festival directors
anna hilliar
Artistic Festival Director
Anna has had a life-long involvement in theatre, music and social change. Anna is passionate about provoking ideas and change through art and music. She has coordinated exciting projects such as Get your Vote On, Under the Volcano, Hip hop Hope, Public Dreams events and other community initiatives. Anna is constantly inspired by the creativity that our community of artists brings to Vancouver.
"""
Artistic Festival Director
Anna has had a life-long involvement in theatre, music and social change. Anna is passionate about provoking ideas and change through art and music. She has coordinated exciting projects such as Get your Vote On, Under the Volcano, Hip hop Hope, Public Dreams events and other community initiatives. Anna is constantly inspired by the creativity that our community of artists brings to Vancouver.
"""
amber dawn
Beautiful Dreamers Director
Amber Dawn (a.k.a. Trala La) is a feminist smut purveyor. She’s toured three times with the notorious Sex Workers’ Art Show, edited an anthology of femme porn “With A Rough Tongue”, and co-organizes East Van most outrageous dance party – the Odd Ball. She has been a GLBT events organizer for nearly a decade, focusing on fundraising and conscious community building. She is the founder and curator of the annual transgender fundraiser, For the Boys/For the Girls.
"""
Beautiful Dreamers Director
Amber Dawn (a.k.a. Trala La) is a feminist smut purveyor. She’s toured three times with the notorious Sex Workers’ Art Show, edited an anthology of femme porn “With A Rough Tongue”, and co-organizes East Van most outrageous dance party – the Odd Ball. She has been a GLBT events organizer for nearly a decade, focusing on fundraising and conscious community building. She is the founder and curator of the annual transgender fundraiser, For the Boys/For the Girls.
"""
sara kendall
Community Development Director
Sara Kendall is a Vancouver-based girl. Her current work as a practicing artist and facilitator in communities throughout the Salish Sea area (BC, Washington and Oregon) is grown out of her experiences in grassroots community projects, anti-corporate globalization activism throughout the Americas, and multidisciplinary performance. From Indymedia videography and street-based dance/circus in mobilizations in Ecuador, Mexico, Miami, Venezuela and Canada, to creativity-based approaches to child rights monitoring, to free all ages hip-hop shows as community forums on violence, Sara is focused on work that fuses arts practice, heart-centered spaces of interpersonal connection, and political action. Sara is a lead facilitator with the youth arts empowerment organization Power of Hope (www.powerofhope.org), a member of Metaphor (youth empowerment through Hip Hop www.beatboard.org), the founder of a community choir called the Cultural Medicine Cabinet, one of the circus-theater motley crew Nucleus (www.thenucleus.ca), one half of the female acapella Hip Hop duo In.Stead, and a ready-to-learn community-activist at large. (www.how-is-that-for-hyphenated.oops). She is dedicated to convergence across lines of separation – in community, in public, in joy, and in all seriousness.
"""
Community Development Director
Sara Kendall is a Vancouver-based girl. Her current work as a practicing artist and facilitator in communities throughout the Salish Sea area (BC, Washington and Oregon) is grown out of her experiences in grassroots community projects, anti-corporate globalization activism throughout the Americas, and multidisciplinary performance. From Indymedia videography and street-based dance/circus in mobilizations in Ecuador, Mexico, Miami, Venezuela and Canada, to creativity-based approaches to child rights monitoring, to free all ages hip-hop shows as community forums on violence, Sara is focused on work that fuses arts practice, heart-centered spaces of interpersonal connection, and political action. Sara is a lead facilitator with the youth arts empowerment organization Power of Hope (www.powerofhope.org), a member of Metaphor (youth empowerment through Hip Hop www.beatboard.org), the founder of a community choir called the Cultural Medicine Cabinet, one of the circus-theater motley crew Nucleus (www.thenucleus.ca), one half of the female acapella Hip Hop duo In.Stead, and a ready-to-learn community-activist at large. (www.how-is-that-for-hyphenated.oops). She is dedicated to convergence across lines of separation – in community, in public, in joy, and in all seriousness.
"""
Shannon Pawliw
Graphic Designer
Shannon Pawliw is an artist/designer/illustrator. Since obtaining her degree in fine art, she has worked on a wide variety of projects including band/event posters, general illustration, branding and web design. She has a love of things that show the evidence of the human hand, regardless of whether it's a painting, drawing or a digital image. She is slowly slogging through a series of portraits of everyone she knows.
http://pokedyoureyeout.net/home.html
Graphic Designer
Shannon Pawliw is an artist/designer/illustrator. Since obtaining her degree in fine art, she has worked on a wide variety of projects including band/event posters, general illustration, branding and web design. She has a love of things that show the evidence of the human hand, regardless of whether it's a painting, drawing or a digital image. She is slowly slogging through a series of portraits of everyone she knows.
http://pokedyoureyeout.net/home.html
laura albert
volunteer coordinator
Grassroots organizer, dance artist, and food activist Laura Albert is thrilled to be working with the Sistahood, as this is and always has been her favorite festival in Vancouver, no contest! She is interested in innovative, participatory, and celebratory approaches for social change through empowerment and praxis. Laura has been organizing and working in social sustainability and environmental justice initiatives for the past 10 years in BC and abroad.
volunteer coordinator
Grassroots organizer, dance artist, and food activist Laura Albert is thrilled to be working with the Sistahood, as this is and always has been her favorite festival in Vancouver, no contest! She is interested in innovative, participatory, and celebratory approaches for social change through empowerment and praxis. Laura has been organizing and working in social sustainability and environmental justice initiatives for the past 10 years in BC and abroad.
steve rio
resident design nerd
Steve is a designer, musician, and artist born and raised in Vancouver. Along with his co-owner Kelly Walker and the team at 604media, Steve designed & created the new online presence for Sistahood. 604media is excited to be a part of this empowering, exciting event.
"fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions"
http://www.steverio.ca
resident design nerd
Steve is a designer, musician, and artist born and raised in Vancouver. Along with his co-owner Kelly Walker and the team at 604media, Steve designed & created the new online presence for Sistahood. 604media is excited to be a part of this empowering, exciting event.
"fear is the cheapest room in the house. I would like to see you living in better conditions"
http://www.steverio.ca
rachel flood
founder
Rachel Flood is a Vancouver poet and art administrator who has been performing at and producing events since 1998. As the Executive Director of the Working Arts Society and the owner and creator of Flood Productions she has been instrumental in the creation of many local events and programs including the annual Sista'Hood Celebration, The Momentum Youth Project and the New Forms Festival. Rachel has performed locally at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the Vancouver Poetry Slam and Under the Volcano; and internationally at the Berkley, Brooklyn, Denver and San Diego Slam as well as poetry venues in Boston, Portland Maine, and Chicago. She has shared the stage with the likes of Medusa, Michael Franti, K-OS and Siren's Echo to name but a few. Rachel has a chapbook called I Always Thought It Could Never Happen To Me, and two CDs: Dirty Beautiful City (2000) and Superheroes (2005). She has also been included in the Coastal Tongue Anthology-Westcoast Women in Rhyme and the Westcoast Poetry Festival Compilation.
"""
founder
Rachel Flood is a Vancouver poet and art administrator who has been performing at and producing events since 1998. As the Executive Director of the Working Arts Society and the owner and creator of Flood Productions she has been instrumental in the creation of many local events and programs including the annual Sista'Hood Celebration, The Momentum Youth Project and the New Forms Festival. Rachel has performed locally at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the Vancouver Poetry Slam and Under the Volcano; and internationally at the Berkley, Brooklyn, Denver and San Diego Slam as well as poetry venues in Boston, Portland Maine, and Chicago. She has shared the stage with the likes of Medusa, Michael Franti, K-OS and Siren's Echo to name but a few. Rachel has a chapbook called I Always Thought It Could Never Happen To Me, and two CDs: Dirty Beautiful City (2000) and Superheroes (2005). She has also been included in the Coastal Tongue Anthology-Westcoast Women in Rhyme and the Westcoast Poetry Festival Compilation.
"""
working arts society
Board of Directors
Vanessa Richards, MPhil -Chair;
Vanessa Richards, born in Vancouver, is an interdisciplinary artist with a foundation in writing, music, live art, theatre, and collaboration. Her interests include participatory process, leading edge practices in community-based arts and the role of the arts and artists in urban regeneration. She earned an MPhil in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, UK. Her poetry and critical works are anthologized in the UK, Holland, United States and Canada. Her most current work in online at http://vanessarichards.wordpress.com/ Richards sings in Radiant Sound, a quartet that makes spare and luminous interpretations of mid-century and modern song. She is an active member of the Robson Park Community Garden and is especially excited about this year's Remedy that focuses on food security. In February 2009, she was hired by The Equity Office of Canada Council for the Arts as the new Regional Stand Firm Facilitator for British Colombia and Alberta.
Helena Cynamon
For the past twenty years Helena Cynamon has creatively been involved with the film and TV industry. She has executive produced projects including a feature film with Genevieve Bijold. In addition, she has been the Chair and a founding partner of Forefront Entertainment International, which enjoyed commercial success through the creation, production, distribution and rights management of quality dramatic products. Forefront Entertainment produced 115 hours of programming, sold to 105 countries and received more than 30 international industry awards.
In particular, Helena won an International Emmy for “The Magician’s House”, a BBC/CTV family series and was awarded the Banff TV festival CTV award of excellence. Prior to Forefront, Helena also wrote and directed award winning documentaries including the NFB production “Balancing Act”. In related activities, Helena has sat on industry forum panels, film script juries, and served on the Vancouver Trade Forum, the Four Corners Bank, and the national boards of the CFTPA and CAFDE.
Maureen Kelleher
Formally trained in educational media, Maureen Kelleher began writing and directing for the educational market before branching out into television and drama. Her first documentary, To Return: The John Walkus Story, broadcast nationally on CTV, VISION, and APTN, and won "Best Public Service" at the American Indian Film Festival in New York. Trouble, a feature film she co-wrote for ZDF television about Berlin’s turbulent post-wall period, played in numerous festivals and won Best Film at both the Magdeburg Film Festival and Montreal Women’s Film Festival. Maureen is committed to making inspiring television with an emphasis on history, human interest and social issues. She wrote and directed five episodes of History Television's series, Ghost Towns of Canada, created a pilot for a half-hour series on emotional intelligence and most recently completed development on The Truth Is Out There, an exciting conspiracy series for Global Television. Currently, Maureen is finishing Return To Reichenbach, a one-hour documentary that weaves the stories of a Holocaust survivor and a German women she believes was the Nazi guard who was kind to her.
Darrell Stables
For over twenty years Darrell Stables has been involved with the Music industry. He has played music professionally, produced concerts, festivals and also tour managed and managed artists.
In particular, Darrell has been stage-managing one of the main venues for The Vancouver International Jazz festival for 15 years. He has also spent the last 8 years producing concerts for House of Blues Concerts (now Live Nation) and 4 years stage-managing Power to the Peaceful for Michael Franti in San Francisco.
In other music related activities, Darrell has adjudicated for The Juno Awards. He has also trained others in the field of concert production and event management.
Sarah Carr-Locke
Sarah Carr-Locke is a new addition to the Working Arts Society Board. She holds an interdisciplinary Master's degree on the topic of community-based archaeology and Aboriginal Peoples. She is currently employed by UBC's Museum of Anthropology where she is able to put these interests of social justice and community-based work into practice.
Sarah's lifelong passion for music and culture has manifested in co-founding OldSOFA Music in 2002 with her partner Shawn Hall. A great networker and promoter, Sarah is committed to helping develop a vibrant music scene in Vancouver that can act as an agent for positive social change.
Tara Nicole Donald
A working musician for 15 years, Tara Nicole Donald (aka GreenTaRA) is a professional touring and recording artist and Sistahood alumna. She is owner of her own label Easy Bake Records and proprietor of GreenTaRA Music, facilitating tour bookings, CD production, music publishing and grant-writing for herself and other independent artists.
She has performed extensively in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia, having released three albums in North America and one in Japan. An advocate of women in music, Tara has had repeat invitations to perform at United Nations headquarters in NYC for the Commission on the Status of Women, and was awarded “Best of the Fest” in music at the 2007 Austin Woman’s Film, Music & Literary Festival.
A graduate in Creative & Performing Arts from the University of British Columbia, Tara is a certified Grant Communications & Program Development specialist and a lead representative for the Urban Music Association of Canada.
"."
Board of Directors
Vanessa Richards, MPhil -Chair;
Vanessa Richards, born in Vancouver, is an interdisciplinary artist with a foundation in writing, music, live art, theatre, and collaboration. Her interests include participatory process, leading edge practices in community-based arts and the role of the arts and artists in urban regeneration. She earned an MPhil in Creative Writing from Cardiff University, UK. Her poetry and critical works are anthologized in the UK, Holland, United States and Canada. Her most current work in online at http://vanessarichards.wordpress.com/ Richards sings in Radiant Sound, a quartet that makes spare and luminous interpretations of mid-century and modern song. She is an active member of the Robson Park Community Garden and is especially excited about this year's Remedy that focuses on food security. In February 2009, she was hired by The Equity Office of Canada Council for the Arts as the new Regional Stand Firm Facilitator for British Colombia and Alberta.
Helena Cynamon
For the past twenty years Helena Cynamon has creatively been involved with the film and TV industry. She has executive produced projects including a feature film with Genevieve Bijold. In addition, she has been the Chair and a founding partner of Forefront Entertainment International, which enjoyed commercial success through the creation, production, distribution and rights management of quality dramatic products. Forefront Entertainment produced 115 hours of programming, sold to 105 countries and received more than 30 international industry awards.
In particular, Helena won an International Emmy for “The Magician’s House”, a BBC/CTV family series and was awarded the Banff TV festival CTV award of excellence. Prior to Forefront, Helena also wrote and directed award winning documentaries including the NFB production “Balancing Act”. In related activities, Helena has sat on industry forum panels, film script juries, and served on the Vancouver Trade Forum, the Four Corners Bank, and the national boards of the CFTPA and CAFDE.
Maureen Kelleher
Formally trained in educational media, Maureen Kelleher began writing and directing for the educational market before branching out into television and drama. Her first documentary, To Return: The John Walkus Story, broadcast nationally on CTV, VISION, and APTN, and won "Best Public Service" at the American Indian Film Festival in New York. Trouble, a feature film she co-wrote for ZDF television about Berlin’s turbulent post-wall period, played in numerous festivals and won Best Film at both the Magdeburg Film Festival and Montreal Women’s Film Festival. Maureen is committed to making inspiring television with an emphasis on history, human interest and social issues. She wrote and directed five episodes of History Television's series, Ghost Towns of Canada, created a pilot for a half-hour series on emotional intelligence and most recently completed development on The Truth Is Out There, an exciting conspiracy series for Global Television. Currently, Maureen is finishing Return To Reichenbach, a one-hour documentary that weaves the stories of a Holocaust survivor and a German women she believes was the Nazi guard who was kind to her.
Darrell Stables
For over twenty years Darrell Stables has been involved with the Music industry. He has played music professionally, produced concerts, festivals and also tour managed and managed artists.
In particular, Darrell has been stage-managing one of the main venues for The Vancouver International Jazz festival for 15 years. He has also spent the last 8 years producing concerts for House of Blues Concerts (now Live Nation) and 4 years stage-managing Power to the Peaceful for Michael Franti in San Francisco.
In other music related activities, Darrell has adjudicated for The Juno Awards. He has also trained others in the field of concert production and event management.
Sarah Carr-Locke
Sarah Carr-Locke is a new addition to the Working Arts Society Board. She holds an interdisciplinary Master's degree on the topic of community-based archaeology and Aboriginal Peoples. She is currently employed by UBC's Museum of Anthropology where she is able to put these interests of social justice and community-based work into practice.
Sarah's lifelong passion for music and culture has manifested in co-founding OldSOFA Music in 2002 with her partner Shawn Hall. A great networker and promoter, Sarah is committed to helping develop a vibrant music scene in Vancouver that can act as an agent for positive social change.
Tara Nicole Donald
A working musician for 15 years, Tara Nicole Donald (aka GreenTaRA) is a professional touring and recording artist and Sistahood alumna. She is owner of her own label Easy Bake Records and proprietor of GreenTaRA Music, facilitating tour bookings, CD production, music publishing and grant-writing for herself and other independent artists.
She has performed extensively in Canada, the US, Europe and Australia, having released three albums in North America and one in Japan. An advocate of women in music, Tara has had repeat invitations to perform at United Nations headquarters in NYC for the Commission on the Status of Women, and was awarded “Best of the Fest” in music at the 2007 Austin Woman’s Film, Music & Literary Festival.
A graduate in Creative & Performing Arts from the University of British Columbia, Tara is a certified Grant Communications & Program Development specialist and a lead representative for the Urban Music Association of Canada.
"."
