IPAA Roundtable Discussion
Big Medicine Studio
161 Couchie Memorial Drive, North Bay, ON
January 15, 2018 at 6:00 pm

The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA), working with the Department of Canadian Heritage, will be holding a roundtable discussion at Big Medicine Studio on January 15, 2018 at 6 pm. Hosted by Kerry Swanson and Christine Friday, this session will explore how Indigenous communities, organizations and groups can host Indigenous performers in local venues and spaces, as well as discuss the development of a network for Indigenous performing arts presentation in our community. The session will open with an artistic performance and light refreshments will be served.

For more information, please contact Aanmitaagzi.

Background

The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance (IPAA) is a member-driven organization of professional Indigenous performing artists and arts organizations. IPAA serves as a collective voice for its members and for Indigenous performing arts in Canada. IPAA provides leadership, support, representation, advocacy, and practical assistance for the national development of Indigenous performing arts. IPAA claims space for all Indigenous performing artists by connecting the Indigenous Performance Network across Turtle Island (North America).

Canadian Heritage is responsible for national policies and programs that promote Canadian content, foster cultural participation, active citizenship and participation in Canada’s civic life, and strengthen connections among Canadians. The Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF) provides financial assistance to organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series (arts presenters) and organizations that offer support to arts presenters. Through the CAPF, Canadians have access to a variety of professional artistic experiences in their communities. Each year, the CAPF supports approximately 600 professional arts festivals and performing arts series, as well as other activities related to art presentation, in more than 250 cities or communities across Canada.

Christine Friday is from Temagami First Nation (Algonquin/Cree). She began her professional career in 1992 at the age of 18 with the production of In Land of Spirits, which led to a three-year contract with Desrosiers Dance Theatre. At 18 she won the YTV award for dance along with many grants and awards for artistic her choreography. Christine was trained in classical ballet at the National ballet school, Ottawa school of dance and the Royal Winnipeg ballet, in contemporary dance at Winnipeg Contemporary dancers and Main dance place in Vancouver. Christine has maintained a dance career for 24 years while having a family of three boys. She has performed in six productions of the Aboriginal Achievement Awards since its inception and in 2017 her third choreographic role in the Indspire Award show. She has worked in many of our First Nation communities including, Bear Island, Lake Temagami, Attawapiskat, Moose Factory, Cape Croker, Yukon, Banff, Ottawa, Golden Lake, Peterborough, Toronto, Kehewin and Lac la Croix.

Kerry Swanson is an arts consultant and project manager committed to increasing capacity and opportunities for Indigenous artists. As Associate Director of Granting at the Ontario Arts Council, Kerry led the design and launch of the Indigenous Culture Fund, a $5 million annual funding program supporting Indigenous communities and way of life. While Partnerships and Grants Officer at the Toronto Arts Council, Kerry launched multiple new funding programs and created TAC’s first Indigenous Arts Projects program. Kerry is the former Executive Director of the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, where she worked for six years. She was born and raised in Chapleau, northern Ontario, in a family of Cree/Ojibwe, Irish and French heritage. She is a member of the Michipicoten First Nation, with familial ties to the Chapleau Cree First Nation.