PURPOSE |
The Wheel Community Fund was created in 2016 by Jon and Diane Zwickel to provide supportive grants to First Nations artists working in any medium who believe that broad recognition of their creativity will help them connect with their heritage, embrace their culture and fulfill their potential.
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INSPIRATION |
The inspiration came from the Zwickel’s work with the Vancouver Native Housing Society (VNHS) and Skwachàys Lodge, Canada’s first Aboriginal arts and culture hotel. Through the process of creating Skwachàys (pronounced squatch-eyes), Jon and Diane witnessed not only the transformation of the building, but also of artists’ lives. It is evident that exposing their artwork to designers, hotel guests and the media gives the artists a new level of purpose and validation.
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"THE WHEEL" |
Jon and Diane are longtime Grateful Dead fans. Once they established a mandate for the fund, they realized that the lyrics to one of the band's songs, "The Wheel" resonated deeply. Read the lyrics and let us know if you agree.
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