BC Culture Days Announces 2021 Ambassadors

BC Culture Days has announced the ten emerging artists selected to be this year’s ambassadors. The ambassadors will present activities for Culture Days as part of a featured RE:CONNECT series, through which they will invite the public to explore ways of reengaging creatively with their communities as we all reemerge from the extended period of social isolation caused by the pandemic.

The ambassadors will also take part in a six-month paid mentorship with an established artist. RE:CONNECT is made possible thanks to the support of the BC Arts Council and Odlum Brown Limited, and mentorships are provided with the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

The 2021 BC Culture Days Ambassadors are:

• Alyssa Amarshi (Burnaby) - Alyssa and Her Tribal Roots will invite participants to reimagine how we express, create and interact with one another through dancing, singing and drumming. The artists will facilitate a workshop involving movement, vocal exercises and percussive games to unlock participants' creativity and expression through mutualism and collaboration, ending with a soul-nourishing communal dance and music jam.
  Mentor: Cristina Bucci
  
  

• Valeria Ascolese (Coquitlam) - Valeria will present Where Do We Go From Here? : An exploration of the future of live performance in a post-pandemic world, seen through the eyes of emerging artists based in British Columbia.
  Mentor: Guillermo Verdecchia
  
  

• Jean Baptiste (Prince George) - Jean will facilitate a workshop introducing participants to the process of creating a pouch made of leather or fabric with basic beadwork. The focus will be on building practical skills of beading and sewing along with identifying medicines, sacred objects or other items with which participants would like to fill their pouch.
  Mentor: Jennifer Pighin
  
  

• August Bramhoff (Vancouver) - August will connect with under-served communities and give voice to participants of all abilities through a curated visual art exhibition.
  Mentor: Yuri Arajs
  
  

• Jeni Chen (Richmond) - Jeni will present a workshop where participants will learn several techniques they can use to start their own art journals, with materials easily accessible or readily found around the house. She will introduce techniques such as collage and drawing cartoons to combine words and pictures.
  Mentor: Natasha Smith
  
  

• Vira Danyk (Tofino) - Vira, also known as Ms.PAN!K, will present a mini-series featuring a livecast performance; perspectives on arts, culture, and activism; and an interactive discussion/ Q&A on how to take the first steps to forming a grassroots arts organization that can fill the gaps in your community post pandemic.
  Mentor: Doug Cox
  
  

• Carter Kirilenko (Vancouver) - Carter will present an interactive screening of short films that are dedicated to sharing community-driven solutions to the climate crisis.
  Mentor: Jason van Bruggen
  
  

• Tara Rajah (Vancouver) - Tara will present Environmental Vibrations, a community-engaged dance and music project that explores the connection between nature and people in a public space. It will feature dancer Kira Radosevic and invite participants of all ages to discover and create experiences as an ensemble to improvisations on the cello.
  Mentor: Julie Lebel
  
  

• Laura Rechwan (Colwood) - Laura will present INTERCHANGE, an online gallery exhibition and event series inviting the community to enter a dialogue and reimagine how we experience creativity. Event participants can view the works of visual artists, writers and performers, and are encouraged to submit their own creative responses to be showcased.
  Mentor: Jock Hildebrand

• Kenthen Thomas (Secwepemc Nation) - Kenthen will be sharing his love of the Secwepemc legends, his passion for theatre and his love for the knowledge of the ancestors of the Secwepemc’ulucw. He will be utilizing his knowledge of the legends to create an original piece that will examine our place as humans, as well as examine the consequences of our actions and reactions.
  Mentor: Dr. Billy Cohen

Congratulations to the 2021 ambassadors! Full biographies can be found on the BC Culture Days website: ambassador biographies and mentor biographies.