racial, cultural, age and gender boundaries, and throughout history drumming has celebrated and energized the spirit of community. Everyone is encouraged to participate regardless of their musical ability or drumming knowledge. Give it a try and see how easy it is to feel calm, centred and energized. And remember … Rhythm is Life and Life is Rhythm.
Concert
VETTA CHAMBER MUSIC: SEASONS OF THE SEA
Sunday October 28, 3pm – 4pm
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall
By donation to the Garden
Vetta Chamber Music, Seasons of the Sea weaves together contemporary classical music by award-winning Vancouver composer Jeffrey Ryan with a narrative created by Rosemary Georgeson (Sahtu Dene/Coast Salish), 2014 VPL Aboriginal Storyteller in Residence. Inspired by stories from several First Nations communities describing seasons on and by the sea, Seasons of the Sea weaves a seamless journey tracing the thirteen moon season of the Coast Salish peoples who used the tides and seasons of the sea as their calendar. Performed by Vetta Chamber Music and Rosemary Georgeson. For this afternoon concert, Vetta Music will also perform one of the four seasons by Vivaldi. Presented in partnership with Vetta Chamber Music Society.
Workshop
PAPER DECORATIONS
Sunday October 28, 11am – 12pm
Jim Green Residence, 415 Alexander Free
Come on down to the Jim Green Residence for a workshop led by Jesus Cristobal in making decorations for Hallowe’en, a favourite time of year. Try your hand at traditional paper decorations in preparation for Day of the Dead. Supplies provided. The Lookout Society will provide pumpkins to carve. Help decorate for the afternoon party. Snacks. Everyone welcome.
Games
HEART OF THE CITY FESTIVAL SNOOKER TOURNAMENT
Sunday October 28, 11am
Carnegie Centre Pool Room, 401 Main Free
Games, fun, prizes! The Carnegie Pool Room hosts a sixteen player single elimination Snooker Tournament. Sign up at 10am in the pool room. First come, first served. The day ends when the game is finished. First, second and third place prizes! Pool room open to the public. For further information: Sindy, Carnegie Volunteer Coordinator, 604-606-2708. Everyone welcome!
Music in the Streets
BALKAN SHMALKAN
Sunday October 28, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Abbott & W. Hastings Free
Balkan Shmalkan’s funky brass dance beats are rooted in the aural traditions of the Roma and Klezmorim of Eastern Europe and blended with a mixture of pop and jazz. The musicians play reed, brass and percussion instruments of both eastern and western origin. The Festival is delighted to present this new street band on the streets of the Downtown Eastside.
Workshop
UKRAINIAN BEADING WORKSHOP with Tetiana Zaruba
Sunday October 28, 1pm – 3pm
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings Free
Just around the corner from the EWMA Studio is the Ukrainian Hall, home to an active cultural community of artisans, performers and history buffs. EWMA and the Festival are pleased to offer a workshop with one of these artisans, Tetiana Zaruba, who will lead a session on beadwork, based on intricate designs of Ukrainian folk art. You can complete a bead project at the workshop! Printed schemes (plans) and bead kits provided. Workshop for women only.
Open House
OFFICIAL GRAND OPENING OF THE NEW GALLERY GACHET + WEPRESS SPACE
Sunday October 28, 1pm – 4pm
Gallery Gachet + WePress, 9 W. Hastings Free
It has been just under a year since Gallery Gachet + WePress opened their doors at the new space on the ground floor of the Beacon Hotel at 9 W. Hastings Street. Now they’re ready to celebrate their new home and thank everyone who helped them reach this milestone by hosting an Open House. Join artists, organizers and friends for an afternoon of letterpress and 3D printer demonstrations, refreshments, and a chance to hang out and meet new people. A collaboration between the Heart of the City Festival, Gallery Gachet, WePress, and Powell Street Festival Society. Open to all. Snacks, materials, plus ASL, Mandarin, and Cantonese Interpretation provided.
Community Celebration
HALLOWE’EN PARTY
Sunday October 28, 2pm – 3:30pm
Jim Green Residence, 415 Alexander Free
Join Lookout Housing + Health Society at the Jim Green Residence for an afternoon Hallowe’en party. Go to the morning workshop and help decorate for the party. Celebrate the season with seasonal treats, activities and enjoy musical entertainment. Dress up as your favourite alter ego for the costume contest. Prizes and refreshments. Everyone welcome!
Dance
RECOLLECT Work-in-Progress
Sunday October 28, 3pm – 4pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings Free
Since 2006, the principle supporting the Carnegie Dance Troupe is absolute inclusivity. Performances are created through processes of collaboration, seeking to connect us to our body, to our breath, to the energy of the earth, to each other and to our diverse communities. Exploring themes and ideas in a collaborative style, the work-in-progress presents new work that will contribute to the group’s next production. The Carnegie Dance Troupe is part of Karen Jamieson Dance and partners with the Carnegie Community Centre and SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement. Note: due to lobby renovations, the World Art Centre is only accessible via the Cordova courtyard entrance.
Music & Spoken Word
HOME GROWN STORIES & OPEN MIC
Sunday October 28, 6pm – 7:30pm
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings Free
Join Enterprising Women Making Art (EWMA) for Home Grown Stories, with guest readers and writers, followed by a community open mic. Special musical guest is singer, songwriter, poet and artist RedSoulBluez, featuring David Stone, multi-award winning recording artist and musical genius. EWMA, a program of Atira Women’s Resource Society, blends art, creativity and entertainment. For more information visit www.atira.bc.ca/enterprising-women-making-art or www.facebook.com/EWMA-store. We invite the neighbourhood to an evening where all are welcome to participate!
Workshop
RATTLE MAKING WORKSHOP with Tina Eastman
Monday October 29, 11am – 1pm
Oppenheimer Park, 488 Powell Free
Here is your chance to make your own rattle. Join local artisan and creative maker Tina Eastman for a workshop on how to make traditional rattles using natural materials. Everyone welcome.
Music in the Streets
HASTINGS STREET BAND
Monday October 29, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Abbott & W. Hastings Free
The Hastings Street Band and their upbeat New Orleans style jazz and blues return to the streets of the Downtown Eastside. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead, the band is composed of enthusiastic Downtown Eastside involved amateur and semi-pro musicians playing with professional musicians from across Vancouver.
Radio & Open House
WHEN SPIRIT WHISPERS on CO-OP RADIO
Monday October 29, 1pm – 2:30pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5 FM
Followed by Artist in Residence Open House, 3pm – 4pm
Co-op Radio Studios, 360 Columbia
In the landscape of reconciliation, host Gunargie O’Sullivan focuses on the current relationship between Canada and First Nations in urban Vancouver. Today we take the opportunity to celebrate Gunargie: the longtime host of When Spirit
Whispers. She is this year’s Heart of the City Festival Multimedia Artist in Residence; and winner of the NCCRA 2018 Community Radio Legend Award! For today’s program, Gunargie welcomes Indigenous broadcasters who are long-standing associates in media, including: Suzette Amaya, Dustin Riel McGladrey, Sarvenaz Amarat and Cyrus Greenall, Woody Morrison, Alex Taylor-McCallum and Gary Olver. Gunargie has been dedicated to community and campus radio since 1989. She loves to chat up a storm, and produce, produce, produce.
From 3pm to 4pm, following the program, join us in the Co-op Radio Studio at 360 Columbia for an Artist Reception and Open House. Refreshments and more stories to share!
Workshop
DESIGN CAMP Architecture for Life!
Monday October 29, 3:30pm – 6pm
Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre, 920 E. Hastings
Free, pre-registration details below
A workshop for inner-city youth on design, urban planning, and architecture; designed for youth to learn more about their city. Free; pre-register at Ray-Cam front desk or by phone 604-257-6949.
Cultural Sharing
ABORIGINAL FEAST
Monday October 29, 5pm – 7:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main
Free, see below for ticket information
Every Monday night for twenty-five plus years, Carnegie has run the ever-popular Cultural Sharing program: an inclusive space where First Nations and non-First Nations alike share, learn and participate in Indigneous cultural nights and traditions – from Pow Wows, singing and drumming, to arts and crafts.The Cultural Sharing Program invites you to join them at this Aboriginal Feast. The feast is a time to celebrate the Heart of the City Festival and the Carnegie Community Centre coming together as a community to share food, music and song. Carnegie’s first Elder in Residence the, Leslie Nelson (Kwakwaka'wakw) will open the evenin with a traditional welcome; and the newly-formed Cultural Sharing Drum Group will perform in honour of their dearly departed friend Christopher Treloar.
The Carnegie kitchen is cooking up a delicious menu and the evening is filled with performances by singers, dancers and drummers from the Coast Salish Territory and beyond.
Admission is free, but tickets are required for the dinner. Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis at the Cultural Sharing group on Monday October 22. Tickets are also distributed throughout the community. Any remaining tickets will be available at the door of the Theatre on a first come first serve basis. We hope you can join us!
Play reading CANCELLED
GOLD MOUNTAIN, TURTLE ISLAND
Monday October 29, 7:30pm – 9:30pm
Firehall Arts Centre Studio, 280 E. Cordova 2nd floor Free
A musical love story set in the early fifties between a young First Nation’s woman and a Chinese café worker set on the North Coast and in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Join the Firehall theatre team in a play reading of a new musical in preparation for the May 2019 workshop production. Note: the 2nd floor studio is not wheelchair accessible. A Firehall Arts Centre presentation.
Puppets
HEALTHY AGING THROUGH THE ARTS
Tuesday October 30, 11:30am – 12pm
Strathcona Community Centre Activity Room
601 Keefer Free
After twelve years of exploring the art of puppetry together, these community seniors have made lasting bonds. Under the facilitation of theatre artist Joylyn Secunda, the participants created rod puppets using a base of newspaper, plastic bags, and masking tape and then adding paint and fabric to decorate. This year they were joined by facilitator and composer, James Coomber, who guided the participants to step into their voices with confidence and composed an original soundtrack to accompany the puppet choir. Friendship is their presentation theme; as one of their songs puts it, “The more we get together, the happier we will be!” All ages welcome.
Radio
SNE’WAYLH on CO-OP RADIO
Tuesday October 30, 1pm – 2:30pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
In many Coast Salish dialects, “sne’waylh” is the word for teachings or laws. This Aboriginal language-learning radio program, hosted by Gunargie O’Sullivan, begins with the teachings of the skwxwu7mesh snichim (Squamish language) and also provides lessons in Haida, Gitzan and Cree. For the third of her radio programs for this year’s Heart of the City Festival theme “Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope”, Gunargie talks with guests about the Testify Project (Indigenous Laws + the Arts Collective) on Vancouver Island. Today’s guests: Maxine Matilpi, lawyer and Project manager of the ReLaw Project, revitalizing Indigenous law for land, air and water; and Halie (Kwanxwa’logwa) Bruce, a member of the Namgis/Kwa’kwa’kawakw Nation, a lawyer whose practice includes restorative justice and who is on the Testify Project organizing committee.
Reading Workshop
A CARNEGIE CENTRE STORY: TALES FOR THE TELLING AS WE LIVED THEM (1995-2005) by Michael Clague and Peter Fairchild
Tuesday October 30, 1pm – 2:30pm
Carnegie Learning Centre, 401 Main 3rd floor Free
A Carnegie Centre Story: Tales for the Telling As We Lived Them (1995-2005) is a fascinating new book-in-progress, co-written by Michael Clague, former Director of Carnegie, and Peter Fairchild, a past member of the Board of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. Peter and Michael will share from their book-in-progress to stir others’ memories of this time, and to get feedback. Peter and Michael tell their own tales about what happened in each chapter’s topic. A Carnegie Centre Story is about two people whose lives cross at a particular point in time and who found common cause in the life of Carnegie. Remember the 100th Anniversary celebration in 2003? Remember when the police chief held a town hall at Carnegie? Remember when? The writers will take turns reading sample sections: Michael in the Learning Centre and Peter via Skype from China! Due to the time difference, we may catch Peter in his pajamas. Co-hosts: Carnegie Newsletter and Carnegie Reading Room. Everyone welcome.
Workshop
LEARN THE BIG DRUM with John Sam
Tuesday October 30, 2pm – 4pm
Oppenheimer Park, 488 Powell Free
John Sam of Love Medicine leads a regular workshop to learn the big drum at Oppenheimer Park. For the Festival, John will spend the afternoon with us so everyone can have an opportunity to learn rhythm and protocol of the big drum.
Workshop
BLOCK PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP with WePress + Queer ASL
Tuesday October 30, 6pm – 8pm
WePress, 9 W. Hastings Free
Join WePress for a free block printmaking workshop. Draw, carve, and print your own rubber blocks on paper or fabric. Make cards, artwork, patches, and more! Print onto your own clothing or use fabric and/or paper provided. Open to all. Snacks, materials, and ASL Interpretation provided. A collaboration between DTES Heart of the City Festival, WePress, Queer ASL, and Powell Street Festival Society.
Opening Reception
SEEDS AND ROOTS: A COMMUNITY ART PROJECT
Tuesday October 30, 6pm – 8pm
Listening Post, 382 Main
Exhibit: October 30 to November 30 Free
Celebrate Seeds and Roots: a community art project, where the artwork created at workshops and summer street fairs will go on display at the Listening Post. Led by community activist and artist Karen Thorpe, participants have made creations using seeds, roots and found natural materials, mounted on cedar shingles. Watch for more details about a ceremony to happen in late November to burn this fragile artwork and honour those who have planted seeds of hope and roots of justice in this community.
Spoken Word
AN EVENING OF POETRY, PROSE AND MUSIC
Tuesday October 30, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall
Free
The Carnegie African Descent Group and the Hogan’s Alley Society present an evening of poetry, prose and music with three prolific African Canadian poets who will read from their recent works with musical interludes. Guests include: poet Cecily Nicholson, recent administrator of Gallery Gachet and author of From the Poplars, winner of the 2015 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize; Chelene Knight, writer and editor, who is working on a novel set in Hogan’s Alley; Haitian Canadian spoken word poet Junie Désil who juggles writing with life; and musician, Brandon Mwanacocha, a Zimbabwean UBC student and mbira player who brings a unique touch to the world of poetry with live background tunes. Lama Mugabo is the host for the evening.
Music
JD and THE SUNSHINE BAND
Wednesday October 31, 4pm – 5pm
VANDU, 380 E. Hastings Free
JD and the Sunshine Band gather stories, slang and humour off the streets of Winnipeg, give them a backbeat and melody, and return them to the road with a new swagger. The results are pure Winnipeg, like Slurpees in January. The band, a collaboration between musicians and street-involved people, has been highlighting the unique language of the streets since 2013. The band has embarked on their first tour to the west coast and the Festival is delighted they are visiting our community and sharing their music with us. They are collecting stories and recordings along their journey, and these stories will be turned into songs and released on their new album Headlines due out in spring of 2019. Come on out and feel the heat of the Sunshine!
Open Church
Wednesday October 31, 10am – 3pm
2pm tour of church
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova
On Wednesdays between the hours of 10am and 2pm, St. James’ main church welcomes visitors for prayer or to look around and explore the main sanctuary. The regular Wednesday Mass is at 12:10pm. Today there is Organ Music! The St. James’ church building has a fascinating and unusual layout and architectural style. At 2pm, join a free tour around the building with expert Allan Duncan and learn it’s secrets! All are welcome.
Radio
WAX POETIC on CO-OP RADIO
Wednesday October 31, 2pm – 2:30pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Join hosts RC Weslowski, Pamela Bentley, and Kevin Spenst as they visit with poet laureates from across the country, the latest up and coming poetry slammers, the most seasoned touring spoken word artists, and poets with new books hot off the presses! They let each poem guide the conversation to see how the words and the world inspire.
Curatorial Tour
BODY LANGUAGE: REAWAKENING CULTURAL TATTOOING OF THE NORTHWEST
Wednesday October 31, 2pm
Bill Reid Gallery, 639 Hornby Free
Engage in a guided exploration and discussion of the themes of personal adornment and identity in the current exhibition at the Bill Reid Gallery. Body
Language is the first exhibition to fully explore the rich history and artistry of Indigenous tattooing, piercing and personal adornment on the Northwest Coast. The contemporary artists included in the exhibition are at the forefront of the revival of Indigenous tattooing in BC and examine the symbolism, oral traditions, songs and artistry within their region. For more info: www.billreidgallery.ca.
CARNEGIE HALLOWE’EN DANCE
Wednesday October 31, 7pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Featuring Leonard and the Lab Rats, a Vancouver blues act who have been playing together for fifteen years. The band performs roots and electric themed music from the 30s to the 70s and their style weaves through blues, soul and jazz. Acoustic bass, electric guitar, harmonica and drums. Come dressed in your most creative costumes to win a prize!
Opening Night
EAST END BLUES and ALL THAT JAZZ
Wednesday Oct 31 to Saturday Nov 3, 8pm
matinee Sat Nov 3, 2pm
Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
$30/25 (inc. s/c + GST). Tickets at door or advance sales:
604-689-0926, boxoffice@firehallartscentre.ca, or www.Firehallartscentre.ca
READ MORE
Workshop
BLOCK PRINTMAKING WORKSHOP with WePress
Thursday November 1, 10am – 12 pm
Aboriginal Front Door, 384 Main Free
Join us for a free block printmaking workshop. Draw, carve, and print your own rubber blocks on paper or fabric. Make cards, artwork, patches, and more! Print onto your own clothing or use our fabric and/or paper. Open to all. Snacks and materials provided. Supported by the Vancouver Foundation and the City of Vancouver. A collaboration between DTES Heart of the City Festival, WePress, Aboriginal Front Door, and Powell Street Festival Society.
Opening Reception
ONE CASE, TWO CASE, THREE CASE
Thursday November 1, 4:30pm – 6pm
Carnegie 3rd Floor Gallery, 401 Main
Exhibit November 1 to November 29 Free
The Festival is pleased to exhibit artwork created in the Carnegie and Oppenheimer communities. In One Case, you’ll see drawings on paper by Stanley Paul; in Two Case, Bernadette Phan and Carnegie Cultural Sharing display cultural paintings; and in Three Case the Carnegie Seniors display handicrafts made during workshops in knitting, paper cutting and more. To kick off the exhibit, the opening reception features the new Cultural Sharing Drum Group!
Radio
KLA HOW YA on CO-OP RADIO
Thursday November 1, 5pm – 6pm
Co-op Radio CFRO 100.5FM
Exploring indigenous people's struggle for freedom and liberation, with news, interviews and music. For the final radio program of a series curated for this year’s Heart of the City Festival theme “Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope”, host Gunargie O’Sullivan invites a discussion about the current Missing and Murdered Women Enquiry. Guests will include: family members of missing and murdered women; support workers of women and families; and Robin Banks who presented at the 2017 Inquiry to speak about children aging out of foster care and their subsequent disappearances or murders.
Showcase
CRACKS IN THE CONCRETE, AN EVENING OF ART, POETRY AND MUSIC
Thursday November 1, 5:30pm – 7:30pm
UBC Learning Exchange, 612 Main Free
Building on their previous Heart of the City Festival open mic events, the UBC Learning Exchange is hosting Cracks in the Concrete, an evening to artistically celebrate the green spaces of the Downtown Eastside. They will feature collaborations with DTES community organizations, a presentation of their own nature-based workshops from 2018, a green space photography exhibit featuring artwork, and poems created by the Learning Exchange’s patrons. There will be great snacks and, of course, some amazing live music to top it all off. Come join the Learning Exchange to sing, dance and learn as they pay tribute to all things green!
Cultural Sharing
COAST SALISH & SYRIAN LONG TABLE DINNER
Thursday November 1, 6pm – 8pm
Ray-Cam Cooperative Centre, 920 E. Hastings
$0-20: advance sales raycamlongtable.eventbrite.ca; community tickets at Ray-Cam
Meet new neighbours with this special Long Table welcome dinner featuring a gourmet meal with an intercultural menu that includes Indigenous and Syrian cuisine. During the dinner, there will be poetry, music and conversation. Community tickets sponsored by the Heart of the City Festival and available from Ray-Cam front desk. Produced by RayCam Renew.
Panel Discussion
SPACES & PLACES – PART 1: The history of art making in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
Thursday November 1, 7pm – 8:30pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards, 149 W. Hastings
Free, see below for information
This panel, moderated by Terry Hunter (Artistic Producer, Heart of the City Festival), will explore the history of artmaking in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) from 1960 – 1990. Panelists include: Donna Spencer, founding director and Artistic Producer of the Firehall Arts Centre; Richard Tetrault, painter, printmaker and muralist; Hank Bull, co-founder of Centre A and longtime member of Western Front; and Sean Gunn, community activist, poet, and musician. This is a co-presentation of Heart of the City Festival and the DTES Small Arts Grant Program, generously supported by SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs Department. The first of three discussions about creative spaces + places in the Downtown Eastside (DTES). Space is limited. If you would like to reserve a space, or request interpretive services please email dtesartsgrants@gmail.com. Note: due to lobby renovations, the World Art Centre is only accessible via the Cordova courtyard entrance.
Music
EAST END BLUES & ALL THAT JAZZ
Thursday November 1, 8pm
Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
$30/25 (inc. s/c + GST). Tickets at door or advance sales: 604-689-0926; boxoffice@firehallartscentre.ca, or www.Firehallartscentre.ca
Also October 31, November 2, November 3
DETAILS
Music
TRADING PLACES: UN ÉCHANGE
Thursday November 1, 8pm
8EAST, 8 E. Pender
Suggested donation at the door $10 – $20
no one turned away for lack of funds
One of Vancouver’s premier improvising ensembles, the NOW Society Ensemble, joins the Trading Places: Un Resident Artist Montréal guests Ida Toninato (saxophone) and Émilie Gerard-Charest (cello) in a concert of improvised music inspired by the Heart of the City Festival theme, "Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope". With JP Carter on trumpet, Lisa Cay Miller on piano, and Kenton Loewen on drums. Trading Places: Un Échange is a vibrant residency program begun in 2016 that takes place in Montréal and Vancouver, two of Canada’s foremost centres of improvised music.
Trading Places: Un Échange est un programme de résidence dynamique qui a débuté en 2016 et qui se déroule à Montréal et à Vancouver, deux des principaux centres de musique improvisée au Canada. The Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, Music on Main, the NOW Society, Suoni Per Il Popolo and the Western Front curate in collaboration, providing support for artistic practice and opportunities for growth through cultural exchange.
Radio
ARTS RATIONAL
Thursday November 1, 9pm – 12am
Live Broadcast Co-op Radio 100.5FM
As the 15th Annual DTES Heart of the City Festival nears its final weekend, there are still many great events to attend. Tune in to this live broadcast and find out what’s happening. Hosts Gerry Kowalenko and Jay Hamburger interview Jim Sands who will talk about the various events he is involved with at this year’s Heart of the City Festival, including leading the project Journeys of Hope: A Storytelling Cabaret at Carnegie. Other invited storytelling guests will join in to share their own stories. An exciting and innovative evening of storytelling, and a show to listen to for those interested in creative writing!
Open House
Vancouver Police Museum
Friday November 2, 9am – 5pm
Vancouver Police Museum, 240 E. Cordova, 2nd floor
Free Also Friday October 26
One of Vancouver’s most interesting attractions, the Vancouver Police Museum is located in the former Coroner’s Courtroom. Built in 1932, the building is a municipally designated heritage structure and houses an extensive collection relating to the history of policing in Vancouver. Check out the museum's new exhibit, exploring the 100 year history of the Vancouver Police Traffic Section. Join museum staff for a fifteen minute exhibit talk at 11:15am and 2:15pm on both days. For more information: 604-665-3346 or www.vancouverpolicemuseum.ca or check out facebook and twitter! Everyone welcome.
Schools
THE SOJOURNERS
Friday November 2
9:30am Lord Strathcona Elementary School, 592 E. Pender
1:15pm Admiral Seymour Elementary School, 1130 Keefer
Students, parents, and teachers only
It is a special day for the schools in the neighbourhood as the internationally renowned recording artists The Sojourners roll in to perform. The Festival is thrilled to welcome singers Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Khari McClelland and their incredible sound, energy and commitment.“One of the ways to keep your centre, your spiritual centre is to sing”, says Mosely. “For us, singing gospel music and the message of social justice are inextricably bound together.” Echoes of doo wop, R&B, country and blues weave together with gospel to create a unique sound that has all but vanished from today’s world. The Sojourners will also perform at the Ukrainian Hall Community Concert; see Sunday Nov 4 for more information.
Music
SINISTER SENIORS VS THE PIPELINE
Friday November 2, 2pm – 3pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
We have long known Johanna Hauser for her work bringing great chamber music to the 'Carnegie Classics’ series for the past twenty years. Now we find out she’s also a ‘sinister senior’ (according to the Supreme Court of BC); Johanna was arrested and found guilty of criminal disobedience for blocking Trans Mountain pipeline construction. She and her fellow arrestees will use spoken word and music to describe their experience in a program that is sure to bring tears and laughter in equal measure!
Cultural Sharing
CRAFTS AND CONVERSATION
Friday November 2, 2pm – 5pm
Bill Reid Gallery, 639 Hornby Free
The Bill Reid Gallery presents a special day with the Carnegie Cultural Sharing Drum Group and guest workshop facilitators. Experience two exhibitions – Interface: The woven artwork of Jaad Kuujus; and Body Language: Reawakening Cultural Tattooing of the Northwest. Interface explores the intricate textile works and cedar weavings of Kakwaka’wakw and Haida artist Jaad Juujus/Meghann O’Brien. Body Language is the first exhibition to fully explore the rich history and artistry of Indigenous tattooing, piercing and personal adornment on the Northwest Coast. For more info: www.billreidgallery.ca.
Archives
WOODSQUAT OPEN ARCHIVE
Friday November 2, 2pm – 5pm
221A / Pollyanna 圖書館 Library, 221 E. Georgia Free
An open archive of print and audiovisual materials from the Woodward's Squat, or Woodsquat. In 2002, a coalition of radical organizers and homeless people occupied the vacant Woodward's department store in the Downtown Eastside to demand the building be converted into social housing. After three months of defending the occupation, Woodsquat was evicted by police and the building was redeveloped as a condo megaplex in 2010. This event reopens the legacy of the Woodsquat action and the urgency of its demands on today's struggle for housing. Videographer Sid Chow Tan – a longtime community activist in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside – recorded the people and action; he will attend to share his insights.
Meet the Artist
MAN ALONE Eva Zogaris
Friday November 2, 3pm – 4pm
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings
Exhibition October 30 to November 4 Free
Man Alone is a ceramic installation that reminds viewers of how human lives are shaped by the urban environments where they live. The project recreates a vast visual field of two divergent cityscapes; one part is made of ceramic single family housing units and the other, of slim ceramic tubes to symbolize modern urban apartment blocks. The project is an outcry against urban development that can drive people into desperate isolation. Eva Zogaris holds an MA in Art History from UBC, andhas worked in various art mediums: iconography, textiles and for the past twenty years, with ceramics. Eva is the recipient of a DTES Small Arts Grant towards this project.
Artist Reception
PHOENIX GALLERY GROUP SHOW
Friday November 2, 6pm – 9pm
Phoenix Gallery, 45 W. Hastings (alley entrance) Free
The Phoenix Gallery is an underground studio/gallery run collectively by an eclectic mix of eight to ten artists in the Downtown Eastsied. They create work that ranges from painting to pottery, from weaving to conceptual art. This group show is an exhibition of their unique and provocative works.
Staged Play Reading
SRO STARS
Friday November 2, 7:30pm – 9pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings
entrance on Carrall Free
Documentary theatre that sizzles with life from the mental health worldview of five writers: Jaeger Cormack, Ali Khan, Sandra Yuen MacKay, Lenore Rowntree, and Ana Smith. With unabashedly honest insights, the cast presents the true stories of the writers: Ana who believes she’s on the verge of stardom misled by hallucinatory voices; Jaeger who throws a birthday party in his 9’ x 10’ SRO that has no window; Sandra a frustrated Asian writer who lives with schizophrenia in a white community; Ali whose inner cave life includes tormentors Fox and Donkey; and Lenore who tries to show she is normal and only her sister with schizophrenia is not — a guaranteed boomerang for Lenore. Developed with the support of Petra Thaddeus (stage manager), the Motivation Power & Achievement Society, and the Community Arts Council of Vancouver. There will be a talkback after the production.
Music
CARNEGIE JAZZ BAND: A TRIBUTE TO AL NEIL
Friday November 2, 7pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
The Festival is thrilled to invite jazz lovers to this musical tribute to Al Neil, the late Vancouver jazz man, longtime Downtown Eastside Strathcona resident, and recent recipient of the Vancouver Mayors Award for Lifetime Achievement. Joining the Carnegie Jazz Band, tutored by multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Brad Muirhead, are three of Vancouver’s finest creative musicians: Greg Simpson (drums) and Paul Plimley (piano), both of whom played with Al; and bass man Tommy Babbin. An evening of live jazz featuring music that Al loved: jazz standards and off the chart improvisation and experimentation. This one is for you, Al!
Mass
ALL SOULS’ DAY MASS
Friday November 2, 6:30pm
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova
All Souls’ Day commemorates All Souls, the Holy Souls, or the Faithful Departed; that is, the souls of Christians who have died. On this day we remember deceased relatives and loved ones. There will be a full choir at this service. If you would like the name of someone who has died added to the list to be prayed for, please contact the office at office@stjames.bc.ca. All are welcome.
Music
EAST END BLUES & ALL THAT JAZZ
Friday November 2, 8pm
Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova
$30/25 (inc. s/c + GST). Tickets at door
or advance sales: 604-689-0926; boxoffice@firehallartscentre.ca
or www.Firehallartscentre.ca
Also October 31, November 1, November 3
DETAILS
Song
CARNEGIE CHINESE SENIORS CHOIR
Saturday November 3, 9:45am – 10:30am
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Led by Olivier Wong, the Carnegie Chinese Seniors Choir has been meeting every week for the past twenty years to share their love of singing. Come enjoy a cup of tea and listen in as the group sings both Chinese traditional folk songs and contemporary numbers, all in a
cappella!
Cultural Sharing
VANCOUVER TEA FESTIVAL
Saturday November 3, 10am – 5pm
Chinese Cultural Centre, 50 E. Pender & Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall
Ticket information: www.vancouverteafestival.ca
Also Sunday November 4
The 5th Annual Tea Festival features leading exhibitors from throughout the tea world who are gathering to create a true pan-cultural celebration of tea. Features a marketplace, presentations, and tastings galore. For all budgets! Explore the world of tea and taste extraordinary examples of one of the world's most beloved beverages! Presented by Vancouver Tea Society in collaboration with venue partner Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden.
Walking Tour
OUR CHINATOWN SOUNDSCAPE with Youth Collaborative for Chinatown 青心在唐人街
and Jorma Kujala (Vancouver Soundwalk Collective)
Saturday November 3, 11am – 12:30pm
Meet in the lobby entrance of Sun Wah Centre
268 Keefer
$10; pay what you can for local residents
Join in a soundwalk of Chinatown: a unique experience of the area’s rich cultural character and the underlying rhythms of its daily rituals and social practices, some of which are increasingly endangered and disappearing from the neighbourhood’s iconic soundscape. A soundwalk is a group excursion in deep listening. We will walk without speaking, tapping into the sonic resonances that create Chinatown’s deep sense of place, which often take a back seat to our other senses. Our route will traverse the area’s historic and contemporary soundscapes, ending with a post-walk discussion to share listening experiences with one another. Rain or shine, please dress appropriately, wear comfortable footwear for walking on all types of terrain, and limit belongings. Please note Chinatown sites are narrow, have little or no seating, and may require climbing stairs.
Storytelling
JOURNEYS OF HOPE: A STORYTELLING CABARET
Saturday November 3, 1pm – 2:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Our journey to justice takes us on a road with many ups and downs. Along the way there are frustrations, turning points and accomplishments. We celebrate our successes, mourn our losses and gain clarity about challenges ahead by sharing stories. Join us for an afternoon of true stories from real life, as well as traditional stories and folktales from around the world as told by Downtown Eastside storytellers. Curated and facilitated by Jim Sands, an East Vancouver based storyteller, actor, songwriter, musician and occasional clown. Jim participated in the 2003 Downtown Eastside Community Play: In the Heart of a City.
Music in the Streets
HASTINGS STREET BAND
Saturday November 3, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Carnegie, 401 Main Free
It’s music in the streets! Dance to the sounds of the Hastings Street Band and their upbeat New Orleans style jazz and blues. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead, the band is composed of enthusiastic Downtown Eastside involved amateur and semi-pro musicians playing with professional musicians from across Vancouver.
Workshop
BOAT STITCHING CIRCLE
Saturday November 3, 1pm – 4pm
Trillium North Park, False Creek East, Malkin & Thornton Free
Assist with the Land & Sea Project and the final stitching of a waterbound coracle: a water vessel made with willow, waxed cotton and salmon leather. Using a variation of the waterproof stitch – a technique taught to the EartHand Gleaners by Alaskan artists June and Charlie Pardue – the weavers are stitching and beading their way towards this single person vessel they hope to take to the water next spring. Facilitated by Rebecca Graham and other EartHand artists and community skill holders. Light refreshments served. The EartHand Gleaners community brings many people together to share skills and research traditional knowledge; they call Trillium their semi-permanent home. Dress for the weather as the stitching is outdoors under shelter. Find out more at earthand.com.
Theatre
ROY & JANET Theatre Terrific
Saturday November 3, 2pm – 2:30pm
Woodward's Atrium, 111 W. Hastings Free
“Take all men as your brothers; all women as your sisters; and all children as your sons and daughters.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
The group at Theatre Terrific looked at the famous play, Romeo and Juliet, and decided what really mattered were the two tribes that kept Romeo and Juliet apart. So...the cast and crew of varied cultures, abilities and genders created a musical that dances, sings, and tells a humorous, fierce story of two tribes and what keeps them apart. The Woodwards Atrium is a crossroads where tourists, office workers, homeless, artists, street vendors, parents, children, salespeople, students and almost every level of society pass each other daily and is the perfect place to ask: "What keeps us apart and what can bring us together?" Produced by Theatre Terrific, a company who support artists of all abilities to create provocative theatre.
Cultural Sharing
CHINATOWN GENERATIONS
Saturday November 3, 1pm – 5:30pm
Sun Wah Centre, 268 Keefer 4th floor Free
The fourth floor of BC Artscape Sun Wah Project is pleased to host an afternoon celebrating the intergenerational community of Chinatown and its ongoing generation of cultural heritage. Enjoy this chock-full afternoon: view a photo exhibition by and of Urban Farming Poh-Pohs (grannies) and their growing of veggies this summer in the parking lot at East Hastings and Jackson; join in the Cantonese and Mandarin language workshop on vegetables by Mark Lee of Onion Language Centre; view a screening of the documentary, In Chinatown, directed by Stephanie Chong and Bryce Quan; and sit down and join in the “Hot+Noisy” mahjong workshop led by Youth Collaborative for Chinatown 青心在唐人街.
Play-in-Progress
MADE IN CANADA
Saturday November 3, 2pm – 4pm
DTES Neighbourhood House, 573 E. Hastings Free
Where does our food come from? Who grows it? Who is nourished by it? Join playwright Pedro Chamale and experience words and music from Made in Canada, his play-in-progress that brings temporary foreign farm workers centre stage – the unseen people who plant, tend, and harvest. Come and share seasonal food and stories in a family-friendly event that reveals some hidden links in Canada's food chain. Presented with PTC (Playwrights Theatre Centre).
Spoken Word
DTES WRITERS COLLECTIVE
Saturday November 3, 3pm – 3:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
The Downtown Eastside is blessed to be home to numerous writers, poets and essayists, and to inspiring writing groups. When the highly regarded Thursdays Writing Collective said goodbye after ten years, the writers picked up the pen and started a new group, the DTES Writers Collective, which continues to meet weekly. We are excited to host them at their first Heart of the City Festival appearance. Come and hear what they have to say!
Live Remote
RED JAM SLAM
Saturday November 3, 3pm – 8pm
Livestream CJSF 90.1 FM
Caveman Café, 88 W. Pender Free
The Festival is pleased to present Red Jam Slam with live performances and a Live Remote that is going national! Curated and hosted by Festival Multimedia Artist in Residence Gunargie O’Sullivan; presented with the Red Jam Slam Society, CJSF 90.1 FM, and Caveman Café.
The incredible lineup of guest performers includes Christie Charles, Musqueam mom, rap artist and Vancouver’s poet laureate; followed by Ruth Alfred and the drumming group Golden Eagles; and joining the afternoon is Culture Saves Lives. Late Night with Savages co-host Valeen Jules will share her original poetry; Nimkish Young Ing, Cree, Chinese and Tlowitsis singer-songwriter with a passion for the light takes the microphone; Nayden LA Palosaari, actor, singer and songwriter with The mechanical god PROJECT performs; followed by long time favourite Bees Knees who belts out jazz and blues. By late afternoon Aisha, an amazing young singer featured on Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show on APTN, will appear; followed by the acoustic roots sounds of Haisla with Nasty, Brutish & Short (Haisla Collins, Lorenzo Watters, the Reverend Gabriel Hebert, and Father Theo). In the final hour we’ll hear Jesse Ogen who plays a mean guitar; and RedSoulBluez closes off with the emotional dynamics of the blues; ending the broadcast with a jam; it’s Red Slam Jam!
The Red Jam Slam Society encourages strategies that honour Aboriginal voices, and encourages all to participate with continued growth, presence and expression. For full schedule and lineup: Red Jam Slam: facebook.com/redjamslam
With special thanks to CJSF for providing the live feed and simulcasting to other on-air stations to enable this year’s Red Jam Slam to reach nationally far and wide!
On the air – cjsf.ca / 90.1 FM – and networked to – nuxalkradio.com / 99.1 FM; coopradio.org / 100.5 FM; and citr.ca / 101.9 FM.
Livestream – on Facebook – facebook.com/redjamslam
Be a part of the live audience and witness live radio at the Caveman Cafe!
Writing
SANDY CAMERON MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST
AWARD CEREMONY
Saturday November 3, 4pm – 5pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Sandy Cameron was one of the best-loved writers to ever publish work in the Carnegie
Newsletter. Sandy consistently contributed essays and poetry, sharing stories of the low income neighbourhood’s 100 year struggle for human rights. This writing contest, now in its third year, was established to honour Sandy, to support local writers, and to encourage many never-before published writers to submit their work for publication. This year the contest focuses on essay-writing and poetry. Its an exciting and inspiring event, with Jean Swanson awarding the prizes to the announced award winning writers; in turn each award winning writer will read the writing they submitted to the contest. The free twice-monthly Carnigie newsletter is now available online at www.carnegienewsletter.org.
Song
CARNEGIE SING ALONG CHOIR
Saturday November 3, 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie 3rd Floor Gallery, 401 Main Free
The Carnegie Sing Along Choir, led by local guitarist Mike Richter, meets regularly twice a week to raise their voices in song. For the Festival they bring the regular session to you, the audience. It’s a choir! It’s a sing-along! Pull up a chair, find the lyrics or the sheet music, and raise your voice with the Sing Along Choir. We are harmony!
Showcase
DTES POETS OPEN MIC
Saturday November 3, 7pm – 9:30pm
Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main Free
Downtown Eastside poets and writers meet on the first Saturday of every month to read original poetry, plays, prose and works-in-progress. The evening is free, it’s friendly, and it’s packed with local talent both on the microphone and in the audience. Special featured guest for the evening is Mercedes Eng, who writes and makes text-based art in Vancouver, unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh territories. She is the author of Mercenary English, a long poem about violence and resistance in the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, and Prison Industrial Complex Explodes, winner of the 2018 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Sign up for a ten minute spot at the Open Mic. Hosted by Diane Wood.
Theatre
CALL MR. ROBESON – A LIFE, WITH SONGS
Saturday November 3, 8pm
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova
$20/$15. Tickets at door or advance sales:
call-mr-robeson.eventbrite.ca
The Festival is thrilled to build bridges internationally and present from Liverpool, England, Nigerian-born Tayo Aluko in his award-winning one man play Call Mr. Robeson – A life, with songs. This inspiring piece of biographical musical theatre explores the remarkable life and rollercoaster journey of the legendary Paul Robeson, African-American actor, singer and forerunner of the civil rights movement. The play highlights Mr. Robeson’s pioneering and heroic political activism, and features fiery oratory, famous songs such as Ol’ Man River, and a defiant testimony to the House of Un-American Activities Committee. Musical accompaniment by Elaine Joe, pianist, composer and teacher, who has worked extensively with Downtown Eastside artists and organizations and is resident pianist with Barvinok Ukrainian choir.
Mass
ALL SAINTS’ DAY PROCESSION & HIGH MASS
Sunday November 4, 10:30am
St. James’ Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova
On All Saints we remember those who have gone before us witnessing to the truth of the gospel. The High Mass with Choir and Procession will celebrate the Saints of Christendom with pageantry, traditional ritual and inspiring music. All are welcome to attend.
Cultural Sharing
VANCOUVER TEA FESTIVAL
Sunday November 4, 11am – 4pm
Chinese Cultural Centre, 50 E. Pender & Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall
Ticket information: www.vancouverteafestival.ca
Also Saturday November 3
See description November 3
Music in the Streets
HASTINGS STREET BAND
Sunday November 4, 1pm & 2pm
Starts at Abbott & W. Hastings Free
The Hastings Street Band and their upbeat New Orleans style jazz and blues return to the streets of the Downtown Eastside. Led by multi-instrumentalist and composer Brad Muirhead, the band is composed of enthusiastic Downtown Eastside involved amateur and semi-pro musicians playing with professional musicians from across Vancouver.
Market, Workshops & Panel
CANZINE: FESTIVAL OF ZINES & UNDERGROUND CULTURE
Sunday November 4, 1pm – 7pm
Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, SFU Woodwards
149 W. Hastings Free
Hundreds of zines, books, comics, and small press vendors from across the West Coast! A full day of panels, workshops, programming for kids and teens. From 2pm to 5pm, make-a-zine drop-in for kids, families and all-ages; and from 1pm to 7pm the Global Zine Project, a hands-on exhibition to explore underground scenes from New Zealand to Zaire. At 4pm, a panel discussion with the Vancouver Noir Small Press Resurgence. Canzine is organized by Broken Pencil: The Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts. Contact canzine@brokenpencil.com or visit canzine.ca for more information. Note: due to lobby renovations, the World Art Centre is only accessible via the Cordova courtyard entrance.
Community
FESTIVAL KARAOKE
Sunday November 4, 7pm – 9pm
Evelyne Saller Centre, 320 Alexander Free
Drop in to the Evelyne Saller Centre for Heart of the City Festival Karaoke! Everyone loves the chance to try out their favourite song and sing their hearts out. Led by Earl Sutherland. Coffee and dinner for all participants. No experience necessary and open to everyone!
Community Celebration
UKRAINIAN HALL COMMUNITY CONCERT & SUPPER
Sunday November 4, concert 3pm, supper follows
Ukrainian Hall, 805 E. Pender
$25. For advance tickets contact 604-254-3436
The festival ends on a high note at the east-end’s historic Ukrainian Hall with lively music, high energy dance and exquisite costumes at the Ukrainian Hall Community Concert & Supper. This annual favourite, produced with the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, features the Barvinok Choir, Vancouver Folk Ensemble and award-winning Dovbush Dancers in a new staging of choreographer Pavlo Virsky’s “We Remember”.To celebrate the Festival theme Seeds of Justice, Seeds of Hope we have invited the celebrated Canadian gospel trio The Sojourners. Singers Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and Khari McClelland sing songs that reinforce the “links between the early spirituals, gospel and activist folk music which all arise from hope, faith and courage” (Marc Lindy, Gospel Train). To remind us of our strength and history, Solidarity Notes Labour Choir (Earle Peach, conductor) shares the stage with the Barvinok Choir (Beverly Dobrinsky, conductor) for a finale of rousing songs of social justice that inspire hope and possibility.
Immediately following the concert is the always-delicious traditional Ukrainian Supper. The best full meal and concert deal in Vancouver!
Special Event and Exhibition
IN VISIBLE COLOURS: WOMEN’S ART FESTIVAL
November 6 to 11
Exhibition November 6 to 24
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall
Free
The Downtown Eastside Centre for the Arts (DECA) presents the inaugural In Visible Colours, a festival that celebrates the diversity of women in Vancouver and the art that they create. For the week of November 6 – 11, the curators of the Festival have planned a full week of receptions, ceremony, introductions, workshops, poetry, art, and music.
Special events include: opening of The Feminine Touch Art Exhibition; the Introduction of the DTES Council of Grandmothers, with Germaine Tremmel, lawyer, activist, renowned keeper of traditional and cultural practices; a LGBTQ Poetry Evening with Serisa Fitz-James, Jackson Wai Chung Tse and more; Street Words Writing Circle with JB the First Lady, hip hop and spoken word artist; and An Evening Concert with Indigenous street musician Jaz Scuff, singer Dianne Brown, and surprise guests. Many more artists still to be announced. Watch for more details!
For more information and schedule details:
Contact: dalannah.deca@gmail.com
Or drop by the DECA office 7 E. Hastings,
Mon to Thurs, 10am - 3pm
Reception
FESTIVAL CLOSING RECEPTION
Friday November 9, 5pm - 7pm
Carnegie 3rd Floor Gallery, 401 Main Free
Now that we’ve caught up on our sleep, did our laundry and cleaned up our rooms, this is our opportunity to say thank you! Thank you to artists, audience members, crew, staff, volunteers, community partners, fellow organizers - there are so many of us who put on the Heart of the City Festival in one capacity or another. Come on down to the Carnegie, the heart of our community, as we say “Thank you! That’s the 15th Annual Festival under our belts! Here’s to 2019!” Join us for conversations and share ideas for future festivals. Refreshments. See ya there!
Reception & Exhibition
GALLERY GACHET ANNUAL MEMBERS SHOW
Opening Reception Friday November 16, 6pm
Gallery Gachet, 9 W. Hastings
Exhibit: November 16 to January 5 Free
A curated exhibition showcasing the works of Gallery Gachet Collective members. The particular theme is determined annually by the Collective. Gallery hours: Tues to Sat, 12pm - 6pm.
Events at Exhibitions
See event dates for full descriptions
11TH ANNUAL OPPENHEIMER PARK
COMMUNITY ART SHOW:
what these trees have seen
Until October 28, Tues to Sat, 12pm – 6pm
Gallery Gachet, 9 W. Hastings Free
Meet the Artist Thursday Oct 25
6pm – 8pm
FROM THE COLLECTION...
October 26 to October 28, 10am – 4pm
Downtown Community Health Clinic
569 Powell Free
Artist reception Friday Oct 26, 2pm – 4pm
ONWARD! Comics, posters, paintings by David Lester
October 25 to November 3
Wed to Sat, 1pm – 5pm
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings, entrance on Carrall Free
Meet the Artist Sunday Oct 28, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
MAN ALONE Eva Zogaris
October 30 to November 4
EWMA Studio, 800 E. Hastings Free
Meet the Artist Friday Nov 2, 3pm – 4pm
SUNKEN TREASURES
Until November 8, 10am – 4:30pm (closed Mon beginning Nov 5)
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall
Adult $12, student $9, senior $10, family $25
Lecture Saturday Oct 27, 2pm – 4pm
ONE CASE, TWO CASE, THREE CASE
November 1 to 29
Carnegie 3rd floor Gallery, 401 Main Free
Opening Reception Thursday Nov 1, 4:30pm – 6pm
PHOENIX GALLERY GROUP SHOW
Ongoing
Phoenix Gallery, 45 W. Hastings (alley entrance) Free
Artist Reception Friday Nov 2, 6pm – 9pm
TWO EXHIBITS: INTERFACE and BODY LANGUAGE
Until January, Wed to Sun, 11am – 5pm
Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art 639 Hornby
Adults $11, students/seniors $8, youth $6, children under 12 free, families $26
Curatorial Tour Wednesday Oct 31, 2pm Free
Carnegie Cultural Sharing Friday Nov 2 2pm – 5pm Free
Exhibitions
CONNECTING THREADS
Group Exhibit
Until October 20
InterUrban Gallery, 1 E. Hastings entrance on Carrall, Free
Connecting Threads is a Downtown Eastside Community Arts (DECA) display of artwork from the summer and fall community programs. Includes various mediums.
Gallery hours: Wed to Sat, 1pm – 5pm
EYE CANDY Rande Cook
Until October 27
Fazakas Gallery, 688 E. Hastings Free
Fazakas Gallery is pleased to present Eye Candy, a new series of sandblasted red cedar panels by Rande Cook. Trained in Kwakwaka’wakw aesthetics and values, Cook’s skillful technique and innovative flair lead him to create a bright and contemporary body of work informed by tradition. As the artist states, “I bend all the rules with these [panels] while maintaining integrity to the true form passed on from my ancestors.” Eye Candy is the inaugural exhibition at the Fazakas project space, Tanúyap. Gallery hours: Tues to Sat 11am – 5pm, Sun 12pm – 5pm
THE WALL: ONE PERSON’S VIEW OF HOPE AND JUSTICE IN EAST VANCOUVER (1980-1990) Jim Sands
October 15 to October 30
Cheeky Proletariat Art Gallery, 320 Carrall, Free
The 1980s were a time of active political engagement in Vancouver. It was the decade of annual Walks for Peace, the provincial Solidarity Movement, CRAB Park, Expo '86, and punk rock. This exhibit replicates a wall in the apartment of East Van student, activist and journalist Jim Sands. The wall was a repository for the buttons, posters, flyers and other material that caught his eye through a life centred around Coop Radio, SFU Communication Studies, Carnegie Centre, as well as the ongoing political and cultural activities of the decade. Jim was a member of the Talking Freds, a comic satirical duo that performed during those heady political days of Vancouver in the 1980s. See Jim in A Double Bill: The Real Story of the Talking Freds & Woody Sed on Thurs Oct 25 and Fri Oct 26. Window exhibition.
THE CUBE VORTEX Toby Carroll
November 1 to November 30
Cheeky Proletariat Art Gallery, 320 Carrall Free
Since 2010, Toby Carroll has been fascinated with the vortex and views it as a tidal pool. Life for Toby has formed many different scenarios of overlapping, independent spiritual "ecosystems", occasionally washed away or changed as though blessed or cursed by a wave. Toby views his insight into the universe as teachings: a recipe and roadmap for diffuse spiritual highways. He ventures into the vortex. As a child Toby drew, as a teen played music then turned to painting. By the 90s he was working in film, new media and games. Currently he writes poetry, and is working on an EDM album and a graphic novel. Window exhibition.
REMONSTRANCE Group Exhibit
Until November 30
The HiVE, 210 – 128 W. Hastings, buzz #210 By donation
See HiVE's latest group exhibition showcasing twelve artists who push the boundaries of their artistic practice. Remonstrance showcases influences and interactions created from social action (or lack of), in our community: through cross cultural relations, environmental activism and re-interpretation, human rights and inclusivity development. The group exhibition offers artistic responses to social impacts within our communities, communicating in the “languages” of sculpture, abstract painting, and more. Artists include Danaca Ackerson, Marco Francesco, Joy Gyamfi, Annah Kassen, Tereza Tacic, Linnea Strom, Sora Park, Saroop Soofi, YiNa Wang, Marina Fierz, David Hovan, koralee. Buzz #210, travel up a flight of stairs; not wheelchair accessible. Open to the public: Mon to Fri, 9am – 5pm
taisha paggett: i believe in echoes
Until December 8
Audain Gallery, SFU, 149 W. Hastings Free
taisha paggett is a dance artist who cultivates performance works for the stage, gallery and outdoors. Her research and pedagogical engagement focuses on relationships between geography and being able to navigate 21st-century Black American life. I believe in echoes considers somatic experience within the "meadow": a phenomenological, speculative geography that supports physical and psychic embodiment in the out-of-doors. The "meadow" also evokes the dance studio, green room, white cube, and theatre: an ecosystem of consciousness in which fugitive bodies query historical delineations of inside-outside, and social hierarchies that determine access and restriction. Curated by Amy Kazymerchyk. Due to lobby renovations, the gallery is only accessible by the W. Hastings doors. Gallery hours: Tues to Sat, 12pm – 5pm
NAKED NAPI Adrian Stimson
Until December 8
SUM Gallery, #425 – 268 Keefer
By donation
SUM gallery's second exhibition Naked Napi presents new work by Adrian Stimson. Adrian previously curated the UnSettled visual art exhibition for SUM’s 2017 Two-Spirit and Indigequeer curated Queer Arts Festival. Naked Napi is Adrian's first solo exhibition since winning the Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts earlier this year. In this site-specific installation of sculpture, drawings, and paintings, Stimson reimagines traditional Siksika (Blackfoot) tales of Napi in the present, and challenges the colonial erasure of Indigenous bodies, power, and sexual histories. Napi is a trickster often referred to as the “Old Man” who came from the sun, a quasi-creator alongside the "Old Woman." Crazy and funny but also brutal and mean, Napi is a sort of moral guide, giving insight into the human condition.
Gallery hours: Tues to Sat, 12pm – 6pm