Advocacy & Consultation
Art for Social Change
Project Rencontres/Encounters
Le Groupe Herencias was a 5 year partner of the field work project called Project Rencontres/Encounters of the national Art for Social Change project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRCC). The culmination of this project resulted in the International Centre for Art for social Change.
Rencontres/Encounters (R/E) is an engaged, intercultural research-creation project, whose aim is to R/E-evaluate, R/E-envision and R/E-imagine performance as a means to build relationship across different values and life experiences. R/E aims also to offer possibilities for transformation in understanding of others and otherness in a range of community contexts. The R/E believes that another person’s perspective can be better understood (though never even close to fully understood) through storytelling, dialogue, and through performance of oneself, and of another.
R/E asks, “What Are We Not Talking About?”
New levels of empathy are possible when we take on another’s story as if it were our own. New ways of seeing ourselves and others are illuminated, making visible both the real and perceived boundaries that prevent relationship and community between people of different immigration statuses, racializations, sexualities, gender identities, classes, faiths, abilities and other intersecting factors.
R/E asks, “What Are the Differences That Matter?”
Farah Fancy was an ensemble creation member and workshop designer for Rencontres/Encounters from 2010-2017. Performances include Tracks et Deraillements (February 2016 at the MAI – Montreal, Arts Interculturels), Tracks/Des Traces (public reading) and Umvuayi at the MAI’s Eclectik performance.
Lisa Ndejuru was an ensemble creation member and PhD researcher 2015-2017.
Conference presentation of “What are we not talking about” at the Art for Social Change Conference in Ottawa 2017 by Lisa Ndejuru and Farah Fancy
Conceptor: Rachael Van Fossen
For arts based workshops developed from this process, please contact Le Groupe Herencias.
Seniors Rights
Elders Making Waves
Thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts, Le Groupe Herencias conceived a year long project with Community Partner Respecting Elder Communities Against Abuse (RECAA) in an awareness campaign to unite elder organizations to explore 3 aspects of the World Health Organization’s Age Friendly City Mandate: Social Inclusion, Social and Mental Health and Transportation.
Together they created a massive day long event that connected elder organizations and 200 participants around Montreal to acknowledge World Elder Abuse Awareness Day.
In addition, Le Groupe Herencias held over 20 arts engaged workshops for more than 500 elders, mobilized an elder march, created arts installations for International Elder Day, and offered trainings on how to use the arts to create social change.
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and ACT.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien. Merci également à ACT.
