Upcoming Events

On January 29th, Entro will host a 1-hour panel, Reclaiming Our Spaces: Design, Community and Co-creation, the fifth instalment of our online webinar series.

Creating inclusive spaces is nothing new, rather it’s a fundamental that in light of the pandemic and social movements of the last year is back at the forefront of many conversations. We’ve learned that when it comes to diversity and inclusion, the status quo isn’t enough and that our idea of inclusivity, and more importantly how we make inclusivity possible, needs to constantly evolve. The design process now demands a community engagement strategy that aims to serve users more honestly and more meaningfully.

Arts, culture and placemaking, are ideal vehicles for inclusivity and equally key in the recovery of our cities from the pandemic. That is why we’ve asked experts who have long been reimagining our public spaces to share their experience and insights on spaces that are made for and by communities, and the engagement and design interventions that make this possible. We ask: how has the idea of inclusivity changed in the past year? How is the community engagement process changing for designers as a result? Is there a shift to co-creation? How does that impact the design of public spaces, and most importantly how can it help in rebuilding our communities post-pandemic?

Register here and join us for this live panel discussion on Friday January 29th! A link will be sent to registrants on the day of the webinar.

PANELISTS:
Dr. Julie Nagam, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts, Collaboration and Digital Media
Heela Omarkhail, Vice President, Social Impact at Daniels
Philippe Demers, CEO & Creative Director at MASSIVart
Pru Robey, President at Pru Robey Consulting
Rochelle Maresh, Workplace Strategist at Alliiance Architects 

MODERATOR: 
Vedran Dzebic, Head of Research and Development at Entro

PANELIST: Dr. Julie Nagam, Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts, Collaboration and Digital Media
Dr. Julie Nagam (Métis/German/Syrian) is a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Arts, Collaboration and Digital Media and is an Associate Professor in the department of Art History at the University of Winnipeg. She is the inaugural Artistic Director for 2020/21 for Nuit Blanche Toronto, the largest public exhibition in North America. Dr. Nagam’s SSHRC research includes digital makerspaces + incubators, mentorship, digital media + design, international collaborations and place-based knowledge. She is a collective member of GLAM, which works on curatorial activism, Indigenous methodologies, public art, digital technologies, and engagement with place. As a scholar and artist she is interested in revealing the ontology of land, which contains memory, knowledge and living histories. Her artistic work has been exhibited internationally, including in Brazil, France, New Zealand, and England, which includes solo and group exhibitions. Nagam’s scholarship, curatorial and artistic practice has been featured nationally and internationally. She was the Concordia University and Massey University (NZ) Scholar in Residence for 2018/19, and will be the Terra Foundation Visiting Scholar at the University of Sydney (AUS) for 2021-22. Dr. Nagam is the Director of Aabijijiwan New Media Lab and Co-Director of Kishaadigeh Collaborative Research Centre in Winnipeg, Canada.

PANELIST: Heela Omarkhail, Vice President, Social Impact at Daniels
Heela Omarkhail is Vice President, Social Impact at The Daniels Corporation, a leading GTA based builder-developer. She is responsible for corporate mandates and strategic initiatives that look beyond the bricks and mortar to ensure that the social, cultural and economic infrastructures of communities built by Daniels are as strong as the new buildings. Since 2009, Heela has been working on Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the revitalization of Regent Park in Toronto’s Downtown East. The revitalization of the 69-acre social housing neighbourhood to a mixed-income and mixed-use community is looked to around the world as a model for creating healthy, inclusive and resilient communities.

PANELIST: Philippe Demers, CEO & Creative Director at MASSIVart
Philippe Demers is a Montreal entrepreneur who has been working in the arts and culture sector for over ten years. In 2009, he founded MASSIVart, of which he is today the Global Creative Director. MASSIVart is a global art consultancy and production agency collaborating with emerging and established artists, architects, developers, designers and creative talent to create architectural design, commissioned works of art and cultural programs. Philippe also founded Chromatic, a vibrant art experience that gathered more than 500 artists and 50 000 festival goers in Montreal, Paris and Toronto. Philippe has received several nominations and mentions as a creative entrepreneur, the latest being CODAworx, which selected him as one of “25 creative revolutionaries who are leading the way to positive change”.

PANELIST: Pru Robey, President at Pru Robey Consulting
Pru has built her reputation over three decades as an arts executive, trusted advisor to the pubic, private, and non-profit sectors in Canada and UK, and passionate advocate for the transformative impact of the arts on people and communities. The centerpiece of Pru’s consulting practice is the development of innovative, multi-sector approaches to support arts and cultural sector development, creative economy activation, and inclusive creative placemaking. Previously Vice President at Artscape in Toronto, Pru led the research and development, program design, and stakeholder engagement for major new arts facilities including Daniel’s Spectrum, Artscape Daniels Launchpad, and Artscape Weston Hub.

PANELIST: Rochelle Maresh, Workplace Strategist at Alliiance Architects
As a workplace strategist, designer, and project leader, Rochelle Maresh thrives on working closely with clients to advance business goals, foster employee engagement, stimulate innovation, and promote organizational wellness. Her research and planning recognize the diversity of work styles that both accelerate client innovation and inspire customer confidence. Passionate about employee well-being and wellness, Rochelle helps organizations create livable, healthy work environments through an inclusive and interactive design process. She has guest lectured at local universities and conferences including IIDA Northland Minnecon, USGBC IMPACT, and IFMA Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter. Rochelle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design from the University of Minnesota.

MODERATOR: Vedran Dzebic, Head of Research and Development at Entro
Vedran leads the research and development practices at Entro. His work sits at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience and environmental design. Through the use of innovative techniques and technologies such as virtual reality, computer vision and machine learning, he explores how the physical environment shapes how we think, feel and behave. By applying rigorous yet human-centred research perspectives, he advances the mandate of building stronger connections between people and place. His expertise ranges from the study of visual complexity within urban environments, to biophilic design, to the role of emerging technologies in shaping how we think about our surroundings.