A program pairing differently-abled artists with schools in B.C., Manitoba and Ontario — including North Delta’s Seaquam Secondary — is the subject of a new documentary being premiered at a free gala event next Tuesday.
The UBC-led Wingspan Dis/Ability Arts, Culture and Public Pedagogy program, billed as Canada’s first accessible and inclusive disability and deaf artist residency program in schools, was launched in 2019 by UBC professor of educational studies Dr. Leslie Roman to help break down stereotypes and foster inclusion and understanding in K-12 classrooms.
Shot last school year, Wings Rising: Disability Justice, Art, and Education follows five 2024 Wingspan artists through classrooms, community stages and art galleries in Vancouver, Delta, Winnipeg and Toronto, providing glimpses into the artists’ daily lives, struggles and triumphs as they navigate their way through being role models and teachers.
Internationally-renowned singer Jugpreet Bajwa, who is visually impaired, was one of 14 artists-in-residence with Wingspan last year, working with a Grade 4 class at Elsie Roy Elementary in Vancouver, and Grade 11 and 12 English and literature classes — as well as the music department, theatre company and various one-off classroom visits — at his alma mater, Seaqaum Secondary in North Delta.
Bajwa and students from both schools put on a free showcase at Seaquam on May 31 that featured musical performances, poetry readings, spoken word pieces and static art displays, all with intros by the students discussing what they learned through the program and how it inspired their work.
“The goal of the program is to promote inclusion, diversity and basically have artists go and talk about their experiences growing up with the disability that they have,” Bajwa told the Reporter last spring. “I usually say that I’m differently-abled rather than disabled because I feel that being differently-abled is a lot more easier to digest in terms of yes, we have limitations of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use our limitations to our strengths.”
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Bajwa, who graduated from Seaquam in 2013, said he tried to get the students to understand their preconceptions and what ableism is using fun activities like having them put on blindfolds and describe everyday items placed in front of them or navigate the schoolyard, forcing them to experience the familiar in an unfamiliar way.
The English classes used those exercises along with writing prompts to practice descriptive writing, compose poetry and do research projects, while in other instances the activities served as a jumping off point for students to ask Bajwa questions so as to better understand his lived experience.
“I think that sometimes as a society we get really nervous about asking certain questions because, oh, what if we offend somebody, right? So [it’s] getting people to research things and getting people to think outside the box in terms of what we can do to be more inclusive and how can we take that next step,” he said.
“I’ve also been doing a lot of ‘hidden talent’ discussions with classes, basically getting people to realize that we all have different potential. I grew up being bullied a lot and feeling like there was really no purpose, and so a lot of [those discussions] really came from the experiences that I went through and trying to instill in the students here that hey, we all have something to give. Like what they’re good at, what they’ve been complimented on — it can be little things, it can be skills that translate into a career.
“Like, [say] there’s someone that’s really good at basketball but they don’t think they can make it professionally. Maybe they could still have a career in sports writing or they could translate that into something else. So it’s getting them to understand my experiences and getting them to understand that we all have potential. That is really important.”
Other artists featured in the doc include jazz musician Connor Derraugh, who taught the jazz ensemble students at Churchill High School in Winnipeg; Candace Lipischak, a Métis antler carver, jewellery-maker and visual artist who co-taught two classes at Greenway Elementary School in Winnipeg; and Caribbean-Canadian photographer Felicia Byron and muralist/multidisciplinary Anishinaabe, Tkaronto Treaty 13 Indigenous artist Danielle Hyde, who engaged students at Toronto’s Oasis Secondary Alternative School.
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"There is nothing like having authentic role models in our classrooms. Students have much to gain from the broader movement of disability art in Canada, and are discovering it’s okay to strip away the unspoken taboos of shame and instead be curious about and appreciative of the creativity and contributions of artists with disabilities,” Wingspan founder Roman said in a press release.
“Our attitudes towards people with disabilities need a major overhaul, and the place to start is in our public schools.”
Wings Rising is directed by NFB award-winning director Thomas Buchan, who has worked with Roman on numerous films, and Juno Award winner Marcus Zerr of Marcus Zurh Music created the doc’s original score.
The film’s premiere is being held at the Ponderosa Commons Ballroom in UBC (1Z2 - 6445 University Blvd.) on Tuesday, Nov. 12 starting at 4:30 p.m.
Doors open at 4 p.m. for a half-hour of mingling before the event gets underway with an Indigenous land acknowledgement, welcomes from dean Jan Hare, professor and department head André Mazawi and Roman, and a performance by Bajwa.
The film will begin at 5 p.m. after a video message from federal Minister of Sport and Physical Activity Carla Qualtrough, who has been a long-time supporter of the program.
At 5:45 p.m., there will be an open mic panel and round table featuring Delta and Vancouver educational leaders and teachers Mark Robinson, Andrew Robinson, Jesse Costello, Katie Clark and Ashley Kuzma, who will speak about their experiences with Wingspan artists
After a 15-minute break at 6 p.m. for food catered by Coast Salish, there will be a “red carpet” to honour the Wingspan educational leaders, artists, teachers and students.
Then, at 6:30 p.m., Bajwa will again perform, this time joined by fellow Wingspan musician Derraugh, Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Cordelia Donovan, and Seaquam music student Zane Labrador.
Those planning to attend the premiere are asked to RSVP online at hedst.educ.ubc.ca/events/event/wingspan-gala.
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