ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: 

I am Geraldine Ysselstein (she/her) and I was born in the Netherlands, which is the land and waters of my ancestors. I grew up in Guelph, Ontario on the ancestral homelands of the Anishinaabek Peoples, specifically the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. For the last 11 years, I have lived in Mohkinstsis (Calgary, AB) at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers in Treaty 7 Territory.   

I am an interdisciplinary creative, fibre artist, musician, and writer who listens deeply to the cycles of nature and human concerns as I research my personal memoir, write and create a “blog art”, and weave words and meaning. I am also an arts management consultant and cultivating safe spaces facilitator where my purpose is to integrate the transformative power of arts, culture, story, and creativity into uncomfortable conversations for the purpose of social change.  

I have a BA and MA in European Studies and a Diploma in Arts and Cultural Management. I also have certificates in Cultivating Safe Spaces, Somatic Abolitionism, Adult Education, Anti-Racism, Evaluation, Anti-Racism Organizational Change, Cultural Perspectives, New Fundamentals Leadership, and Artists Working in Community. As an arts manager and arts management educator, I have worked at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, Wilder & Davis Luthiers, Big Boreal Adventure, Willow Springs Creative Centre, Calgary Civic Symphony, and the Rozsa Foundation. 

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Instagram: @riverstone.consulting