Our Vision

Vision

Changemaker Arts Project is a Canadian non-profit charitable organization dedicated to making, teaching, producing and showcasing art that makes a difference. We believe in harnessing the power of inspiration and creativity to spark artistic and social change, and make a positive difference in the world. Our aim is to educate, inspire and empower others to #BeTheChange.

Mission

Changemaker aims to promote diversity, inclusion and creativity in Canada by providing opportunities for expression to disadvantaged, low-income people and at-risk youth, and by educating and empowering youth to become leaders for social change. We want to create a sustainable central network for emerging artists of multiple disciplines, where we nourish passions, mentor talent, feed the imagination and overcome barriers to creativity.

Our mandate is to promote artistic expression and to counter all forms of discrimination or inequality that act as social or economic barriers to people’s participation in society.  We are a coalition made up of diverse voices that aims to use art and the creative spirit as a platform for social change.

• We provide access to free, subsidized and sliding scale instructional programs in a multitude of art disciplines such as creative writing, art and dance
• We create spaces for people to learn, express, collaborate and create
• We promote peace through art-based workshops and conflict-resolution training to youth and vulnerable people at risk for radicalization and extremism
• We provide and facilitate training programs in team building, strategic dialogue, anti-racism education, anti-homophobia, equity, diversity and inclusion to schools, community groups, corporate and non-profit sectors, and law enforcement organizations

Executive Director Elisa Hategan’s Artist Statement

The written word is a powerful manifesto that has the capacity to preserve history, document personal and social revolutions, and become a voice of self-expression. In my work, I explore the psychological and emotional imprints rooted in our history, sense of belonging and identity. I use words, nuances and the musical rhythms of language to create visceral imagery that evokes concepts of longing, displacement, truth and perseverance.

My choice of subject is fueled by a passion to partake in the stories that unfold around me. I am inspired to contrast light and dark while I convey the atmosphere of my dreams. I seek the unknown and I look for the light within the shadows – the stories that are not obvious at first glance, the silenced voices of my generation, the common thread that courses through all of us.

My aim is to open a secret door into an unexplored world, to illuminate obscure passageways that lead to an unfamiliar landscape, a place of curious self-expression, and most importantly a new story.

I am intrigued by the idea that our personal histories exist as an intermingling of myth, memory, dreams and imagination. Just as a brush stroke can invent or undo illusion, language has the power to divulge or dismantle truth. Therefore, a deeply-felt allegiance to truth – no matter how ugly or distasteful it may be – is an essential pursuit in my writing.

Punctuation itself becomes an act of defiance. In my art, I look back at an era that has vanished or is currently in the process of vanishing. My work explores universal themes of memory, time, and the effects of both on an individual’s psyche. I collect memories like bread crumbs, in the hope that they will lead to greater understanding of our collective past and future.

I believe that history which is forgotten is destined to repeat itself, and I view narrative as a way to link personal history and collective experience. I aim to channel universal emotions, myths and remembrances to create works that act as both reminder and preserver of what has taken place.