SFU Public Square, in partnership with Vancity present We The City: An Evening at the Centre, an engaging and interactive celebration of the important role that arts and culture play in reflecting and shaping the fabric of our cities.

Candy Chang, Teju Cole, and Buffy Sainte-Marie will provide compelling talks and Mo Dhaliwalwill guide us through the signature event of the 2015 Community Summit.



Cities are a reflection of our human needs and values. Join us as we consider how the arts create, reveal, critique and enhance the identity of our urban centres and powerfully foster connection, incite social change and build capacity for healthy communities.

The night begins with a pre-show Street Meet & Greet featuring tents, food trucks, and live music.

SFU Public Square is proud to have Vancity as the presenting sponsor of our 2015 Community Summit signature event. Vancity is a financial co-operative and a global leader in their values-based approached to building healthy sustainable communities.

For tickets, visit this website that will take you to the seat selection map where you can reserve your seat. If you have issues, please email SFU External Relations directly for assistance troubleshooting.

Candy Chang 

Candy Chang is a Taiwanese-American artist who challenges the conventional perception of public space and the role it can play in our evolving needs as a community and as individuals. Renowned for interactive public installations that provoke civic engagement and emotional introspection, her work has examined issues from criminal justice and the future of vacant buildings to personal aspirations and anxieties.

Teju Cole 

Teju Cole is a writer, art historian, and photographer. He is the Distinguished Writer in Residence at Bard College and photography critic of the New York Times Magazine. He has lectured widely, from the Harvard Graduate School of Design to Twitter Headquarters, and gave the 2014 Kenan Distinguished Lecture in Ethics at Duke University. He was awarded the 2015 Windham Campbell Prize for Fiction.

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Buffy Sainte-Marie is an Academy Award winner whose audacious attitude to life on and off the stage has inspired people around the world for over four decades. Not one to rest on her accomplishments, Buffy Sainte-Marie has never stopped channelling her infinite musical and artistic creativity. As one of the most spellbinding artists of our time, she gracefully combines a high energy stage presence with cerebral songs that tell powerful stories. 

Mo Dhaliwal 

Mo Dhaliwal is a Director of Strategy at Skyrocket in Vancouver. As a patron of the arts and producer of cultural events, he has invested thousands of volunteer hours to cultural projects, most notably through the creation of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society (VIBC). In 2012, Mo was recognized for his contributions by Business for the Arts as the national recipient of the Arnold Edinborough Award, and in 2013 was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.