Co-designed visualizations for advocacy, equity, and policy insight

The work is part of the Data Empowerment Study (2023–2026), co-led with Simon Fraser University and supported by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund. The project centers underrepresented voices—including Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and rural artists—and emphasizes the power of data when it’s shaped by those it represents.

As part of a multi-year data empowerment initiative, this project explores how data visualization can make funding patterns more transparent and actionable for the Vancouver Island arts community.

Working in collaboration with artists and community partners, we co-designed a series of interactive dashboards to:

Reveal funding gaps and disparities across time, geography, and grant providers
Surface unseen patterns in how public money flows through the arts sector
Give community members tools to advocate for equitable policy and funding structures

These visualizations have already been used by the community to inform discussions, drive awareness, and support policy change.