When Ebony Gooden moved to Calgary, she knew she wanted to teach people to listen to something other than just a voice.
“When I came here, I realized I had to fight for things to be accessible,” says Gooden, the only Black Deaf artist living in Calgary.
She’s now determined to make artistic experiences accessible to all. One of those experiences is The Room Sculpture Experience, a unique, hands-on event created by Ghost River Theatre artistic director Eric Rose.
“It’s really an immersive art-making experience,” Rose explains. “We allow people to come in, it’s guided, and they make art together — silently. What’s so beautiful about that is the language of art is the currency in the room.”
The 45-minute experience invites participants to use materials like giant inflatables, pebbles and mannequins to transform a dark, empty room into a life-sized sculpture. The focus is on collaboration and connection.
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“One person puts something down, …