Case Study 1: Women's Labour History - Restaurant Work in the Greater Vancouver Area
Limited tickets available for non-Symposium Registrants at Showpass.
6:30 PM Reception, Conference Registration, Archival Exhibits
7:15 PM Welcome and Opening
7:30 PM Case Study 1 Presentation by Sara Diamond (OCAD U), Karen Knights (VIVO), Mia Chi Vu (SFU)
The researchers will reflect on three decades of labour in the restaurant sector along three themes: work and labour activism, representation, and archival absence. Research draws from fonds at VIVO, SFU, UBC, and City of Vancouver archives, and demonstrates the Crossing Fonds platform/ecosystem.
Details on the Crossing Fonds Symposium here.
* Please note that symposium registrants do not need to purchase a ticket for this event.
Image: Sara Diamond fonds
VIVO is located in the homelands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples in a warehouse space at 2625 Kaslo Street south of East Broadway at the end of E 10th. Transit line 9 stops at Kaslo Street on Broadway. From the bus stop, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight decline. The closest skytrain station is Renfrew Station, which is three blocks south-east of VIVO and has an elevator. From there, the path is paved, curbless, and on a slight incline. There is parking available at VIVO, including wheelchair access parking. There is a bike rack at the entrance. The front entrance leads indoors to a set of 7 stairs to the lobby.
A wheelchair ramp is located at the west side of the main entrance. The ramp has two runs: the first run is 20 feet long, and the second run is 26 feet. The ramp is 60 inches wide. The slope is 1:12. The ramp itself is concrete and has handrails on both sides. There is an outward swinging door (34 inch width) at the top of the ramp leading to a vestibule. A second outward swinging door (33 inch width) opens into the exhibition space. Buzzers and intercoms are located at both doors to notify staff during regular office hours or events to unlock the doors. Once unlocked, visitors can use automatic operators to open the doors.
There are two all-gender washrooms. One has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The other is a single room with a urinal and is wheelchair accessible: the door is 33 inches wide and inward swinging, without automation. The toilet has 11 inch clearance on the left side and a handrail.
To reach the bathrooms from the studio, exit through the double doors and proceed straight through the lobby and down the hall . Turn left, and the two bathrooms will be on your right side. The closest one has a stall and is not wheelchair accessible. The far bathroom is accessible.
Dr. Sara Diamond was OCAD University’s President and Vice-Chancellor for 15 years with her tenure ending on June 30, 2020. A visionary leader, Dr. Diamond led OCAD University to retain and expand its traditional strengths in art and design while transforming it to become a leader in graduate education, research and digital media. Upon ending her term as President and Vice-Chancellor, OCAD University appointed Dr. Diamond President Emerita, in recognition of her long and distinguished service to the University. She has been active as a video curator, cultural critic, television-video producer, and instructor in video production and theory at art centres and colleges throughout North America. She has taught at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design, the California Institute for the Arts, University of California in Los Angeles and the new Technical University of British Columbia.
Karen previously worked at VIVO as Librarian, Distributor, and Programming Coordinator (1984-1999) and as an independent curator and critic. She has a special passion for artist-run centre archives and has been commissioned to create historical surveys and touring exhibitions for EM Media (Calgary) and ED Video (Guelph), and writings based on the Western Front and VIVO collections. Her essay “Abundant Harvest: The Recordings of Calgary Video Artists and Independents” was recently included in EM Media’s 30th anniversary publication “Expanded Standard Time”.
Mia Chi Vu is a second-year master’s student in Communication at SFU. Before her MA program, she completed her BA (Hons) in Communication at SFU alongside a double minor in Print and Digital Publishing and Business Administration. Her research interests lie in feminist and queer media studies, and she’s currently looking at Vietnamese queer subcultures as part of her MA thesis.