Genderspeak in the Arts: a discussion in the round

Join us at the Campbell River Art Gallery for a discussion in the round on the topic of Genderspeak in the Arts with Co-Facilitators Meredith Bates from the band Gentle Party, Musician Gavin Somers, Musician Kristi Lane Sinclair and our Program & Outreach Manager/ Artist Mandie Bumble.

This event will host open discussion and conversation about gender and gender representation in the Arts, we invite participation from attendees to discussion this topic from different perspectives and lived experiences and in connection with our current exhibition Celestial Bodies: expanding sexuality and gender.

October 14, 1-3 pm at the Campbell River Art Gallery.

This event is in partnership with Highway 19 Concert Society hosting the band Gentle Party, playing in the evening at Rivercity Players.

> TICKETS HERE

About the Facilitators

Meredith Bates
(she/her)

A talented improvisor and performer, award-winning violinist Meredith Bates is known for her elegant and virtuosic sound.

She has spent most of the past twenty years recording and performing around the world in celebrated ensembles, such as Pugs and Crows (JUNO winner 2013, WCMA 2016), Gentle Party, and projects led by Vancouver music icons Tony Wilson, Ford Pier, Leah Abramson, and Peggy Lee. She is a collaborator at heart and relishes any opportunity to join forces with other likeminded artists.

Recently, Meredith has been focusing on her own projects. She has founded a new instrumental sextet ‘Like the Mind’, with renowned improvisors from Canada and Sweden (Peggy Lee, Lisa Ullen, Lisen Rylander Love, Elisa Thorn, and Emma Augustsson).

In the Fall 2020, Meredith’s artist residency at Western Front in Vancouver culminated with the composition and performance of an immersive multi-disciplinary work called Sound Migrations.

In December 2020, she released an epic ambient and experimental debut solo album, ‘If Not Now‘, produced by Chris Gestrin on Phonometrograph. Featuring layers of processed violin and viola, it is inspired by our relationship to one another and our natural surroundings.

Meredith lives on unceded Coast Salish territory. She is the artistic director of the Vancouver Improvised Arts Society (VIAS), a non-profit organization aimed at supporting the creation and presentation of improvised works by womxn, BIPOC, and LGBTQ2S+ artists.

Gavin Somers
(they/them/theirs)

Gavin is an arts based facilitator, storyteller and changemaker with over a decade of experience working in various communities; they are a queer, trans, non-binary person and parent, a graduate from the SFU Community Capacity Building Program, and an explorer of self in relation to others and environment. Gavin is a settler on the unceded territories of thexwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations, and believes in the power of relationship building as one part of the path towards reconciliation.

Kristi Lane Sinclair
(she/her)

Kristi Lane Sinclair is an artist completely unafraid to plumb the depths of darkness in search of a glimmer of light. That’s precisely what she does on her fifth release, Super Blood Wolf Moon, an awe-inspiring 12-song collection that reflects the harrowing experiences women suffer at the hands of domestic abusers.

With grinding guitars and soaring strings accentuating the album’s roller coaster ride of emotions, Sinclair brings together all the elements that have distinguished her work to this point. But with its overall concept fuelling the explosive performances, Super Blood Wolf Moon stands on its own as Sinclair’s formal introduction to the wider world of alternative rock.

As a Haida/Cree artist, that healing takes on extra dimensions Sinclair has channelled into her writing. A prime example is the album’s first single “Break,” which features a vocal part by Kelly Fraser, an acclaimed Inuk pop star who was tragically lost too soon. She and Sinclair shared many circumstances all too real to the Indigenous community, which adds to the power of “Break,” sadly just a taste of what the two could have done together. Sinclair’s rage is only surpassed on the song “End Of The Rope,” a truly chilling moment that fully lives up to its title.

Gentle Party

Described as “lush and somewhat mischievous, yet shimmering with melancholy” (Dave O Rama, BC Musician Magazine), Gentle Party is a chamber pop trio that pioneers an expansive sound distinct to their West Coast roots. JUNO Award winning violinist Meredith Bates and Harpist Elisa Thorn weave a lush bed of strings with acoustic virtuosity and masterful electronic processing for the hauntingly evocative voice of lead singer, Jessicka, to rest on. The unique sounds and textures of each artist in the band combines to create a sound that is dream-like, pandemonious, playful, and evocative. Joseph Stannard of The Wire calls their latest release, God Complex, a “startlingly confident and accomplished second album.” Both their debut album, Jouska, and their most recent release were longer-listed for the Polaris Prize. Their music has enjoyed extensive International radio play and they have performed at major festivals across Canada. 2023 will see the band releasing a stop motion video for their song Black Sheep, the release of their God Complex LP, and the launch of a 7” remix album, God:Complex Re:Mix, featuring Devours, Tee Krispil of NADUH, Fishdoll, and Miguel Maravilla. The trio continues to write and create together with an eye on a new album release in 2024. This is rich and sumptuous chamber pop with an acidic bite like you’ve never heard before.

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Registration is for the TALK ONLY and is by donation.

Thank you for your donation, all proceeds go back to the Campbell River Art Gallery which is your local Public Non-Profit Contemporary Art Gallery aiming to provide barrier-free programming to our community.