Welcome to the 2015 PuSh Festival by Board President Christianne Wilhelmson
November 12, 2014
We are the facilitators of our own creative evolution.
This quote by comedian Bill Hicks speaks to me both as a scientist and someone who engages in the work of social change. We humans are creative beings, and our evolution is driven by who we are, what we experience and what we expose ourselves to.
This quote could just as easily apply to the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival. Each of its last 10 years has been about facilitating a greater creative conversation and through that, both Vancouver and the Festival have continued to evolve into something more than any of us could have imagined.
As we enter our 11th year, I can’t help but want to pause time, so that we can take in this exciting moment as we evolve from what was a fledgling idea to what might now be called a local cultural institution. And pause to feel our collective energy as we uncover what that really means and all the potential that it opens up.
As I begin my term as President of the PuSh Festival, I find myself inspired and excited by where the Festival finds itself. Strong in leadership at both the staff and Board level, grounded by a new facility to call home, and focused on the beginning of our second decade. We are in a fantastic place to continue sharing this creative journey with you.
I hope you’ll take in this year’s Festival feeling as we do, that Push has truly arrived – and that it continues to evolve, driven forward by the question, “What next?”
Christianne Wilhelmson
President