About this series:

Chinatown Today今日唐人街, in collaboration with Massy Arts Society is excited to present Across Cultures and Generations: Agency & (Cyber)space As Site of Creation. This is the inaugural event of a three-part virtual panel series with the goals of showcasing local and community-based artistic talent, and to facilitate intercultural conversations on shared and different experiences of being racialized in the spaces within and around Chinatown.

About this event:

Join spoken word artist, Kiran Shoker and visual artist Tiana Vincent for conversations around agency, and (cyber)space as a site of creation. In the first half of the event, Kiran and Tiana will take turns showcasing their work, walking us through their artistic process. In the second half, a moderated conversation between the two artists will dive deeper into how visual art is a way for one to heal and connect with one's ancestral roots, how reclaiming agency as a racialized person informs the art you create, and the process through which you create it, along with how art, whether digital or physical, stand in connection with one’s site of creation.

This event is funded by the City of Vancouver and sponsored by Room Magazine.

About the artists:

Kiran Shoker (She/her)

As an artist forged from the cracks of diaspora, the writing and performances curated centre around agency and self-determination in all factions of life. In exploring race, gender, and colonialism with raw humanity, Shoker’s art largely centres on empowerment and restoration.

Tiana Vincent (She/her/hers)

I am a Huron-Wendat (Wendake) and Vietnamese artist currently based on Coast Salish lands. Originally, I am from Treaty 1 (Manitoba), and I moved to the coast to attend UBC. I typically focus on digital, pencil, and ink drawings with themes influenced by nature, my environment, my ancestors, and my on-going reconciliation and decolonization. The dynamic movements and impacts that surround me, the whispers and energies of my ancestors, the blooms of the earth inspire me daily.

Ticket price:

Across Cultures and Generations is a free public event series. You’ll notice there are two ticket options: one is free, the other is pay what you can (by donation). For the pay what you can option, the suggested donation amount is $10.00, but all contributions are accepted. All proceeds will be donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS), a provincial organization providing twenty years of essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with Intergenerational traumas.

Donations made on the Eventbrite registration page for events of Across Cultures and Generations will be sent to the Chinatown Today financial account. The total amount will be collected, tallied, and donated electronically through the IRSSS website following the conclusion of the panel series. For transparency and accountability, Chinatown Today will post the total donation amount from Eventbrite as well as the donation amount to IRSSS on our Instagram.

Accessibility:

This workshop will take place online using Zoom. You can access the workshop on an Internet-connected device, by downloading Zoom to the device (https://zoom.us/), or by opening the workshop video in an Internet browser on the device (no download required). If you will not have access to the Internet for this panel, you can join and listen by phone. Information on how to join the workshop by phone and Internet will be sent to the email used to register.

Language translations:

This event will have auto-generated live captions in English. We will also have live translations in Cantonese. Please note that in order to access the live audio interpretation, you must be joining the workshop through the Internet (not phone dial-in). There may be ASL interpretation depending on interpreter availability.

Community care:

This event will have a dedicated Active Listener. We recognize that sharing lived experiences as IBPOC individuals can be cathartic and liberating, but can also have the potential to be challenging and triggering. The Active Listener will be available via the Zoom chat function throughout the event.

About Massy Arts Society:

Massy Arts Society views creative practices as integral to the political and social fabric of contemporary life. Massy Arts operates as a multi-disciplinary arts society that seeks to create a welcoming community invested in acts of care, radical futurisms, and coming together. We view artistic and writing practices as anchors to our day to day understanding of the world, and hope to build a platform where these practices are uplifted and celebrated

About Chinatown Today:

Chinatown Today is a non-profit organization whose goal is to share stories from Chinatown’s past and present so they continue to be part of its future.

Any questions about this programming can be directed to Jenn at info@chinatown.today.

Land Acknowledgement

Chinatown Today今日唐人街 acknowledges that although this panel is taking place online, we are conducting this work on the occupied traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically, the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sel̓íl̓witulh/Tsəl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-waututh) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim-speaking Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations. This land was never surrendered, relinquished, or handed over by these Nations to Canada or British Columbia through a treaty or other means; it is sovereign and unsurrendered. To learn more about whose land you are on, we encourage you to check out the following resources: Native Land or Whose Land.