Spotlight on the Launch of EDI Moments: Art as a Catalyst for Change
There’s nothing like the power of art to change hearts and minds.
That’s why we’re thrilled to launch our latest project, EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) Moments: Art as a Catalyst for Change, next month.
Consisting of six short, original monologues based on real-life experiences of individuals here in this province, the overall goal of the project is to provide profound moments of reflection, challenge the status quo, encourage self-awareness and spur change in both business and arts organizations.
A still from the monologue "Visibly Demoralized" by Tara Nanayakkara, starring Aedon Young
The first round shines a spotlight on the topic of unconscious (or implicit) bias — unconscious assumptions, attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes that the human brain forms around different groups of people. Each unconscious bias moment is accompanied by a series of thought-provoking questions to help get the conversation rolling and inspire reflection and action. Use this tool as a meditative moment to open a team meeting or as a starting point for discussing your equity, diversity and inclusion policies.
Business & Arts NL members have exclusive access to the monologues, which are written, performed and directed by local artists. The project is in partnership with TODOS Productions and Resource Centre for the Arts.
Dr. Sobia Shaheen Shaikh
Dr. Sobia Shaheen Shaikh (emerging writer, playwright, activist and faculty member with Memorial’s School of Social Work) provided social justice consulting for the project, while Santiago Guzmán, Artistic Director of TODOS Productions, was the dramaturge and director of the monologues.
"Writing is already a very personal experience, and when we use personal events that have caused harm as a source of inspiration for our stories, it is tough to distance ourselves from that particular moment in our lives. My job as a dramaturge was to guide playwrights in a writing process that honoured those feelings, while encouraging them to create a fictionalized narrative, allowing them to heal and transform, hence inspiring systemic change in the viewers,” Guzmán says.
"I am incredibly grateful to have had the support of Dr. Sobia Shaheen Shaikh in understanding bias and judgment, and how to confront those moments through their writing.”
Santiago Guzmán. Photo: James MacLean
Guzmán says he’s proud of the work that TODOS has been doing since the company was founded in 2019, "a long overdue labour to highlight the voices of equity owed community members in our province.”
"It is with partnerships like this one that TODOS can maximize our capacity and support and develop a wider net of up-and-coming artists.”
For the writers involved, this project has helped give voice to their experience. “You and I” script writer Eldin Husic (which stars Melissandra Groza), says "Inside of me there is a volcano. There’s fire. There’s the truth that wants to come out.”
Eldin Husic
Tara Nanayakkara, who wrote the script for the monologue titled "Visibly Demoralized,” starring Aedon Young, says "My experience with writing this monologue is a feeling of gratitude that I can say my piece about being pre-judged based on my disability and then demanding to be heard.”
Tara Nanayakkara
Working alongside a talented group of artists, talking about often invisible truths, has been an “energizing experience" says Maria Dussan, who wrote "Family Dinner” starring Enzo Resendiz.
"I had already felt close to my character, but Santiago’s and Sobia’s astute questions allowed me to look deeper…So many rich conversations happened during that mentorship that allowed me to explore a very complex situation in a monologue that’s just a few minutes long,” Dussan says.
"Part of what I wanted to achieve with this project was to challenge spaces people often think of as ‘safe.' I wanted to explore how both love and harm can coexist in the same space, and that we must engage in this tension with enough humility so that we don’t reproduce injustice."
Maria Dussan
Other writers with the project include A Powell ("Why Don’t You Just Leave”), Rachel Gilbert ("At First Glance”), and Jude Benoit ("Not Worth Caring For”).
EDI Moments is the latest example of how Business & Arts NL drives meaningful collaborations and partnerships between the business and arts communities.
Many thanks to Cenovus Energy, Chevron, and Equinor for generously sponsoring this project.