Mass Culture, Mobilisation culturelle.

Harnessing the power of research to learn and generate new insights, enabling the arts community to be strategic, focused and adaptive.

Digital Infrastructure in Rural and Northern Communities

Play-Go-Rounds

Three rounds of compelling exchanges on digital artistic practices, physical barriers, conceptual barriers, and what the possibilities for the future are.

Knowledge process

Mass Culture, in partnership with Gros Morne Summer Music, is proud to have host their second of three Play-Go-Round events with speakers whose life and work is greatly impacted by the question: How do we build capacity for digital artistic practices for creatives who reside in rural and northern areas throughout Canada? 

During this event, which was recorded, we explored and discussed ideas surrounding digital artistic practices, physical barriers, conceptual barriers, and what the possibilities for the future are.

As a lead up to this event, Todd Hennessey, Holly Cunningham, and Michael Mooney each developed a thought piece, spurred by their experience and perspectives relating to digital infrastructure in rural and Northern communities.

The event, emceed by Thinking Rock’s Cassandra Spade, was an enriching exchange, delving even deeper into the speakers’ commissioned thought pieces through Mass Culture’s Play-Go-Round conversation inspired by the ArtAngel Longplayer project’s Long Conversation format. The event concluded with an artistic windup from graphic recorder Devon Kerslake.

Thought Pieces

These thought pieces, created by the event’s content experts, provide insights into their areas of expertise within the realm of digital infrastructure in rural and Northern communities.
 

Watch now
The Event, January 19 2022
Watch now
Artistic Windup from Devon Kerslake
View now

A graphic recording of the event’s conversations, created during and inspired by the event

Devon Kerslake, www.thinklink.com

Featuring

Holly Cunningham, Content Expert
Holly Cunningham is an arts administrator and musician based in North Bay, Ontario who is currently the Executive Director of the Near North Mobile Media Lab. She is a graduate of Sheridan College’s Media Arts program and holds a BA in Fine Arts from Nipissing University. Her professional work focuses on bridging gaps in media arts access for artists in northern Ontario, specifically through her work on the Digital Creator North program. Her board work includes the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA), Film Advisory Committee of Cultural Industries North, and currently sits as chair of the Media Arts Network of Ontario.
Todd Hennessey, Content Expert
Formerly the Dean, School of Fine Arts, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Todd Hennessey has been on faculty at Memorial for twenty years. Todd has been a professional director for nearly thirty years, having worked with several major theatre companies and festivals in the province. In recent years, Todd has explored an interest in digital technologies and is actively seeking ways to incorporate augmented and virtual reality in live theatrical performance. This interest has led to work with communities and community groups with an emphasis on rural sustainability as well as taking a lead in the formation of the Centre for Research and Innovation in Corner Brook, NL as well as the creation of both the “FabShop” and the “Grenfell Makerspace”, both on Grenfell Campus.
Devon Kerslake, Graphic Recorder
Devon Kerslake started graphic recording before she knew it had a name! She holds her Masters Degree in Cultural Studies and is fascinated by graphic narratives and comics. When she isn’t illustrating or scribing, Devon is making art with her three young boys in Guelph.
Micheal Mooney, Content Expert
Micheal Mooney is a Certified Engineering Technologist, (Ontario), and Applied Science Technologist, (British Columbia), with 20 years experience in technology and engineering sector, driving collaboration, change and innovation within highly complex and heavily regulated environments. Micheal is currently, active as the Executive Director of Creative Lab North, President-Elect of OACETT, and a Policy & Strategy Advisory for NGO’s, Coalitions and, province/territorial agencies across Canada. A Dedicated advocate for diversity, inclusion and human rights in both physical and digital realms, Micheal focuses on the role technology can play, (when developed and deployed for social good), in bridging the growing equity gaps and promoting economic development in disadvantaged or remote populations/communities.
Cassandra Spade, Moderator
Cassandra Spade is a grassroots, human rights activist from the Mishkeegogamang First Nation, located in Northwestern Ontario. She is the founder of Gaa-Minwaajindizowaaj, a grassroots organization that works to provide Youth programming. Her work is community-driven, and focuses on relationship-building, (re)localization, Youth leadership, community healing and accessibility. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba with a Major in History, a certificate in Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) from Algoma University and is a graduate from Ojibwemotaadidaa Omaa Gidakiiminaang (OOG) Ojibwe language immersion academy.

This initiative is made possible through the support of the following

Canada Council for the Arts logo.
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Land Acknowledgment
Mass Culture honours and acknowledges the territories upon which our offices reside, the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Métis, and the Anishinabek, including the Mississaugas of the New Credit Nation. We recognize and respect all recorded and unrecorded Nations who cared for this land of Tkaronto, meaning “Where the Trees Meet the Water.” We honour the Dish With One Spoon treaty and our responsibility to peaceably share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. Mass Culture is grateful for the opportunity to nurture the world of the arts and connect cultures and communities across this land, which is the home to many Indigenous peoples from across Turtle Island. We hope to breathe life into our obligations to those communities and treaties. If you’re not sure of the history of the land on which you live and work, you can check out whose.land/en/ and native-land.ca/.
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