Black communities across North America have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Because of disparities in social factors, the Black community faces general worse health outcomes than other racial groups. COVID-19 has exacerbated this trend.

Who are the faces of our frontline? In light of the world-wide reckoning on topics of racial injustice sparked by the killing of George Floyd, it is important to acknowledge the systemic racism in various aspects of our society, and healthcare in particular. There cannot be any change without acknowledging the contributions of Black healthcare workers, and without recognition of the inherent health inequities in this community.

Faces of Our Frontline: Celebrating Canadian Black Frontline Workers is an art project intended to recognize the efforts of frontline workers during the pandemic, specifically focusing on Black frontline workers. Black Canadians have always been an integral part of our communities in Canada, and now is the time to reflect on the many roles that Black individuals play, and how these contributions make us stronger. With regard to the pandemic, frontline workers have displayed heroic efforts to maintain the health of Canadians. By painting portraits of Black frontline workers, Faces of Our Frontline: Celebrating Canadian Black Frontline Workers hopes to use art to foster an appreciation for Canada’s Black community by recognizing the many ways that they continue to keep Canada safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. Funds raised from sold portraits and donations (see the “donate” tab on our website: https://frontlinefaces.wixsite.com/portraits) will go towards the Black Health Alliance, which is a charity that works to improve the health of Black Canadians.

Presented at cSPACE as part of Alberta Culture Days

containR by Springboard Performance is celebrating Calgary’s incredible local artists and performers at the launch of our inaugural containR Fest. In partnership with Alberta Culture Days, containR Fest offers
fun in the sun platform for the artists and creative community that call Calgary home.

Divided into a weekend of clustered programming throughout in September, containR Fest will host The Redux Series, a collaborative performance festival that amplifies the voices of our local arts community by providing a venue for canceled work.

Bringing local plays, music, dance, and performance work to life while nested in the cultural hub of the containR art park in Sunnyside. The series will feature performances by Tim Tamashiro, Distance Bullock, Jonathan McCaslin Quintet, Jocelyn Mah, and more!

Springboard Performance and Plastic-Free-YYC present a ContainR Event

The Zero Waste Market is an all-day market and showcase produced by Plastic-Free YYC and Springboard Performance that aims to raise awareness of our growing plastic problem and promote a zero-waste lifestyle. Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with organizations and businesses across Calgary who promote zero-waste living and sustainability. Local zero-waste businesses will sell various sustainable products at the market, and non-profit organizations will share interactive exhibits focused on raising awareness and enacting sustainable social change.

Two performances will also be held throughout the day. Wastelands by Savannah Harvey is an interactive theatre performance that focuses on the impacts of waste. Harpist Eily Aurora will play along to the frequencies produced by plants.

The safety of all of our exhibitors and attendees is very important to us. As such, market attendance has been limited to a 30-min window for all participants and we assigned a maximum amount of entries to each time slot. Register and book your preferred time slot today!