The Prismatic Arts Festival is pleased to announce that Raeesa Lalani has been selected to be Prismatic’s new Artistic Director. She will work in partnership with Prismatic’s founding Artistic Director, Shahin Sayadi, for the next year and will formally take over after Prismatic 2020, next September.
In Fall 2019, Shahin Sayadi and the Prismatic Board of Directors decided that it was time for Shahin to pass on the artistic leadership of Prismatic to a new Artistic Director, Raeesa Lalani. Over the next year, Shahin and Raeesa will work together to ensure a smooth transition in the organization’s leadership.
Rhia Perkins, the Chair of Prismatic’s Board of Directors, is enthusiastic about this development: “Raeesa brings a wealth of experience and a fresh point of view to the Prismatic Festival. We at the Board are delighted to place this role in her capable hands and can’t wait to see her bring her vision to life.”
Shahin, the founding Artistic and Executive Director of the Prismatic Arts Festival since 2008, sees the opportunities that this transition will have to continue the organization’s work in Canada and beyond: “I’m very proud to have built a nationally important arts festival that is now internationally recognized and I am looking forward to the energy and vision that Raeesa will bring to Prismatic as the new Artistic Director. I have full confidence in her abilities to lead Prismatic into the future, contributing to the Canadian cultural Identity.”
Raeesa has been with Prismatic for several years; she started working at Prismatic as the Marketing and Communications Manager. Her career in arts presentation progressed steadily at Prismatic, where she became the Festival Producer and then the Associate Artistic Director. Over the years, Raeesa has made vital contributions to the Prismatic Arts Festival; she is dedicated to Prismatic’s mandate to showcase and celebrate the work of Indigenous artists and artists of colour.
Raeesa is looking forward to the opportunity to lead Prismatic: “I am ecstatic to be given the opportunity to continue the vision and execution of this incredibly important festival. I feel truly humbled that Shahin has bestowed his trust in me to help lead the organization that he has built and that is very close to his heart. I will continue to work within the current framework of the festival along with building key relationships in our community to continue to make Prismatic a household name – Indigenous artists and artists of colour deserve to be at the forefront.”
As the new Artistic Director, Raeesa will continue to work with founding Managing Director, Maggie Stewart, and Shahin will be available to provide advice and guidance, as needed, after the transition has been finalized in 2020.
Maggie reflects on this new era of Prismatic: “I have had the privilege of being part of the evolution of Prismatic over the past decade and am pleased to be able to work with Raeesa to support the next phase of the Festival’s development and operations.”
Based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Prismatic Arts Festival is an internationally recognized annual arts festival that celebrates the works of professional Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada in all artistic disciplines.
