WHISTLING BONES 2007 - is an exciting Multidisciplinary Aboriginal Arts Festival Series that consists of a four day event beginning with a traditional welcome feast which brings together IASO staff and hired professional Aboriginal artists from across Canada with community artists, Elders, Chiefs, Mayors and other invited dignitaries. This is followed by three days of workshops in media arts, filmmaking, traditional/contemporary art practices, music, dance, performance and all forms of literary arts including poetry, creative writing and story-telling. On the final day, the workshop participants perform and present what they have learned and created to the public in a professional showcase performance. Existing Festival Series Program Disciplines include: - Literary Arts (Storytellers, oral tradition, poets, essayists, novelists, playwrights, and creative writing) - Visual Arts/Traditional Arts (carving, basketry, weaving, embellishment/beadwork, leather-work, clothing, Fine arts/2-dimensional and 3-dimensional) - Music & Performance Arts (dramatic art expression, stage, theatre, traditional drum songs, modern music and dance) - Multi-media and Interdisciplinary Arts (media installations, new media works, high-tech arts/film/video, intergrated art forms) WHISTLING BONES 2007 IASO MULTIDISCIPLINARY FESTIVAL SERIES festival will bring forth an exploration of collective cultural memory and cultural translation in both traditional and contemporary Indigenous art works. WHISTLING BONES will engage community arts practices addressing issues of identity and common place. Greater community linkages to support Indigenous Artists will bridge distinct cultures, geographies and socio-cultural backgrounds and present rare opportunities for personal and cultural transformations. With a rich diverse artistic environment WHISTLING BONES 2007 will incorporate visual, performative, rhythmical, narrative forms and oral traditional expressions. The program will include collaboratively created exhibitions, installations and performances of visual, voice/sound and verbal contexts.

Geraldine Manossa, Kym Gouchie & Tracey Jack

~INDIGENOUS ARTS SERVICE ORGANIZATION~ (IASO)

What is IASO? Background The Indigenous Arts Service Organization (IASO) is a non-profit society formed in 1995 to support and serve Indigenous artists in all artistic disciplines in the Province of British Columbia. IASO's mandate is to promote and increase exposure of Indigenous artists' works on a provincial, national and international level, by empowering them with information and access to existing services and resources within the provincial arts community.

IASO Staff PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Tracey Kim Jack Provincial Festival Coordinator: Kym Gouchie Website Designer/ Graphic: Patsy Kruger Bookkeeper/Clerical: Denise Sproule

Funding IASO is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Funds for IASO's operations and programs are raised annually from Department of Canadian Heritage, First Peoples, Language, Culture and Heritage Council, National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, Telefilm Canada, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, BC Arts Council, and revenue generating activities. IASO partners with En'owkin Centre which is recognized as a National Aboriginal Arts Training Centre. - To encourage, advocate, promote and advance awareness of Indigenous artists and their contributions and value withing the BC arts community - To build a province-wide network for information sharing and peer support -To produce regional arts festivals to identify Indigenous delegates for the IASO annual Provincial Arts Festival -To identify service needs of Indigenous artists and to develop year round services and programs that respond to those needs - To serve as a clearing house for information relevent to Indigenous artists such as publications, journals, directories, and community resource material (data base, biographies, portfolios, etc) -To support and provide a forum for professional development to emerging artists through skills training and mentorship programs For More Information Contact: Indigenous Arts Service Organization Tracey Jack, Program Director RR#2 Site 50, Comp 8 Penticton, British Columbia V2A 6J7  Canada Ph. (250) 493-7181 Fax. (250) 493-5302 Email: tjack@vip.net

IASO EXECUTIVE BOARD 2007 President: Margo Kane Vice-President: Dr.Greg Young Ing Chair/Treasurer: Geraldine Manossa Executive Barbara Cranmer Dr.Jeannette Armstrong Garry Oker Stewart Cameron Chief Keith Matthew Chief Judy Wilson

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We gratefully acknowledge the graphics by Sam Silverhawk Please take the time to check out his awesome website!