(be)longing is a by and for QTBIPOC arts festival bringing together inter-generational QTBIPOC communities from  tio’tia:ke/Montreal and beyond.

Through (be)longing we want to create a temporary utopian space in which QTBIPOC communities can actively imagine a future where we can thrive in our hearts, spirits and bodies, without discrimination, hatred and threats to our survival. 

(be)longing aims to give our communities control over their narratives, their art, their truths and their future. In bringing together a diverse programming over the span of 10 days, (be)longing is an exercise of the imagination, the realization of a collective vision of QTBIPOC futurities where we engage with the aftermath of colonial histories. 

Through this festival, we seek justice, we seek healing, and we seek self- and collective-empowerment. We explore themes and conversations that are threaded in the fabric of our everyday lives in order to imagine what a utopian future might look like. We engage with diasporic loss, colonial violence, imagined homelands, cultural alienation etc. as they relate to our sexual and gendered experiences of being queer and/or trans. Through this festival, we also deepen our understanding of the histories of these lands and honour the traditional keepers of these territories. 

(be)longing is a collaboration between Project 10, Our Bodies, Our Stories: a qtbipoc arts mentorship program, Articule and SistersInMotion MTL.

FULL SCHEDULE:

Saturday, August 11, 12-5pm, co-presented with Sisters In Motion
Workshop: When Trauma Speaks the Bones: A Healing Workshop for Warrior Poets with Kai Cheng Thom (In English only/en anglais seulement)
Location: Métro Laurier, registration required
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/206731723308297/
This workshop is closed: only self-identifying QTBIPOCs may attend.

Monday, August 13, 5-7pm
Workshop: Nurturing the Earth, Nurturing Ourselves with Dona La Luna
Location: Jardins Cra-Terre, 6700 Avenue Durocher, Outremont, QC H2V 3Z3
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/244413359616629/
This workshop is open to all.

Tuesday, August 14, 7pm-3am.
Poetry show: PRIDE Poetry Nite at Kafein
Location: Kafein cafe-bar, 1429A Bishop St, Montreal, QC H3G 2E4
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/497901153997079/
This show is open to all, but LGBTQ+ folks will be prioritized to perform on stage.

Thursday, August 16, 6-8pm
Workshop: Masc4Masc: Complicating “Toxic Masculinity” through race & gender nonconformity with root and Naja
Location: articule 262 Fairmount O, Montreal, QC H2V 2G3
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1854195911360361/
This workshop is closed: only self-identifying BIPOC trans and gender non-conforming people may attend

Friday, August 17, 4-5:30pm
Workshop: Digital Spellcasting: Setting Intentions through Data with Liane Décary-Chen
Location: articule 262 Fairmount O, Montreal, QC H2V 2G3
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/256922901577979/
This workshop is open to all.

Friday, August 17, 6:30-9pm
Keynote panel: What we long for and where we belong
Location: articule 262 Fairmount O, Montreal, QC H2V 2G3
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/1933519046737717/
This panel will have ASL and LSQ interpretation
This panel is open to all.

Saturday, August 18, 7:30 - 10:30pm
QTBIPOC UTOPIAS FASHION SHOW EXTRAVAGANZA!
Location: Centre Culturel Georges-Vanier (2nd floor)
2450 Rue Workman, Montreal, QC H3J 1L8
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/498061690645316/
This event is open to all to attend, but only self-identifying QTBIPOCs may model

Sunday, August 19, 2-8pm
QTBIPOC Community picnic and closing event
Location: Park Jarry
More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/220132395495217/
This event is closed: only self-identifying QTBIPOCs may attend.

ACCESSIBILITY

- There will be walking companions on request to help anyone walk to and from the space safely for every event. Please email summer.obos@p10.qc.ca to request the help of a walking companion.
- If you need childcare, please let us know *48 hours* in advance by emailing: summer.obos@p10.qc.ca
- There will be volunteers to do whisper translation at every workshop and the panel.
- There will be volunteers available to do active listening at every event.
- There will be fidget toys available at every event. We ask folks to please put them back in the box where they took it when they will no longer use it.
- There will food and refreshments provided at every event.
- Cost: All events are free. Should you want to make a donation, we will have a donation jar at each event and you can also support the program by donating here (please select Our Bodies, Our Stories).

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

(be)longing is happening on the traditional territories on the kanien'kehá:ka. As a QTBIPOC community, it is important for us to honor the traditional keepers of these lands and we encourage everyone to educate themselves about the history of this place, and to actively work in solidarity with Indigenous peoples of these lands towards decolonial and anticolonial liberation. 

We need volunteers! Please sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/wgtKFdbo57UnjSiD2

For any questions or concerns, please email: summer.obos@p10.qc.ca

Discussion and Workshops  

Participating Artists:
Curator(s):
Credits: G L O W Z I !