C/O Safer Spaces
The Safer Spaces Project, a joint initiative by Industry and Hamilton Fringe, seeks to create safer theatre and art spaces
Theatres and other art spaces are often perceived as safe spaces — spaces upheld by mutual respect, trust and kindness where folks can comfortably express themselves and feel supported.
However, this view fails to completely capture the real definition of a safe space: an environment free from harassment, racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, oppression and emotional or physical harm. In reality, the view that artistic spaces are fundamentally designed to be a safe space could not be further from the truth.
The Safer Spaces Project is a research project led by two arts organizations at the forefront of change in performance and art spaces, Industry and the Hamilton Fringe. The aim of the project is to collect data on harm that exist in theatre and art culture through a survey and use the information obtained to develop an internal cultural guide on mitigating harm and setting expectations of behaviour and accountability at Industry and Hamilton Fringe.
The survey launched in July 2021 and the hope is to collect 250 responses from all folks who engage with theatre and art spaces — performers, musicians, directors, producers and patrons just to name a few. A select number of survey participants will be interviewed to expand on their lived experiences. It is open to folks from any location; participants don’t need to be from Hamilton nor have an experience in an art space in Hamilton.
Robin Lacambra, also the Founder of GOODBODYFEEL, a pilates, yoga and mindfulness studio in Hamilton, is the director of the Safer Spaces Project. She was brought onto the project because of her previous work in creating safer spaces and collective liberation. Her online courses such as Sharing Privilege focus on how folks can implement more inclusive and anti-oppressive daily practices and be more aware of their individual privilege.
Laura Welch, the project coordinator, joined the Safer Spaces team to address and open the conversation on toxic norms of creative spaces that are too often swept under the rug. As an actress, she witnessed first-hand the abuses of power and discrimination in theatre. Outside of this project, she is the Safe Spaces Coordinator for Industry and Artistic Director of Light Echo Theatre.
“This project is really near and dear to my heart because throughout my experiences of working in the professional-level theatre, there’s just been so many abuses of power, harms and a lack of care in many of the spaces and it has deeply affected the quality of my artistry and my ability to seek employment in a field I have wanted to do my whole life. This project is a way to start addressing that,” explained Welch.
Everyone on the Safer Spaces Project team contributes unique perspectives and diverse, lived experiences to the conversation about issues in theatre and art spaces.
Researchers on the team include Maddie Krusto, an artist, educator and community outreach coordinator at the Hamilton Fringe, and Kitoko Mai, a Black, non-binary, multidisciplinary performance, media and community artist.
The project’s steering committee is composed of Karen Ancheta, a Filipina theatre storyteller and theatre performer; Adrienne Crossman, queer and non-binary curator and artist; Juan Jaramillo, a Latinx, deaf performance artist; Josh Taylor, Black dancer and owner of Defining Movement Dance studio; Talli Osborne, a performance artist born missing her arms; and Cher Obediah, an Indigenous storyteller, writer and artist.
“It’s a very colourful steering committee and that’s very rare. It’s really rare to have steering committees that aren’t predominately White . . . Even though all the experiences are individual, because we have such an intersectional team, we are getting way more data from our steering committee meetings than just a boardroom of White men talking about what they think will be best,” explained Lacambra.
So far, the response to the project has been affirming. Many people have shared their appreciation about the conversations the team is promoting online, through the survey and at panels. On Nov. 25, Safer Spaces Project will have a booth at the Garden Project Party for folks to complete the survey at the event and ask questions.
Once 250 survey responses have been collected, the team is planning on hosting a public panel to share the findings. When the internal culture guide is complete, it will be available on the Industry and Hamilton Fringe websites for feedback and re-evaluated annually. On a broader scale, the team hopes the guide can serve as a blueprint for other arts organizations and places to cultivate a safe space in their own practices.
“The hope is to create this takeaway: we did all this research, we spoke to a lot of people, we have such a diverse steering committee, so many experiences are being considered in this document we are presenting, [so] take it and run with it and make your space safer for more folks,” said Lacambra.
In addition to the development of the internal cultural guide, the Safer Spaces Project facilitates discussions about oppressive and harmful practices in the entertainment and art industries through its interview series called Midday Musings. The series is conducted by the core team of Lacambra, Welch, Krusto and Mai featuring guest speakers to share their experiences and the changes they would like to see.
The series re-emphasizes the importance of the Safer Spaces Project and amplifies voices of those that have gone through challenges and are surviving and thriving. In doing so, the team also hopes it will increase engagement and encourage others to take part in the survey.
“[Collecting enough survey responses] has been a little tricky so far. I think partially because to actually name there’s an issue in an industry where you are so replaceable can feel really scary. We are trying to continue a conversation that has been happening underground for a while and spark something in artists to do the survey so we can get data and make change,” said Welch.
In an industry in which success is heavily reliant on fame, power and influence, it can be difficult to speak up. Silence is demanded. Complaints are shut down. And the squeaky wheel doesn’t get the role. However, it is more the reason why the project requires support and action.
“It’s important for all folks to recognize we are all required to intentionally contribute to creating equitable futures and just futures and liberated futures. If we aren’t intentionally contributing to such a cause, then we are unintentionally holding that reality back from manifesting. We are all required in the revolution of collective liberation,” said Lacambra.
By participating in the survey, folks can enact their leadership and power to drive tangible change in fostering safer, braver theatre and art spaces.
“And wouldn’t that be an amazing thing to do?” said Lacambra.
Yoohyun Park/Production Coordinator
Discover local BIPOC wellness brands to curate your own self-care kit
With reading week around the corner, there is an audible sound of relief echoing through campus and understandably so. It has been an exhausting few months for everyone, constantly adapting to new changes and challenges.
Some of us may have lost our jobs; others may be worried about the health and safety of our loved ones. Although it has only been a month into the new school year, you may be feeling tired and overwhelmed, and that’s totally okay. It’s normal to feel anxious, stressed, burnout or whatever else you may be experiencing right now. That’s why it’s all the more important we engage in self-care in our daily routines.
Practicing self-care can help redirect your attention away from the stresses of daily life, to your mind and body and it looks different for everyone. It might involve watching a movie, doing a long skincare routine, meditating, running or perhaps it’s spending time with family at home. Whatever it may look like for you, if you are looking to add to your current routine or start one this reading week, here is a list of seven Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) brands that may help you in your self-care journey.
Glowing Gardens
If you are interested in healing through aromatherapy, Glowing Gardens offers hand-poured, vegan-friendly and cruelty-free scented candles in unique shapes and colours. One of their best sellers is the Baby Buddha candle, however, you can find others in angel, peach and abstract shapes as well.
It also offers Moody Jars, which are candles layered in various scents and colours in a single cup, and healing crystals. The candles are soy or beeswax based, both of which are sourced from Canada.
The face behind the brand is Deanna Clarke, a candle maker and makeup artist. Her love for candles grew into Glowing Gardens last year, and since the launch of her brand, she has taken part in many virtual markets and pop-ups in Hamilton and surrounding areas.
Xubriance
Established in August 2020, Xubriance is a self-care and healing-focused business, selling handmade bath scrubs, bath teas, body butters and crystals.
The brand name was inspired by the word exuberance and the founder’s first name, Bri. Taken together, the name represents strength, energy, positivity, excitement and self-love. The company’s mission is to share self-care and healing tools and aid people through their healing journeys.
Perfectly Imperfect
Perfectly Imperfect is a local skincare brand, offering organic and inexpensive skincare products. You can find everything from handmade body butter and bath bombs to face steamers and soaps. Even if you’re not interested in looking after your skin for aesthetic reasons, the very act of taking care of yourself through a skincare regime can be soothing and comforting.
Steel Town Athletic Club
Self-care can also look like physical exercise. Steel Town Athletic Club is a local community group focusing on BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ folks to run in a safe, comfortable and fun environment. Currently, the club offers community group runs in a socially distanced formation. Interested members can join the trail running program, where you explore trails and waterfalls in Hamilton; Wednesday BIPOC exclusive run night, a program that provides a safe space for BIPOC folks to run together; and club race team, a group competing in local and virtual road, trails and team events.
Goodbodyfeel
Practicing mindfulness encompasses self-acceptance, self-awareness and self-care. Goodbodyfeel helps their clients to achieve just this. As a pilates, yoga and mindfulness studio, Goodbodyfeel offers live-stream classes, one-on-one sessions and workshops to inspire empowerment and a sense of community.
They are currently running a workshop called Sharing Privilege which focuses on facilitating conversations on anti-oppressive work. Attendees can explore how to decolonize their current behaviours and ways to sustainably share their privileges. The goal of the program is to foster a safer space for discussions for marginalized folks. Having an opportunity to express your voice and reflect on pressing issues can help you process and collect your thoughts and feelings, which is important for mitigating emotional exhaustion.
My Sweet Tooth
Run by a couple from China who met at McMaster University, this delicious Asian fusion bakery may be just what you need after a long stressful day. My Sweet Tooth specializes in everything from cakes to cream puffs, mochis and boba drinks.
Give yourself a reward for all your hard work and achievement with one of their exclusive treats. Self-care includes acknowledging your accomplishments, and taking time to do something for yourself as a reward. Even if it may not be buying yourself a treat, rewards can help you appreciate your progress.
Ark & Anchor
Nestled in the intersection between King Street West and Queen Street South is the Ark & Anchor café. The café's many different clubs and events help it stand out among others on the block. If you are looking for a fun activity to unwind and a community to share your interests with, these clubs may be of interest to you. Finding hobbies and making time for self-indulging activities can help you to find balance in your life. Programs include roleplay game Mondays, board game Thursdays and a monthly book club called Ship’s Log.
Self-care is an endless journey. Whether you find joy in aromatherapy, skincare, physical exercise, eating or pursuing a hobby, we all need a self-care routine. These BIPOC businesses can help you explore your interests and build better self-care habits.
Goodbodyfeel’s new initiative is making teacher training more accessible for BIPOC applicants
Representation matters. It’s an absolutely essential part of reclaiming and decolonizing spaces for the Black, Indigenous and People of Colour community. Goodbodyfeel’s new initiative, Fueling Reclamation, is bolstering the fight for representation, by making their teacher training more accessible for BIPOC applicants. By doing this, they are helping to decolonize the wellness industry.
Robin Lacambra had already been working in the movement and wellness industry for many years when she moved to Hamilton. As she began to practice in studios in her new city, she recognized the lack of representation of the BIPOC community in studios not only in Hamilton but also in Toronto where she grew up.
“It just sparked this awareness that I was asleep, to the political nature ever-present in studio spaces or just in spaces in general when you've got a space of bodies because our bodies are political. So it was in trying to find a movement community here in Hamilton that I woke up to a need of mine, which is to have a space that felt safe for me to be in my full expression as a queer woman of colour,” explained Lacambra.
"It just sparked this awareness that I was asleep, to the political nature ever-present in studio spaces or just in spaces in general when you've got a space of bodies because our bodies are political."
Robin Lacambra
This realization prompted Lacambra to create the space that she needed. She started teaching pop-ups in 2018 and then that same year ran her first teacher training. Many of the graduates from the course went on to be the teaching staff for Goodbodyfeel when it officially opened in 2019.
While Goodbodyfeel is a Pilates, yoga and mindfulness studio, at its core it’s a place of inclusion, healing, empowerment and representation.
“[It’s] a place where all bodies can come home to their bodies without shame and with compassion,” said Lacambra.
[It’s] a place where all bodies can come home to their bodies without shame and with compassion.
Robin Lacambra
This philosophy is at the heart of Goodbodyfeel and everything they do, from the classes they offer to the individuals they employ.
“We really centre values of equity and representation, equity and accessibility. I don't ignore the hard realities of systemic oppression and the studio works to challenge systems of oppression, both in the way that we run our business and the way that we share our offerings to the broader public, in the folks that I employ . . . and we do our offerings, don't shy away from creating exclusive spaces for safer spaces. So we have classes that are exclusively for folks of colour, we have classes that are exclusively for queer, trans and non-binary folks, we have classes that are exclusively for folks in bigger bodies. And so yeah, we believe in creating these inclusive spaces for healing,” said Lacambra.
Goodbodyfeel’s teaching staff is mostly made up of BIPOC women, with 10 of 14 teachers being BIPOC and of these 10, seven are Black. Lacambra continues to offer a teacher training program at Goodbodyfeel and also offers scholarships for BIPOC individuals in an effort to make the training more financially accessible.
In February, Goodbodyfeel launched a crowdfunding campaign, Fueling Reclamation, to offer the teacher training program free of charge this year to the 15 individuals who applied for BIPOC scholarships and to help finance a BIPOC specific edition of the teacher training in 2022.
“For me, it is the way to radically shift representation of leaders in wellness. Many wellness practices are from brown and black cultures of origin and why isn’t our mainstream leadership reflective of that . . . It started off as just scholarships or subsidies that I could afford to give and seeing that the folks who would apply for the scholarship and subsidies were growing every year. I imagined what would be possible if I could say yes to everybody, what would be possible if I could give a fully free training? Wouldn't that be so amazing? Wouldn't that be one of the things to really help decolonize wellness and push back on these capitalistic ideas of leadership training, of teacher training?” explained Lacambra.
I imagined what would be possible if I could say yes to everybody, what would be possible if I could give a fully free training? Wouldn't that be so amazing? Wouldn't that be one of the things to really help decolonize wellness and push back on these capitalistic ideas of leadership training, of teacher training?
Robin Lacambra
This campaign is an example of an easy, concrete way the larger Hamilton community can support the BIPOC community and contribute to decolonization.
“It's overdue. This kind of investment into BIPOC leadership is overdue [and] it's easy reparations for the folks who are like, “Oh, I'm so overwhelmed. How I can contribute to anti-racist work?” Here you go, here's a really easy way to do it. Just help fund it, help spread the word, help empower our future changemakers. If we're fully fueling BIPOC leadership, we are fueling an equitable future,” emphasized Lacambra.
