On Tuesday, Oct. 22, The Reach Gallery hosted a panel discussion entitled Exploring Diversity, which was about creating space and supporting minorities in the field of arts. The event was sponsored by the UFV Alumni Association, the South Asian Studies Institute, and the B.C. Alliance for Arts and Culture.
There were around 50 community members in attendance in the beautiful gallery space, and the event included a sign language interpreter.
The event was moderated by Laura Schneider, the executive director of The Reach Gallery Museum, who highlighted key parts of the panelists’ answers and allowed space for everyone’s voice to be heard. The panelists included Sherlock Chen, a queer artist and UFV alumn; Alyssa Amarshi, a dancer and performer of Indo-Ismaili heritage; Jonny Williams, a Stó:l? artist from the Cheam First Nation; Suvi Bains, a photographer and expressive art therapist born and raised in Abbotsford in a South Asian Punjabi family; and Junie Désil, a Haitian/Canadian poet from New Westminster.
The panelists were passionate and well-spoken as they talked about the need for this conversation on minorities being represented in the arts, their hardships and successes in their work, and what steps can be taken to ensure greater inclusion for everyone in the arts as well.
The first question of the evening was, “Why is this conversation important in the arts and is it different in the arts than it is in other fields?” Désil pushed the need to troubleshoot the word “diversity,” to understand what it really means in order to ensure that all voices and life experiences are represented in the arts. Bains touched on the importance of all people being able to see themselves reflected in the institutions they go to and the art they see being created. Chen brought us back to recognizing why the arts are a crucial part of society. He noted that thinking of the arts simply as paintings framed in a gallery is seeing it as the cherry on top of a cake; however, we need to see art as the baking soda in the whole society, as “it makes everything rise, makes everything more coherent, resilient, sustainable, aesthetic.”
When asked what challenges they had experienced or witnessed in art, their discipline, or their community, the artists touched on problems regarding the intense competition they face as minorities, and the challenge of being hired as a token representative of their culture.
Williams shared the challenge he faces as a Stó:l? artist who is expected to conform to the style of art of his nation, as all First Nations groups have a different artistic style that represents who they are through their paintings, clothing, and carvings. The classic art of the Haida Gwaii First Nation is different from Kwantlen First Nation, who is different from Cheam First Nation. Williams struggled with the criticism he got as he created his own style of art, not necessarily conforming to First Nations or Stó:l? art, as he was told he was doing it wrong and was challenged even within his own community.
Amarshi spoke on the policing of identity that she felt within her art form and shared about the censorship she felt she had to apply to what she said. She spoke on how careful she had to be in her own art form as someone of Indo-Ismaili heritage partaking of a dance style of the West Indies (a style normally belonging to black Jamaican people), of knowing her place, of wanting to be authentic to the style but at the same time “paying homage and giving space to other people.” On a more institutional level, she spoke on the struggle all artists face, which is finding funding and space. Living in a capitalist society, there is a limited amount of room for artists, and that results in competition and restrictions on the way artists create their art, especially if it feels as if there can only be one artist “on top.”
Bains spoke about the barriers and stereotypes she had to overcome growing up in East Abbotsford, and the courage it took to be authentic in her work. She shared her experience of exhibiting her work of Sikh men with long, unshorn hair, and how this allowed her to break some stereotypes and politically challenge ways of thinking about South Asian men.
Désil spoke on the difficulty she faced being a person of colour in the performing arts, and being expected to “trot out” all of the challenges that go along with that identity. She compared baring her soul as an artist as becoming a sort of “trauma porn.” But sometimes writing about this pain is the only thing that gets your foot in the door and what gets you the money.
“Here I am, as an artist writing this stuff that is very traumatic. Imagine having to write the things that are difficult, the horrible secrets, all of that stuff that your community experiences and then being evaluated on that piece and whether or not it should be published,” said Désil.
Then the conversation switched over to a more optimistic topic, and Schnieder asked, “What are some of the most exciting or inspiring initiatives that you have witnessed or participated in recently?”
Amarshi shared on a jungle gym drop-in, an interdisciplinary playground for artists that is not linked to production or commodity. Bains spoke about her work with UBC’s Asian-Canadian-Asian migration dialogue. Chen spoke on the opportunities for artist residency in firms unrelated to the arts, which he defined as essentially “bringing artists and cultural workers into … organizations to realize how much arts and culture and a different perspective will change their staff member’s perspective in their own work.” Williams spoke on all of the work being done already to remember the language of Halq’eméylem and the cultural traditions of the Cheam First Nations.
The last question addressed by the artists was “What are some of the most important systemic or structural changes that can be deployed to address the issues that you have faced or witnessed?” They gave suggestions such as ensuring a diversity of staff and board members in organizations, and making spaces and events accessible for all people.
“It’s about making sure, especially as a tiny brown woman, that I take up space, to make sure that it is okay for me to take up space but also realize that there are other people here and their stories matter too and their expressions matter too,” said Amarshi.
I think what this panel solidified was that there is room at the table for everyone in the art community of the Fraser Valley. Although minorities experience their own unique set of challenges in the industry, all identities are welcome and celebrated. The panelists were open, honest, and heart-felt with their answers, demanding change and celebrating all that has been done so far to ensure diversity in the arts space. Press for this change yourself by supporting and buying art from BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and people of colour) artists and holding organizations accountable for doing the same.
Image: Andrea Sadowski/The Cascade
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.
