From the outside, Janice Lee has had a successful year. She received the “Leading Women, Building Communities” award from the Ontario Women’s Directorate, was the 2015 Oktoberfest Woman of the Year in Arts and Culture, and as the City of Kitchener’s 2015 Artist in Residence, just wrapped up her Folk Myths of Kitchener project.
Given these accolades, you might be surprised by a recent post on Lee’s blog, entitled “I feel like giving up.” In this post, Lee describes being exhausted by the token support she receives for her art, her role as the go-to champion of K-W’s spoken word scene, and the systemic oppression she experiences as a woman of colour.
TCE sat down for a long conversation with Owen Pallett this month, in anticipation of his show, tonight, November 29, at the Starlight Social Club. Pallett shared about the intersection of community, identity, and art, among other things. Here's an excerpt of that interview.