Announcing New Members to Prismatic’s Board of Directors
The Prismatic Arts Festival is an annual, professional arts festival that showcases innovative work by Indigenous artists and artists of colour from across Canada. Based in K’jipuktuk (Halifax, Nova Scotia), Prismatic has been bringing audiences vibrant, boundary-pushing new works in theatre, dance, music, film, visual arts, media arts, and spoken word since 2008.
Dr. Jacqueline Warwick, Kaif Lalani, and Laurie Gillis will be joining Prismatic’s Board of Directors, working with current board members to support Prismatic’s mission of bringing Indigenous artists and artists of colour to the forefront of the Canadian arts. Their guidance will work towards achieving Prismatic’s mandate, and also towards new possibilities.
“I’m delighted to welcome these new board members. Their wealth of knowledge and experience will bring key skills that will be integral to bringing Prismatic towards a bright future,” says Rhia Perkins, the Board’s outgoing Chair.
Dr. Jacqueline Warwick has served as the Director of the Fountain School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University from 2015 to 2021, where she leads a community of educators in multi-disciplinary arts programs in theatre, music, and cinema & media studies.
She has been actively involved in fundraising and planning for FSPA’s new facilities, a $27.7 million expansion that will include a 300-seat concert hall and two floors of studios for costume studies.
In her non-administrative life, she writes about how music works and why people care about it.
Kaif Lalani is a Financial Advisor with Raymond James Ltd., where he co-manages a wealth management advisory practice. Kaif and the team have built a book of business with over $120 million in assets under management. Kaif has been recognized nationally in 2019 and 2020 by the Wealth Professional Awards as a top-performing advisor driven by a client-first attitude. He brings a wealth of experience, drawing on his accounting and finance background to provide his clients knowledgeable and sound advice at every turn. In addition to managing his clients’ wealth, his advice addresses client’s life events – wealth and estate planning, intergenerational family wealth management, business succession, as well as philanthropy.
Kaif earned a BA in Economics at Simon Fraser University and a Master of Finance from Queen’s University. He enjoys being active in giving back to his community. In his spare time, he loves spending time with family and friends, playing sports, as well as the outdoors.
Laurie Gillis is one of Atlantic Canada’s leading arts administrators with a passion for developing and supporting the region’s performing arts sector.
Originally from PEI, Laurie has made her home in Halifax for the last 25 years, where she plays her favourite role of “Mom” to her son, Cormack. She has worked with organizations such as the East Coast Music Association, the Culture & Ceremonies Division of the 2011 Canada Games, Debut Atlantic, and the Atlantic Presenters Association, in her most recent role as Executive Director. Laurie sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts (CAPACOA) and the New Trad Society, which produces the Re-Jigged Festival on an annual basis.
In the past months, due to the global pandemic, the performing arts sector has faced many hardships. Prismatic’s Executive Director, Shahin Sayadi, especially looks forward to working with these new board members at this time. “Having this level of support from the community gives Prismatic the strength needed to move forward, into a bright future for Canada and the Canadian cultural identity.”
Through engaging performances, workshops, masterclasses, and artist-led talks, Prismatic Arts Festival brings artists and audiences together for open dialogue. Prismatic encourages people of all ages and backgrounds to partake in the many experiences Prismatic has to offer, including learning about new art forms and traditional cultural practices.
