Dance Saskatchewan (DSI) and The Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) are looking for an artist(s) to partner with researcher Glenn Sutter for a dance project collaboration to be filmed and shared. The project being created will use dance to artistically showcase and explain a scientific research topic, artist(s) will work with Glenn to understand and gain knowledge on a topic of interest and then create a piece that focuses on one of the outlined research topics. The artist(s) will be required to read scientific research papers and data to fully understand the research and theories, with guidance from Glenn. The chosen artist(s) will have from February 1st – March 31st to complete the project if selected, with filming of the project in early April. The completed project will be showcased and shared publicly by DSI and RSM.
Budget Maximum: $8,500
Application Deadline: January 3rd
All artist applicants must be current residents of Saskatchewan to apply. We welcome applications from all types of dance artists, who meet the criteria, regardless of ability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender identity, or race.
Glenn Sutter Bio
Dr. Glenn Sutter is Curator of Human Ecology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum and adjunct professor of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Regina. Along with his teaching and community engagement work, he studies how different aspects of heritage can support sustainability education, with an emphasis on food security, systems thinking, and nature connection.
Research Interests
As someone who has always loved to study nature and people, I am intrigued by strategies that individuals and communities use to withstand and recover from stress. For much of my career, I pursued this interest as a lab and field biologist interested in physiology and wildlife conservation. More recently, I have been pursuing it as a human ecologist interested in education for sustainable development, with emphasis on community engagement, sense of place, and personal creativity.
My current research program has two broad themes: the role of systems thinking in sustainability work, and the potential impact of sustainability issues on cultural evolution. These are important lines of enquiry, given that many current economic and land-use practices are unsustainable. Instead of enhancing human welfare, these practices lead to environmental damage, socio-economic disparity, and net declines in different types of capital. It is also clear that some pervasive cultural norms are problematic, including consumerism, misleading economic measures, and long-standing gaps that isolate people from each other and from nature. Find some descriptions of my research below.
Research Topics
Heritage and Food Security – How aspects of natural and cultural heritage support local practices aimed at producing, acquiring, and sharing food. The team behind this research is currently working on papers from a recent project, where an online survey and in-person interviews shed light on food-related concerns and responses to the covid pandemic. Heritage shows up in the results in several ways, from local stories and knowledge about food production, to the stewardship of wildlife habitats and traditions associated with hunting and gathering. The survey went province-wide, so it uncovered some differences between rural and urban populations. The interviews were aimed at rural communities, especially Val Marie, which has strong ranching and farming traditions, and Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, which is developing a “food forest” and working to maintain Indigenous approaches to food security.
Heritage as a basis for Sustainable Communities – I’ve been addressing this topic by talking to interested groups and publishing papers about the ecomuseum model, where local heritage assets are interpreted in situ and used as a catalyst for sustainable community development. Val Marie, White City, and the Regina Civic Museum have all been applying this approach for a while with a focus on local identity, and residents in the Qu’Appelle Valley have set up the Calling Lakes Ecomuseum to address concerns about local water quality.
Creativity and Nature Connection – I’ve been studying this topic since 2015, through the Songs for Nature program. The results show that encouraging people to pursue their creative interests in natural settings leads to a deep and lasting appreciation for nature, as well as strong social bonds and improved sense of wellbeing. This is partly why we decided to include lyric videos for songs that were created through this program in the last part of our Home gallery. You’ll find details about the program here: https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/research/sustainability/songs-4-nature, and an overview of Home here: https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/visit/exhibits/home.
Cultural Traps – Humanity is drawn to some ideas and cultural norms like a moth to a flame. These things seem to be positive, but they actually have dire consequences. That idea is not new, but it’s only recently been considered from systemic and evolutionary perspectives. The results point to at least 14 different cultural traps that need to be studied and actively avoided. My colleagues and I have just started to think about how museums are connected to these traps.
Find some more literature on some of the topics in the link below.
For any questions/inquires please reach out to Senyo Akakpo at outreach@dancesask.com
