Living a Creative Life

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a 2017 TED Global Fellow, an inaugural recipient of the Guggenheim Social Practice initiative, and an honouree of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship. Bamuthi’s opera libretto We Shall Not Be Moved was named one of 2017’s “Best Classical Music Performances” by the New York Times. His evening length work created in collaboration with composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, The Just and The Blind, was commissioned by Carnegie Hall and premiered to a sold-out house at Carnegie in March 2019. His upcoming opera Watch Night is inspired by the forgiveness exhibited by the congregation of Emanuel AME church in Charleston, and premieres at The Perelman Center in New York in 2023.  Find out more about Bamuthi here.

Worldwide Representation:
Sozo Artists, Inc.
info@sozomedia.com
+1 (917) 791-3680
www.sozoartists.com

Marc Bamuthi Joseph Photo Credit: Bethanie Hines

Naheed K. Nenshi (host)

Naheed K. Nenshi, A’paistootsiipsii to the Blackfoot Confederacy, and IItiya to the Tsuut’ina Nation, served as Calgary’s mayor for three terms between 2010 and 2021. During his time, Calgary became one of the greatest cities in the world, named as the best city in which to live in the Western Hemisphere.  

Naheed was awarded the World Mayor Prize as the best mayor in the world in 2014 by The City Mayors Foundation. He also has received the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association for his contribution to community mental health. Maclean’s magazine once called him the second-most influential person in Canada, after the Prime Minister, much to the amusement of his mother.  

Prior to his election, Naheed served as Canada’s first tenured professor of nonprofit management at the Bissett School of Business at Mount Royal University. He was a management consultant for McKinsey & Company, and ran his own firm, The Ascend Group.  

Naheed is a graduate of the University of Calgary, where he served as President of the Students’ Union, and holds a Master of Public Policy Degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he studied as a Kennedy Fellow. He is a proud first- generation Canadian of Indian ancestry, whose parents immigrated from Tanzania. His family and his Ismaili Muslim faith instilled in him the ethic of seva — service to the community — something he tries to live every day. 

Karen Youngberg

As a performing arts professional, Karen Youngberg passionately believes in the power of the arts to impact, inspire, and create change. She creates transformative arts experiences that invite and immerse students, educators, artists and community members in programs that open minds through arts-inspired education. As the Associate Director of Education at Arts Commons, Karen has the opportunity to engage with over 13,000 students, teachers and families every year! Launching Arts ReimaginED, at Arts Commons in May 2023, Karen is committed to changing the conversation about the critical role arts education plays in the development of youth.

Patti Pon

Patti Pon is a veteran community and arts champion with an extensive track record of leadership and service in Calgary and beyond. Patti has deep and diverse experience in the arts sector, having served in senior leadership positions at the EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts (now Arts Commons), Alberta Performing Arts Stabilization Fund and Alberta Theatre Projects, among others. She has been President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development since 2013 and led the organization through the process of doubling its budget in 2019.

In the community, she recently completed her full term on the board of The Calgary Foundation, is a board member with Toronto-based Agora Foundation (publisher of the online journal The Philanthropist,) and serves on the board of the Calgary Stampede. She was a founding board member of the Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta) and served on the steering committee for imagineCalgary as well as on the board of Canada’s oldest public radio station, CKUA Radio Network. She also served as a member of the Calgary Bid Exploration Committee and related entities that explored the potential for Calgary to submit a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Patti has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and was the 2013 Harry and Martha Cohen Award recipient, recognizing significant contribution to Calgary’s theatre community. In 2022, Patti was deeply honoured to be gifted the Blackfoot name of Miss’tommohtsaamiaakii — Two Standing Headdress Woman.

Photo by: Motif Photography

Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal

Tamara (she/her/they/them) is a mixed-media, large-scale installation artist and a community activist. Born in Treaty 6 Territory, her ancestral roots are of Nêhiyaw (Cree), Austrian, Ukrainian and Deutsch (German) descent. She has been a visitor to Otôskwanihk (Calgary) for the past 13 years. Graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2015, Cardinal has been a recipient of the National BMO 1st Art! Award, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts Young Artist Award, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award, and more recently the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Cardinal has been an active member in the urban Indigenous community in Treaty 7 Territory, activating roles through Awo Taan Healing Lodge Society, Native Counselling Services of Alberta, the Midewiwin Teaching Lodge Society of Alberta, Miskanawah’s Diamond Willow Youth Lodge, and Precious Cargo. Cardinal is currently attending Mount Royal University as a full-time student in the Faculty of Psychology, working to obtain her second Bachelor’s before moving onto an Ma/PhD in the field. Cardinal’s arts practice continues to be a reflection of the teachings she receives along her journey; it is an invitation for others to become a part of the process, to partake in its making. 

Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal Photo Credits: Photo by Natalie Baxter (Whimsical West Photography & Design); Hair & Make-up by Jaimie Rankin (NUBU Barber & Beauty Co.)

Wunmi Idowu

Born in Lagos, Nigeria and currently living in Mohkinsstsis, colonially known as Calgary, Wunmi Idowu is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, public speaker, consultant, producer and the Founder and Director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc., since 2006. Driven by her belief that arts, culture and education are essential for growth, development and global impact, Wunmi pushes for increased visibility of ethnically and culturally diverse artists in Canada. Through dynamic, cutting-edge programs that capture the imagination of a range of audiences, her hope is to enhance the creative economy in Calgary, empower communities and perpetuate the movement for instilling social change. Wunmi’s accolades in the arts and culture sector include winning the 24th Annual Immigrants of Distinction Award and Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40. 

Sally Njoroge (host)

Sally Njoroge is a community engagement professional with experience fostering connections between organizations and the communities they serve. Currently working at the Trico Changemakers Studio at Mount Royal University as a Program Lead & Engagement Strategist, Sally specializes in design, development, and implementation of programs and community initiatives. Sally enjoys uplifting others, creating pathways for changemakers to share their work, knowledge and experiences, and developing relationships and connections that lead to new ways of being. At Trico Studio, you’ll find Sally working on the Artist as Changemaker Program and the Art for Social Change Network in partnership with Calgary Arts Development, and the Changemaker Conversations Project in partnership with the Calgary Foundation. Sally has a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Mount Royal University (2019). 

Dean Bareham 

Dean Bareham is artistic director and co-founder of Green Fools Theatre. For the last 32 years, Dean has been delighting audiences across the globe with his buffoonery, clowning and stilt characters; his alter ego, Gustavo the Impossiblist is infamous world-wide. Dean has performed and taught physical theatre workshops across Canada, Europe, South America, Macedonia, New Zealand, Japan and the USA. He has performed as a clown with Cirque du Soleil at the Luminato festival in Toronto, and as a puppeteer with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Theatre Orchestra in Ottawa. Recently, Dean has designed and built puppets for the Calgary and Toronto zoos, he’s been acting in TV, creating puppet television shows for kids, and is a puppeteer on the new Fraggle Rock – Back to the Rock on Apple TV, and on Joe Pickett on Paramount Plus. 

Jarret Twoyoungmen 

Jarret Twoyoungmen is an emerging filmmaker. He co-founded the Nakoda AV Club which is dedicated to helping people tell their own stories through film and audio visual arts. He is instrumental in the organization’s ability to connect with youth and Elders, and to tell stories in a traditional way. Jarret enjoys making music, spending time outdoors and photography. He grew up on the Mini Thin (Morley) Reserve west of Calgary. 

MelVee X 

MelVee X is a triple threat — she’s a spoken word poet, burlesque dancer and visual artist who has shared her work across this great land for the last seven years. She’s also CEO of MVX STUDIOS — a hub for creativity and artistic expression based in Calgary. It is her vision to create and cultivate spaces for those who have been silenced to unapologetically tell their own stories from their own perspectives. The struggle is real and the resistance has never looked so damn good.

Skye Louis 

Skye Louis is a local printmaker and arts educator. They are interested in experimental processes, material stories, and thinking through making.  As an arts educator, Skye makes complex ideas more accessible through hands-on experiences. Skye is lucky to have worked with a wide range of artist changemakers as part of local and national arts organizations, including the Neighbourhood Arts Network, ArtReach Toronto, ArtBridges/ToileDesArts, Canadian Artists Against Poverty, Alberta Printmakers, and Mass Culture. As an Artist as Changemaker Fellow, Skye has developed tactile tools to help artists reflect and talk about their work. They hope that these interactive tools will support better conversations, stronger collaborations, and deeper impact. 

Stephanie Banszky 

Stephanie Banszky is an artist, facilitator, community activator and social change maker living and working in Calgary. She has been actively mentoring folks to be leaders and share their voices since 1998. Stephanie graduated from the Alberta University of the Arts in 2005 and began working with youth full-time and then in the non-profit world where she has been engaging marginalized populations to be advocates. She has been working with community members of all ages, inspiring them to make social change and share their voices through art and creative interventions. Currently she is an artist in residence at Village Square Leisure Centre, working on a project around “Community, Connection and Fibre Waste.” She is also working on systems change at a provincial level and making an impact for older Albertans. She is devoted to making social change by developing community capacity and empowering others to share their voice and make a difference. 

Teresa Tam 

Teresa Tam’s practice utilizes spaces and experiences that are familiar and then alters them into something a bit foreign through re-interpreting and re-creating. Her work is also developed to include and emphasize visitor interactions as integral components. She focuses on themes that touch upon alienation within nebulous belonging, excessive labour, and an obsession with objects that contextualizes relationships and realities of diaspora individuals. She specializes in digital platforms, functional installations, all things paper, and body-based exchanges and objects. She graduated from AUArts in 2014 and is one-half of Yolkless Press. She is currently obsessed with collecting tape.  

Tyson Bankert 

Tyson Bankert (he/him)  is a community developer; his personal slogan is to edify others, befriend the lonely and promote justice! Tyson is grateful to have his vocation match his values and to bring people together through the art of facilitation. Tyson has had the delight of being part of several community initiatives on Treaty 7, whether that’s through increasing public participation or organizational change process and art. A self-proclaimed troublemaker, his intention is to build communities to share power and make change.  Tyson’s current scope of influence is actively contributing to build community efforts in affordable housing, anti-racism and climate justice initiative while embedding the tenants of communities of care with a bit of play as resistance. Tyson co-leads the network Community Development Learning Initiative and is founder of Recess Calgary.  

Cesar Cala (host)

Cesar Cala has more than 20 years of experience as a community builder in Calgary. He has co-founded several community-serving organizations, including Sunrise Community Link Resource Centre, Ethno-Cultural Council of Calgary (now ActionDignity), Children’s Legal and Educational Resource Centre (now named Youth Law), Urban Youth Worx (now part of Antyx), Asian Heritage Foundation and Fiesta Filipino. He has been recognized for this work several times, including a Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award in 2015, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, an Immigrant of Distinction Award in 2009 and an Alberta Centennial Medal in 2005. He also worked in community development for The United Way of Calgary and Area, in civic engagement for The Calgary Foundation, and is an advisor to Calgary Arts Development.  

Cheryl Foggo 

Cheryl Foggo is a playwright, author and filmmaker, whose work is focused on the lives of Western Canadians of African descent. Her works include the NFB feature documentary John Ware Reclaimed, as well as the 30^th anniversary edition of her book Pourin’ Down Rain: A Black Woman Claims Her Place in the Canadian West. Her plays Heaven and John Ware Reimagined have received multiple productions across Canada in recent years. Cheryl was the recipient of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Outstanding Artist Award and The Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award in 2021. In 2022 she was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence. 

Dwight Farahat 

Dwight Good Eagle Farahat, AKA Tribe.1491, is a Hip Hop rapper and the founder of Tribe Artist Society. His roots trace back to the Siksika Nation, Palestine and Wales. Tribe is well known for his work with Indigenous teens, powerful storytelling, motivational speaking and freestyle rapping. Tribe Artist Society is the first Indigenous-led Hip Hop arts organization in Calgary. Their mission is to help artists become their most powerful selves and  they offer various programs, including Monday Rap Night, which is open to all aspiring rappers to network and practice the craft of freestyle rapping. 

Jennifer Buchanan

For over three decades, Jennifer Buchanan, the visionary founder of JB Music Therapy (JBMT), has trail-blazed a path for music therapy. Leading a passionate team of Certified Music Therapists, JBMT offers its transformative services to a myriad of age groups, spanning from medical settings to classrooms, community care centres and corporate wellness initiatives. Jennifer’s literary contributions, such as Wellness, Wellplayed and Wellness, Incorporated, have not only touched readers but also captured the attention of prominent media like The Guardian and The Huffington Post. As a sought-after keynote speaker, she captivates global audiences, unraveling the profound influence of music on mental health and overall well-being. Combining her profound knowledge of music with an MBA, Jennifer has also held the leadership role of the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists and most currently as a  Director with the National Music Centre. The Canadian music therapy community, in recognition of her invaluable contributions, has honoured her with two distinguished lifetime achievement awards.

Sharon Stevens

Sharon Stevens (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and activist who’s made a career of integrating art, activism, feminism and social justice. Sharon’s work demonstrates an unwavering belief in public, participatory art and takes a comprehensive approach to leading the public into artistic adventures in collaborative and meaningful art making. With 30+ years as a practicing artist, Sharon has been involved with many of the city’s arts institutions and has served on boards, juries, committees and staffs. Since 2014, she has been the part time staffer at Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society (AMAAS) a Provincial Arts Service Organization. 

Chantal Chagnon

Chantal Chagnon is a Cree Métis Singer, Drummer, Artist, Storyteller, Actor, Educator, Workshop Facilitator, Social Justice Advocate, and Activist with roots in Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan. She shares Traditional Indigenous Songs, Stories, Culture, History, Arts, Crafts and Teachings. Chantal has presented at Conferences, Conventions, Galas, Fundraisers, Community Justice Events, and in classrooms from Preschool through University. She has performed at the National Music Centre, Saddledome, Jubilee Auditorium, Jack Singer Concert Hall, and many other stages showcasing traditional and contemporary Indigenous music, as well as modern music in collaboration with various bands and artists. Chantal aims to entertain, engage, enlighten, educate, and inspire everyone she meets. 

Karen Youngberg

As a performing arts professional, Karen Youngberg passionately believes in the power of the arts to impact, inspire, and create change. She creates transformative arts experiences that invite and immerse students, educators, artists, and community members in programs that open minds through arts-inspired education. As the Associate Director of Education at Arts Commons, Karen has the opportunity to engage with over 13,000 students, teachers and families every year! Launching Arts ReimaginED, at Arts Commons in May 2023, Karen is committed to changing the conversation about the critical role arts education plays in the development of youth. 

Priscille Bukasa

Meet Priscille Bukasa, a Calgary-based spoken word artist, writer and teaching artist with over 13 years of captivating performances. Priscille’s dynamic presence has graced diverse stages, from conferences to marketing campaigns. In her role as a teaching artist, Priscille leads poetry workshops across all grade levels and holds a role as an art facilitator at Arts Commons. Additionally, Priscille is a member of the Cultural Instigators, an initiative to support artists engaged in building equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in their work to organize and to create artistic projects that build the community’s capacity to confront social issues. 

Wunmi Idowu

Born in Lagos, Nigeria and currently living in Mohkinsstsis, colonially known as Calgary. Wunmi Idowu is an award-winning multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker, public speaker, consultant, producer and the Founder and Director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc., since 2006. Driven by her belief that arts, culture and education are essential for growth, development and global impact, Wunmi pushes for increased visibility of ethnically and culturally diverse artists in Canada. Through dynamic, cutting-edge programs that capture the imagination of a range of audiences, her hope is to enhance the creative economy in Calgary, empower communities and perpetuate the movement for instilling social change. Wunmi’s accolades in the arts and culture sector spans winning the 24th Annual Immigrants of Distinction Award and Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40. 

Bethel Afework

Bethel Afework is an educator, poet, musician, entrepreneur and nature-lover who is passionate about making cities more enjoyable. Passionate about making Calgary a more welcoming city for all, Bethel founded Raw Voices in 2016. Currently, Bethel is the Executive Director and Co-founder of The Alcove Centre for the Arts. The Alcove is a non-profit recreational art space with the mission to make arts more accessible by creating welcoming spaces where everyone can foster their creativity. 

Dennis Lee

Dennis Lee obtained his Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology and a minor in Geography from the University of Calgary in 2018. Being a lifelong Calgarian and interested in sustainable cities and community development, Dennis is passionate about keeping Calgary a great place to live for current and future generations. With that passion, Dennis co-founded The Alcove Centre for the Arts, and is currently the Development Director. 

JD Derbyshire

JD Derbyshire (they/them) is a West Coast-based comedian, theatre maker, writer and mad activist, whose work examines mental health, neurodiversity, queerness and gender exploration. Derbyshire has toured Canada as a standup, comedian and solo performer; has written over 20 plays that have been produced by companies in Victoria, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver; and cohosts the mental health podcast Mad Practice. Their play, Certified, turns the audience into a mental health review board to determine Derbyshire’s sanity by the end of the show. Certified won two Jesse Richardson theatre awards in Vancouver for best script and the Critic’s Innovation Award. Their recently published auto-fiction novel, Mercy Gene: The Man-Made Making of a Mad Woman, was described by Miriam Toews as, “an incredible book that lifted me right up off the ground.”

Gayathri Shukla

Gayathri Shukla is the founder of Campfire Kinship, a social enterprise providing advisory, story-based training and creative media to help teams foster an inclusive culture. She holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of Calgary and an MBA from Queen’s University. She has over 17 years of engineering and leadership experience in the energy and mining sectors. Certified in an innovative method of storytelling called guided autobiography, Gayathri empowers individuals to cultivate their authentic voice and build empathy skills. She is author of the bestselling anthology Landed: Transformative Stories of Canadian Immigrant Women, radio and podcast host of Hearth 2 Heart, and co-creator of Telus TV docuseries, unLikely Friends. Gayathri recently served as a Fellow for Economic and Financial inclusion at the Public Policy Forum, and was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of her community leadership. 

Stacey Perlin

Stacey Perlin brings 20+ years’ experience coordinating film and television projects, managing technology and innovation projects, designing communications strategy, and leading community/business development. She has actively facilitated or led strategic planning work since 2004, within a civic context up to international conversations within the film and television industry, or through a marketing/communications lens for other industries. Her spirit is expressed through her leadership in establishing Bliss Festival in Calgary through the Perlin Foundation for Wellbeing and BlissFest Labs. She curates conversations around wellbeing and connects the local mental health ecosystem at year-round events and an annual gathering that celebrates mental health, mental wellness and those affected by mental illness. 

Wakefield Brewster

In January 1999, Wakefield Brewster stepped onto his first stage as a Poet and Spoken Word Artist. A BlackMan raised in Toronto by parents from Barbados, he has resided in Calgary since 2006, and it is in the New West where Wakefield has been able to truly flourish as a Poet and as a Person. Now, renown as one of Canada’s most powerful Professional Performance Poets, Wakefield became the sixth Poet Laureate of Calgary in 2022, first Black Poet Laureate of Calgary, ever.