Guided by two qualified facilitators, Deirdre Lee and Melanie Matining, this talk is likely to engage with a number of topics that challenge and re-form our collective ideas of activism in the arts.
“Deirdre Lee is a poet & performer, a writer & a survivor. An artist who works in words & rhythms, Deirdre Lee is as comfortable on stage as she is inside her own head. Each of her performances are unique interactions with audiences, energy & herself, a bridge spanning the internal & external. A member of Hali Slam in 2015 & the 2017 team captain, she is currently at work on her first album (which will include both stories & songs). Deirdre makes her home in Kjipuktuk, near the Halifax harbour on unceded Mi’kmaq territory where she beads, bakes & gets bossed around by her cats.”
“Melanie Matining is a queer pin@y activist and community organizer on the traditional and unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples. Her work focuses on the importance of social spaces in movement building and the necessary intersections of community-determined access, placemaking, and solidarity building. She convenes communities to create platforms for celebration, healing, and just dancing it all out. She organizes queer events such as Denim Vest and Open Relationship, which do exactly such. In the recent past, she also worked as the Community Development Manager at Heartwood, a social space that was centred on community and movement building. On the day to day, Melanie walks everyday in love and liberation alongside communities working towards queer rights, Indigenous solidarity, and migrant justice.”
Active listeners will be present for community care. Come prepared with questions, suggestions and a respectful voice.
This discussion is a free event. Seating cannot be reserved in advance.
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available for this event.
This event is a scent-reduced space. To assist us in our goal of increased access, please be aware of our attempt to reduce the impact of personal scented products (perfumes, scented oils, etc) in our festival spaces.
Havana Accessibility Info:
Havana Theatre is a mostly accessible venue.
Accessibility Info:
American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available for this event.
Havana Theatre is a mostly accessible venue. To reach the theatre, you must pass through the restaurant to the gallery space. On the right, is a black door leading into the theatre. There is a narrow hallway and two doors to access the performance space. This narrow hallway is possible for wheelchairs to pass through, but can be difficult for larger scooters to maneuver. There are no stairs. Washrooms are located at the end of a hallway which is maneuverable but also narrow.