Community Activations
Over the past year, RAIL partnered with Arts BC to host community activations. RAIL provided facilitation informed by Lab practices and Participatory Narrative Inquiry to active communities and hold space for the nuance of difficult conversations.
Armed with a Compass- Wells, British Columbia
Wells is located on the shared territory of seven nations:
Lhtako, Nazko, Lhoosk’uz, Ulkatcho, ?Esdilagh, Xatśūll, Simpcw, and Lheidli
In March 2024 RAIL partnered with Island Mountain Arts and ArtsBC to host “Armed with a Compass” This gathering brought together leaders in the Arts, funders and Emergency Response and Recovery workers in the micro-rural town of Wells BC. The facilitated activations and practices bridged sectors and narratives.
Centring relationships and sharing perspectives from different locations in our ecosystem helped us face the difficult challenges of cultural preservation at the intersection of climate change and resource extraction.
International collaborations
Relationships are at the core of our practice, long-time collaborator, Deb Borsos shared her connection with The Creative Recovery Network in Australia. We have since been working together, sharing resources and linking the work done in both countries amplifying the important role that arts play in recovery from disasters. Scotia Monkivitch joined us virtually in Wells to share practices and stories from Australia, where arts have played an essential role in recovery.
From the Creative Recovery Network
“Arts and cultural programs have a unique capacity to build social cohesion - an essential tool that helps communities be prepared for disasters, and supports them to respond and recover better when they occur. Here's how we are strengthening disaster management through creativity.”
Indigenous Artist Gathering - Tsimshian Territory- Prince Rupert
In October 2023 Arts BC hosted the second Gathering of Indigenous Artists and supporters in Prince Rupert to connect, listen and strategize ways to support the incredible work of artists of this region.
RAIL partnered to provide activations and sense-making activities. We explored the question,
“What could a future look like in which artists had what they needed, and were able to share, celebrate and thrive? “We identified things we would need in the future. Some of the themes that were made visible were.
The urgency of transferring cultural knowledge as elders age.
A need for a dedicated space for Indigenous Arts and Artists.
Land and the need for support for rural artists.
This gathering centred relationships, building and listening to the knowledge of the folks who carry knowledge of their own communities.
Other Community Collaborations
In 2023-2024 RAIL facilitated lab process activations across the province and virtually. Many of these provided contexts for deeper mapping of the current ecosystem and some ended with models for projects moving forward.
These events took place in Kimberly, Victoria, Nelson and virtually in more than 40 locations throughout the province. The common thread was holding space for artists, community members and funders, to relationship build and tackle complex issues together.
