December 10, 2020, Banff, AB - Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is pleased to share that the Minister of Advanced Education, Demetrios Nicolaides, through an Order in Council of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, has appointed Cherith Mark to the Board of Governors.
As Banff Centre continues to evolve and adapt its work to support artists and leaders, it is essential that diverse voices are heard. We are absolutely thrilled that Cherith Mark is joining Banff Centre’s Board of Governors to share her voice as an engaged citizen, both of the neighbouring Stoney Nakoda Nation, and of the Canadian dance, theatre, and Indigenous arts communities.
Janice Price, President and CEO
Cherith Mark’s involvement with Banff Centre has spanned many years and has taken many forms, including as a participant in dance and theatre training programs, and as a staff member with the Aboriginal Arts (now Indigenous Arts) and Literary Arts programming areas. We look forward to working with her in this next chapter of her involvement with Banff Centre as a new member of the Board of Governors.
Adam Waterous, Chairman of the Board
Banff Centre is a place of creation, collaboration, and connection in our community. I am excited to lend my experience as an artist coming to Banff Centre, and as a member of the local community to this role on the Board of Governors.
Cherith Mark, Board Member
About Cherith Mark
Cherith Mark emâgiyabich. Îethka hemâchach. Mînî Thnî emâdahâch.
Cherith Mark is from the Stoney Nakoda Nation in Morley (AB), where she works as the Language & Culture Coordinator for the Stoney Education Authority. She is a graduate of Grant MacEwan College’s Dance Program and obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Simon Fraser University’s School for the Contemporary Arts. She is an alumna of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, having attended the Aboriginal Arts program between 1999 and 2006. Ms. Mark also studied at the Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto from 1999 to 2002.
Cherith is a skilled dancer and performer whose artistic practice involves Indigenous pow wow dance, contemporary dance, theatre, and aerial work. She has toured and worked with Indigenous dance companies including Red Thunder Native Dance Theatre, Raven Spirit Dance, Dancing Earth and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre.
Cherith actively contributes to the Stoney Nakoda Nation, including as a member of the Making Treaty 7 Education Advisory Board from 2014 to 2017 and of the Mînî Thnî Charity Foundation board from 2014 to present. She served as the Centre Manager for the COVID-19 Morley Isolation Support Centre. Cherith plays a key role in leading Stoney language revitalization in her work with the Stoney Education Authority, in coordination with The Language Conservancy.
We acknowledge, with deep respect and gratitude, our home on the side of Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, in the beautiful and special territory of Treaty 7. We recognize the past, present, and future generations of Stoney Nakoda, Blackfoot, Tsuut’ina Nations, and Metis from Region 3, who help us steward this land, as well as honour and celebrate this place.
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is a learning organization built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and creative development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become the global organization leading in arts, culture, and creativity across dozens of disciplines. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to inspire everyone who attends our campus – artists, leaders, and thinkers – to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to society through cross-disciplinary learning opportunities, world-class performances, and public outreach. www.banffcentre.ca