MEET OUR TEAM
STAFF
ZANDI DANDIZETTE
they/them
Executive Director & Founder
Zandi is a nonbinary settler-immigrant new media interdisciplinary artist. They seek to decenter colonial legacy, and empower voices affected by systems of oppression. They graduated with a BMA in Animation in 2014 from Emily Carr University. Zandi co-founded JBG in 2014, and was the longest resident from the artists-in-residence program. They are a current board member of CARFAC National and PAARC BC representative to ARCA. They helped co-found the Arts and Cultural Workers Union develop Pressure Point, previously served on the board of VIVO Media Arts Centre and previous President at the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres.
DIANA LUPIERI
she/her
Studio Manager
Diana Lupieri is an illustrator and ceramicist in Vancouver, BC. She is interested in building community and relearning how to look at the world through art. Diana volunteered at the JBG from 2020-2022 before taking on a stronger role in managing studiospaces. She also works at The Gathering Place supporting workshops and running the kiln.
MALIV KHONDAKER
they/them
Pressure Point Coordinator
Maliv Khondaker finds home on Musqueum, Squamish, and Tsleil-waututh unceded ancestral territory. They are a recent graduate from Emily Carr University's Critical & Cultural Practices program with a minor in social practice and community engagement. Maliv is currently exploring their roles in relationship to people and land as a peer mentor at the Environmental Youth Alliance and student in SFU's Community Capacity Building program. Maliv is a longtime listener and first time caller at The James Black Gallery, where they were a pod resident in 2022. They coordinate Pressure Point, where you can buy work by local artists at room 108-2111 main street, just down the road from JBG.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
NAATOÍYIKI
CHEYENNE MCGINNIS
she/they
Member-at-Large
Cheyenne McGinnis aka Naatoíyiki (Holy Whistle), is a Blackfoot/Cree emerging artist. A member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, they are also affiliated with the Blood Tribe Nation through their mother. Naatoíyiki grew up in 3 worlds – the modern day colonial world, the Cree world, and of course, the Blackfoot world. They have been painting and drawing for over 15 years and are inspired by Pictographs, Blackfoot War history drawings and Winter Counts. Their work aims to inspire wellness and pride, recounting histories and imagining the future for Indigenous Peoples. They do woodburning, glass etching, and leather work, as well as acrylic painting, charcoal drawing, and pastel work. They are also now moving into digital art.
BRONWYN WORRICK
she/her
Executive Secretary
Bronwyn practices as a strategic sustainability and resilience consultant and has experience leveraging holistic and systems-based approaches. She has supported the planning, facilitation, and implementation of sustainable infrastructure projects across North America. In 2019, Bronwyn co-founded luuceo consulting; a small, entirely women-owned sustainability and strategic solutions firm based out of Vancouver.
HEIDI NAGTEGAAL
they/them
Interim Chairperson
Heidi is queer, pansexual, agender or gender neutral depending on the day, a first generation Dutch immigrant, settler, Hard of Hearing, diagnosed Bi Polar, ADHD, and Autistic, undiagnosed OCD, someone that has experienced body pain and physical developmental problems, while being hyperlexic and extremely smart. So it’s a mix. There are things they excel at, and barriers. Heidi is not a perfect person, but aims to continuously learn and unlearn to be a better ally, community member, family member, co-worker, and friend.
As an artist, Heidi has exhibited internationally and locally, with an intention to talk about things that are hard to express in words, by embodying physical and emotive forms. They also started arts organizations Hammock Residency and Centre Centre, which focus on different models around art making, care, and inhabiting third spaces.
JILLIAN JUSTINE BROOKS
she/her
Member-at-Large
Métis artist exploring traditional painting techniques, focusing mainly on animals with a 90s twist on wood canvases. Jillian runs Métis Bannock Queen and donates profits to Indigenous organizations.
Originally from Nistawâyâw.