About Us
Our Leadership
CRIPSiE's artistic and daily organization business is run by a group of Artistic Associates who are active CRIPSiE artists voted in annually. CRIPSiE is governed by a non-profit arms-length board of directors voted in annually by the society's members. Currently, we are functioning as a Collective Model where the Artistic Associates work with the board to run a thriving arts organization.
Active Artistic Associates:
Alison Neuman
Erin Newman
Nicolle Marie Elliot
Kaylee Borgstrom
Julie Andrew
Board of Directors:
Brooke Leifso
Kristi Hansen
Angela Meneley
Carly Neis
Artistic Administrator
Rebecca Bissonnette
Our Artists
CRIPSiE includes artists who experience disability and other forms of social oppression. We also include artists who are allies, and who are wanting to work towards more socially just communities.
Our Vision
To have CRIPSiE be a truly equitable space; for artists to know and experience that their art and storytelling is just as relevant and valid as any other artist’s or art form.
To have art that centres the lives and lived experiences of those who experience disability and other forms of oppression or marginalization, become part of the larger arts community and society.
To have artists with disabilities earn a living wage through their art, and to have that wage honour their practice.
To continually support and encourage artists with disabilities; to grow confidence in themselves, their vision and their art works.
To embrace and explore the arts creation process, as a supportive, peer-driven community; trusting the process to be just as vital as the art.
Our Mission
We develop our artistic and leadership capacities as individual artists and collectives who experience disability, and other forms of oppression or marginalization, via the following:
We create inclusive arts, dance and performances that centre and represent the lives and lived experiences of people with disabilities.
We offer a safe and supportive environment for artists to grow their craft in a way that is authentic to their experience of the world.
The social aspect of CRIPSiE’s community is a cornerstone to our society.
We are always expanding what it means to be accessible and inclusive.
We welcome artists of all experience levels and practices.
We empower our artists in their growth and development; we support each individual in what they need, recognizing that everyone’s process is their own.
We foster radically collaborative art-making through our supportive community.
We transform the bridges between how our bodies move within our community in different and amazing ways.
We rethink and explore the creation of performances, and together uncover new possibilities.
Our community networks with other individuals and organizations in Edmonton, Canada and internationally, and creates a platform for our artists.
We create and collaborate to produce inclusive arts, dance, performances and video, and share them publicly.
We offer workshops and classes to support and encourage more accessible arts and communities that include: choreography, learning opportunities, teaching, mentorship and paid performances.
We help our artists pursue their projects independently.
We collaborate with performance venues to make them more accessible for our artists.
We advocate through our art, inviting others to be a part of the change, and discover our authentic selves.
We celebrate our artists exactly as they are.
Our Values
We centre the lives and lived experiences of those who experience disability and other forms of oppression or marginalization.
We use broad definitions of “Disability”, understanding that not everyone identifies as disabled. We recognize that diverse experiences (i.e. diverse bodies and diverse minds), and other intersectionalities of disabilities, can be experienced no matter what your relationship to the term “Disability.” We honour the language artists use to self-identify.
We always welcome people who want to create art, whether personally or collectively, and creation that can be experienced by others. We believe it’s important for people to share their stories, and the wealth that comes from sharing is magical.
We are radically inclusive and collaborative. We listen to each other. We embrace intersectionality, welcoming and celebrating differences. We value people as human beings with talent, views and an abundance of artistry.
We are a collective that always supports our artists. We believe our artists should always feel confident in themselves, in their visions and in their art-making. We love opportunities that allow our artists to express themselves as who they are, and that give them dignity and respect. We understand there are different ways to be a leader, and we help each other as artists to develop our leadership skills.
Artists have the freedom to engage with CRIPSiE as much or as little as they want or need. We all give what we can, and we all receive what we can receive. We are a community ‘in process’; allowing artists to flow through contexts, creating room for growth, ideas and creativity. We create space for artists to process at their own pace, valuing the process over the end result.
We believe the work of our artists has value and is deep, without the need to put value judgements on it. We believe varying levels of success are okay and valid, and that failure is part of the creative process. We recognize that our lived experiences are our ‘professional’ experiences. We create our own definitions of ‘professional’ and ‘high quality’.
We honour our humanity. We embrace the messiness. We are vulnerable and authentic.
We engage in non-linear story sharing. We are here to break the mold.
We are not a hierarchy. We are anti-capitalist and anti-ableist.
We understand there are different ways to be a leader, and we help each other as artists to develop our leadership skills.