CURATOR TALK

Aug. 10 // Doors: 7:00 pm // Start: 7:30 pm
Herschel Supply Co. (Gastown) 347 WATER ST.

• Free 
• Reservation Required
• All Ages

Each year, VMF artists are selected and supported by a big team of art and programming curators. Learn more about the processes, backgrounds and curation choices that come together in creating Vancouver's biggest arts & cultural festival. Join us for an evening of conversation and storytelling with this year's VMF 2023 Curators and Coordinators.

FEATURING:

  • Natalia Lebedinskia

    In all my work, I strive to build and empower resilient teams and communities and to create meaningful connections between art and people. From national public art projects to grassroots initiatives, municipal galleries, and artist projects, my leadership and curatorial practice is centered on deep relationship building, reciprocity, and collaboration. I was most recently the Program Director at the Vancouver Biennale, where I oversaw the Open Air Museum public art program and International Artist Residencies. Prior to moving to Vancouver in 2018, I was the Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba and one of seven curators for LandMarks2017, a national series of contemporary art commissions marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation in Canada's National Parks. Throughout my life and career, I lived and worked across Canada; I was born in Moscow, Russia and come from a family of writers, poets, and mathematicians.

Speakers:

  • Jonas Jones comes from the village of Átsnach (Tsleil-Waututh) with strong bloodlines running from Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) as well. His kwshámin (ancestral name), TsuKwalton, comes from the Squamish village of Chʼiyáḵmesh. He is learning and apprenticing under the guidance and support of Ses Siyam (Ray Natraoro), indulging within the Coast Salish laws of art, a system that is passed down from master carver to apprentice. He is honoured to be practicing this craft, as this foundation of art and way of life has been running through his blood for thousands of years. To live and breathe a little piece of the old people of their swa7am (ancestors) is truly a beautiful thing.

  • Christophe Devos (he/they) is a Francophone originally from so-called Vancouver, B.C., who is at the threshold of completing an MA from the SFUvSchool for Contemporary Art. Having earned a BFA in Art History (Concordia University, 2018) and a BA in Film Studies (UBC, 2021), Christophe developed an affinity for the social-justice-oriented frameworks of queer theory alongside disability, media, and cultural studies while fostering an interdisciplinary understanding of the critical relationship between text and image. As a self-identified queer person with a hearing disability who is dependent on assistive hearing technology, Christophe has devoted himself to learning, advocating, and amplifying the voices and stories of historically marginalized groups and individuals, such as BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities, post-colonial cultures, women, and people with disabilities that have and continue to exist over time.

  • Mavreen David is VMF’s Project Manager & Associate Curator. She has spent two decades establishing herself as a leading project manager in creative industries, with a focus on music and visual art.

    Starting out as a professionally trained photographer and producer, she helped to build one of the most successful commercial photo studios in Vancouver in the early 2000s before moving to Toronto to pursue music management. Upon her return to Vancouver, she joined the management team at the Nettwerk Music Group where she put her resourcefulness to work as the daily manager for world renowned recording artists, working alongside major record labels and international tour promoters. Mavreen’s desire to work on deeply impactful projects for her community, to highlight underrepresented voices, and to shed light on issues that matter, led her away from entertainment industries and into the nonprofit sector.

    Today, Mavreen is the project manager and associate curator for the Vancouver Mural Festival, helping to build one of Canada’s premier art organisations that is literally and figuratively changing the face of the city.

Moderator:

  • • Terrain: Pavement sidewalk and cobblestone streets

    • Mobility: Upon entry, all areas of our store are wheelchair accessible and there is plenty of room for strollers as well

    • Restroom Facilities: Gender-free washroom

    • Seating: Chairs

    • Public Transportation: A short walk eastbound from Waterfront Station

    • Parking: Parking nearby will be limited street parking. Easy Park lot located a block away. It’s advised to get dropped off, Evo, Uber, Cab or take public transit.

    • Furry Friends: Animals are welcome on our site.

  • We acknowledge that this event takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples – the sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh), and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. We ask that you take a moment to consider the history of the land that we gather on, your relations with local Indigenous people and what each of us can do to foster meaningful reconciliation now and into the future.