Category: News

  • Call for Members: Board of Directors (2024)

    Introduction to Future Arts Network

    Future Arts Network Society is looking for members to join our Board of Directors. Board Members are volunteer positions. We are seeking peers who share our progressive values and dream of a world run by intersectional feminism in the arts and rooted in social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.

    Our values are transparency, clear communication, equity and rooted in community care.

    We want folks to share our values and be part of programming and organizing our next phase!

    Future Arts’ goals are to:

    • Develop women of colour and marginalized genders of BIPOC leaders in the arts through leadership and mentorship programs.
    • Support, engage, and promote women of colour and marginalized genders of BIPOC in the arts through programming, education, and production.

    Background 

    We’re in a growing phase! In 2016, the organization started off as a grassroots project that was volunteer run under the name “The Future is you and me.” In 2022, the project was incorporated as a non-profit society as “Future Arts Network Society” and in 2023 we hosted our first year of programming with paid staff and secured funding. In the first year as an incorporated society, we hosted online workshops for emerging creative writers, hosted our first BIPOC Arts Leaders Lab, and developed a 3-year (2024-2027) Strategic Plan with Roots and Rivers Consulting.

    Note – Our financial statements for year ending December 2023 is here.

    Our Strategic Planning goals are:

    • Cultivate Artists’ Practices
    • Deepen Internal Governance Processes 
    • Champion Community Building
    • Advance Advocacy and Research

    For 2024 and beyond we’re now seeking to grow our team and bring on a group of volunteer board members who want to reach our goals share our values of intersectional feminism in the arts and bring a level of community care, transparency and openness to arts leadership. 

    What we do (Now)

    • Mentorship Workshops – we run annual workshops for arts leaders, to support them in gaining new skills, build connections and network with like-minded peers who share the same values of building a diverse landscape of intersectional arts leaders. 
    • Residency – we started a residency program at the BCA space in the Sun Wah Centre located in Chinatown Vancouver. The goal is to support emerging artists in our community.

    What we want to do (Future)

    In the future, we’re looking to host a project that explores and develops a new sustainable arts governance model with an intersectional feminist lens. We are looking at new models of governance that will build a safe working environment for women of colour, marginalized genders, and under-represented communities including d/Disabled and neurodivergent artists.

    Application process

    If you believe that your skills and experiences align with Future Arts Network, please submit your application here by Friday September 27, 2024 at 11:59 PM PST.

    We acknowledge the time and effort invested in each application, and we thank you in advance for your interest! Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

    If you require assistance with submitting your application, please contact us at futureartsnet@gmail.com.

    Frequently asked questions

    • Providing organizational leadership, planning, financial oversight, governance, and strategic development;
    • Providing input on programming (example: workshops, budgets);
    • Representing and championing the work of the organization.

    We are seeking peers who share our progressive values and dream of a world run by intersectional feminism in the arts and rooted in social justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. 

    • Regular Board meetings will be every 2 months or when necessary; 
    • Annual General Meeting (AGM) – We will need to meet for an AGM every year;
    • Terms would be 2 years but this is open for discussion. 

    Board members are volunteer positions. But we can compensate for meeting expenses such as food / hospitality / meals for meetings, childcare support, accessibility support, and more.

  • Introducing Future Arts’ Artists in Residence!

    Joy Gyamfi is a Black, queer photographer and writer from Ghana.

    As a multipotentialite with a wide range of skills, she enjoys working across multiple mediums to create a blend of visual and textual art. Be it collage, graphic design, or poetry, Joy’s endless love and care for community is a recurring theme in her work.

    Joy currently resides on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples — colonially known as Vancouver. Her work has appeared in The Capilano Review, SAD Mag, and The Garden Statuary, among others. You can find more of their work at roughclub.ca

    photo credit: Helena Zhang (Instagram: @hap35mm)


    Jasper Berehulke (he/him), is an artist from Kelowna, BC,  with Syilx Okanagan and Ukrainian heritage. He now lives and practices in “Vancouver” since graduating with a BFA from UBC in 2024. He focuses on oil painting after previously working in the 2D animation industry. Through his art, Jasper shares his reflections on society, inviting viewers to explore and connect with his perspective as a two-spirit and neurodivergent person.

    He exhibits his work across the Lower Mainland, and they delve into personal feelings, cultural teachings, and current events, aiming to provoke thought and challenge views. He continually strives to push the boundaries of his creativity, offering fresh insights and experiences to all who encounter his work. Instagram: @shrimp.jpegs | Website: jasperberehulke.com


    Sarah Wong is an emerging writer, choreographer, and interdisciplinary artist based in Vancouver, Canada on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Her work emerges from lived experiences as a queer and disabled 2nd generation Chinese-Canadian, focusing on archival processes and accessing embodied intergenerational knowledge to trace relationships between identity and lineage.

    Her practice makes space for the multiple, creating work that spans performance, site-specific installation, textiles, poetry, film, and zines. She is devoted to cultivating practices of care, creating and facilitating spaces for bodies to rest.

  • Meet Future Arts in Residence’s (FAiR) co-organizer and project coordinator!

    Shanna Cheng is a Canadian-Chinese, Hard of Hearing emerging curator and printmaker. She has her BFA from ECUAD and Cultural Resource Management certification from UVIC. She currently works out of so-called Vancouver on the unceded lands of the Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

    Her past curations include Inscapes: Our Landscape Within and Amplified Voices exhibitions, both which celebrates and liberates the voices and stories of marginalized artists in our communities. Shanna’s curatorial practice involves collaborating with BIPOC and disability communities on transformative and critical models within exhibition accessibility design and inclusive curation for all bodies. She continues to advocate for underrepresented artists through the disability justice lens of comfort and care practices.

  • Strategic Plan (2024-2027)

    Our organization has shifted through numerous iterations from workshops to reports to remote workshops across several regions. This project started small in 2016 and has now grown slowly over time with different mentors and leaders participating through its various iterations. You can read more about our origin story here.

    As an organization that shifts with the current local landscape, it only feels right to develop a more concrete strategic plan to shift our organization forward.

    In 2023, our small team worked with Roots and Rivers Consulting to develop our 3 year Strategic Plan. Roots & Rivers gathered input on key questions from the Future Arts Network community including past program participants. This engagement included:

    • Strategic Planning Input Survey for past participants (21 responses)
    • Strategic Planning Input Survey for community members (1 response)
    • Key informant interviews (7 interviews)

    The following strategic plan is the final goals and objectives that will shift our programming for the next three years.

    ——-

    Strategic Plan

    2024-2027 Goals and Objectives

    ——-

    Goal 1: Cultivate Artists’ Practices  

    Objectives 

    1.1 Deepen our mentorship programs and explore how our community can share knowledge and mentorship in different ways. 

    1.2 Explore avenues to have a physical hub for Future Arts members to share space and engage in their practice.

    1.3 Build relationships with community partners to support the Future Arts’ capacity for hosting artist residencies.

    What Does Success Look Like? 

    • We continue to evolve our mentorship offerings based on community needs, and centre different ways of participation to bring through the wisdom of our community. 
    • We have developed data collection practices that help us stay updated with the journeys of the artists we support (e.g. grants artists have pursued, published pieces). 
    • We continue to deepen accessibility practices to best support artists in our programming. 

    Goal 2: Deepen Internal Governance Processes  

    Objectives 

    2.1 Explore an organizational model that challenges hierarchical structures and centres equity. 

    2.2 Develop opportunities for current members, alumni, and other community members of Future Arts to be a part of its shared direction. 

    2.3 Cultivate organizational processes that promote openness, collaboration, and sharing power across the organization. 

    What Does Success Look Like? 

    • We have created a conflict resolution process that outlines how we respond to conflict and strengthen accountability. 
    • We have explored options of different organizational structures to host Future Arts, such as a collective or non-profit with a Board.
    • We have evolved our organizational structure in alignment with our values and supports a healthy structure for the Future Arts. 

    Goal 3: Champion Community Building  

    Objectives 

    3.1 Build spaces for connection, rest, and recharge among the Future Arts community. 

    3.2 Convene our community through a signature event that centres celebration and space for reconnection. 

    3.3 Foster communities of care through ongoing practices.  

    What Does Success Look Like? 

    • We host a retreat which incorporates rest, community check-ins, and collective sharing to understand our shared needs.
    • We host an annual interdisciplinary artist showcase event. 
    • We host an annual gathering around celebration and food as Future Arts’ signature event. 
    • We make time for community care, connection, and support by having quarterly check-ins with our community, to encourage vulnerability and transparency. 
    • We explore possibilities of developing mutual aid strategies to support BIWoC and Queer artists in the network.

    Goal 4: Advance Advocacy and Research  

    Objectives 

    4.1 Create shared understanding around what advocacy means for Future Arts as a collective approach. 

    4.2 Co-create strategic research plans with the input and support of our community. 

    4.3 Share knowledge with our broader community around what the Future Arts is creating, learning, and imagining. 

    What Does Success Look Like? 

    • We have defined resonance around the following areas:
      • What is advocacy? (Given that it changes over time and is context specific). 
      • How we apply an intersectional lens to capture the diversity and intersections in our community. 
      • How we build opportunities for mutual growth and learning. 
    • We have built a three year research cycle and plan which includes writing grants and sharing the learnings of Future Arts Networks evolution, good practice, and challenges.
    • We continue to harvest new ideas, sharing, and building capacity for Future Arts to grow to support intergenerational art creation.

  • BIPOC Arts Leaders Lab

    Hello there ✌️,

    The Future Arts Network is excited to announce a new program coming this fall!

    BIPOC Arts Leaders Lab is a free 6 month peer-mentorship / leadership program that seeks to provide training, mentorship, and skills exchange to support BIPOC arts leaders, directors, and community arts organizers in Vancouver.

    This project is organized by Kristin Cheung, Winnie Tam, Michelle Ha and is funded by City of Vancouver Cultural Services – Cultural Learning Sharing Grant Program.

    BIPOC Arts Leaders Lab aims to:

    • Provide training and mentorship through workshop sessions
    • Benefit wider arts community in Vancouver by providing free collaborative and safe learning environment for BIPOC arts leaders 
    • Benefit the organizations by creating networking opportunity with folks with shared values

    The program will be working with facilitators: Hook or Crook Consulting, Kareen Wong and Leonie Smith.

    Scheduled sessions:

    • September 21, 2023 – A gentle landing  
    • October 26, 2023 – Intersectional and Justice Oriented Leadership
    • November 2, 2023 – Power is Everywhere
    • December 7, 2023 – Reflections and Conversations
    • January 11, 2024 – Exploring the systemic roots of burnout: it’s not your fault and there are things you can do about it  
    • February 1, 2024 – Finding Your Voice with Self-Empathy  
    • February 8, 2024 – Wrap up Session 

    Please note: we have made every effort to confirm the session dates but they may be subject to change. Session times are TBA, but will be announced in our newsletters and social medias, so please subscribe and/or follow for updates.

    The deadline to apply is August 31, 2023 at 11:59 PM (PST).

    Click here to apply!

    We hope this excites you as much as it excites us! We’re looking forward to working with Winnie and creating this collaborative cohort of strong and amazing BIPOC arts leaders. 

    xoxo

  • Update: mid-year update

    Hello there ✌️,

    This a small update on whats happening behind the scenes of the Future Arts Network.

    This Jan/Feb we hosted our first workshops of the year that was focused on creative writing. We hosted 8 online sessions with 13 participants across Canada, and we’re currently putting together a print publication with our participants. It’s super exciting because we’ve never developed a publication before and it will be a great way to keep our cohort connected and immortalize our time together.

    This summer, we started working with Roots & Rivers to develop a bit of a ‘strategic plan’ to plan how we work in the next few years. In June, we emailed all our past program participants since 2016 and developed a community survey to learn more about our wider community of artists. This September, we are aiming to host an in-person session to discuss the major themes and vision for Future Arts Network but in the meantime, here are a few key takeaways from the surveys and interviews:

    • Focus on mentorship (navigating issues like tokenism, build relationships, supporting emerging artists)
    • Building intentional space & gatherings
    • Skill building workshops
    • Community care through an arts organization looks like: collective discussion, tranparency, centreing rest.
    • Mutual aid through an arts organization looks like: funding to support needs: creating a fund to support artists, prioritizing the collective.
    • Rest through an arts organization looks like: respecting boundaries, actively encouraging and holding space for rest, disconnecting from hustle culture.

    There’s lots of learning and doing in the near future and we’re excited about this plan as it will help us shape the future of “the Future.”

    Hope you have a great summer!

    xoxo

  • Community Survey

    Community Survey

    Hello there ✌️,

    There has been lots of growth and changes here at Future Arts. In the next few months we are working with Roots & Rivers to develop a bit of a ‘strategic plan’ to plan how we work in the next few years.

    We’d love to have your feedback to grow this little organization. We want to know more about your arts practice, challenges and gaps in the arts. 

    Tell us how we can shape our organization with your feedback on:

    • community care
    • mutual aid
    • self care
    • rest
    • radical transparency
    • and more!

    Deadline: June 23, 2023

    Take the survey here!!!