About

About

Our goal is to: 

  • Develop women of colour leaders in the arts through leadership and mentorship programs
  • Support, engage and promote women of colour in the arts through programming, education and production

History

The origins of this program started in 2016 as an independent project by co-founders Kristin Cheung and Megan Lau, under the name “The Future is you and me”.  From 2016 to 2021, this original project hosted:

  • In-person workshops from 2016-2019 with over 70 mentors and participants with workshop topics: leadership, collaborating, grant-writing, activism, creative careers and more
  • An online Music workshops (facilitated by Elysse Cloma) in 2020 with workshop topics: reconnecting, recording music from home, panel discussions, and more. 
  • Collaborative online workshop with Mitchell Art Gallery (Edmonton in 2020), with workshop topics: Life & Livelihood, Mutual care & Community, White Supremacy in the arts. 
  • Produced the Future Forum (online) Symposium in 2020 with essays, videos, and interviews.
  • Co-developed a community research report titled “A Seat at the Table”: Black, Indigenous & Women of Colour in Metro Vancouver’s Film and TV Industry Speak in partnership with Cineworks, published in 2021.

In 2021, after 6-years it was time to sunset this program with Megan and Kristin as collaborators as we’ve moved onto other personal and professional projects. 


In April 2022, the Future Arts Network Society was incorporated as a non-profit society to continue the work and provide a platform for early-career arts & cultural workers and emerging leaders to collaborate and connect. Since 2023 Future Arts Network has developed:

This version of the program aims to pay staff a living wage and CARFAC rates to artists, and we invite participants and mentors from across our country.

Funding is provided by the Canada Council for the Arts.