The goal is pretty simple, pretty straightforward: make Salmon Arm a safe and comfortable place for everyone.
When entering 香蕉视频直播淎 Place to Belong香蕉视频直播� exhibition at the Salmon Arm Art Gallery, you香蕉视频直播檒l see a large, brightly coloured quilt on one wall, along with several smaller framed creations on adjacent walls.
The smaller pieces are part of a Cultural Mapping Research Project.
Director/curator Tracey Kutschker explained that when it was decided to do an arts-based PRIDE Project designed to bring awareness and acceptance, a question arose.
香蕉视频直播淲hat place are we starting from?香蕉视频直播�
Kutschker and Kate Fagervik, who was then working for the arts centre, noticed a lack of information and research about 2SLGBTQ safety and wellness in Salmon Arm.
香蕉视频直播淲hat would be the use of having a whole festival downtown if it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 a safe space for them?香蕉视频直播� asked Kutschker.
Fortunately, Fagervik had experience with cultural mapping. As well, her father, Dr. Will Garrett-Petts at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, 香蕉视频直播渋s basically a leader of cultural mapping training systems in the province,香蕉视频直播� Kuschker added.
He is in demand and has done cultural mapping of the opioid crisis as well as the unhoused crisis, she explained.
香蕉视频直播淪o they香蕉视频直播檙e all over the place doing amazing work and they were very generous with us doing this.香蕉视频直播�
She said the project, which was born three years ago, follows research protocols and strict ethics guidelines provided by TRU.
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Over two years, the project team met with 25 participants who contributed powerful stories and maps within sessions. Participants were asked: 香蕉视频直播淎s you move throughout downtown Salmon Arm, where do you feel most comfortable, and where do you feel least comfortable?香蕉视频直播�
In 2022, Garrett-Petts and graduate students returned to analyze the maps and distill the data.
One repeated finding was places that allowed for creative self-expression were deemed safe places. A couple of examples were Shuswap Theatre and the Roots and Blues festival.
香蕉视频直播淲here people feel free to do and then free to be themselves. And some places that might feel like they should be a creative space are not a safe space because they don香蕉视频直播檛 allow for that open self-expression,香蕉视频直播� Kutschker explained.
Eighteen of the 25 participants, all of whom remained anonymous, agreed to show their maps at the exhibition. Along with the maps 香蕉视频直播� some containing many details with others more abstract in their art form, a transcript of an interview with each participant was made. The transcripts aren香蕉视频直播檛 used in the exhibition but much of the research data is compiled from them. Excerpts from some transcripts are on the gallery walls above the maps.
One, for example, says: 香蕉视频直播渢he burn outs on the rainbow crosswalks香蕉视频直播� you have uninformed people saying, 香蕉视频直播榳hat香蕉视频直播檚 the big deal; it香蕉视频直播檚 just a sidewalk, just some tire marks.香蕉视频直播� It isn香蕉视频直播檛 just a mark on a sidewalk. It is a statement 香蕉视频直播� it香蕉视频直播檚 a statement that we don香蕉视频直播檛 belong and we香蕉视频直播檙e not welcome.香蕉视频直播�
A final report is being prepared. It will be presented to city council and copies distributed to organizations such as Downtown Salmon Arm, Salmon Arm Economic Development and the Chamber of Commerce.
It won香蕉视频直播檛 identify businesses.
香蕉视频直播淚 think that香蕉视频直播檚 a good thing because businesses can change,香蕉视频直播� said Kutschker. 香蕉视频直播淎nd I would never want to publish something that said, this one place is unsafe because of one individual香蕉视频直播檚 bad experience with one human. That香蕉视频直播檚 one thing we香蕉视频直播檝e learned. There really is no safe space, there are only safe humans.香蕉视频直播�
She is hopeful that if a business sees itself identified once or twice on the maps in the exhibition as safe and a couple of times as unsafe, it might look at what it could do better. Perhaps training staff to be more inclusive, or creating a policy about how they introduce themselves to people.
Kutschker noted what香蕉视频直播檚 key is there are people who have grown up in Salmon Arm or who have lived in town for many years, and they don香蕉视频直播檛 feel they belong because of how they香蕉视频直播檙e treated.
She said the mapping project helps raise awareness for people who haven香蕉视频直播檛 experienced the daily reality of feeling unsafe.
香蕉视频直播淎ll we want is for everyone to feel like Salmon Arm is their home. That香蕉视频直播檚 the goal. To keep moving in that direction.香蕉视频直播�
A Place to Belong is at the art gallery Tuesday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, except for Thursday, open to 7 p.m.
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martha.wickett@saobserver.net
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