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Engaging Artists in Community Program

Harvest Moon Parade
 Minoru Stories Postcard
 Great Blue Heron
Harvest Moon Festival
Marina Szijarto,
2016
 Minoru Stories,
Catrina Megumi Longmuir, 2017
 Great Blue Heron
Bryn Finer, Donald Gunn, 2018

The Engaging Artists in Community Program supports artists with socially oriented art practices who wish to work collaboratively within communities in Richmond. The program targets culturally diverse and multi-generational audiences and aims to foster cross-cultural exchange, inclusive community building and education on issues and topics of relevance to communities. 

Community-based artworks can express a shared goal or theme and provoke dialogue on ideas related to cultural identity, social history or the environment. Artist projects can leave a physical or social legacy for the community and may include, but is not limited to public performances, sculptures, participatory art installations, hands-on art activities, workshops, exhibitions, digital media based artwork and other socially engaged art forms. Projects commissioned from this program provide community participants with a greater sense of self, identity, community and place through art-making experiences. 

2021 Engaging Artists in Community Program
This year’s Engaging Artists in Community projects are in partnership with the Richmond Public Library, Richmond School District 38 and Richmond Multicultural Community Services. For more information, please visit the project website links below for current updates and free public program offerings.

Whimsical Garden
By J Peachy, supported by Pat Calihou, Melissa West Morrison, Yolanda Weeks and Tiffany Yang. 
This project is currently underway and offers grade 4 and 5 students at William Cook Elementary (8600 Cook Road) the opportunity to activate outdoor spaces in their school yard through a series of virtual and outdoor in-person art activities and workshops incorporating Indigenous carving, puppetry and eco-arts. Once complete, the legacy artwork will be installed on the school grounds by June 2022 to be enjoyed by park visitors and neighbourhood residents alike. 

For more information about this project, visit: cookcreativecafe.wordpress.com

Exploring Ecology Through Place
By Rachel Rozanski
Exploring Ecology Through Place is presented in partnership with the Richmond Public Library and invites community members to make art inspired by Richmond’s natural heritage and unique ecological network. From May through October, Ms. Rozanski will present free art and ecology-based workshops including, Gyotaku printmaking, printing with ocean life, field book creation and drawing, and Cyanotype printing.  All activities will comply with the latest COVID-19 Provincial Health Orders and will be presented in a safe and controlled way. The project will conclude in November with a celebration of the collaboration with community participants and the presentation of the final legacy project to be unveiled for public display at a Richmond Public Library branch. 

For more information about this project, visit: exploringecology.wixsite.com. 

Stories of Home: Past and Present
By Jean Bradbury
What do you miss from home? What do you love about your new home? Newcomers who speak Arabic and Farsi are invited to join artist Jean Bradbury in a community-based public art project. The artist will lead a small cohort of participants in a series of art workshops to create simple comic book style drawings, combining painting and drawing. Participants will be invited to share their stories of home, culture and community. A final legacy artwork will be produced and presented in collaboration with project participants. The workshops will be held every Saturday, beginning August 7 to October 9, 2021 from 10 am to noon at Richmond Multicultural Community Services, #210-7000 Minoru Blvd. All ages welcome. Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is required. These workshops will take place outdoors at Brighouse Park or Minoru Park in small groups. A COVID-19 safety plan will be in place to ensure the safety of all participants, volunteers and staff. Language translators will be present during the workshops. To register for the project, visit rmcs.bc.ca.

For more information about this project, visit: www.storiesofhome-pastandpresent.blogspot.com.

2020 Artist Projects
 Victory Gardens for Diversity: Recipes or Community-Based Ecological EngagementVictory Gardens Small
Lori Weidenhammer
This year-long artist residency project at Terra Nova Rural Park is led by artist Lori Weidenhammer and supported by Lois Klassen, Crystal Lee, Jenn Pearson, Catherine Shapiro and Lori Snyder.

This project is inspired by the historical WWII Victory Gardens movement and popular slogans such as: ‘grow your own, can your own’, ‘grow vitamins at your kitchen door’, ‘make-do and mend’, and ‘use it up, wear it out, make it do’. The artist collective will present a variety of public engagement events throughout 2020,PDF DocumentVictory Gardens Brochure 

For more information about the project, please visit: www.victorygardensfordiversity.blogspot.com.

Thompson Community Centre Mural Project
Commissioned artists Popo and Lola (April dela Noche Milne and Dawn Lo) will bePopo and Lola Popo and Lola engaging community members and users of the Thompson Community Centre through the spring to inform a mural artwork that will be installed near the North entrance of the centre. The artists plan to work on-site during the summer months, so you may be delightfully surprised the next time you visit or are in the neighbourhood at Thompson Community Centre. Follow the artists progress @popoandlola on Instagram and popoandlola.art.blog

Hello! Project
Sandi Liang, Artist-In-Residence at West Richmond Community CentreHello ProjectHello Project
The “Hello!” project aims to activate the community centre's outdoor spaces as a learning and sharing platform to connect culturally diverse and multi-generational community members through art and storytelling. Follow the Hello! Project @hellowrcc on Instagram and learn about upcoming events on hellowrcc.wixsite.com.

Previous Engaging Artists in Community Projects

Join the Arts, Culture and Heritage Artist Directory to be updated on future artist calls, workshops, events and professional development opportunities.

For further questions, please contact publicart@richmond.ca

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