Thank you!
We have so many people to thank for making the Naming a Crisis community art show possible. We could not have done this without the amazing community who came together to create this space of grief, love, reflection and resistance. It was truly a magical experience.
Our deepest gratitude to all these folks (hoping we haven’t forgotten anyone):
šµ @mariemetaphor, @laura.j.dutton and Oakley Low (creators of Constellations and the Naming a Crisis audio piece)
šµ @chrystalphan_art (our tireless curator)
šµ @victoriaartscouncil for the space, and Kegan for all his amazing work.
šµ @momsstoptheharm for all the photos
šµ @solidoutreachofficial (special thanks to Jody Patterson, Mark Willson, and Dave Keeler for all your work on Bites with Fight!)
šµ @avihealth for lending Anora’s banner and We Are Human panels and for holding workshops (special thanks to Shae Perkins @atomastronomy, Kim Toombs @kimblaster_toombstone and @nurse.ranger)
šµ @drugcheckingvi (special thanks to Bruce Wallace for curating the timeline)
šµ @uvic_cisur (special thanks to Bernie Pauly, Pablo Gonzales, Aaron Bailey, Nancy Henderson for Bites with Fight!, director Tim Naimi for the support and all the CISUR folks who staffed the gallery)
šµ @peers_victoria for the wonderful infographic
šµ @qomqem for the amazing drum installation
šµ @jackiedivesphoto for your photo installation
šµ Connie Carter (Stitching as Remembrance)
šµ @queercrafternoon (linocut workshop)
šµ Leslie Hogya (Jean Guy’s art)
šµ Joanne Thompson (wind phone)
šµ Melanie Golder (the tree)
šµ Marion Selfridge, Naomi Kennedy and the heARTspace crew (for showing us the way)
šµ @garthmullins for your reading
šµ @doctorsforsaferdrugpolicy (special thanks @streetdrjill, Kelsey Roden and Ryan Herriot)
šµ Jay Larson (who took all these lovely photos of our opening!)
šµ Everyone who sent in photos and names, sat the gallery, and came to see the show.
Stay tuned for our future plans. We hope to bring our installation to more communities.
~Amanda, Steph and the Naming a Crisis team.
About the show
The Naming a Crisis multimedia installation debuted as part of a community art show April 7-26, 2026 at the Victoria Arts Council space in the Bay Centre in Victoria, BC.
This show featured art, photography, participatory works, speaking events, workshops, and more to mark 10 years since BC’s declaration of a public-health emergency related to the toxic drug crisis.
Participating art and artists included photographer Jackie Dives; a Resistance Timeline, and a tribute to the 2017 heARTspace pop-up art show; and poetry, art and events dedicated to people we have lost to toxic drugs.
Exhibit: Of Course This Hurts
This photography series by Vancouver artist Jackie Dives intimately documents the toxic drug supply crisis through the lives of people who are being impacted by this public health emergency. The photographs explore love, grief, bodily autonomy, trauma, and healing as experienced by drug policy activists, frontline workers, people who use drugs, and their family members in BC.
Exhibit: Community-building, activism, resistance and grief during the toxic drug crisis
As we honour the lives lost, we also reflect on the years of collective actions in response to the crisis and the war on drugs. This display presents submissions from local events and actions in response to this crisis. We offer this collection of images and artifacts to recall and respect the lives and the actions of so many ā many of whom are no longer with us.