Stir Cheat Sheet: 4 events to catch the creativity at the Burnaby Festival of Learning, May 7 to 11

Soundwalks, outdoor mini-galleries, and much more

By JANET SMITH

Old Soul Rebel performs at (Re)Imagining Tomorrow.

Soundwalks invite you to listen to Deer Lake in a whole new way.

AT A TIME when we could all use a little inspiration, the Burnaby Festival of Learning is offering an array of virtual and outdoor events to get creative juices flowing.

Focused on programming by the community, for the community, the fest runs from May 7 to 11 with an array of pandemic-safe offerings. Think soundwalks, stimulating online talks, and innovative outdoor mini-galleries. Here are some of the highlights.

#1

(Re)Imagining Tomorrow

May 7 at 7 pm, online

The fest’s opening event explores the theme past, present and future with a panel of local BIPOC leaders, creators, and thinkers: MC Johnny D Trinh, the interdisciplinary, community-engaged artist, arts educator, spoken-word poet, and speaker; Golsa Golestaneh, a young Iranian completing her Master’s in political theory; Janice Callangan (aka Jan/JanJan/Jan2), a Vancouver-based Filipina who upends design; and Diana Hellson, an Afro-Indigenous Burnaby hip-hop artist and cofounder of RudeGang Entertainment. The evening provides insight into learning from and reclaiming our past to address the challenges society faces to build a more equitable, sustainable future together. The evening includes a performance by Old Soul Rebel, the soul-tinged-rock duo of Chelsea D.E Johnson and Lola Whyte.

#2

Many Nations Mini-Galleries

May 7 to 10, 9:30 am to 4 pm, on view outside the South Burnaby Neighbourhood House at 4460 Beresford Street, with an artists Talk May 9 at 1 pm.

Burnaby Festival of Learning marks the launch of the outdoor display cases, built explicitly to display artworks outside the neighbourhood house. The show features artists from diverse backgrounds, with a scannable QR code to access expanded information about the art and the artists. Tune into the talk to hear Libyan arist Seham Gedrabo and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation member Amber Ross speak about their work in the galleries.

#3

Tell Them We Were Here, free DOXA screening

May 7 at 10 am to May 11 at 1 pm

Keegan and Griff Williams’s feature at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival profiles seven artists engaged in community art in San Francisco. Tying their work into the history of the city’s counterculture movement, Tell Them We Were Here celebrates the way its subjects’ pracitce embraces civic responsibility, social activism, and equality as the Bay Area becomes increasingly unaffordable. The film, streamed in partnership with DOXA, has been chosen for the way it aligns with the Burnaby fest’s own commitment to community-based creativity.

#4

Burnaby Soundwalk

May 9, noon to 5 pm

Get out of the house and visit serene Deer Lake park with a COVID-safe, map-guided Soundwalk. Look for markers that alert you not just to the natural sounds of the Burnaby oasis, but acoustic installations put in place specifically for this event. The tour is self-directed, with the sound-map and accompanying information shared in advance.

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