CiTR

JODI GRAY (she/her) has been the Program Manager for Aoki Ross House since it opened in 2021. As an advocate for 2STGD housing, she regularly speaks about the needs and struggles of the 2STGD community. Most recently, Jodi spoke at the Ted X East Cordova event.

She has also been a guest on podcasts and works on research projects and sits on boards and advisory committees with the hope of improving the lives of 2STGD people. Jodi has been instrumental in starting the Authentic Courage Gala to benefit 2STGD housing.

On November 23, 2024, AOKI HOUSE will be hosting this Gala which aims to spotlight the critical need for housing within the Two-Spirit, Trans, Gender Diverse community. 2STGD people are disproportionately represented in the homeless population, and many are reluctant to seek shelter due to the hardships they encounter because of their gender identity.

Opened in 2021, Aoki Ross House provides a safe haven for 23 individuals from the 2STGD community. It stands as the only project of its kind in Western Canada. Learn more by visiting their socials @freeofviolence or their website www.atira.bc.ca



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Each November—for 28 years and counting—the Eastside Arts Society has produced the Eastside Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design & Craft Festival, in which artists in Vancouver’s Eastside open their studios to the public. The event involves painters, jewellers, sculptors, furniture makers, weavers, potters, printmakers, photographers, glassblowers— ranging from emerging artists to those internationally established. To learn more about this annual event and all the artists taking part, visit their website at www.culturecrawl.ca

QueerFM has two of the participating artists on the show to talk about their work both together and apart.

Canadian artist KARI KRISTENSEN (she/her) is best known for her bold, monochromatic linoleum prints of the local landscape. With its emphasis on the interplay of line and light, her work is the perfect reflection of the West Coast. She works in both print and paint, the murals being a super-sized extension of the original prints. Learn more about the artist on their Instagram at @theprintmakerandherdog


TARA LEE BENNETT (she/her) is a paper artist and sculptor who lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia. Tara Lee Bennett creates a world in paper. Meticulously she draws, cuts and assembles seemingly, impossibly too-small pieces of paper into elaborate creations that are intricate and time consuming. You can find the artist on Instagram at @tara.lee.bennett