Vines Rooted Relations Program (RR) creates more meaningful performance opportunities for emerging Indigenous artists. RR is led by Senaqwila Wyss, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh ethnobotanist; Jaz Whitford, a Scewepmec visual artist, poet, and community organizer; and Heather Lamoureux, mixed-European ancestry, the artistic director of Vines Art Festival. This takes the form of a commission and mentorship program for six emerging Indigenous artists each year.
Rooted Relations Touring Projects provides artistic spaces for both emerging Indigenous artists and the communities from which they originate, with an approach that respects individual community boundaries and cultural processes. RR has strengthened to a point where we have the capacity to reach past a festival model and collaboratively create Vines events in small communities throughout—what is colonially known as—British Columbia. Vines artists travel to places of Indigenous places of resistance to broaden the reach of the Vines mission into small Indigenous communities and provide opportunities for artists to create work who do not have access to city-centric resources.
Locations: Nlaka'pamux, Lil'Wat, St'at'imc, Secwepemc. In addition, working with our partners at Squamish reserve at Harmony Garden
