ArtsConnect

***
ArtsConnect regrets to announce that the public talk by Kamala Jasmine Todd scheduled for Saturday 20 June 2026 at the Coquitlam Public Library has been cancelled due to unforeseen family reasons. We will share details about rescheduling at a later date. Thank you for your understanding.
***

ArtsConnect gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Coquitlam's Spirit of Coquitlam Grant Program, the City of Port Coquitlam Community Cultural Development Investment Program, the City of Port Moody , The Village of Anmore , the Port Coquitlam Community Foundation, and the Coquitlam Public Library.

On Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 5:30pm ArtsConnect presents “Both Hands Full: Resilience as an Artist's Practice in the Age of AI,” a free public talk by Jai Djwa at The Outlet, 2248 McAllister Avenue in Port Coquitlam.

As Jai Djwa describes: “Resilience is a muscle artists already have. We remake our practice when conditions change, and we work in the cracks of systems that weren't built for us. AI is the latest condition to tackle, and it asks for both hands. One hand holds the harms: scraped work, lost commissions, power consolidated in a few platforms, and real environmental cost. The other holds what is opening up: new forms, freedom from admin, and faster ways to test an idea. Refusing both the booster and the doomer reflex is itself an act of resilience. Drawing on work with the BC Arts Council and Arts BC, and on a current dance residency that investigates AI into live performance, I offer a practical, values-forward way for artists and arts communities to stay flexible, stay specific, and stay in the conversation.”

Jai Djwa is a Vancouver-based artist and educator whose practice spans electroacoustic composition, AI-augmented interaction design, and creative performance. With an MFA in Electronic Arts from RPI and 25+ years bridging art, technology, and social change, he currently runs the Interaction Design program at Capilano University while exploring how AI agents can be personalized to an artist's own voice. He served on the BC Arts Council for 6 years, and is currently on the board of Arts BC.

Headshot Credit: Credit Kris Krug

This talk is presented as part of ArtsConnect’s "Public Walks, Public Spaces, Public Arts, Public Cities" program. The 2026 program includes a series of related discussions on the place of the artist and the arts in creating socially, culturally and economically dynamic and resilient communities in the Tri-Cities led by a diverse collection of professionals working across all forms of art, culture, architecture, urban planning, technology, economics and more. Recent presentations have included Brian McBay's talk on 30 May 2026 in Port Moody and forthcoming presentations include a talk by Kamala Jasmine Todd in Coquitlam on 20 June 2026 in partnership with the Coquitlam Public Library.

ArtsConnect gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Coquitlam's Spirit of Coquitlam Grant Program, the City of Port Coquitlam Community Cultural Development Investment Program, the City of Port Moody, The Village of Anmore, the Port Coquitlam Community Foundation, and the Coquitlam Public Library.

On Saturday 30 May 2026 at 2:00pm ArtsConnect presents a free public talk by Brian McBay, Executive Director of the Vancouver-based arts and cultural organization 221A, at Inlet United Church at the Springs in Port Moody. In "Cities for Artists: A land trust for the arts?" McBay will explore the origins of 221A and the creation of the Cultural Land Trust as a response to the growing loss of affordable cultural space in urban communities. Through examples from Vancouver and elsewhere, McBay will discuss how non-profits can collaborate to secure long-term cultural infrastructure.

Brian McBay (he/him) is a leader in arts infrastructure. He is a fourth-generation Chinese-Canadian living in Vancouver on the unsurrendered lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, or Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Over the last 20 years Brian has made a unique contribution to British Columbia’s cultural security by developing and advocating for community-controlled arts spaces. He is co-founder and Executive Director of 221A, a Vancouver-based non-profit organization that operates a growing network spanning over 140,000 square feet across nine properties, providing space for affordable artist housing and artist studios. Recently, he has been advancing the application of "Cultural Land Trusts" as a collective governance and financing solution for non-profit arts spaces facing closure or displacement due to escalating real estate costs. In addition to his role at 221A, Brian has served on various non-profit and public sector boards including the BC Arts Council and the National Gallery of Canada.

This talk is presented as part of ArtsConnect’s "Public Walks, Public Spaces, Public Arts, Public Cities" program. The 2026 program includes a series of related discussions on the place of the artist and the arts in creating socially, culturally and economically dynamic and resilient communities in the Tri-Cities lead by a diverse collection of people in all forms of art, architecture, urban planning. Forthcoming presentations included talks by Jai Djwa in Port Coquitlam on 9 June 2026 and Kamala Jasmine Todd in Coquitlam on 20 June 2026 in partnership with the Coquitlam Public Library.

ArtsConnect gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Coquitlam's Spirit of Coquitlam Grant Program, the City of Port Coquitlam Community Cultural Development Investment Program, the City of Port Moody , The Village of Anmore, the Port Coquitlam Community Foundation, and the Coquitlam Public Library.

On Saturday 2 May 2026, join your neighbours for a series of Jane's Walks taking place across the Tri-Cities. Informative and engaging walking conversations about the people and places and spaces and stories that make up our communities will take place through downtown Port Coquitlam, Coquitlam City Centre, and along Port Moody’s shoreline.

Just what is it that makes a city the city that it is? What goes into what goes on in the streets and parks and paths that wind through the places that we live? What works? What doesn’t? What would you change? Why would you change it? What is it about the places we live and the spaces that we share that calls community together?

Jane’s Walk Port Coquitlam
Date: Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Starting location: Gateway of Giants, 2150 Wilson Avenue, Port Coquitlam

Walk Leader: Marnie Maule has been instructing in various mediums and age groups in Port Coquitlam for the last fourteen years and is pleased to find herself instructing on behalf of the City of Port Coquitlam in the Arts and Culture Department. Following a lifelong interest in learning art techniques and art history, she is enjoying making connections and sharing her love of clay, watercolour, collage and printmaking. Marnie is happy imparting her experience and passion with her community through her work and volunteering on behalf of Girl Guides.

Jane’s Walk Coquitlam
Date: Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Starting location: In front of the Town Centre Park Community Centre at 1207 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam
Walk Leader: This will be a collectively led walk facilitated by ArtsConnect and designed for people to share stories about the past, thoughts about the present and ideas for the future of downtown Coquitlam. We will share some history and share some visions for how we can work together to shape a dynamic and vibrant city with the arts and artists at the centre. This walk ties into the 23 May 2026 Artist-Run Suburbs program to be held at the Evergreen Cultural Centre and the 20 June 2026 talk by Kamala Jasmine Todd presented in partnership with the Coquitlam Public Library.

Jane’s Walk Port Moody
Date: Saturday 2 May 2026
Time: 3:30pm – 4:30pm
Starting location: Rocky Point Park at the Rocky Point Pier, Port Moody.
Walk Leader: Les George is a member of the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation, where he lives on the north shore of Burrard Inlet. He is the grandson of the late səlilwətaɬ Chief Dan George and is connected through family to the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations. Les attended the Native Education College in Vancouver. In 2017 he was invited to return, giving a performance and prayer at the opening of their cultural gathering space. For 23 years, Les George was a First Nations Support Worker with the North Vancouver School District, working closely with at-risk youth and those with special needs. He shared stories, drumming, songs, and held restorative justice circles with students. Les also works for Takaya Tours, the premier First Nation owned eco-tourism venture in the Lower Mainland. As a guide, he keeps groups safe as they paddle Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm in replica ocean-going canoes or sea kayaks, all while sharing səlilwətaɬ songs, legends, and information about village sites.

These walks will be conversational and you are free to ask questions and to share your own stories, observations and ideas but you are as free to listen and take in what others share. Please also feel free to participate in the walk to your own interest or abilities. Every effort has been made to ensure that these walks are accessible however, unforeseen things may arise on the day that reduce accessibility.

Each year Jane’s Walks take place in over 500 cities throughout the world. Starting in 2025, ArtsConnect has signed on to organize Jane’s Walks in neighbourhoods across the Tri-Cities. These walking conversations about how we make the cities in which we live and work and play are inspired by Jane Jacobs (1916-2006) a writer, urbanist and activist who championed a community-based approach to city-building. She had no formal training as a planner, and yet her 1961 book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” introduced important ideas about how cities function, evolve, and even how they fail. Jacobs lived in Greenwich Village until 1968 when she moved to Toronto. In both cities, she helped derail the car-centred approach to urban planning and invigorated neighbourhood and community activism. Her activism and many writings continue to engage many of today’s architects, planners, policymakers, activists, citizens, and other city builders.

Jane's Walks take place on the ancestral and unceded territories of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm, səlilwətaɬ, q̓ic̓əy̓, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, qiqéyt, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Sto':lo.

ArtsConnect gratefully acknowledges the support of the PoCo Foundation and the City of Port Coquitlam Community Cultural Development (CCD) Investment Program, the Village of Anmore and the Spirit of Coquitlam Grant program.