RCAD Initiative: Interviews with Political Artists

Jake Tobin Garrett on Park Policy and Planning

On todays episode, we’re talking about park policy and planning - the climate of our times has forced us to reconsider the ways in which we connect to nature as we find ourselves in dire need of being surrounded by green spaces. Beyond this, we have become more aware than ever of the importance of creating longstanding resilient spaces for communities to come together and simply be - whether to reflect, to pause, to rest, to question, or to redefine public spaces in response to this new reality post pandemic. To elaborate on the relationship between park policy and planning, and cartooning and illustration, I’m thrilled to be joined by Tkaronto based artist, Jake Tobin Garrett. Jake aims to capture a sense of place and whimsy, whether in words or drawings. His work has been featured in the Toronto Star, Maisonneuve Magazine, CBC, Chatelaine, Spacing, and more. He loves doing custom illustrations for people, such as houses, street scenes, and cartoon portraits. If you enjoy todays episode, please share it with your community. We want this podcast to be a resource and a platform for collaboration so please send us your questions or any other topic ideas for our upcoming episodes.

Jessie Golem on Basic Income

On today’s episode, we are talking about Basic Income. The pandemic has exacerbated the already apparent issues with our government’s financial support systems. Pandemic relief programs like CERB have given us a glimpse of meaningful support that enables citizens to raise themselves out of poverty, make plans for the future, and dare to put their dreams in action. According to ontariolivingwage.ca, a living wage in 2021 across the province ranged from $16.20 to $22.08. Basic income is needed now more than ever as poverty increases, the cost of living skyrockets, and minimum wage remains stagnant and low. To elaborate on the relationship between community-engaged art and basic income and to share her personal story, I am so happy to be joined by Hamilton Ontario-based entrepreneur, professional writer, photographer, pianist, and activist Jessie Golem. Her passion for adventure and activism shows in the work she has put into raising the voices of Canadians of all different ages, races, and classes. In 2018 Jessie produced a photo series called Humans of Basic Income that amplifies the stories of the recipients of the prematurely canceled Basic Income Pilot Project in Ontario. These intimate portraits are a window into the positive impact the pilot had on recipients’ lives, as well as the fears of falling back into poverty as a result of the abrupt cancellation. Her photos have been exhibited across Canada and the world. In 2019, Jessie exhibited Humans of Basic Income at Supercrawl in Hamilton, Ontario, the CONTACT Photography Festival in Toronto ON, the North American Basic Income Congress in New York City USA, and the Basic Income Earth Congress in Hyderabad, India, to name a few. Humans of Basic Income has been published and featured in every major publication in Canada, as well as numerous influential international publications. If you enjoy today’s episode, please share it with your community. We want this podcast to be a resource and a platform for collaboration, so please send us your questions or any other topic ideas for upcoming episodes. You can interact with us on instagram @rcadinitiaive, you can also find Jessie on instagram @jessiferocious, or learn more about her projects and practices on her website at www.jessiegolem.com [www.jessiegolem.com]. Links: www.ontariolivingwage.ca [www.ontariolivingwage.ca] www.ubiworks.ca [www.ubiworks.ca] www.basicincomeyouth.ca/ [https://www.basicincomeyouth.ca/] https://greenresilience.ca/ [https://greenresilience.ca/]

Karimah Hassan on Global Connectedness

On todays episode, we’re talking about Global Connectedness. The economic, political and social climate of our cities is constantly shifting especially during times of pandemic and social isolation where as a result, our understanding of the constructs of the self is being challenged. Our times are asking us to become more than ever aware of things and those around us, but the questions remains, amidst the racial tension and political instability that we face, how can on a broader level, music, fashion or art bring together communities & total strangers to respond to an increasingly global culture as we embrace our differences and celebrate each other. To elaborate on the relationship between community-engaged art and global connectedness and to share her personal story, I’m thrilled to be joined by London UK based trained architect, painter, & mural artist, Karimah Hassan. Born in Wales with Yemeni and Bangladeshi heritage, Karimah has an expressive, bold aesthetic and is heralded for ‘taking stories of community gatekeepers full circle. She creates live paintings at performance events across London and New York in order to highlight the importance of communities in the city. Karimah creates her works from the studio, to the street, to the canvas; it moves between these spaces, questioning the delineation between street art, fine art and community art. The journey of each piece and the audience it connects to is as fascinating as the art itself. She is currently an artist in residence at Sarabande Foundation in London UK. If you enjoy todays episode, please share it with your community. We want this podcast to be a resource and a platform for collaboration so please send us your questions or any other topic ideas for our upcoming episodes. You can interact with us on Instagram @rcadinitiative. You can also find Karimah on Instagram @karimah.hassan or learn more about her practice on her website at karimahhassan.com.

Hima Batavia on Climate Migration

On today's episode, we’re talking about climate migration - as we’re seeing climate change exacerbating drivers of traditional migration prompting an increase in human displacement. Today, even though the intersection of climate change and migration has been extensively researched and continues to occur in higher rates than ever before, there remains a lack of an international binding specialized instrument to properly address this issue. To elaborate on the relationship between performance art and climate migration and to share her personal story, I’m thrilled to be joined by Tkaronto based performance artist, writer & cultural producer , Hima Batavia. Her practice focuses on focuses on the embodiment of cultural values that orient us towards possible futures and social systems defined by interconnectedness, care and well-being. She draws on methodologies including design-thinking and world-building tools, somatic experiencing, storytelling, play and collaborative art-making to guide participatory and emergent processes within virtual and IRL experiences and performances that offer opportunities for self and collective processing and inquiry. Her performance work has been showcased at the 2021 Myseums Intersections Festival, the Geary Art Crawl, the Annex Hotel, and published in Kajal Magazine. Most recently, she was the curator of Desire Paths, in partnership with Luminato and FromLater, the Director of the Creative Placemaking Lab at Artscape, the co-founder of Reset, and the co-producer of the 4-day closing community festival for Honest Eds. Hima writes a weekly newsletter, called Afternoon Dreams, to process our cultural evolutions. You can connect with us on Instagram @rcadinitiative. You can also find Hima on Instagram @hima_batavia or learn more about her practice on her website at himabatavia.com.