REDx Talks: A Tradition of Innovation

Speaker Bios

CRIS DERKSEN
Cris Derksen is an Aboriginal cellist/composer and 2016 Instrumental Album Juno Nominee. Cris is known for building layers of sound into captivating performances. Her music braids the traditional and contemporary in multiple dimensions, weaving her traditional classical training and her Aboriginal ancestry with new school electronics, creating genre defying music. Derksen has performed with some of Canadian's Indigenous favourite artists such as Buffy Sainte Marie, Tanya Tagaq, A Tribe Called Red and Kinnie Starr to name a few. Cris tours nationally and internationally and is originally from Northern Alberta; a line of chiefs from North Tail Cree reserve on her father’s side and a line of strong Mennonite homesteaders on her mother’s side

JERILYNN WEBSTER
Jerilynn Webster, aka JB the First Lady, is a member of the Nuxalk & Onondaga Nations. She is a Vancouver-based female hip hop/spoken word artist, beat-boxer, cultural dancer and youth educator. "using [her] words to go upwards/not backwards." These are lyrics that describe what JB tries to convey in her music. JB has performed at over 500 hip hop shows, anywhere from auditoriums to Annual General Meetings for community organizations. She is spreading the words of empowerment & the perspective of urban indigenous women in Canada. JB wants young indigenous women to feel proud, inspired, and to see someone on stage that looks like them; representing indigenous women in mainstream media. Jerilynn recently won City of Vancouver Mayor arts award for community engaged art, for all her work with across turtle island.

CAROL-ANN HILTON
Carol Anne Hilton, MBA is the CEO of Transformation International an award winning First Nation social and economic development company. Carol Anne is a recognized leading First Nation’s business entrepreneur with a Masters Degree in Business Management (MBA) from the University of Hertfordshire, England. Carol Anne is from the Hesquiaht Nation on Vancouver Island. Carol Anne is currently authoring ‘Indigenomics- a Global Power Shift’ and has been an instructor at Camosun Business School Leadership Program as well as at Simon Fraser University’s Community Economic Development Program, the University of Winnipeg’s Masters in Indigenous Development and most recently as faculty with the Banff Center’s Indigenous Business Program.

DANA CLAXTON
Dana Claxton is an international and critically acclaimed exhibiting artist and film/videomaker. She is recognized as a leading Lakota First Nations contemporary artist and cultural liaison in Canada and the United States. She works in film, video, photography, single and multi channel video installation and performance art. Her practice investigates beauty, the body, the socio-political and the spiritual. Her work has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Walker Art Centre, Sundance Film Festival, Eiteljorg Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney, AU) and held in public collections including the Vancouver Art Gallery, National Gallery of Canada, Art Bank of Canada and the Winnipeg Art Gallery. She has received numerous awards including the Vancouver's Mayor Award for visual art, VIVA Award and the Eiteljorg Fellowship. Dana is currently an Associate Professor the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory at UBC

RYAN McMAHON
Ryan McMahon is an Anishinaabe comedian, writer, media maker & community activator based out of Treaty #1 territory (Winnipeg, MB). Armed with a degree in Theatre & as a graduate of the prestigious Second City Conservatory (Toronto), Ryan’s comedic storytelling style is fast paced, loose & irreverent as he explores the good, the bad & the ugly between Indian Country & the mainstream. Since 2010, McMahon has recorded 3 National comedy specials (Welcome To Turtle Island Too, UnReserved & Red Man Laughing) & 2 taped Gala sets at the prestigious Winnipeg Comedy Festival. In 2012, McMahon became the 1st Native comedian to ever record a full mainstream comedy special with CBC TV (Ryan McMahon - UnReserved) and later that year made his debut at the prestigious Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, QC where he was named to the NEW FACES list at the festival.

Co-Presented by

SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement, Trudeau Foundation, and REDx Talks