• AGM This Sunday!
• AGM Agenda
• Previous General Meeting Minutes
• Art Grant Deadlines
• Board Nominee Statement

Greetings fellow member!

My name is Hunter Lund and I would like to thank you for the opportunity to serve the Vancouver Burning Man Community as a member of the GVIAS Board.
I have been involved in the Vancouver Burning Man community for three years as a participant. I have attended many events including Vancouver’s Regional Burn, Burn in the Forest from 2011 through 2013 and Burning Man itself in 2012 and 2013.

The Vancouver Burning Man community inspired me to volunteer my time to aid in the growth of my newly adopted family. In 2012, I volunteered as Technical Producer for Burn in the Forest and also as Producer of Artifactuary, Vancouver’s entrant into Burning Man’s Circle of Regional Effigies. This year, I am again working with the Burn in the Forest Production Team as the Technical Producer.

In my professional life, I have worked my way up through the ranks in the Electrical Construction Industry. I began my Electrical apprenticeship in the late eighties, completed the apprenticeship training to become a Journeyman Electrician. Since then I became an Electrical Foreman and I now work as a Project Manager, Estimator and Coordinator for Status Electrical Corporation working on large scale detention facility projects in the Lower Mainland of BC and the West Coast of the US.

I believe my experience in my professional life gives me the insight to understand many levels of project development and will allow me to bring that insight to the GVIAS Board to assist in the continuing development of the Vancouver Burning Man community.

I thank you for the opportunity to serve on the GVIAS Board, supporting the goals of the community that has adopted me and that I have grown to love.

Regards,
Hunter A. Lund

Why GVIAS?

I’m a firm believer in the power of participatory culture. In the last 200 years we’ve seen an explosion in consumer culture. It’s hard to remember that we didn’t always rely on experts for art and entertainment. I think the tide is turning back, and GVIAS is part of that trend. When we celebrate that our friends and neighbours are capable of making amazing art, playing great music, or anything else that we are so good at, we are saying, yes, what we do is more than good enough.

We don’t need production companies or record labels. Each of us has a creative impetus that is worthy of the time, effort, and labour necessary to bring it to fruition. GVIAS is vital because you need a community to sustain that belief. In the face of a mass media culture that says “sit down, shut up, let the pros do it,” the power of community to support, inspire, and empower cannot be underestimated. We do this with art grants, but also with human relationships that nourish our creativity, inspire our hands, and share the belief that what we are doing is worthwhile and meaningful and will be enjoyed by many.

What motivates me is the potential for interactive art to empower, inspire, and connect. I want to be part of the effort to sustain and grow a safe space where people have the opportunity to take charge of their self-expression and hopefully have a lot of fun along the way. I believe that GVIAS events are essential to holding space for us to connect and support each other, but that events are also just the “user interface” of a much bigger organism.

Why do I think I would be a good board member? I am organised, efficient, and good at getting things done. I have experience in PR and marketing campaigns, and while GVIAS is a different beast, every org can use a good communications strategy. I prioritise relationship and community building, and recognise that a community is made up of people first, infrastructure second. As a board member, I would work to sustain a consistent, flexible, and reliable org team that facilitates and prioritises community and member engagement.

In “real life” I work as director of client services for Corporate Firm, which covers everything from remembering people’s birthdays to launching PR campaigns. I have a Communications degree from Simon Fraser and a yoga teaching certification from Prana College. I have volunteered as part of the org team for the Vancouver Rock-Climbing Group, helping to run events, organise trips, and grow visibility. In 2012 I served as media coordinator for Maker Faire in Vancouver, another organisation dedicated to growing participatory culture. I’m excited about the opportunity to work with GVIAS and help sustain and grow this community that has so enriched my life.

Please consider my nomination for the board.

Xianny Ng

Hello Fellow GVIAS members.

I have been a member of GVIAS for about 18 months and in that time I have enjoyed meeting so many nice people and being a part of such a dynamic and fun crowd. My first burn was 2010 and I camped with a San Fran camp but I didnt know anyone. As soon as I got back I tried to get involved with the local scene. I first got involved with the local Burning Man community in 2011 when I was part of CORE building the Playa time effigy.

Since then I have tried to volunteer as much as I can for local events like Afterglow and BitF. I have also co lead the locally based theme camp Après Ski BRC for a second year now. This camp has helped me grow and tests me constantly but its all been worth it.

So if I am elected on to the BOD I will do my best to serve the local Community and help get things done with a calm attitude and a good work ethic. I’m always happy to help out and lend a hand when the need arrises.

Thanks for the consideration!
Travis Petten

You’re extra special for reading this far. You get an extra special hug from Arthur (one of our finest board members). Please redeem it at this year’s AGM! Hope to see all your smiling faces there!