e189 tanya kalmanovitch - mobilizing the power of the arts

What happens is that you have arts and environment initiatives popping up all over the place, but everyone's pitted against one another in competing for the same grants, right? So it makes it extraordinarily difficult to organize, to strategize, and to act with a collective insight about where it is that we need to go and how we can really mobilize the power of the arts.This episode is a lot of fun. When I arrived at No 9 Gardens near Kingston, Tanya Kalmanovitch and her dog Finn were ready to go for a soundwalk on a sunny June 26th 2024 at 7.15am. My previous conscient conversation with Tanya was recorded remotely in June of 2011 (see e53 kalmanovitch – nurturing imagination) where we talked about music, ethnomusicology, arts education, the climate emergency, arts policy and how artistic practice can nurture imagination.Our second conversation, equally as engaged and dynamic (but this time in person, and outdoors), picked up on some of these themes with a focus on the impact of Tar Sands Songbook, a documentary theatre play that tells the stories of people whose lives have been shaped by living in close proximity to oil development and its effects. I had the pleasure of seeing Tanya perform the Tar Sands Songbook at Carleton University (with thanks to Ellen Waterman) in Ottawa and wanted to ask Tanya how it went, and in particular, what it’s like to tour a show about climate change through art, in Alberta. Tanya wears many hats: she is a violist, an ethnomusicologist, and author known for her breadth of inquiry and restless sense of adventure, including an interest in improvisation, social entrepreneurship, and social action, such as being the mission circle lead of the Sectoral Climate Arts Leadership for the Emergency organization or SCALE which by now, regular listener will know : a network of artists, cultural practitioners, and arts organisations committed to addressing the climate emergency and environmental injustice.As we walked in the wet fields of No9 gardens I love how Tanya doesn’t hold her punches: ‘The end of the world as we know it’ is also a biased perspective, when you say that phrase, right? I'm pretty sure that the earth will keep going and it'll just sort of shake us off like some fleas; the dog scratches the fleas off and it will regenerate.The field where we walked was mushy so you’ll hear of that rich dampness in the recording and our boots and running around of Finn the dog. You’ll also hear, near the end of our conversations children’s entertainer Mr. Rogers, where Tanya sings : It's you I like, not the things you wear, not the way you wear your hair. It's you I like. The way you are right now. The things down deep inside you. It's not the ear inside you. It's not your toys, they’re just beside you…I like you just the way you are, Tanya. Thanks for the full circle walk. We had a lot of fun and so did Finnigan.Note: I inserted 5 second silences throughout the recording to give some space to the soundwalk.  *END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODESHey conscient listeners, I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020 on un-ceded Anishinaabe Algonquin territory (Ottawa). It’s my way to give back.In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.Your feedback is always welcome at [email protected] and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.Share what you like, etcI am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. Claude SchryerLatest update on November 13, 2025

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