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Integrating diverse forms of expression - from digital art, documentary, public art, oral histories and contemporary music - Storyscapes is a vehicle for building community and activating creative expressions.
Public art is an especially powerful tool to help increase the visibility and acknowledgement of Aboriginal presence in Vancouver. Seeing oneself reflected in the landscape helps create a stronger sense of place and belonging to one's environment. Changing the urban landscape itself to more accurately reflect Aboriginal history and culture will contribute to Vancouver's development as a truly diverse and livable city for all.
"People among the People" Portals at Stanley Park
"In the days before the City of Vancouver grew on the land of the Salish, the narrowing of the inlet now marked by the Lions Gate Bridge was an area that was teeming with schools of herring and the orcas that chased them for food. The area was rich with eagles and salmon, and rich with the culture and traditions of the Salish people. It was, and still is, a site of great energy and enormous significance to the Salish." - Susan Point
As part of developing the Storyscapes public art stream, an Aboriginal advisory committee was consulted to determine where the first art piece should be located. Brockton Point in Stanley Park was identified as the site for the first Storyscapes art project to acknowledge Coast Salish traditional presence in the area before the present day Vancouver was built. The City of Vancouver's Public Art Program allocated $150,000 to support the creation of an art piece to serve as a welcome to this popular tourist site.
Artists of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh descent were asked to submit proposals for the art piece. Susan Point's proposal "People among the People" was selected.
The artwork will be comprised of three sculptures in the from of portals, adorned with images of eagles, mountains, water and the weaving and basket designs of the Coast Salish people. The sculptures will reflect the history of the Salish people and their modern culture that still thrives today. The three portals at Brockton Point will act as a formal welcome to visitors to the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people.
The totem poles currently located at Brockton Point have come from other places on the Northwest Coast. The new portals allow the totem poles to be introduced to the public as friends of the Coast Salish and illustrate the coming together of cultures on this land in the past and the present day.
"Our City Our Voices" Video Project with the National Film Board of Canada
 Since 2003, the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has supported three video projects under the Storyscapes Our City Our Voices media stream:
1. Storykeepers Phase I
A youth-Elder oral history project in which Aboriginal youth from the three local Coast Salish nations-Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh-and from the urban community received training in camera, lights, sound, interviewing and cultural protocol from expert Aboriginal media artists to then record the oral histories of their Elders. Tapes and transcripts were given to the communities to help build their archives, and help their young people connect to their stories.
2. Downtown Eastside video shorts: Follow the Eagle & Slo-pitch
Working with the Aboriginal Front Door Society, a resident-created safe place for connecting to culture and healing in the Downtown Eastside, this project gave Aboriginal adults training in video production, story development, to create two videos about their community through their eyes. As part of the Heart of the City festival, there was a community sneak preview of the videos in October 2004. The enthusiasm and pride of the community for the students and story subjects was palpable. The world premiere screening of the videos was on February 20, 2005 at Vancouver's IMAGeNation festival.
3. Storykeepers: Development of Phase II
The NFB is currently supporting the development of the next phase of the Storykeepers project, which will be the production of videos based on the local oral histories. Meetings with the First Nations and the urban community will determine how the Elder interviews can be shared to help enrich people's understanding of Vancouver-such as through the website, video public art and future productions.
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