Chan Centre Appoints Jarrett Martineau as Curator-in-Residence

I spent my formative years in Vancouver, and I have a deep love for our under-sung cultural scene. I want to see our city's cultural and musical life continue to bloom—and, every day, when I wake up and breathe in that fresh salty sea air, look up to the canopy of cedar trees, and see out across the water to the mountains, I feel grateful to be surrounded by such power and beauty, and for being an Indigenous visitor on these unceded, ancestral lands.

Jarrett Martineau

Courtesy of CBC

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia proudly announces its new curator-in-residence, Jarrett Martineau. A nêhiyaw (Plains Cree) and Dene Sųłiné producer, artist, scholar, and storyteller, Jarrett is a leading voice in Indigenous music and cultural production. His programming will focus on uplifting Black and Indigenous voices and selecting artists that explore the collective imaginings of futurisms, climate, and technology.

“This is an inspiring time for genre-crossing, contemporary music,” says Jarrett. “I love finding places and practices where different communities, artists, and sonic worlds meet. I want to celebrate new artists that experiment with form and creative possibilities, and to honour icons and revolutionaries whose work spans and inspires multiple generations. I can’t wait to bring programming to the Chan that taps into ancestral currents and unheard worlds, and brings together sound, visuals, and storytelling to create beautiful, immersive experiences.”

Jarrett holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Indigenous Governance from the University of Victoria. He is the host, creator and producer of Reclaimed, CBC’s first-ever Indigenous music series, and he has worked across the arts and cultural sector and curated with a wide range of global partners including SXSW, Luminato, PuSh Festival, Darwin Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival, POP Montreal, and imagineNATIVE. He created and produced the award-winning Indigenous documentary series RISE for VICELAND and he co-founded the global Indigenous music platform, Revolutions Per Minute, and the media arts and electronic music-focused New Forms Festival in Vancouver. He most recently served as the City of Vancouver’s inaugural Music Officer. Jarrett’s scholarly research and writing examine decolonial practices that pursue new pathways in Indigenous resurgence through the creative arts.

“Jarrett is difficult to categorize and that is precisely why we selected him. Jarrett is fueled by his insatiable curiosity. He works at the intersections of academia, media, art, and activism and it this blend of experiences that makes him so uniquely innovative. We are honoured to have not just one of the most influential Indigenous media-makers in this country as our new curator-in-residence, but one of the boldest creatives in North America who is still on the ascent of an already remarkable career.”

Pat Carrabré, Director of the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

During his residency, Jarrett will seek to expand the cultural footprint of the Chan Centre while creating greater accessibility and equity for patrons and artists. Forging stronger collaborative relationships with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), the UBC community, and the wider Vancouver music and arts communities are also fundamental tenets of his curatorial ethos.

Jarrett’s programming begins in the Fall of 2022 and his curated slate of events will be announced later this Spring.