Connecting to Co-create

By annais linares

What do you think of when someone says, “Westben”? Immediately, I am taken to a place. A place not only “out there” in the external world, but “in here” – my heart-space: a feeling, a warmth, a dream. Not only do I have beautiful memories of awe-inspiring performances at the Barn, the Campfire and Willow Hill, but I also have experienced the positive, hopeful culture that accompanies every Westben event. That culture, and the people who embody it, drew me to working with Westben in this newly created role, Community Connections Associate. It is exactly what it sounds like, and yet leaves a lot of room for exploration… 

Originally I’m from California – Palm Springs, to be specific. But I’ve been studying at the University of Guelph for the last three years, particularly drawn to creative actions of social care, wellbeing and holistic health. I was originally focused on “musical playgrounds,” but not the type that might come to mind immediately. Instead of pre-fabricated, tuned-to-a-scale type of instruments, I have been interested in how artists, community members and visionaries could come together to build something that could be enjoyed by most people and expand the boundaries of what music can be. And then the end “product” would be multiple sound-making objects that could be played in a welcoming intergenerational and accessible space – hence, a musical playground.  

Because of these interests, I’ve been in many circles of artistic programming with a community-focus. However, I had never heard of such a role before seeing it at Westben. The Community Connections Associate role is meant to explore creative community dreams, hopes and needs as a way to co-develop public programming at Westben. One framing of this work is that the “musical playground” I am helping create here is a set of programs connected to music in some way, but also connected to other Westben initiatives such as the Sustainability Committee, the Performer-Composer Residency, and other art forms the community might be interested in. Through these programs, we all come together to play. I’m here to first and foremost listen, explore, and collaborate towards the goal of co-creating new programs (or offering classic Westben programs) that speak to and include the artistic interests of the Westben community. 

What could that look like? It could be a nature soundwalk, or it could be a local class of students visiting to make music together. It could be a gathering at the Schoolhouse around a musical topic, or it could be a drum circle around the Campfire. Whatever it is, I’d love to connect with folks who would like to share their hopes for creative public events, programs and partnerships at Westben. If that’s you, please email me at annais@westben.ca 

If you’d like to contribute an idea but don’t have time to chat soon, please leave a few words or ideas you have here: https://forms.office.com/r/Z68LhCvtsY  

Looking forward to learning with you and meeting you soon!