Upcoming Events
Radical Connections Gala Fundraiser
Eat, Drink, Listen, and Laugh while supporting a great cause!
Improv, Music, Storytelling, and Good Company
A House Concert in Wakefield Quebec (20 minutes from Ottawa)
December 9th at 7pm
This event features a sampling of our talented artists who are both very accomplished in their artistic domains and deeply committed to working with vulnerable people in healthcare. Radical Connections brings a stellar array of musicians, storytellers, poets, and actors to people in care who are often artists themselves.
With RC Artists: Kim Kilpatrick, Eleanor Crowder, Empress Nyringango, Chas Guay, Kathryn Patricia Cobbler and Special Guests Colin Ainsworth and Laura Loewen
All donations/tickets are tax-deductible as we are a registered charity. If you prefer to send a cheque or do an eTransfer, please contact us at:
Past Events
Symposium on Health and the Visual Arts in Ottawa, Saturday, October 28th, 2023 at 951 Gladstone
at The Enriched Bread Artists Studios
Radical Connections Artistic Director Jenny McMaster and artist Maren Kathleen Elliot gave a review of our not-for-profit's current projects and spoke about the importance of the relationships forged between artists and people in care.
Also presenting:
On Art Mental Health and Histories of Trauma
Stephane Alexis, Michael Ashley, Pierre Richardson, and Cindy Stelmackowich
On Organizations Health and Community
Emma Campbell and Lydia Blanchard of The Ottawa Art Gallery - Galerie d'art d'Ottawa, and Svetlana Swinimer, (Trias Art Prize recipient) on the topic of Organizations devoted to Health, Art and Community
October 27th, 2023, Music Care Conference by Room 217, at the Dominion Chalmers Centre
The Music Care Conference is a national conference bringing together community members who are interested in music and care. This educational and inspirational conference identifies and integrates common themes and issues using music across the care spectrum and highlights the social and wellness implications of music in care.
Radical Connection’s Artists Empress Nyringango hosted a drumming and movement workshop.
RC staff were available for questions at our information table.
Left: ConcertDocs Tenor Dr. Fraser Rubens and Pianist Dr. Carol Wiebe perform
Annual READi Symposium and Program Showcase Tuesday, October 24th, 2023
The Research and Education in Accessibility, Design, and Innovation (READi) training program held its seventh annual symposium and program showcase on Tuesday, October 24th, 2023
Radical Connections READi team Justine Walker, Pallavi Sodhi, and Manya Kakkar presented an app that will allow artists and people in care to easily connect for one-on-one sessions. Read More
The Research and Education in Accessibility, Design, and Innovation (READi) training program launched September 1, 2017. Funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada through its Collaborative Research and Training Experience Program (CREATE), READi is the first interdisciplinary post-secondary accessibility-training program offered in Canada.
Left: Manya Kakkar and Justine Walker present, Pallavi Sodhi participated remotely
Read more about the Storytelling in Palliative Care Project
Read more about Equity in Health Systems
Left to Right: Student Aahana Uppal, TR Kim Durst-Mackenzie, Artist Jennifer Vallance, Artistic Director Jenny McMaster
June 7 to 9, 2023: Therapeutic Recreation Ontario (TRO), Back to the Future: Trek to Excellence, Toronto
TRO is the only professional association that represents Therapeutic Recreation practitioners in Ontario. With a membership of more than 1,800 including practitioners, educators, and students, their mission is to lead the TR profession through growth, advocacy, and innovation.
Radical Connections’ Artistic Director, Jenny McMaster, lead a panel discussion on the topic of Unmasked Connections, joined by Bruyere Therapeutic Recreation Coordinator Kim Durst-Mackenzie, student researcher Aahana Uppal and Lindsay-based Radical Connections’ artist Jennifer Vallance.
Dr. Carol Wiebe and Alexandre Sylvestre
May 3 to 5, 2023 : Inaugural Conference of The Music and Health Research Institute
MHRI, in partnership with the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, hosted a series of multidisciplinary and intersectoral outreach activities focusing on the benefits of music engagement on health and wellbeing. These events gathered leading researchers from all across Canada, in the humanities and social sciences (music, education, and psychology), health sciences (rehabilitation, audiology, and speech therapy), sciences (neurosciences, biomechanics) and various domains of medicine.
For more information visit:
https://www.uottawa.ca/research-innovation/music-health/mhri-inaugural-conference
Dr. Carol Wiebe and Jenny McMaster participated in Music for Older Adults on Wednesday May 3rd at 1:30, and the Social Prescription Summit on Friday May 5th (all day).
Dr. Carol Wiebe performed on the piano with violinist Alexandre Sylvestre
April 13 and 14, 2023: Canadian Association for Health and Humanities Creating Space Conference, Quebec City.
This conference’s theme is advancing a sustainable pedagogy of the health humanities, transdisciplinary and transcultural perspectives.
https://www.cahh.ca/creatingspace13
We brought two presentations:
The Radical Connections of Music/Arts and Wellness: A presentation about Unmasked Connections and the Die Schöne Müllerin Project, featuring musical collaborations by Executive Director, concert pianist and flutist Dr. Carol Wiebe and pianist Laura Lowen and tenor Colin Ainsworth.
A poster presentation introducing the Storytelling in the Palliative Care Unit project: The artistic lead /storyteller Kim Kilpatrick and collaborator Dr. Cory Ingram from the Mayo Clinic will be on-hand to answer questions.
Left: Jenny McMaster, Ginger, and Kim Kilpatrick scale the mountain in Quebec City
Culture Days 2022: Grand Rounds at Saint-Vincent Hospital
Culture Days is a nationwide initiative to celebrate arts and culture. Ontario Culture Days is taking place this year from September 23 until October 16, 2022.
Grand Rounds in Conversation: Tuesday, September 27th, 12pm (Lunch and Learn)
At Ground Rounds in Conversation, learn more about the impetus, development, and impact of Unmasked Connections in an online panel discussion. Meet Therapeutic Recreation Coordinator (Bruyère), Kim Durst-Mackenzie, a selected participating artist, a selected resident who has enjoyed the program, and Rebecca Macdonald, a research student who has been involved in the project since the beginning. Hear inspiring stories of the connections between residents and artists.
The panel discussion will also feature psychiatrist Diane Meschino from Sanokondu, a multi-national community of practice invested in healthcare leadership education.
(Funded by Ontario Arts Council and Elder Care Ottawa).
Performance at Saint-Vincent Hospital Atrium : Friday, September 23rd, 2pm, Part of Ontario Culture Days 2022
Performance in the Atrium featured performances by Unmasked Connections’ artists: storyteller Kim Kilpatrick, cellist Fanny Marks, jazz vocalist Empress Nyiringango, as well as pianist Dr. Carol Wiebe, Radical Connection’s Executive Director.
This event won the Ontario Culture Days Spotlight Award for most inclusive programming.
(Part of the Unmasked Connections project funded by Ontario Arts Council and Elder Care Ottawa).