About The Exhibit

WHY A DISABILITY, FOOD CULTURE AND ART EXHBIT

Many people are unaware of the fact that 1 in every 5 Canadians are disabled.

One of the biggest barriers they face surrounds food. Not just in the ability to prepare it but also gaining access to healthy ingredients. These barriers often intersect with other areas of marginalization such as ethnicity, sexuality, and gender identity.

Awareness needs to be increased.

Jules Sherred is a disabled food photographer and advocate with a mission to increase awareness and provide solutions to create better accessibility to those who need it.

His plan? To create a photography and video exhibit – both online and in-studio – that showcases the food-related stories of eight disabled Canadians, eight Canadians from culturally diverse backgrounds, and eight Cowichan Valley food and beverage producers.

Jules is a nerd’s nerd. I’ve done some stuff with him in the past and if he says this will be cool, it *will* be cool. Give him a hand if you can, please.

–Phil Plait: Astronomer, Television Host, Writer for SyFy

Some fun facts about the arts in Canada:

During the 2019/20 fiscal year –

• 94 per cent of Canadians said they believe the arts make their communities a better place to live
• 87 per cent of Canadians attended a performance or live event.
• There were 666,500 culture jobs in Canada. This is 3.6 per cent of all jobs in the economy, an increase of almost 2 per cent over the previous year.
• There were over 158,100 artists in Canada, representing almost 1 per cent of the total Canadian labour force in 2016.
• 7 out of 10 Canadians believe the arts and culture are important to their quality of life.
• 53 per cent of Canadians took part in an arts activity – such as singing, dancing, visual art or creative writing.
• 1B = Canada’s cultural GDP in 2017

It’s predicted that at least 1 million Canadians, and an unknown number of people throughout the world will visit the online version of this exhibit. The in-person exhibit is planned to take place during peak tourist season and right around the corner from one of the largest farmers’ markets in BC. These estimates are conservative.

This project will also create at least five added jobs for disabled and other marginalized people hired to work on this project.

Phase 1: Identify Participants and Sponsors, Book Participants and Hire People

Phase 1 (March 1 – May 31, 2021) is: identify and recruit disabled people, new Canadians and visible minorities, and local food producers who are willing to have their stories displayed and shared.

Phase 2: Record the Food Stories of at Least 8 Disabled Canadians

Phase 2 (June 1 – August 31, 2021): interview as many disabled people as possible, minimum eight (8), one-on-one, to talk about their relationships with food and the barriers they face accessing it. The interviews will be recorded – both voice and video plus photographed. Model releases will be signed. Continue to secure sponsors and gifts-in-kind. More press releases.

September 1, 2021 – First Mini Exhibit (Subject to change because of COVID-19)

Phase 3: Record the Food Stories of 8 Local Food and Beverage Producers

Phase 3 (Sept 1 – Nov 30, 2021) is: tour eight (8) local food production facilities and record their stories per phases one and two. Continue to secure sponsors and gifts-in-kind.

December 1, 2021 – Second Mini Exhibit

Phase 4: Record the Food Stories of 8 Culturally Diverse Canadians

Phase 4 (Dec 1, 2021 – Feb 28, 2022) is: interview eight (8) culturally diverse people to tell their stories. It will be recorded per phase one with the addition of photographing meals that are important to them.

March 1, 2022 – Third Mini Exhibit – Booked for an exhibit through the Cowichan Valley Arts Council

Phase 5: Follow-Up Interviews

Phase 5 (March 1 – May 31, 2022) is: re-interview the disabled subjects. Get their feedback on the stories from the other cohorts, and consulting them on workable solutions to be presented in the exhibit. Continue securing sponsors and gifts-in-kind.

Phase 6: The Show

Phase 6 (June 1 – Sept 30, 2022) is: finish creation of all images and videos for the full exhibit. Launch the final exhibit.

The Full Exhibit will be July 1 – Sept 30, 2022.