Preserving Performance in the Pacific Northwest: A Symposium
February 20th (University of Victoria) — Feb 21st (Royal BC Museum) Victoria, British Columbia
On the traditional and unceded Coast Salish territories of the Esquimalt, Songhees and WSÁNEĆ nations.
This gathering highlighted the vibrant performance history of the Pacific Northwest region and gathered together many of the region's leading voices in archival knowledge, performance research, and artistic practice to...
deepen knowledge related to the performance activity of the Pacific Northwest region
imagine best practices for the preservation of performance materials by surveying and discussing the approaches currently used by local, regional, and national performance organizations
highlight the significant role archives play in creative process and production
Click one of the options below to access documentation of the event’s talks and conversations and find out more about our speakers’ ongoing research into performance history.
Presenter: Gerry Lawson
What are the current waves of research into the performance history of the Pacific Northwest?
Patrick Blenkarn, Eury Chang and Selena Couture discuss how they make and interpret the archives of the Pacific Northwest region’s performance practices. Moderated by Gatherings Co-Investigator Heather Fitzsimmons-Frey
How do archives collect and preserve performance histories?
University of Victoria Archivist Lara Wilson and theatre historian James Hoffman speak about the challenges and opportunities of collecting, preserving, donating, and interpreting performance related archival materials.
What approaches do the Pacific Northwest region’s museums, archives, and galleries take to the preservation of performance histories?
Katherine Bunn-Marcuse (Burke Museum of Natural History), Michelle Jacques (Art Gallery of Greater Victoria), Lou-ann Neel (Royal BC Museum) and Lara Wilson (University of Victoria Archives) come together to speak about the approaches to performance at work within their own institutional contexts. Moderated by Gatherings Co-Investigator Sasha Kovacs
What is the approach taken by artists and arts organizations to the documentation of their own legacies? Amy Bowring (Dance Collection Danse), Carolyne Clare (Simon Fraser University), Matthew Payne (Theatre SKAM) and Janis LaCouvée (arts advocate) come together to discuss best practices for the preservation of artistic histories. Moderated by Symposium Co-organizer Priyanka Chatterjee (PhD Student, University of Victoria)
What is the role of the archives for performance-makers and creators? Kathy Carbone (University of California Los Angeles), Lindsay Delaronde (University of Victoria) and Danette Boucher (Histrionics theatre) come together to address how performance animates archival knowledge.
Symposium Organizing Team:
Dr. Sasha Kovacs (Assistant Professor, University of Victoria)
Dr. Allana Lindgren (Associate Professor, University of Victoria)
Priyanka Chatterjee (PhD Student, University of Victoria)
Special thanks to our event volunteers:
Kyra Oser, Harry Lin, Nisha Sharma, Dennis Gupa, Erin Boulter, Vjosa Mala, Atefeh Zargarzadeh, Emily Friesen, Taiwo Afolabi
Video footage by Logan Swain and Conor Farrell
Photos by Annie Konstantinova