Expectations:

Question: Do I need to submit complete artwork for this Call, how many pieces am I expected to submit? How much participation is expected of me in the 6-week program (in-person or online)?

Answer: You can submit up to 10 pieces – they do not need to be complete. You could share (a maximum of) 10 images, OR a 5-minute video/audio, or up to 7 pages of written content with easy to read font size of 14 pt or bigger. We do ask that you consider our team and if you are sharing any work that has triggering content that you label it for our jury/selection team!

We expect the accepted artists to attend at least:

• 1 staff meeting
• 1 Accessibility Committee meeting 
• 6 weekly sessions with Kay and Shanna, 1-hour each
• 2-hour participation in a closed Roundtable online
• Participation in a video, interview, and/or other format production for grunt archives

Most of these sessions are virtual; however, we are flexible to host the 6 weekly sessions in-person. The way the video, interview, or product is made will determine where and how it will be filmed or created.

---

Question: I cannot meet all the deliverables. Is it mandatory for me to attend all sessions/meetings/roundtables?

Answer: No, you don’t have to attend all the sessions at grunt. We’re flexible about how you participate. However, we encourage accepted applicants to join our meetings to learn more about how grunt operates and to share feedback that helps us improve our support for non-verbal engagement. We also want to help artists grow and develop professionally by connecting them with our team. We will work around your schedule. Our greatest priority is that we pay you, and that we find a way to save something about your experience so that there are more examples of non-verbal artists and arts workers in our archives.

---

Question: What critical deadlines are there?

Answer: In 2025 the critical deadlines are as follows:

• The deadline for AEP application is this Friday January 10th, 2025 end of day before 12am.
• The program begins on Tuesday, February 4th and ends on Friday, March 14th, 2025 for a duration of 6 weeks.
• The deadline for video/interview/etc. Production for grunt archives is Friday, March 7th, 2025.

2026 and 2027 deadlines will be the same general times.

---

Question: If it is not mandatory to create and submit complete works, how am I evaluated at the end of the program?

Answer: You won’t be formally evaluated, but being active in this engagement can help you prepare for your next opportunity and the more you ask questions or critically engage with the program, the better prepared you will be for future engagements. grunt gallery is seeking to support non-verbal artists and while we hope that artists will want to exchange knowledge, there is no minimum requirement for the selected artists beyond leaving something behind for the grunt archives to acknowledge the engagement (ex: video interview).

---

Question: Not including the works I have produced, how much work am I expected to produce during this residency?

Answer: The process is up to you as the artist. The directive is focused more on the learning engagement versus a completed piece or series of work. This is an opportunity to potentially make a simple work to be entered in grunt’s permanent archives, but this can be a video interview, or something you donate to the archives from your collections if you like. The fee is to be spent however you like so if you do not produce work during the residency and use the fee in another way, that is valid.

---

Question: Can I use this opportunity to develop a theme and/or idea that I am already working on?

Answer: Absolutely. This is an opportunity to develop new or old projects during the 6 weeks of the program. In fact, you can simply use the funds however you choose and spend the time chatting and learning from and with grunt – this is also part of a larger theme at grunt – co-learning.

---

Question: What is the end result expected of me at the end of the residency?

Answer: We ask you to showcase your work process in either film or other formats for grunt’s archives. We do not expect a completed piece at the end of the Accessible Engagement Project, nor are you expected to produce anything on your own.

---

Question: Am I expected to collaborate with other artists in this program?

Answer: During the closed Roundtable session, we expect our non-verbal and tactile artists to collaborate in discussion with our invited artists in the Roundtable. We will also host a weekly cohort meeting/check-in, but if the schedules don’t work for both artists in a year, we will host separate meetings.

You will be invited to join in grunt’s staff meeting and accessibility committee meeting, but you can simply observe or give feedback in the following week’s check-in. There is no pressure to produce or participate.

We don’t expect any production collaboration, and any project work you do will be self-directed and independent study for your learning engagement. We will hire a videographer for the archive video and work with you on what to film unless you want to do this yourself or you want to engage with the second artist in your cohort.

---

How long is the Selections Process:

Question: How long is the jury process?

Answer: The jury process will take 2 weeks after submissions close.

---

Question: How many spots are available? How many are you accepting?

Answer: There are 2 open spots available for local, non-verbal guest artists.

---

Question: When will I find out the results of the selections?

Answer: Kay and Shanna will reach out to you through aep@grunt.ca or access@grunt.ca with the results of your application by the end of day on Friday January 24th.

---

Question: What are your criteria for evaluation?

Answer: We are specifically looking for artists who are interested in knowledge sharing with the gallery towards creating spaces for other non-verbal artists. We want to see artists who are proud of their work and practice, and are looking to find spaces that will respect and support their practice.

Rather than a minimum education or experience level, we are excited to welcome outsider (or untrained) artists, as well as self-trained artists. However, we are seeking artists that have been engaged in their practice seriously for at least one year and can challenge the art world with self-confidence. Artists do not need to be established (be recognized or have a lot of experience) but we are looking for artists who are excited to share, talk, or break down barriers!

There is no formal rubric or scoring that is planned for intake unless grunt gallery receives an overwhelming response. If so, we will use the grunt gallery curatorial scoring system that reviews artists based on their artistic merit, feasibility (how possible it is for grunt to support the work or care for the artist), and impact (how will this program affect the artist’s path at this point in their career). For more information, visit grunt gallery’s submissions page.

---

Question: I am not d/Deaf/HoH, but I am interested in applying. Am I suitable for the program?

Answer: This opportunity is for artists who identify with having a non-verbal artistic practice. This includes Neurodiverse, Autistic, Disabled, and medically non-verbal artists. Priority will be given to artists of diverse d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing and disabled communities and/or BIPOC artists. Non-verbal Queer artists who may be temporarily non-verbal during their transition are also encouraged to apply.

This engagement program focuses on non-verbal participation and communication – not non-auditory or hearing loss or deafness. However, a participant may be Deaf, deaf, or hard of hearing and have a non-verbal art process and practice.

All artists must live within the colonial borders of the Lower Mainland/Metro Vancouver area, including adjacent Coast Salish territory and lands.

---

Question: Does my work have to be focused on my disability identity?

Answer: We do not require you to disclose your disability identity. Your artistic practice also does not need to reflect it. However, this opportunity is focused on non-verbal engagement within your artistic practice, so we encourage your application to reflect the non-verbal forms of engagement and challenge the verbal-centric/oral-prioritized approach.

---

Question: Is this an in-person program or remote opportunity?

Answer: It is a hybrid opportunity. grunt gallery does not have a maker space and is a public gallery, but artists are welcome to use the space to host meetings, or to work during their 6-week engagement. Weekly meetings will be hosted online, and staff meetings are also hosted online. Please note that all meetings are conducted with a digital transcript tool recording voice to produce transcripts. In the case of digital meetings without voice, the chat transcript is saved.

If safe and accessible, artists are asked to visit the gallery at least once.

---

Question: Can folks outside of Metro Vancouver/Lower Mainland apply to this program?

Answer: No. Because of our grant funding, we are limited to the local area near grunt. However, we are working to try and find funds to expand this outside of the province. That you want to work with us is important – and if you know of a local gallery or service that could replicate this program in your local area, tell them to contact us! Also, we hope to add programs to this base engagement that will allow us to pay people out of province to join in other programs in future years. Please write us an email at aep@grunt.ca so we know you’re interested!

---

Fees, Compensation, and Accomodation

Question: What access accommodations will be provided through grunt?

Answer: Relaxed participation and voice-off/silence throughout the engagement.

Option to sign, chat, text, write, or otherwise non-verbally communicate with staff and program facilitators.

Auto transcripts are a minimum at all grunt meetings (using a voice-recording AI tool, Otter.ai). There is a budget for CART or ASL Interpretation at meetings with verbal/hearing staff, and the project facilitators are open to discussing other service solutions with the selected artists.

---

Question: I require additional services. Can grunt support?

Answer: Describers, CART, ASL interpreters, Interveners, or Support Care will be provided for any in-person or online meetings where there is speaking or visuals. Support will be discussed with the accepted participants but there is a budget to support access.

Travel to and from the gallery for a singular visit can be covered by the gallery.

Meetings or program subscriptions will be covered by grunt (Ex: Otter.ai, speechify, google meet, Zoom).

---

Question: Is my supplies budget included in the $2,000 artist fees?

Answer: Yes. Supplies and materials come out of the $2,000 artist fees at the artist’s discretion. This can include renting tools, buying tools, and purchasing materials. It is worth noting that this fee counts as income when you are doing your taxes—please be advised!

---

Question: Can my $2,000 artist fees be used towards caregiver support etc.?

Answer: Yes, your artist fees can be used at your discretion (meaning, there are no restrictions on how you use your funds). It is worth noting that this fee counts as income when you are doing your taxes—please be advised!

---

Question: Are there other funding sources that can support my project outside of the $2,000?

Answer: Not immediately. grunt staff facilitators will work with artists to create support letters or to co-author grants should the artist wish to seek additional funds. There are no additional funds available from grunt beyond the $2,000 per artist during the engagement, but grunt will work to support the artist in locating additional funds for ongoing projects if that is the support they want during the engagement.

---

Question: Can I get paid in increments/installments instead of a lump sum?

Answer: Yes. Artists can receive incremental payment and can dictate the sum. grunt gallery can pay out the sum over an extended period of time, but it must be fully paid out by June 30th, 2027.

---

Question: I don’t have a space to work out of. Can grunt support in providing space or rentals?

Answer: The $2,000 fee can be used towards renting a space, but grunt gallery does not have specific studio/making space available for our artists. grunt gallery does have an office space where the artist is welcome to work during their engagement as long as their production does not interfere with daily office operations. Access to the gallery will be limited to staff hours (Tu-F, Noon-5PM).

---

Question: Can I use the $2,000 towards studio rental in another location or studio membership?

Answer: Yes, you can use the $2,000 towards studio rental in another location or studio membership. There is no restriction on how you use the funds. It is worth noting that this fee counts as income when you are doing your taxes—please be advised!

---

Question: My medium requires [x amount of work and equipment]. Can Grunt provide funding for those supplies? Example: ceramic kiln, clay wheel, woodworking tools.

Answer: You can use your fee ($2,000) to fund these supplies. grunt gallery does not have an extra materials budget but can assist the artist in writing a letter to seek sponsorship or donations if they want that support. We do not have a studio, we have limited production equipment, and we do not have an additional materials budget.

---

Beyond the Engagement Project

Question: Are there future opportunities with grunt?

Answer: Artists who complete the non-verbal engagement program can’t join it again, but they are encouraged to apply for grunt gallery’s annual curatorial submissions in July or take part in the Mount Pleasant Community Art Screen (MPCAS). While participation doesn’t guarantee future selection, it helps artists build a connection with grunt. This makes it easier for the team to understand and support their work in the future.

In 2027, grunt gallery is planning to host a symposium that will welcome back past non-verbal and non-visual participants in the Accessible Engagement Program. More information will be shared on this soon.

---

Question: What additional support does the grunt team provide for the Non-Verbal Program? What is the grunt capacity?

Answer: During the engagement, artists are encouraged to discuss their practice and share their portfolios, goals, and barriers they have experienced, as well as ideas to better serve non-verbal artists in Contemporary art. Artists will have access to our staff, including our curator, archivist, and exhibition managers.

The two program facilitators will have up to 4 hours of weekly help to the selected artists. This time needs to be split between the artists and has to allow time for setup, meetings, roundtables, and final filming or creation of the archive object, but schedules will be discussed and transparently shared when the engagement is accepted.

Engagement artists are considered team members during the 6-week engagement and are encouraged to attend events or participate in learning opportunities if they so desire. If an installation is happening during the engagement, artists are welcome to support and shadow staff and exhibiting artists.

---

Question: I want to show my works in an exhibition. Will I have an opportunity to showcase my work publicly at the end of my program if not at Grunt?

Answer: Selected artists will either be interviewed or create something, like a video, that shows their experience with grunt. This will be added to grunt’s public archives and shared online when possible.

Artists can apply for an exhibition at grunt gallery by submitting a proposal in July through the regular submission process. During the program, artists can share their ideas with grunt staff to get feedback. If the submission process isn’t accessible, artists can also reach out to staff after the program for help with their proposal.

For works showcased outside of grunt, we can support accepted artists in creating a support letter for their application to other galleries and granting opportunities.

• Artist Statement, Transcript
• Artist biography, Transcript
• Creative Access Tour, Transcript

Artist Statement 

Audio note: The following artist statement was written by exhibiting artist Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé – audio read by exhibitions manager Kay Slater

CONTENT WARNING: 

This exhibition includes themes of loss, grief, mourning, and substance use.

Hǫǫsǫǫ dìik’analta’ de’ (take care of yourself)

As a way to process grief and loss, I have created a literal and metaphorical shelter that has been reclaimed, reconstructed, and revitalized. Having found myself in deep internal conflict following the loss of yet another family member to substance use, I invite you to enter Nee’ Shah | Our House to witness the importance of awakening sleeping materials as a method of navigating loss. Through the processing of natural materials with my family, I attempt to empower you to witness universal cycles of loss, grief, and mourning.

By way of patches, I translate text I have sent to family members that I have lost to or are currently experiencing substance use disorder. I do not personally experience substance use disorder; I am only a witness and a loved one to many that are experiencing or have experienced substance use disorder. Symbols, colours, and patterns that represent my Upper Tanana, Frisian, and French families and communities are present throughout the tent and act as protection, grounding, and connection. Natural materials were collected and processed collaboratively as a family and became a daily ritual in my self-growth and grief recovery. 

Nee’ Shah | Our House began while pursuing my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University under the guidance and influence of my Grandma Marilyn John. The exhibition explores themes of grief, loss, and remembrance. A special tsin’’įį choh (big thank you) to everyone that has stood by my side as I grieve the recent passings of my Grandma Marilyn John, Brother Stewart Chassé, Uncle Patrick Johnny, Uncle Peter van der Meer, and Cousin Duncan Stephen. 

Thank You:

I have been blessed with an abundance of teachers throughout my life, who share with me teachings, memories, stories, and language. This journey would not have been possible without contributors and supporters. Tsin’įį choh to my Ancestors, my family, my friends, my moosehide and fish tanning teachers, my Upper Tanana language teachers, and White River First Nation.

Artist Bio

Audio note: The following artist bio was written by exhibiting artist Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé – audio read by exhibitions manager Kay Slater. The bio begins with text written in Tanana and is not read in this audio recording.

Dineh k’èh Ddhälh kit Nelnah shǫǫsį’, nòodlèey k’èh Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé shǫǫsį’. Ts’òogot Gaay ts’änh diht’eh. Tthèe Tsa’ Niik ts’änh diht’eh. Amiskwaciy Wâskahikan dänh shih hǫǫłįį. Kwanlin dänh nìidhihshąąn. METULIYE Camosak tah huht’įįn. Shnąą Ttthìi’ Elgąy mǫǫsį’. Shnąą wunąą stsǫǫ Stsaay Ch’idzǜü’ mǫǫsì’, wunąą Nii’ii Jaiy, wunąą Laats’iih’ol, wunąą Gàan Dànihtl’įǫ. Shnąą wuta’ sts’aay Sid van der Meer moosi’. Shta’ Wilfred Chassé mǫǫsį’. Shta’ wunaa stsǫǫ Helen Chassé mǫǫsį’. Shta’ wuta’ sts’aay Louis Chassé mǫǫsį’.

Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé is a proud Niisüü Member of White River First Nation from Beaver Creek, Yukon and Alaska. She currently resides on Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ Territories in Victoria, British Columbia, although she travels home to the Yukon as often as she can. She is an Upper Tanana, Frisian, and French visual artist and curator. Her visual arts practice is invested in the awakening of sleeping materials and the reanimation of found objects that are rooted in understandings of identity. She has recently been exploring themes of grief, loss, family, community, and relationships in her installation works. 

Creative Access Audio Tour

Introduction

Welcome to grunt gallery’s creative access audio tour of Nay’ Shah | Our House, the exhibition project by artist Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé. My name is Kay Slater. I am a white, hard-of-hearing, queer settler on these stolen and unceded Coast Salish lands. As the accessibility and exhibitions manager and preparator here at grunt, I assisted in installing this work. I have reviewed this script with both our artist and curator, but any pronunciation errors or cultural misrepresentations are on me. We welcome your feedback as we develop more creative access tools for our gallery and exhibitions.

This tour has four chapters. The fourth chapter is split into seven parts, which allow you to jump back and forth through the exhibition descriptions when listening online or on the gallery’s audio players. The gallery transcript allows you to scrub the complete tour file using timestamps. At the start of each chapter, you will hear the sound of a page-turning:

[Page turning]

In Chapter One, I will detail the space and how to enter it and orient yourself in the gallery. In Chapter Two, I’ll describe our welcome station and the objects available for you to use and touch. Chapter Three covers our facilities, washrooms, and C-Care stations. If you’re ready to tour the show, skip to Chapter Four, where I will read the wall didactic and walk you through the show. If you are skipping ahead, be aware that the welcome station has a tactile map to help you navigate this tour. Chapter four is broken up into parts as I move to different artworks in the show. When I move to a new artwork, you will hear this sound of hide preparation:

[Scraping Hide]

This clip is from a longer audio piece in which Teresa prepares a hide like those exhibited in the show. It plays in the gallery throughout the exhibition.

Let’s get started with Chapter One.

[Page turning]

Chapter 1: Physically Entering the Space

When approaching grunt gallery at 350 East Second Avenue from the accessible drop-off on Great Northern Way, follow the sidewalk to the building’s main entrance. Turn left at the entrance, and you’ll find us at the first exterior door, unit 116. A low-grade ramp leads to our front double doors, with automatic door buttons at waist and ankle level on a post to the right. Be cautious of the small lip at the threshold, which is a potential tripping hazard. Excluding Thursdays, masks are now optional and only recommended indoors at grunt; if you forgot yours, we have extras near the entrance and will not enforce their use outside of Thursdays for low-sensory and voice-off visiting hours.

Welcome to grunt gallery! We are situated on the occupied, stolen, and ancestral territory of the Hul’qumi’num and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh speaking peoples, specifically the land of the X’wmuthqueyem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and Selilwitulh peoples and families. We are grateful to be here.

On the exterior windows, the artist provides a content warning that this exhibition includes themes of loss, mourning, and substance use. Please take care of yourself.

The current show features a giant canvas tent that takes up most of the gallery with a walking path along the west wall. If you require assistance and are not greeted by staff upon entry, please call for help. Staff are in the office and will assist you as soon as possible. We are always happy to walk the show with you.

The public gallery space is a white cube with 20-foot walls on three sides and a 12-foot south wall that opens 8 feet before reaching the ceiling, providing light to the loft office space beyond. The office is not visible from the gallery, except for a large convex mirror that allows staff to see visitors. A tone rings when people enter the space.

On low-sensory and voice-off Thursdays, a staff member will be available but will not greet you, allowing you to move at your own pace. If you are non-visual, call out for help anytime. If you are sighted, please silently approach a staff member. We have hard-of-hearing staff on site, so a visual wave may be required to get their attention.

[Page turning]

Chapter 2: grunt gallery’s welcome station

As you enter the gallery, immediately to the right on the west wall is a sanitization and welcome station. The station is white with black labels in English, high-contrast icons, and some braille labels. There are three open shelves, including the top surface, and the two shelves below can be pulled out towards you. Below that are two closed drawers with d-hook handles.

On top of the welcome station is our gallery spider plant, Comos, who is watered on Wednesdays. The top surface holds a leather-bound guestbook with a black pen, a bottle of hand sanitizer, and a box of masks with tongs. A digital tablet lets you browse the exhibition page on our grunt.ca website or access our Big Cartel eCommerce store.

On the first pull-out shelf, on the left, is the exhibition binder with large print information about the space, the show, the artist, a transcript of this tour, and the exhibition map. On the right are a series of tactile objects. Our tactile objects are creative access tools designed to create a point of entry for non-visual, Blind, or partially sighted guests who may wish to experience the work through touch or by bringing the objects close. However, tactile objects are also sensory objects that can be used by sighted folks who wish to feel a connection to the work and those who enjoy or are supported by having objects in their hands to touch. 

There are five plastic backs, each marked with an English label and a braille number. Number 1 contains Porcupine Quills, whose barbs have been cut from the ends. Number 2 contains a few Dentalium Shells. Teresa remarks that these are rarely used in this show because she was mostly focused on materials she harvested herself but included a few of these for tactile exploration. Number 3 contains Silverberry Seeds which have not yet been made into beads. Number 4 contains a coil of Moose Rawhide. Teresa shares that this is obtained when scraping a hide and getting it ready for tanning. It’s really hard and you need to get it wet to use. Number 5 is some Moose Backstrap Sinew. Teresa says that this is the tendon on the back of the moose. It’s stripped and peeled into these strips like jery and then pulled apart into these tendrils which she then spins into the threads she uses.

These tactile objects are provided as a sensory point of entry into the works and are not necessarily representative of the work or equivalent to experiencing the works through explorative touch. We do not present these objects assuming that you have never had access to them, but we also do not assume that you have had these experiences. Smell them, hold them, observe them. Use them however you’d like as you engage with the show. This show, in particular, can be touched with a gentle hand, and these objects allow for a close examination and manipulation of details.

On the second pull-out shelf, to the left, are laminated maps of the space. Also within these shelves is a flat 2D tactile map of the space. Use the tactile maps to follow along with the creative access tour while in gallery. Works are indicated by unique shapes glued to the map with pauses and descriptions with braille markers A through I. You are currently at location A.

To the right of the maps are two Yoto audio players with large, friendly buttons. These players contain this tour and audio of any text within the binder. On the wall to the left of the welcome station is a scannable QR code or tappable NFC tag that links to this audio tour. On Thursdays, the Yoto players are moved to their carrying cases for use with headphones.

Below these are the two closed drawers. The first contains carrying cases with straps for headphones and the Yoto audio devices, allowing hands-free use.

The lowest drawer contains earmuffs for large and small bodies, specifically for those with noise sensitivities.

That concludes the description and tour of the welcome station. In the next chapter, I will tell you about our washrooms and c-care stations. If you prefer to continue with the exhibition tour, skip to Chapter Four.

[Page turning]

Chapter 3: The Facility and Amenities

If you need to use the washroom, it’s at the far end of our space. Exit the gallery through the doorway and follow the west wall (to your right when you enter). Pass by the media lab, and when you reach the back wall, take a left and walk through the small kitchenette to our single-room, gender-neutral washroom.

If you’re using the 2D tactile map, the washrooms are located at H.

An automated door button to the right holds the washroom door open for 14 seconds. Inside, to the left of the door, is the lock button, which creates a visual indicator that the washroom is in use. To exit, you can open the door manually or hover your hand over a button above the sink, below the mirror.

Near the exit button is a vertical cubby stack of supplies. Please help yourself to items like hair ties, disposable floss, sanitary napkins, and condoms. This is part of our C-Care program, Community Care for Artist-Run Events.

Speaking of C-Care, we have a tea station in our media lab. During Nee’ Shah, this space is a quiet space for reflection and rest. If you need some energy, you can help yourself to a drink or a puréed fruit snack, and if you simply need a moment to reflect or collect yourself, you are welcome here.

If you’re using the 2D tactile map, the C-Care tea station is at location I also marked by the braille word Table.

We now arrive at Chapter Four, where I will begin the exhibition tour next to the welcome station, as if I had just entered the gallery, stepped right to sanitize my hands, and grabbed the tactile map.

[Page turning]

Chapter 4: The Exhibition Tour

4A. About the Show

Nee’ Shah | Our House invites visitors into a shelter constructed with salvaged materials, offering a space for mourning, reflection, and connection. This installation explores grief and loss, steeped in the traditions and teachings of the artist’s Upper Tanana, Frisian, and French heritage. Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé reanimates these “sleeping materials” to engage with cycles of life, death, and remembrance.

If you’re using the tactile map, we are at location A near the front of the gallery near the entrance.

On the wall behind and above the welcome station is wall didactic text in black vinyl that reads:

Nee’ Shah | Our House

Teresa Vander Meer-Chassé

Curated by Whess Harman

December 5, 2024 – February 1, 2025

Within the exhibition binder at the welcome station is the exhibition abstract or artist statement and artist bio, as well as the timestamped transcript of this tour. On the gallery’s exterior doors and within the binder, the artist states that this exhibition includes themes of grief, mourning, and substance use and reminds us to take care of ourselves.

Within the space is a huge canvas fishing tent pushed against the East and South walls or with your back to the entrance to the far left and against back wall. Behind that, the walls are painted a dark matte blue, and the baseboard trim is white. The West wall that continues through and out of the gallery back into the media lab is white with a blue trim. If you need assistance moving through the space or viewing any work, please feel free to call out for help while on-site or contact a staff member for assistance before arriving in the gallery.

Let us now move to the tent’s entrance.

[Scraping Hide]

4B. Taathǜh (Canvas Wall Tent)

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from the welcome station (A) to location B, the entrance of the tent.

Following the west wall from the welcome station about 2 metres or 6 feet away and turning 90 degrees left, we now face the East wall and the tent’s entrance. 

The tent is covered in weathered white canvas stretched over a gable-shaped frame. The entrance rises about 1.5 metres or 5 feet, so many visitors will need to duck slightly to enter through the zippered opening. The left side of the entrance is tied back, while the right side hangs loose, brushing the floor.

The canvas is visibly marked by Teresa’s craftsmanship: black and red blanket and long-armed stitches accentuate repaired seams and attached patches. These handstitched, decorative yet functional Friesian whitework stitches serve as a visual and tactile representation of history and care. While Teresa says, “Blanket stitches are just fun,” the long-armed embroidery comes from traditional lace work done in the Northern Netherlands, where her grandfather is from.

Peeking out from the bottom and edges of the tent is black ABS tubing, which forms the lightweight frame and serves as a cane-detectable boundary. In some places, the canvas and weatherproofing materials are frayed and shredded, and spill out a few centimetres from where the tent meets the ground.

Teresa shares: “The tent is reclaimed by my Dad Wilfred Chassé and I, with permission from our Elders and White River First Nation, from my Grandma Nelnah Bessie John’s Fish Camp. They were just going to throw it out, but we were able to get it.”

To the right of the entrance, large letters W.R.F.N, which stands for White River First Nation, are spray painted in blue above stencilled text that reads 12 by 14 by 4, 10 oz. F.R. The track lights in the gallery are low and shine directly down on the tent, allowing light to pass through a slightly thinner and more translucent fabric than on the thick sides.

Let’s move into the tent.

[Scraping Hide]

4C. Smoke Hole & Embroidery

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from the tent’s entrance (B) to location (C), just inside the tent.

Stepping into the tent, the sound and lights change. The gallery lights are diffused through the tent’s gabled ceiling. In other words, the ceiling posts angle in and meet at a tall point in the middle of the tent. The highest point of the tent runs East to West or from entrance to back, so be aware that you may bump your head as you move North or South inside the tent. With our backs to the entrance, let’s turn in place and face North towards the left wall of the tent. The sloping roof has a hole through which smoke could pass if there were a fire. A rectangle of patterned fabric sewn with thick, colourful thread in textured stitches frames the opening. Through it, the front gallery windows, and the winter-naked trees across the street can be seen. Following the seam along the right side of this decoration and down toward the low wall is a rectangle of hide on which a beaded floral design is embroidered. This special piece was Teresa’s grandmother, Nelnah Bessie John’s last piece of beadwork. If we crouch down, we can reach the side, which rises about a metre or just over 3 feet on the North and South walls. 

Facing the left tent wall, the canvas is visually divided into two sections by the thick black ABS pipe that forms part of the tent’s frame. While the pipe runs along three sides of the tent’s base, leaving the entrance unobstructed, its vertical posts define the structure. Each corner has a vertical post, with two additional vertical posts at the center of the North and South walls. These posts converge at the tent’s peak, dividing the white canvas into five distinct areas: two on the North wall, two on the South wall, and one large section on the back (East) wall.

Still facing the North or left wall, on the left side is a round black shape with a cross in the center. Teresa shares: “This is an old Upper Tanana symbol that relates to the sun and portals to other worlds.” It is drawn onto the side of the tent in black paint.

Let’s move towards the back of the tent, still facing the left wall.

[Scraping Hide]

4D. Beaded Patches and Messages

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from the tent’s interior entrance (C) to location (D), towards the back left corner of the tent.

Still facing the north or left side of the tent, a column of fabric shapes, just past the middle vertical tent post, is sewn. The column features a line of circles, each dotted in the centre, next to a line of half-moon circles that end in a serged or finished fabric. The canvas behind it continues and covers the rest of the wall before it stretches behind the corner post and continues across the back of the tent. Stitched to the canvas are dark fabric patches with beaded text. The scattered text works are created using tiny seed beads in different colours in bright contrast with the dark-coloured square patches. 

Teresa says the following about these works: “By way of patches, I translate text I have sent to family members that I have lost to or are currently experiencing substance use disorder. I do not personally experience substance use disorder; I am only a witness and a loved one to many who are experiencing or have experienced substance use disorder. Symbols, colours, and patterns representing my Upper Tanana, Frisian, and French families and communities are present throughout the tent and act as protection, grounding, and connection.

Some of the messages are kind of hidden, and if people need to push on the tent to read it, that’s ok. It’s like one of those hidden things where you must act to get at it.”

A red patch near the ground reads: “You got to get out of this”.

In the middle right, “Love you. Miss you lots.”

In the corner, a large patch, obscured by the vertical corner tent post, says, “I miss you every day. Your sister has passed, and I’m having so much difficulty. I can’t believe I’ve lost you both. I miss you so much. She has been missing you. I don’t think she was ever the same after you passed. I love you both so much.” 

Just past the corner, on the back wall in the upper left, it reads, “I miss you.” And the last patch in English in the back corner, a little bit over and down to the right of I Miss You, reads, “where you at? Have you seen them lately.”

[Scraping Hide]

4E. Ch’ithüh (Home-Tanned Hide)

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from the back left corner (D) to location (E), facing the back of the tent.

Standing in the centre of the tent and facing the back wall is a broad, white hide stretched across its width. Sections are tied with rigid, dried moose rawhide straps attached to the tent posts. The soft hide has split in places, leaving oblong holes dotted across the surface. The hide can be touched softly with clean hands.

Teresa says: This was gifted to me by my Grandma Gàan Dànihtl’įǫ Marilyn John after the moose hide we worked on for two summers had met an untimely and unfortunate end. The hide seen in the exhibition was completed by my Grandma Bessie over 24 years ago and gifted to me by my Grandma Marilyn. This was the last hide tanned in Beaver Creek.”

Dangling from the bottom edge is a fringe made of sinew spun by the artist from a tendon on a moose’s back. From each spun thread is a hard, black seed bead. Teresa says: “This is Dinǐik Tth’èe (Moose Backstrap Sinew) collected by my Mom Janet from a moose Dwayne had shot. It was processed by my Mom and me while my Grandma Marilyn taught us the method over speakerphone. And these are Donjek (Silverberry Seed Beads) gathered with my Mom Janet and Grandpa Sid van der Meer.” While these can be gently touched, take care not to pull at the threads.

A coil of rawhide used to tie up the hide is available in the tactile objects at the welcome station. A bundle of unprocessed sinew is also available, not yet spun into thread, and dried silverberry seeds before they are turned into beads.

Below the hide is another square patch, which is quite large and has a word written in Tanana. It is spelled i-h-t-s-ü-h. This patch also uses dentalium shells in the corner, one of the tactile objects at the welcome station. These thin, white, fang-like shells accent the four corners of the embroidered word.

There are a few other beaded patches on this wall, but no more with text. These use porcupine quills and colourful seed beads. A particularly intricate beadwork is placed behind the suspended hide in the upper right corner and a metre off the ground. The round beading is attached to a vertical piece of soft leather stitched into a patch, repairing the back wall. It reminds me of a sun or moon in front of which are shapes reminiscent of foliage or trees and some green starbursts that feel like bushes or small green patches of grass. The illustration is vibrant and high contrast, and the beading is dense and expertly constructed, but there is very little difference in texture, so the image is primarily accessible through sight rather than touch. Reaching the corner of the back and right wall, I will now shift to face the right or south and describe the final two sections of the tent.

[Scraping Hide]

4F. Mēet Thüh (Lake Trout Skin)

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from the back of the tent  (E) to location (F), in the back, right corner, facing the right wall of the tent.

I have turned 90 degrees right from the back wall and am now facing the left side of the right or south wall of the tent. While I have mostly kept to the centre of the tent, keeping my head and hair from touching the sloping canvas of the roof, I am compelled forward towards the left section of this wall to touch the oily and scaly piece of Lake Trout leather suspended from the cross beams of ABS pipe. If you are similarly compelled, please wash your hands or use the provided hand sanitizer at the welcome station, but also be aware that this is an oiled piece of fish leather. Please be gentle because it is dried fish skin, but it does have a little give. It is suspended at three corners in a letter-Y configuration by the firm, dried rawhide. The intricate and complex rows of scales are dark along the vertically positioned spine and become light towards the edges. There are a few holes where the skin has broken and separated, but the piece is mostly uniform and complete. It is large and occupies most of the wall area within the left section outlined by the plastic tent frame.

Of the fish skin, Teresa says: This is Mēet Thüh (Lake Trout Skin) caught by my Mom’s partner Dwayne Brew-ren. It was processed by myself, my Grandma Marilyn, my Mom Janet Vander Meer, Auntie Rose-mar-ee Vandermeer, and Niece Sophia Vandermeer using the oil-tan technique shared with us by Yukon artist and fish tanner Shair-el Mik-Lean. 

[Scraping Hide]

4G. Nuun Ch’oh (Porcupine Quills)

If you’re using the tactile map, we are moving from location (F) in the back, right corner, facing the right wall of the tent, to location (G) the nearest right corner left of the tent’s exit.

The southwest corner, or the corner to the left of the exit, is the last section of the tent to describe. Near the middle tent post is another column of fabric shapes, mirroring the column of dotted circles and half-moon shapes from the left wall. However, instead of ending in a finished edge, this section is lined in metal grommets through which a red-flecked cord, often used for tents or rigging, has been laced in a crisscross, lashing the fabric together. The excess rope is then coiled around the horizontal cross beam of ABS pipe, further securing the lightweight tent frame and creating an interesting visual and tactile texture one would expect inside a tent.

In the remaining square section of the canvas are three more beaded patches. One features two vertical rows of stacked, flat beads made of porcupine quills, their barbs trimmed.

Of this work, Teresa says: “The Porcupine Quills were collected with my Mom Janet off a porcupine Dwayne had killed for my Uncle Patrick Johnny. Uncle Pat was eager to eat, so we had to be as fast as possible.”

There are two more beaded text works. 

The first reads: “My brother passed away on Thursday. Please, if you get this message or call me.”

The second, beaded in porcupine quill beads, reads: “I don’t want to lose you too.”

Turning around 90 degrees, we face the tent’s exit.

[Scraping Hide]

Exiting the tent, we face the West gallery wall. Following that wall to the left, it leads us out of the gallery and into the media lab. There is a bench, a quiet space, and our C-CARE tea station. Take a break and rest here as you reflect on the work. As Teresa says – take care of yourself. If you need to chat with someone, call up – the staff area is just above the media lab, and someone will come down.

[Scraping Hide]

With that, we conclude the described tour of Nee’ Shah | Our House. Later, during the exhibition’s run, we will have a publication available for the show and an alternative text version available in plain text or text-to-speech generated audio, both on our website and through the Yoto players in the gallery.

Thank you so much for joining us on this creative access audio tour! We’d love to hear your thoughts on this experience and how we can improve it. If you carried any tactile object(s) during the tour, please return it to the welcome station! We acknowledge that we cannot be everything to everyone and respect that our creative access explorations may not serve your needs. You can reach us at access@grunt.ca or chat with any of the staff on-site with any feedback you have the capacity to provide.

Thank you again.

The following are the questions to be submitted to be considered for the 2025 Non-Verbal Co-Learning Engagement. The questions below include tips and expanded information to help you better understand what we are asking. The questions without annotation are available for download in Plain Text (email aep@grunt.ca), or on Google Forms.

• Name:
  
  • You can provide us with your birth name, your chosen name, or your artist name. Only selected engagement artists will need to provide us with a legal name for the sake of contracts.
    
• Email or Phone:
  
  • Provide both or either. The program facilitators are both hard of hearing and don’t talk on the phone, but can send texts.

Identity Questions:

• This engagement is limited to artists, makers, and knowledge keepers who are non-verbal, are deaf or hard of hearing, have a non-verbal or silent practice, or are Deaf or Hard of Hearing with a non-verbal practice. Tell us how you self-identify.
  
  • Self-identification means you tell us how you identify, and we do not require a doctor’s note. You know yourself and your access needs.
    
• Are you a member of MST (Musqueam, Squamish, Tsleil Waututh) host nations and families?
  
• Are you a person of racialized experience?
  
  • Using “racialized” instead of BIPOC refers to people or groups who are socially defined as belonging to a racial category other than the dominant or privileged group in a specific society. In colonially-defined Canada, this typically means anyone who is not white. While we, as an arts community, aim to prioritize and uplift Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (settler and otherwise), using terms like BIPOC can unintentionally homogenize diverse identities and erase specific cultural and racial experiences.
    
    By using “racialized,” we focus on the processes and impacts of systemic racism without flattening the diversity of experiences across racial and ethnic groups. If you prefer to identify as BIPOC or with a specific racial or cultural group, we welcome you to let us know. Similarly, if you identify with the term “racialized,” please feel free to share that with us!
    
• Do you identify as Trans, Queer, Deaf/deaf/hard of hearing, neurodiverse, mad, or otherwise excellent? Tell us about your intersectional identity (if you want)!
  
• Which city or territory do you live in within the colonially defined province of BC?
  
  • You must live within the Greater Vancouver Regional District when you apply. Our funding is provided by the province of British Columbia and this engagement program is limited to be people living within Metro Vancouver.

Artist Questions:

• Tell us about yourself. (250 word limit)
  
  • The next two questions ask about your art practice and what you plan to do during the engagement period – this question is more about who you are as a artist. Tell us what is important to you, what you’re proud of or what you aspired to do as an artist.
    
• How does non-verbal communication, De’VIA, or silence show up in your practice and work? Why do you explore silence, non-verbal communication or De’VIA? (250 word limit)
  
  • Tell us about your non-verbal or silence practice! How does non-verbal communication such as movement, light, illustration, text, signing, or other non-verbal practices show up in your art? Tell us about your process and methods!
    
• What would you like to explore during the 6-week engagement if you were to participate? (250 word limit)
  
  • While you do not have to produce anything for grunt gallery, except for the deliverables listed on the Non-Verbal Co-Learning Engagement Page, we hope that you will get a chance to work on your on-going or on new projects while you’re engaged as an artist with grunt. If you do not have any specific plans to make or create during the engagement, what do you hope to share or learn with grunt during the 6-weeks?

Support Materials

• Please attach your CV (1 page).
  
  • Your CV is documentation of your creative and professional achievements within the arts. Please focus on exhibitions, residencies and grants, publications, commissions and collaborations, collections and creative work. It can include academic history if you want, but we are more interested in your artistic career or artistic achievements. Don’t worry if it’s short – just focus on relevant information that you are proud of. If it’s really long, consider focusing on achievements that are connected to your non-verbal practice.
    
• Please attach support materials (maximum of 10 images, 5 minutes of video or audio, and seven pages of written materials at 14 pt or higher). If support materials are supplied in languages besides English, please indicate the language in the file name or your application comments.
  
  • Send us video, pictures or writing that shows you engaged in your non-verbal practice or works you have produced during your non-verbal practice. If any of the work is sensitive or explores challenging themes – please consider the people reading your application and provide content warnings.

---

Application Options:

• Google Forms
• Download Plain Text Version
  • Email aep@grunt.ca

---

Return to the Non-Verbal Co-Learning Engagement Information Page
Return to the Accessible Engagement Project Page

Title: Co-Lead of Accessible Engagement Project (AEP)
Pronouns: she/her
Email: shanna@grunt.ca
Ask them about: Accessible Engagement Project (AEP)

Name Pronunciation: Shah – nah

Biography

Shanna is a Curator bringing in experience collaborating with disadvantaged youths, emerging BIPOC artists and the Disability community in disability and BIPOC led community projects and exhibitions. She continues to work with artists with disabilities in consultation and developing transformative critical models in art spaces, expanding on inclusive curation, exhibition accessibility design, artist residencies and public programming.

She approaches projects through the disability justice lens of comfort and care practices, supporting the professional development and ongoing learning with, for and by artists with disabilities. Shanna is a Canadian-Chinese Hard of Hearing Curator, Project Coordinator and Printmaker.

Contact Information

Email: shanna@grunt.ca
Shanna is Hard of Hearing and lipreads to communicate. She responds best through email and text messaging platforms. She is an oral speaker and will speak first to communicate. Feel free to send a quick email and/or text at shanna@grunt.ca.

Visual Description

She is small in stature, and you will find her wearing earthly-toned cozy outfits with a bounce in her small steps.

Title: Exhibitions and Accessibility Manager
Co-Lead: Accessible Engagement Project with Shanna Cheng
Pronouns: They/Them/Theirs
Email: kay@grunt.ca
Ask them about: Exhibitions, Access, Thursday’s Voice-Off and Low Sensory Visiting Hours, AEP, their cat Bobo.

Biography

Kay Slater (Exhibitions and Accessibility Manager) is a multidisciplinary artist, creative access practitioner, accessibility consultant, exhibition designer, and arts worker. At grunt gallery, they work to plan and build exhibitions alongside our exhibiting artists as a preparator with more than 10 years of experience. They are co-lead on the Accessible Engagement Project (AEP), and chair the grunt accessibility committee.

They enjoy working directly with artists and organizations to build accessibility in at the planning stage, and to incorporate sustainable, grass roots strategies that support evolution in artistic presentation. Their work is rooted in anti-oppression practices, and they employ open source and community-engaged approaches to support ongoing knowledge transfer with makers and creators at all stages of their careers. They proudly work with the team at Queer ASL, and have completed the Rick Hansen Foundation’s Accessibility Certification program. Kay is passionate about sharing knowledge with the wider arts community, addressing assumptions, and embracing mistakes. Kay is a white european descendant and settler and is working to unlearn, relearn, and practice staying in their lane.

Kay is queer, mad and hard of hearing. They subscribe to the New Sincerity philosophy, which encourages people to embrace love and authenticity and to be more awesome.

Contact Information

Email: kay@grunt.ca
Kay is hard of hearing and cannot hear on the phone. Voice messages by email are fine as they will use a caption tool or email you for more information. You can also call the gallery,  604–875–9516, and leave a message. Kay is a sometimes oral speaker, choosing to go non-verbal during special projects, to respect Deaf spaces, and to respect their own hearing fatigue. They lipread, use live captions, and text message to communmicate.

Visual Description

Kay is a white, middle-aged person with back-length hair the colour of wet West Coast sand. Their hair is shaved at the sides and back, and they often wear it up and away from their face. They have cow-brown eyes, a triple-pierced nose, double-pierced lip, and large, rosy cheeks. They have a yellowed, tea-stained, teeth-exposing smile that crinkles the corner of their eyes. They are of average to large build and stand 5’6 or 168 cm. Their figure reads as femme, and their clothing is neutral and casual in colour, fabric and style. Kay’s typically fingerspells their name in a quick cursive K-A-Y.