Reimagining Funding (Panel)
Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance
In English | Simultaneous interpretation in French and ASL
The ability for an artist or organization to access funds to create or share arts and culture practices can be a challenge at the best of times. For equity-deserving communities, the barriers to access can be much greater. In recent years, funders have created new programs (eg. equity-focused), reframed guidelines (eg. moving away from “artistic excellence”; no final reports required), and offered new ways to apply (eg. video applications!). This session will bring together stakeholders to share and learn about what’s working, what’s not, and inspire other funders, grant-makers, and organizations to reexamine their role in supporting and uplifting communities more equitably.
Jivesh Parasram (he/him) (Moderator)
Jiv is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and facilitator of Indo-Caribbean descent. He is a co-founder of the Socio-Political (and unfortunately titled) Collective Pandemic Theatre and the current artistic director of Rumble Theatre. Jiv grew up in K’jipuktuk (Halifax).
Krystal Paraboo (she/her)
Krystal is an award-winning independent Curator, Art Historian, Writer, Community Builder. Krystal’s work has spanned within both public and private art institutions over the years. She is currently working in the public art realm as a Public Art Planner with the City of Vancouver. During 2020, Krystal came together with multiple BIPOC leaders in the B.C. arts sector to create a new anti-racism initiative Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA), dedicated to community mutual aid. As the Fund Lead, she led raising over $350k across arts organizations for BIPOC artists affected by COVID-19.
Jordan Baylon (they/she/he)
Jordan is a second generation PilipinX artist, critic and community worker imagining justice and abundance for equity-deserving peoples within the spaces of all our relations: personal, communal and societal. For close to a decade, Jordan served as the lead for Calgary Arts Development’s granting team, designing and implementing EDIA initiatives, including the Original Peoples Investment Program run by and for Indigenous artists in Treaty 7. As an artist, Jordan’s explores queer and racialized identities as liminal spaces: both and neither; between, across and through; both inside and outside; and both literal and imagined. Jordan is also proud to serve as General Director of Chromatic Theatre.
Stephanie Falcon (she/her)
Stephanie – a descent of Peruvian immigrants with Italian and Spanish ancestry, and resides on the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples (Vancouver). Stephanie has been with Vancouver Foundation for 7 years and is thrilled to be part of the Foundation’s ongoing work in centring justice and equity, shifting and sharing power with community, and moving towards more trust-based philanthropy. She’s passionate about building trusting relationships, and striving to create environments of equity and inclusion both professionally and personally. On her spare time, she likes to be by the water, on hiking trails or attending musical and cultural events.
