I grew up and live in Edmonton, Alberta. My favourite thing has always been to watch cultural performances from our diverse community. As I grew in the arts, my passion has become connecting these different communities through collaborative projects where we learn about one another’s traditions, and produce unique performance pieces that can be shared with local audiences.

My belief is a connection of this kind strengthens our artistic community, heightens cultural arts, and most importantly speaks across the borders and boundaries in society. Art shows us that we’re not alone, cultural arts tell us every story matters.

-Carley Okamura