Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling appointed to Order of Canada for Downtown Eastside artistic work
Pair are co-founders of Vancouver Moving Theatre and Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival
SPONSORED POST BY Vancouver Moving Theatre
Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling. Photo by David Cooper
Vancouver Moving Theatre Society is announcing the outstanding news that Terry Hunter (Nang Gulgaa) and Savannah Walling (hl Gat’saa), co-founders of Vancouver Moving Theatre and the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, have been appointed members of the Order of Canada. The prestigious distinction recognizes the pair's enduring dedication and profound impact in the city.
The Governor General of Canada’s appointee announcement says that Hunter and Walling were both chosen for their “visionary, community-engaged arts practise with, for and about Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside”—their home since the 1970s and the heart of their practice since the 1990s.
“I am thrilled and honoured to receive this recognition, which I hold and share with the amazing Downtown Eastside community,” shares Hunter in a release. “This achievement is made possible by the great, talented, dedicated, and passionate people with whom we have been blessed to work and collaborate over the past five decades.”
Hunter and Walling first met in 1971 while performing with the Simon Fraser Mime troupe and presenting an interactive kids’ mime show in Burnaby parks, they have been collaborating ever since.
“It takes a village and it has taken a village,” acknowledges Walling in the release. “I raise my hands to this village of the Downtown Eastside and beyond, and all the circles of supporters, community partners, artists, staff, and volunteers. Together we have created something extraordinary."
Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling. Photo by David Cooper
Three important milestones are being celebrated this year, which can be credited largely to Hunter and Walling’s long-term efforts and community relationships. The Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival, which takes place from October 25 to November 5 this time around, marks its 20th season. It’s also the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking 2003 Downtown Eastside Community Play, which led to the founding of the festival. Plus, it’s Vancouver Moving Theatre’s 40th year in operation.
Since its inception, the Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival has been focused on listening and learning from the cultural practices of the community. The festival works with, for, and about the Downtown Eastside to carry forward the community’s stories, ancestral memory, cultural traditions, lived experiences, and artistic processes—a commitment that illuminates pathways of resistance and resilience.
Post sponsored by Vancouver Moving Theatre.
Terry Hunter and Savannah Walling. Photo by David Cooper