Artists in Residence Salon
Inspired by the concept of 17th century French salons, VACS Founder Keiko Honda began inviting local residents and out-of-town guests to her Artists in Residence (AIR) Salon since 2010 at her home in Dunbar-Southlands. It is a space created to connect and learn from each other through dialogue. Through various presentations by artists, musicians, business owners, story tellers, and other speakers, a series of meaningful dialogue began to emerge, allowing people to connect with each other and to this unique city we live in that is Vancouver.
"I try to create safe spaces to allow people to take creative risks and explore their strengths and vulnerabilities. I invite artists in the community to speak at the AIR Salons, but I reserve lots of time for group discussion and group storytelling, which stimulates a stronger creative flow between artists and audiences. At the AIR Salons, the presenters and the audience are crossing the line, exchanging roles, eliciting art from the audience and appreciation from the presenters. The audience do some of the work of creative interpretation – to become, in a sense, co-creators." - Founder, Keiko Honda, Ph.D.
“We are all artists.”
- Founder, Keiko Honda, Ph.D.
Post-VACS Salon list est. 2014
Spring 2014
63) The 63rd salon was given by Yukiko Onley on January 17, 2014 entitled, “Fabulous Faces.” A painter-turned-photographer from Osaka, Japan, but living in Vancouver since 1976, Yukiko explored the intuitive and spontaneous approaches to her photography; specifically, her passion for photographing theatre and dance productions.
64) The 64th salon was given by Olivia Fermi on February 15, 2014 entitled, “Then and Now: Women Respond to the Manhattan Project.” As the granddaughter of Enrico Fermi, one of the men involved in the Manhattan Project, Olivia discussed how women responded to World War II during and after the war; eventually becoming community leaders and visionaries. Her talk focused on her grandmother, Laura Fermi, a social and environmental leader, and Marian Naranjo, and Indigenous thought leader whose people lived on the land now occupied by the Los Alamos National Lab.
65) The 65th salon was given by Georgia Youngs on March 1, 2014. At her salon, Georgia divulged the ups and downs in her “love affair with art”; detailing the twists and turns that brought her to the recent successes in her work.
66) The 66th salon was given by Brock Tully on March 15, 2014 entitled, “On Kindness.” Brock presented his journey of going on three large-scale bikes trips — totalling 50,000 km — around North America to advocate for a kinder world, including anti-discrimination within the community, anti-bullying, and reducing domestic violence.
67) The 67th salon was given by Yayoi Hirano on April 12, 2014 entitled, “My Journey as a Japanese female Mime-Dance Artist.” Yayoi is a talented Japanese mime-dance artist and Noh mask maker who founded the Yayoi Theatre Movement. Through the art of mime, Yayoi probed the connections between eastern and western elements, as well as the inner and outer world at her salon.
68) At the 68th salon, “Art as Triggers for Experiences,” Timothy J. Sullivan presented his artwork and talked about his journey on April 26, 2014. A contemporary abstract expressionist who creates artwork both large and small, Timothy encouraged others to be bold and experimental in their artistic pursuits.
Summer 2014
69) The 69th salon was given by Kagan Goh on May 9, 2014. Kagan is a spoken word artist that performed his piece, “Surviving Samsara” at the salon; ‘samsara’ being defined as the “cycle of rebirth,” or “perpetual wandering” by the Buddhist Dictionary. While also sharing personal stories about his life and struggles with mental illness, he performed alongside Butoh dancer Salome Nieto and cellist composer Nicholas Epperson.
70) The 70th salon was given by Patrick McGuire on May 24, 2014 entitled, “An Evening with Patrick McGuire (a.k.a., ‘Mr. Renaissance’).” A writer, artist and world traveler who is an explorer of both the outer world and his own inner being, Patrick shared some of his visual art and readings from his early creative nonfiction travel writing.
71) On June 16, 2014, the 71st salon was given in honor of Bloomsday — a celebration of Irish writer James Joyce’s Ulysses — and directed by Daniel Conrad. Readings of Ulysses, Ireland, and drinks were abound in the celebratory night.
72) On July 1, 2014, Salome Nieto performed “Camino al Tepeyac” at the 72nd salon. This dance connects to Salome’s Mexican roots and is an investigation into the themes of devotion, ritual, and myth by looking at the convergence of traditional and post-conquest Aztec / Mexican religious beliefs.
73) The 73rd salon was given by Ernesto Ponce on August 9, 2014 entitled, “My Journey.” In this salon, Ernesto shared his life’s journey of being a world-class Mexican tennis champion reawakening a lineage of self-healing within his family.
Fall 2014