<div dir="ltr"><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:14.6667px;white-space:pre-wrap">Dear BC Museums Association, </span></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">My name is Shayna Jones and I am a professional performance artist, specializing in the oral storytelling of Afrocentric folklore and contemporary experience. I am also the founder of a nationally funded artistic inquiry called </span><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Black and Rural</span><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. </span><font color="#ff9900"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The aim of </span><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Black and Rural</span><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-weight:700;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> is to gather, honour, and showcase the reflections and insights of Canadians of African ancestry tucked away on the countryside</span></font><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">. Individuals who live rurally at present, or who have in the past, are welcome to include their voice through the following means:  </span></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span id="gmail-m_6556695445112196462gmail-m_-3747920888522109902gmail-m_3816640818844841933gmail-m_5763520530695261343gmail-m_3341057030530216436gmail-m_5451904544482012016gmail-m_-6611683670465641468gmail-m_6094088277923343156gmail-m_3495276713418393014gmail-m_-4740598000518411377gmail-m_-6012290008340565253gmail-m_5441108120458537130gmail-m_4483078536660378369gmail-docs-internal-guid-d647feb0-7fff-0f40-0280-a7157331ce2f"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></span></span></p><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li style="margin-left:36pt;list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="arial, sans-serif">one on one conversation with me via phone or Zoom; </font></span></p></li><li style="margin-left:36pt;list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="arial, sans-serif">an online survey;</font></span></p></li><li style="margin-left:36pt;list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><p role="presentation" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline"><font face="arial, sans-serif">and/or through submissions of their own creative choosing (poetry, short stories, music, photography, etc.).</font></span></p></li></ul><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> The responses will be curated for inclusion on the </span><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-style:italic;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Black and Rural </span><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">legacy website and also sculpted into a theatrical performance piece that will be toured to rural and urban settings across Canada. </span></font><font color="#b45f06" style="background-color:transparent;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;font-family:arial,sans-serif;text-indent:22.5pt"> </font><font color="#674ea7" style="background-color:transparent;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;font-family:arial,sans-serif;text-indent:22.5pt"> </font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, sans-serif" style="" size="4" color="#ff9900"><b style="">We are actively looking for participants. </b>Please distribute this email broadly and freely invite anyone you know who may be interested in participating. They may connect to me and learn more about the project through any of the following means<b style="">:</b> </font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Email: </span><a href="mailto:info@blackandrural.com" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">info@blackandrural.com</span></a></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Web: </span><a href="http://www.blackandrural.com/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">www.blackandrural.com</span></a></font></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Facebook: @blackandruralproject</font></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;text-indent:22.5pt"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;text-indent:22.5pt">Please reach out with any questions you may have. I look forward to hearing from you. </span><br></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;text-indent:22.5pt"><br></span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-left:13.5pt;text-indent:22.5pt;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;text-indent:22.5pt">Warmly,</span></p><div><br></div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><font face="arial black, sans-serif"><b><font size="4" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><span></span>Shayna Jones</font><br><span style="font-size:12.8px"><font color="#ff9900">Black + Rural Founder </font></span></b></font></div><div><b style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"arial black",sans-serif;font-size:12.8px"><a href="http://www.blackandrural.com/" target="_blank">www.blackandrural.com</a></b><font face="arial black, sans-serif" color="#000000"><span style="font-size:12.8px"><br></span></font></div><div><font face="arial black, sans-serif" color="#000000"><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b><a href="http://www.wearestoryfolk.com/" target="_blank">www.wearestoryfolk.com</a> </b></span></font></div><div><font face="arial black, sans-serif" color="#ff9900"><span style="font-size:12.8px"><b>778-205-4682</b></span></font></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:monospace;font-size:12.8px;text-align:center"><br></span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:12.8px;text-align:center"><font face="arial black, sans-serif"> "until the story of the hunt is told by the Lion, the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter." - African proverb</font></span><br></div></div></div></div>