About Us
CRIPSiE, The Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton, is committed to fostering high quality, creative, anti-oppressive and inclusive art practices and performances. CRIPSiE builds upon over a decade of vibrant integrated dance experience in Edmonton. We are a charitable arts organization run by artists who experience disability or other forms of oppression, and by their artistic and political allies.
We run three programs:
We run three programs:
- We create and produce high-quality integrated dance, and performances
- We create and show high-quality video
- We run workshops, classes, and do consulting to support and encourage more accessible arts and communities
High Quality Crip and Mad Art
CRIPSiE strives for crip and mad aesthetics in our work. Crip and mad aesthetics involve celebrating and exploring the generative possibilities of 'disability' and 'mental illness,' in terms of how these experiences can offer important alternative perspectives on art processes, form, and content.
Supporting Accessible Arts in Edmonton
Through our own artistic practices, and through our workshops, classes, and consulting we strive to support the accessibility and inclusivity of high-quality performing arts in Edmonton more broadly. If you are interested in accessible or integrated arts contact us to:
CRIPSiE strives for crip and mad aesthetics in our work. Crip and mad aesthetics involve celebrating and exploring the generative possibilities of 'disability' and 'mental illness,' in terms of how these experiences can offer important alternative perspectives on art processes, form, and content.
Supporting Accessible Arts in Edmonton
Through our own artistic practices, and through our workshops, classes, and consulting we strive to support the accessibility and inclusivity of high-quality performing arts in Edmonton more broadly. If you are interested in accessible or integrated arts contact us to:
- Join our company classes (run every fall)
- Join our choreography and composition program (run from fall to spring)
- Book us for a public performance or workshop on integrated arts and creative processes
- Book a consultation, workshop or venue audit to help make your organization's art practices more accessible and inclusive
Our Mission, Mandate and Values
Mission
CRIPSiE, the Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton, is committed to generating high quality, creative, anti-oppressive and inclusive art practices and performances.
Mandate
CRIPSiE strives to develop a more equitable, accessible, vibrant and engaged artistic community in Edmonton.
Values
We are committed to developing the artistic and leadership capacities of individuals or groups of artists who experience disability as well as other forms of oppression or marginalization.
We are committed to supporting the development and promotion of amateur and professional performance, video and dance-based art.
We strive to recognize and change artistic and organizational practices that contribute to social inequality and oppression.
We strive to support relationships and practices of interdependence, and to engage these relationships and practices to create revelatory, moving and provocative art.
CRIPSiE, the Collaborative Radically Integrated Performers Society in Edmonton, is committed to generating high quality, creative, anti-oppressive and inclusive art practices and performances.
Mandate
CRIPSiE strives to develop a more equitable, accessible, vibrant and engaged artistic community in Edmonton.
Values
We are committed to developing the artistic and leadership capacities of individuals or groups of artists who experience disability as well as other forms of oppression or marginalization.
We are committed to supporting the development and promotion of amateur and professional performance, video and dance-based art.
We strive to recognize and change artistic and organizational practices that contribute to social inequality and oppression.
We strive to support relationships and practices of interdependence, and to engage these relationships and practices to create revelatory, moving and provocative art.
Our Objectives
1. To advance the public’s appreciation of the arts by producing public art exhibitions, presentations, and performance art(s) events, and by providing a forum for qualified artists to exhibit, present, or perform their artistic works through participation in such events.
2. To advance education by providing structured learning activities such as courses, instructional seminars, and workshops about performing and visual arts, and by providing opportunities for artists to publicly exhibit, present, or perform their works, or develop their crafts or skills in conjunction with these learning activities.
CRIPSiE is a registered charity with Canada Revenue Agency: Charitable #83202 7783 RR001
2. To advance education by providing structured learning activities such as courses, instructional seminars, and workshops about performing and visual arts, and by providing opportunities for artists to publicly exhibit, present, or perform their works, or develop their crafts or skills in conjunction with these learning activities.
CRIPSiE is a registered charity with Canada Revenue Agency: Charitable #83202 7783 RR001
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.
Link to artist bios
Link to artist bios
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. The Artistic Director is named by the membership, leads the artistic associates, and works with the board to run a thriving arts organization.
Currently there is no Artistic Director named, and the company is running in a Collective Model.
Currently there is no Artistic Director named, and the company is running in a Collective Model.
Collective Artistic Associates:
Kaylee Borgstrom
Alison Neuman
Alexis Hillyard
Nicolle Pilon
Erin Newman
Board of Directors:
Ainsley Hillyard (Chair)
Jasleen Sekhon (Treasurer)
Wendy Marusin (Secretary)
Krista Posyniak
Heath Birkholz
Past Artistic Directors: Lindsay Eales & Kelsie Acton
Past Artistic Associates:
Danielle Peers
Katarzyna Rychlicki
Heath Birkholz
Kaylee Borgstrom
Alison Neuman
Alexis Hillyard
Nicolle Pilon
Erin Newman
Board of Directors:
Ainsley Hillyard (Chair)
Jasleen Sekhon (Treasurer)
Wendy Marusin (Secretary)
Krista Posyniak
Heath Birkholz
Past Artistic Directors: Lindsay Eales & Kelsie Acton
Past Artistic Associates:
Danielle Peers
Katarzyna Rychlicki
Heath Birkholz
Public Statement - October 7, 2019
CRISPiE is currently undergoing an organizational restructuring. Our previous leadership team (the two Artistic Directors and our primary administrator) have all resigned or stepped away from the organization for various reasons. If you require more information or have questions or comments about this shift please email the board directly at cripsieboard@gmail.com, fill out our anonymous form https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6GM3Q3K or join us at our members meeting in the coming weeks.
In the coming months, we will be creating, in collaboration with the Artistic Associates, a code of conduct for our artists and board members, developing policies to ensure the respect, dignity, equity, inclusion and safety of all individuals involved in the organization, and re-evaluating our core values. For the interim, CRIPSiE will be exploring ways on how it will function within a collective leadership model. For example, the current Artistic Associates will collectively make all artistic decisions about programs and activities the organization carries out. CRIPSiE will be looking to hire an administrative staff member to take on our administrative tasks this season and to liaise/skillshare with our AA’s who would like to take on more administrative responsibilities. We have made sure that our budget reflects that all artists and individuals are paid for all of their administrative and artistic work.
We will be hosting a meeting for our membership in the coming weeks to answer any questions people might have about CRIPSiE moving forward and our current season. We will be embarking on our bi-annual production in October 2020. In this production, we will be showcasing local choreographers as well as a new commissioned piece by Peggy Baker. The Peggy Baker project will be an open call meaning it is open to all CRIPSiE artists, past, present and new. Our community classes started up on September 15th, and run Sundays, 11am-1pm at Fringe Theatre Adventures until December 1st. All are welcome and we are happy to provide access support for anyone who would like to attend with advance notice to cripsieartisticassociates@gmail.com. Finally, we are currently accepting applications for new Artistic Associates and board members. If you are interested in joining CRIPSiE please email info@cripsie.ca for more information. Please keep posted on social media for details on meetings, classes and open call submissions.
At this time we would like to express our grief and sadness to be losing these three individuals. They have built CRIPSiE into what it is today with countless volunteer hours and a labour of love. They are all outstanding individuals with so much to offer and they will be greatly missed. We are so grateful for the work and heart that they have put into this organization. CRIPSiE would not be what it is today without them. We can’t thank them enough for what they have contributed to this organization and we can not express how deeply troubled and remorseful we are that this breakdown has caused them each so much hurt. We wish them nothing but success moving forward and we hope to engage with them again in the future.
This has been a time for all in CRIPSiE to re-evaluate and seek information from the leadership, Artistic Associates, artists and our community as to the core values, desires for projects, and what the future for our community should include. We are all learning, and appreciate your time and patience. We are striving to use the data collected in the surveys to transition towards an organization structure and leadership model that will reflect the changes our community wishes to see. We hope to support this new structure through updated codes of conduct and policies, all while respecting the team who has founded CRIPSiE.
CRISPiE is currently undergoing an organizational restructuring. Our previous leadership team (the two Artistic Directors and our primary administrator) have all resigned or stepped away from the organization for various reasons. If you require more information or have questions or comments about this shift please email the board directly at cripsieboard@gmail.com, fill out our anonymous form https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6GM3Q3K or join us at our members meeting in the coming weeks.
In the coming months, we will be creating, in collaboration with the Artistic Associates, a code of conduct for our artists and board members, developing policies to ensure the respect, dignity, equity, inclusion and safety of all individuals involved in the organization, and re-evaluating our core values. For the interim, CRIPSiE will be exploring ways on how it will function within a collective leadership model. For example, the current Artistic Associates will collectively make all artistic decisions about programs and activities the organization carries out. CRIPSiE will be looking to hire an administrative staff member to take on our administrative tasks this season and to liaise/skillshare with our AA’s who would like to take on more administrative responsibilities. We have made sure that our budget reflects that all artists and individuals are paid for all of their administrative and artistic work.
We will be hosting a meeting for our membership in the coming weeks to answer any questions people might have about CRIPSiE moving forward and our current season. We will be embarking on our bi-annual production in October 2020. In this production, we will be showcasing local choreographers as well as a new commissioned piece by Peggy Baker. The Peggy Baker project will be an open call meaning it is open to all CRIPSiE artists, past, present and new. Our community classes started up on September 15th, and run Sundays, 11am-1pm at Fringe Theatre Adventures until December 1st. All are welcome and we are happy to provide access support for anyone who would like to attend with advance notice to cripsieartisticassociates@gmail.com. Finally, we are currently accepting applications for new Artistic Associates and board members. If you are interested in joining CRIPSiE please email info@cripsie.ca for more information. Please keep posted on social media for details on meetings, classes and open call submissions.
At this time we would like to express our grief and sadness to be losing these three individuals. They have built CRIPSiE into what it is today with countless volunteer hours and a labour of love. They are all outstanding individuals with so much to offer and they will be greatly missed. We are so grateful for the work and heart that they have put into this organization. CRIPSiE would not be what it is today without them. We can’t thank them enough for what they have contributed to this organization and we can not express how deeply troubled and remorseful we are that this breakdown has caused them each so much hurt. We wish them nothing but success moving forward and we hope to engage with them again in the future.
This has been a time for all in CRIPSiE to re-evaluate and seek information from the leadership, Artistic Associates, artists and our community as to the core values, desires for projects, and what the future for our community should include. We are all learning, and appreciate your time and patience. We are striving to use the data collected in the surveys to transition towards an organization structure and leadership model that will reflect the changes our community wishes to see. We hope to support this new structure through updated codes of conduct and policies, all while respecting the team who has founded CRIPSiE.
Research in Our Community
Nothing about us without us
Researchers seeking to work with the CRIPSiE community must submit a research proposal to the artistic associates board (submit here) . The research request must answer the following questions:
After reviewing the proposal the Artistic Assocaites will contact you either with the results of their decision or a request for further information. If research is approved, initial recruitment contact will be made through the Artistic Associates.
[1] Given the history of exploitation of people experiencing disability by researchers and the societal expectation that people experiencing disability volunteer without compensation for their time or expertise, projects that do not directly benefit members or the community are unlikely to be approved.
Researchers seeking to work with the CRIPSiE community must submit a research proposal to the artistic associates board (submit here) . The research request must answer the following questions:
- Tell us about the project in 250 words or less: for example: what are the research question(s), theoretical approaches, and inclusion criteria
- How much time will be required of community members?
- Will members be paid for their time and expertise? How will this research benefit the community? [1]
- What kinds of ethical guidelines are you considering?
- Have you ever danced or participated in this community? Other communities like it?
- How will the results be made accessible to the community?
After reviewing the proposal the Artistic Assocaites will contact you either with the results of their decision or a request for further information. If research is approved, initial recruitment contact will be made through the Artistic Associates.
[1] Given the history of exploitation of people experiencing disability by researchers and the societal expectation that people experiencing disability volunteer without compensation for their time or expertise, projects that do not directly benefit members or the community are unlikely to be approved.
