Projects

Presented by the Arts in Action Society in partnership with the Little Mountain Neighbourhood House

Soil for the Soul is grounded in the understanding that Indigenous and diasporic cultural knowledge systems are living practices that sustain community health, intergenerational continuity, and ecological responsibility. These practices are neither nostalgic nor symbolic; to embody them is not simply to preserve tradition, but to participate in regenerative ways of being that sustain both community and Earth. All peoples carry language, ritual, and ecological memory across generations. Within diasporic communities, cultural practice becomes a vital site of belonging, well-being and resilience.

Together we will learn about the unique soil composition and ecological history of Vancouver’s Riley Park, Vancouver enriching the ensuing artistic process through scientific inquiry. Kathara will then offer Indigenous Filipino ritual and teachings that reconnect to land and ancestors. Led by Soliman Ponoon and Andrea Vargas, participants will make individual soil paintings expressing their relationship to Riley Park.

This ecological art-making deepens material connection to land and place. Participants will also learn three songs from different cultural traditions: Haida, Ukrainian, and English. We will all share-back the songs and dances we’ve learned as well as exhibit our paintings at Feast and Fallow, a cafe and community hub on the border between Riley Park and Oakridge.

Through embodied learning and collaborative creation, Soil for the Soul cultivates intercultural solidarity and affirms that Vancouver’s artistic future lives not only in institutions, but in gardens, shared harmonies, ancestral memory, and collective making.
Join us, the Soil for the Soul project takes place in three parts:

Event 1: Soil Painting Workshop
WHERE: Riley Park, 50 E 30th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5V 2Y1
WHEN: Aug 22 10:00am – 3:00pm
HOW: Pre-registration information to-be-released

Event 2: Soil Painting Exhibit
WHERE: Feast & Fallow, 305 W 41st Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 3K1
WHEN: Sep 19 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Event 3: Soil Paintings Installation Party
WHERE: Riley Park, 50 E 30th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5V 2Y1
WHEN: Oct 1:00pm – 3:00pm