Calling all Indigenous filmmakers and visual storytellers! The Response Program is an opportunity to create a short video work through exploratory workshops devised by Indigenous artists and mentors. The full experience is led by Secwépemc artist and Assistant Curator at The Polygon Gallery, Serena Steel. Inspired by diverse approaches to film and media across contemporary Indigenous art, Response: Where Rivers Meet invites participants to interpret the theme of confluence. Together we will consider the currents that flow, erode, and shape our landscapes, physical or otherwise.

Workshops will take place primarily online during Summer 2025, helping participants to create an original film-based work on this year’s theme that will be shown at The Polygon Gallery, North Vancouver in early 2026.

This program is open to artists of all ages and skill-levels, though a basic understanding of technology is an asset. If you’re a beginner, let us know! We want to hear from you about why you’re interested in Response.

The program is free, and participants will receive $650 honorarium upon its successful completion.

Eligibility
– Be of Indigenous ancestry (First Nations, Metis, or Inuit).
– Reside in British Columbia.
– Have an interest or practice in visual/media arts.
– Have a device that shoots video (cell phone cameras are welcome).
– Commit to attending a minimum of four out of six workshops. Sessions take place on Saturday mornings in July and August.
– Priority is reserved for emerging artists.

We thank all who express interest in this opportunity.

To apply, please fill out the online submission form here.

If you have questions please contact response@thepolygon.ca.

Applications close Sunday, June 1, 2025.

Selected participants will be notified by Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Photo: Alison Boulier

About The Response Program
In 2014, Response—an outreach program that lifts the voice of Indigenous Youth— was successfully piloted. Relaunched in 2020, Response is now an annual program involving a series of workshops led primarily by and for Indigenous people, culminating in an exhibition of participants’ work at The Polygon. The program invites ways of responding artistically to historical and contemporary images of Indigenous cultures.

Photo: Alison Boulier

About Response’s Curator
Serena Steel is a Secwépemc interdisciplinary artist from Simpcw First Nation whose practice takes the form of beadwork, sculpture, and storytelling. Her work revolves around acts of care, reciprocity, and belonging. Steel currently works on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. She holds a BFA in Critical and Cultural Practice from Emily Carr University with a minor in Social Practice and Community Engagement.

Photo: Akeem Nermo

About The Polygon Gallery
Grounded in photography, The Polygon Gallery creates space to challenge how we see the world.  A West Coast architectural marvel, since opening its doors in 2017 it has presented the work of thousands of artists, from international stars to the country’s most exciting emerging talent.

The Polygon Gallery is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm, and late on Thursdays to 9 pm. Admission to The Polygon is always by donation, courtesy of BMO Financial Group.

Banner image: Photo by Alison Boulier