Arts

Watch Now: 4 visionary artists. 1 urgent conversation about art and social justice

Watch André Alexis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Rebecca Belmore and Deepa Mehta launch the series live on CBC Arts on September 20th.

Landmark new event brings together André Alexis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Rebecca Belmore and Deepa Mehta

Clockwise from top left: André Alexis, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Rebecca Belmore and Deepa Mehta. (Clockwise from top left: Hannah Zoe Davison/Matt Barnes/Mark Peckmezian/Martin Lipman)

 

Creative Minds is a new series of events that bring together visionary artists to discuss their work and the urgent social, political and cultural issues of our time. Tonight at Toronto's Massey Hall, the series will launch with author André Alexis, musician/artist Buffy Sainte-Marie, artist Rebecca Belmore and filmmaker Deepa Mehta — and you can watch the event live here on CBC Arts beginning at 8pm EST.

Want to see the event in person at Massey Hall? Buy tickets now.

Four Canadian cultural institutions — the Art Gallery of Ontario, Massey Hall, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity — have come together to create the initiative with the support of series presenters Jonas and Lynda Prince. Each event features four exceptional artists from diverse disciplines brought together to discuss a "timely contemporary issue through the lens of their art and life experience." The conversations will be moderated by a leading journalist and each event opens with a musical performance, a nod to the legacy of Massey Hall.

The inaugural conversation with Alexis, Sainte-Marie, Mehta and Belmore will tackle one of today's most urgent issues: social justice and the political and cultural barriers to inclusion and equality. Opening with a special performance by critically acclaimed soprano Measha Brueggergosman and moderated by CBC Metro Morning host Matt Galloway, the series launch will unfold with a discussion of each artist's relationship to activism, resistance and reconciliation through the lens of their work and life experiences.

Check back here for live stream of the event!