Locals Only Participants

Heritage Wellness Society of Saskatoon

Formed in 2003, the Heritage Wellness Society’s mission is to enhance the longevity of seniors through participation in physical, cultural, and intellectual activities. Members of the Heritage Wellness Society will be working with Meagan Hong (Locals Only Youth Artist) to develop projects that share Chinese cultural practices and experiences in Saskatoon.

Project:

Locals Only

Developed by Justin Langlois, for AKA in collaboration with CHEP Good Food Inc., Locals Only is a large-scale multi-year project that explores food security, community-based artworks, and intergenerational exchange in Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods.

Locals Only deploys local knowledge and long-form hospitality through socially engaged art to link public engagement, youth leadership, and elder stewardship, cultivating a community-based exploration of reciprocity and change. We call it Locals Only to draw attention to the community context of core neighbourhoods and identify the project’s ambition to respond to long-time residents and intergenerational affinities.

Locals Only operates as an elder-guided, artist-designed, and youth-operated mobile programming space, and serves as a platform for intercultural dialogue and intergenerational capacity building by sharing traditional knowledge around food, hospitality, and community development. Beginning in 2017, the project extends until June 2019, and will encourage meaningful participation from community-based youth and elders, as well as deep collaboration with local and national artists.