The goal is pretty simple, pretty straightforward: make Salmon Arm a safe and comfortable place for everyone.

When entering 91裸聊视频淎 Place to Belong91裸聊视频� exhibition at the Salmon Arm Art Gallery, you91裸聊视频檒l see a large, brightly coloured quilt on one wall, along with several smaller framed creations on adjacent walls.

The smaller pieces are part of a Cultural Mapping Research Project.

Director/curator Tracey Kutschker explained that when it was decided to do an arts-based PRIDE Project designed to bring awareness and acceptance, a question arose.

91裸聊视频淲hat place are we starting from?91裸聊视频�

Kutschker and Kate Fagervik, who was then working for the arts centre, noticed a lack of information and research about 2SLGBTQ safety and wellness in Salmon Arm.

91裸聊视频淲hat would be the use of having a whole festival downtown if it wasn91裸聊视频檛 a safe space for them?91裸聊视频� asked Kutschker.

Fortunately, Fagervik had experience with cultural mapping. As well, her father, Dr. Will Garrett-Petts at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops, 91裸聊视频渋s basically a leader of cultural mapping training systems in the province,91裸聊视频� Kuschker added.

He is in demand and has done cultural mapping of the opioid crisis as well as the unhoused crisis, she explained.

91裸聊视频淪o they91裸聊视频檙e all over the place doing amazing work and they were very generous with us doing this.91裸聊视频�

She said the project, which was born three years ago, follows research protocols and strict ethics guidelines provided by TRU.

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Over two years, the project team met with 25 participants who contributed powerful stories and maps within sessions. Participants were asked: 91裸聊视频淎s you move throughout downtown Salmon Arm, where do you feel most comfortable, and where do you feel least comfortable?91裸聊视频�

In 2022, Garrett-Petts and graduate students returned to analyze the maps and distill the data.

One repeated finding was places that allowed for creative self-expression were deemed safe places. A couple of examples were Shuswap Theatre and the Roots and Blues festival.

91裸聊视频淲here people feel free to do and then free to be themselves. And some places that might feel like they should be a creative space are not a safe space because they don91裸聊视频檛 allow for that open self-expression,91裸聊视频� Kutschker explained.

Eighteen of the 25 participants, all of whom remained anonymous, agreed to show their maps at the exhibition. Along with the maps 91裸聊视频� some containing many details with others more abstract in their art form, a transcript of an interview with each participant was made. The transcripts aren91裸聊视频檛 used in the exhibition but much of the research data is compiled from them. Excerpts from some transcripts are on the gallery walls above the maps.

One, for example, says: 91裸聊视频渢he burn outs on the rainbow crosswalks91裸聊视频� you have uninformed people saying, 91裸聊视频榳hat91裸聊视频檚 the big deal; it91裸聊视频檚 just a sidewalk, just some tire marks.91裸聊视频� It isn91裸聊视频檛 just a mark on a sidewalk. It is a statement 91裸聊视频� it91裸聊视频檚 a statement that we don91裸聊视频檛 belong and we91裸聊视频檙e not welcome.91裸聊视频�

A final report is being prepared. It will be presented to city council and copies distributed to organizations such as Downtown Salmon Arm, Salmon Arm Economic Development and the Chamber of Commerce.

It won91裸聊视频檛 identify businesses.

91裸聊视频淚 think that91裸聊视频檚 a good thing because businesses can change,91裸聊视频� said Kutschker. 91裸聊视频淎nd I would never want to publish something that said, this one place is unsafe because of one individual91裸聊视频檚 bad experience with one human. That91裸聊视频檚 one thing we91裸聊视频檝e learned. There really is no safe space, there are only safe humans.91裸聊视频�

She is hopeful that if a business sees itself identified once or twice on the maps in the exhibition as safe and a couple of times as unsafe, it might look at what it could do better. Perhaps training staff to be more inclusive, or creating a policy about how they introduce themselves to people.

Kutschker noted what91裸聊视频檚 key is there are people who have grown up in Salmon Arm or who have lived in town for many years, and they don91裸聊视频檛 feel they belong because of how they91裸聊视频檙e treated.

She said the mapping project helps raise awareness for people who haven91裸聊视频檛 experienced the daily reality of feeling unsafe.

91裸聊视频淎ll we want is for everyone to feel like Salmon Arm is their home. That91裸聊视频檚 the goal. To keep moving in that direction.91裸聊视频�

A Place to Belong is at the art gallery Tuesday, Oct. 25 through Saturday, Oct. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m, except for Thursday, open to 7 p.m.

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