NEWS
What’s happening at the intersection of art and climate
Don’t miss the latest updates at the intersection of art, culture and climate. Look for the most recent art calls, projects, creative inspiration and climate action milestones in the sector and beyond.
SUMMER JOB 2024
We are hiring a Community Engagement Assistant at SCALE-LeSAUT
Are you passionate about leveraging the power of art and culture to drive meaningful change in response to the climate emergency? Do you thrive in collaborative environments where creativity and activism intersect? If so, we have an exciting summer job for you!
SCALE-LeSAUT (Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency) is seeking an enthusiastic individual to join our team as a Community Engagement Assistant. In this role, you will play a vital part in supporting our network development efforts over the summer, working closely with our Organisational Development and Network Lead. This position is remote with occasional in-person meetings.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assist in the development and implementation of community engagement strategies.
- Support the coordination of network activities and events.
- Foster connections and relationships within our community of artists, culture workers, and organisations.
- Contribute to social media content creation and management across platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Assist with web content management using WordPress.
- Provide administrative support as needed.
Qualifications:
- Organised, detail-oriented, and able to work independently.
- Strong interpersonal and written communication skills.
- Proficient in office technology, particularly Google Suite applications.
- Experience with social media platforms.
- Knowledge of web content management systems, specifically WordPress, is an asset.
- Ability to communicate in French or another language is considered an asset.
Canada Summer Jobs Requirements:
- Based in the Ottawa/Gatineau region
- Between 15 and 30 years of age (inclusive) at the start of employment.
- Canadian Citizen, permanent resident, or person with refugee protection under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
- Legally entitled to work according to relevant provincial/territorial legislation and regulations.
Contract Details:
- Duration: July 1, 2024, to August 23, 2024 (8 weeks)
- Rate of Pay: $19.55/hr
At SCALE-LeSAUT, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive working environment. As an intersectional feminist organisation, we prioritise joy, self-determination, and accountability. Join us in our mission to activate the leadership of artists and build a transformative future for all.
If you’re ready to make a difference and bring your skills to the intersection of culture and climate, we encourage you to apply! Submit a cover letter and resume (PDF) to info@scale-lesaut.ca by May 28th, 2024. Interviews will be held June 3 and 4, 2024.
SCALE-LeSAUT is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including but not limited to, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and those from racialized or equity deserving communities.
We gratefully acknowledge the support from the Government of Canada, Summer Jobs Program.
Meet Liz Barron, SCALE’s new Board Chair
Liz Barron has been self-employed for the last 20 years. She is one of the original founders of Urban Shaman Gallery, an artist run centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba for contemporary Indigenous art. Founded in 1996, Urban Shaman continues to showcase Indigenous artists in all art practices.
Barron has curated media art exhibitions, programmed documentary and experimental film festivals and provided support to individual artists through career development, grant writing and mentorship.
Her skills in managing large scale projects with various Indigenous cultural practices has developed through two major historic initiatives. Liz was the Director for the Metis 10, a Vancouver Olympic project featuring ten Metis artists and a permanent installation and was the program manager for Close Encounters: The next 500 years, an exhibition featuring more than 30 Indigenous artists from around the world and working with four curators.
Liz is dedicated to building strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage Indigenous artists and organisations working in all cultural milieu. She is a sought-after resource to artist-run centres in Canada, having worked with galleries in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario. With close to 20 years of experience in governance and development, she has devoted years to supporting Indigenous artists and organisations within contemporary art.
Liz has created solutions and programs in six practice areas for artists: Writing your biography; How to price your art; Creating and working with a budget; Creating your artistic resume & Organising Curator studio visits; How to write a grant. She has facilitated workshops for various arts organisations, including the National Indigenous Media Arts Coalition, Independent Media Arts Alliance, Creative Manitoba and Mentoring Artists for Women Artists.
Barron’s connection to place is the homeland of the Metis. Her mother is from St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba and her father is from St. Francois Xavier/ Pigeon Lake, Manitoba. Her maternal grandparents are from St. Charles, Manitoba (Peltier / Pelletier) and Harperville, Manitoba (Miller). Her paternal grandparents are from St. Francois Xavier (Barron / Chalifoux). The Chalifoux were identified as Cree on the Canadian Census and claimed scrip.
Barron is a member of the Manitoba Metis Federation and a member of the Catfish Local, Winnipeg.
Liz is the Director of Operations of the Indigenous Curatorial Collective.
We are honoured to welcome Liz as our new Board Chair. Please join us in welcoming her!
https://www.indigenousprotocols.art/liz-barron
Our new interactive networking tool is now live!
We’re thrilled to announce that SCALE’s Matchmaker tool is now live and ready for user testing! In our ongoing commitment to fostering connection, community, and collaboration, this new tool is designed to bring together artists, cultural practitioners, and organizations within the SCALE community. Register now and start browsing the network.
You can find fellow artists and practitioners by region, key interests and category. The platform is in its beta version. We will be seeking volunteers for our user testings in the new year – please stay tuned!
Tar Sands Songbook touring along Trans Mountain Pipeline
Created by musician, author and activist Tanya Kalmanovitch, TAR SANDS SONGBOOK will be touring through Alberta and British Columbia from November 20th through the 29th. TAR SANDS SONGBOOK is an 80-minute solo performance that combines field recordings, storytelling, personal history, and live violin and fiddle music to investigate our invisible relationships to oil. All performances are free to attend, with registration via Eventbrite.
Burning Man’s climate reckoning has begun
Burning Man, the transient bacchanal that attracts more than 70,000 partygoers to the remote Nevada desert for eight days every August, prides itself on its environmental bona fides. One of the festival’s main operational tenets is “leave no trace,” an essentially impossible feat for an event of its size. The Burning Man Project, the organization that runs the festival, has set a goal of becoming “carbon negative” — removing more emissions from the environment than the festival produces — by 2030.
It’s a tall order: The festival generates around 100,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of burning over 100 million pounds of coal. A series of disasters at this year’s festival have brought the gap between Burning Man’s rhetoric and reality into sharp relief: First, a half dozen protesters demanding stronger environmental commitments from the organization blocked the festival’s entrance for roughly an hour before they were forcibly removed. Days later, torrential rain — the kind of event made more likely and extreme by climate change — stranded revelers in a dystopian free-for-all. But the greatest irony of all may be Burning Man’s less-publicized opposition to renewable energy in its own backyard.
Day of Truth and Reconciliation
Image courtesy of the artist @andyeverson
Tomorrow is c\a\n\a\d\a’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation – a day to pause in remembrance of the children lost and survivors of the residential school system, and recognition of the deep and lasting trauma inflicted on Indigenous families and communities. We, a network of artists and cultural practitioners, who are committed to the fight for climate justice, also reflect on the profound interconnection between environmental stewardship and the imperative to acknowledge historical injustices faced by Indigenous Peoples.
This day also serves as a stark reminder of the long-lasting impacts of colonisation, reaching not only into our cultural and social fabrics but also irreversibly affecting our land, water, and ecosystems. Indigenous communities have been, and continue to be, custodians of our environment, their traditional wisdom offering invaluable insights into sustainable and regenerative practices.
Our commitment to the cause of climate justice is inherently linked with our responsibility to address the injustices experienced by Indigenous Peoples.
Join us tomorrow in a moment of reflection and action:
Acknowledgment and Education: Make the time to learn more about the history and ongoing struggles of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Truth is the foundation of reconciliation.
Re-read all calls to action and justice: the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (learn about their status 8 years into the process), as well as the calls for justice by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
Solidarity and Support: Stand in unity with Indigenous communities by supporting their efforts to protect their lands and waters from environmental harm, which disproportionately impacts them – make a donation to Indigenous land and water defenders, join tomorrow’s day-long event “The Art of Honouring Land and Water” – in person or online.
Climate Advocacy: Continue our collective work for climate justice. Advocate for policies and practices that respect Indigenous rights and integrate traditional ecological knowledge into our climate action efforts.
Climate Justice: Join the collective commitment to equitable and just climate solutions. Advocate for policies and practices that uphold Indigenous rights and centre traditional ecological knowledge in land stewardship.
Cultural Exchange: Respectfully and authentically engage in cultural exchange and collaboration with reciprocity with Indigenous artists and communities.
As artists, we know how to inspire positive change through our creativity. Let’s channel our artistic energy toward building a future where climate justice and reconciliation are fundamental elements of a resilient and caring society.
In unity, truth, and reconciliation, let’s remember that together, we have the power to shape a more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate world.
The SCALE Team
#TruthAndReconciliation #ClimateJustice #IndigenousRights #Reconciliation #c\a\n\a\d\a #EnvironmentalStewardship #OrangeShirtDay
You can now watch our Climate Justice Webinar on Vimeo!
We were honoured to host Julius Lindsay and Syrus Marcus Ware for the launch of our Art & Climate Conversations with a fascinating and timely discussion on the topic of climate justice. Among many things, Julius and Syrus talked about the importance of building inclusive models of participation, devising climate solutions that dare to centre trans and BIPOC voices, sytems change, the panarchy model, and the role of art and speculative fiction in “daring to dream that another future is possible”. You can now watch the recording here.
Books to help you stay inspired to fight climate change
Yale Climate Connections has put together this assembly of bookshelf titles that offer grit, gumption, and inspiration. The 12 titles have been sorted into six pairs that address this challenging moment at different levels and from different angles. Whatever their age, aptitudes, or aspirations, readers will find authors who can reach them where they live.
Can art change attitudes toward climate change? (Hint: yes it can)
A new study found that using art to convey environmental data eased political perceptions about climate change. As wildfires rage in Canada and New York City recovers from a week of smoke, the study’s findings could help scientists more effectively communicate their research at a pivotal point in the future of the planet.
Canada’s leading media companies unite in a pledge for climate action
The newly formed group Canadian Broadcasters for Sustainability was announced in June at the Banff World Media Festival. Its 22 members include Asian Television Network, Bell Media, CBC/Radio-Canada, Corus Entertainment, OUTtv, Rogers and Télé-Québec. Their work is set to address five main goals, including collaborating on sustainability initiatives to avoid duplication; increasing the scope and impact of sustainability actions; and consulting with marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change. SCALE celebrates this remarkable milestone, showcasing the impressive ability and potential of Canada’s arts and culture sector to collaboratively drive substantial change with regard to climate action.
