Envisioning the emergent practical and imaginative to meet the unthinkable
What
Creative Resilience Project (working title) is local action in response to climate change and other risks. It is a collaboration between community engaged artists, experts, social service agencies, and neighbourhoods that sparks community connection through disaster planning, response, and recovery. Neighbours are helping neighbours in advance, during, and after of the shock through an information + inspiration loop that results in stronger connections and practical solutions. It does this by addressing a crisis of imagination, knowledge gaps, and a lack of citizen solidarity.
As the City of Vancouver moves to implement the findings and neighbourhood tool-kits within its recent Resilient Strategy, this is the moment to build a grassroots initiative that can be elevated by the civic foundation in mutual support. The partnerships for this work are cross-sector and include artists, arts groups, social services, education and government.
We believe there is an opportunity for formal systems to activate and enable informal networks and solutions, and that community artists working with organizations and their staff can become binding agents in neighbourhoods where they live and work. In short, community arts within neighbourhood development and local disaster planning can be a powerful combination for honing resiliency.
Who
Project Partners To Date:
- Eric Rhys Miller, Executive Director, Community Arts Council of Vancouver
- Vanessa Richards, Social Artist
- Katie McPherson, Chief Resilience Officer, City of Vancouver
- Katia Tynan, Social Planner, Resilient Neighbourhoods, City of Vancouver
- Elizabeth Barnett, Executive Director, The Bloom Group
- Gord Tulloch, Director of Innovation, posAbilities