Art Connects
2020-2021 (Pilot Project)
Supported by: City of Vancouver and North Vancouver Recreation & Culture
Concept by Diana Garcia
Born in Valencia (Spain), Diana moved to Canada in 2013. Diana holds a BA in Education and Education Psychology, as well as a Masters in Applied Spanish Linguistics. She has recently gained a certificate in Social Impact Strategy from University of Pennsylvania. She currently works in the NorthVan School District. She’s been published on different occasions in the Spanish Professional Teaching Magazine “Publicaciones Didácticas”. She’s presented at several educational conferences, including: The Better to Eat You With, which was presented at “Fairy Tale Psychoanalysis Conference” in Spain, based on Bruno Bettelheim. Diana is interested in the power of language in Dramatic Arts and explores the playfulness of language and its potential to trouble codes of linguistic semiotics. She is interested in multilingual plays and how language can shift our perception. Diana is currently collaborating in The Cafe, which will be presented at Push International Performing Arts Festival in January 2022.
Diana worked as an Education Consultant for the United Nations from October 2019 to February 2020, providing direction and guidance to EU members in the planning, development and implementation of teachers formative training in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She designed a Master’s program for teachers to study the essential competencies, skills and multidisciplinary knowledge to become globally responsible sustainable managers in their respective schools. The program needs to be accompanied by software that is being developed and will be offered in the University of Malaga, Spain.
Art Connects
Art Connects is a partnership between the Aphotic Theatre and currently two senior homes Churchill House in North Vancouver and South Granville Park Lodge in Vancouver with the aim to create a bridge between professional artists and selected residents through an artistic collaboration.
In British Columbia, many of the long-term homes have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. Many of the seniors have not been able to step outside their rooms or receive visitors. loneliness, isolation and sorrow has dominated these homes.
We also have witnessed the effect of the pandemic on the economical, mental and emotional well-being of artists who have lost gigs and exhibitions. There has been grief and loss of outlets and expression.
Art Connects aims to bring these two demographics together by providing a chance for new connection, healing, exchange and creation of new work.
For our pilot program in 2021 will support four artists from various artistic disciplines including: Music, theatre, photography, poetry, drawing, dance and will be matching each professional artist with a resident. From Oct-December the artist and the resident connect via phone on a weekly basis. The artist will ask questions, will listen to the stories, hear about the images and ideas from the resident and become a physical vessel to create an art piece based on these conversations. Art Connects blurs the line of who the artist is, as both the resident and the artist are creating through a bridge of their imaginations, connecting the inside and the outside world together.
