Projects
Anniversaries of Change Curriculum Project
Pilot module implemented in 2009
The history of Pacific Canada is a long history; it extends beyond Confederation, the railroad, and John A. MacDonald. The history of Pacific Canada is a migrant's history. Since Vancouver's founding 20 years prior to the Anti-Asian race riots of 1907, the population had been a mix of Native peoples and migrants from Asia, Europe, and other parts of North America. One hundred years ago, Vancouver was a world of migrants living on Native land. Vancouver today is still a world of migrants, but in the past century, Canada has transformed from a place of racism to a place of integration.
Our current education resources have made great strides in the process of including voices previously ignored or erased. However, we still see the prevalence of "sidebar" history; visible minorities only appear in the margins of textbooks, or as token text-boxes outside the central story of Canada's history. Education needs learning resources that engage students in the long history and continuing challenges of diversity and inclusion in our society.
Through the partnership with The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) and The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2), the Anniversaries curriculum project has developed impressively since its first proposal in 2007, and is aiming to pilot a resource package for the 2008-2009 school year. This endeavour would not be possible without the efforts and expertise of Jane Turner of the BCTF, Dr. Roland Case of TC2, Eric Wong of FNESC, and Masako Fukawa-project-leader of the resource guide for Social Studies 5 and 11 on the Internment and Redress of Japanese-Canadians-who are working to develop learning resources for elementary and secondary schools which broaden what is currently defined as Canadian history.
Through the materials created by this partnership, students and teachers will use concrete, provocative examples from our history-both from the recent past and from earlier moments-to engage all Canadians in thinking critically about the challenges and opportunities posed by difference. The curriculum materials will emphasize a shared history between First Nation, Métis, Asian, South-Asian, and European peoples, and force students to critically examine events through a framework that is centered around multiple perspectives, narratives of various groups of people, and probing concepts of identity, difference, privilege, perspective, and representation.
Students will be given the opportunity to explore the questions inherent in, and related to what it means to be a citizen. At the core of these learning resources will be the theme of inclusiveness and active citizenship.
Shattered
September 7 to 14, 2007
Media artist and filmmaker Karin Lee has created two video installations that question the official reports of the riots that took place in Vancouver during 1907 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Anti-Asian riot.
Download project program and info here.
The 1907 Race Riots & Beyond: A Century of TransPacific Canada
September 7 - 8, 2007
- SFU Harbour Centre Downtown
- Vancouver Public Libary–Downtown
Academic conference sponsored by UBC, UVic and SFU. Day-long Friday program at SFU Harbour Centre. Saturday public exhibits and community exchange at Vancouver Public Library. For Conference registration & information: please contact raceriot@uvic.ca
Please click on image to download program.
Saturday, October 27, 8pm-1am
Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova Street
Tickets by donation
An interdisciplinary party at the cross-roads of four festivals! Check out this night of Filipino performance art, First Nations' hip hop, African spoken word, and Chinese electronic remixes of Canada's migration history. From Saskatchewan, Eekwol and Mils represent their activist roots by living and creating as supporters of both Hip Hop and Indigenous culture and rights. Boonaa, in his first Vancouver appearance! Boonaa Mohammed, Toronto Spoken Word/Hip Hop Artist and 2007 CBC Poetry Face-Off "Best New Artist." Sinag Bayan (Vancouver) present the outcome of their performance art residency with Philippines-based Mideo Cruz and Racquel De Loyola. Vancouver's Jeet Kei the Mazeguider presents a unique mix of Chinese culture-infused IDM electronica. T.Cee and Riffraff from Vancouver's "Toxic Slime Clique" are young and emerging Filipino hip hop artists. Also check out Vancouver's Latina hip hop sisters the Genetics.
In conjunction with Anniversaries of Change, Heart of the City Festival, LIVE Performance Art Biennale, and Gallery Gachet's The Work of Migration series, with support from the City of Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs.
The Work of Migration
September to November 2007
Two dozen artists present contemporary new works in dialogue with issues of mental health and trauma as they relate to migration, racism, diaspora and the construction of "Canadian".
The Work of Migration is a three month-long interdisciplinary arts program with exhibitions, talks, performances and screenings, in collaboration with Anniversaries 07, SWARM8 Festival of Artist-Run Culture, Sinag Bayan, LIVE Canadian and International Performance Art Biennale, Heart of the City Festival, and The Art of Engagement.
For more information, download Work of Migration poster here
