Equinox Vigil was conceived and is directed by Sharon Stevens, a native Calgarian, award-winning video artist and long-time community activist and organizer. Sharon’s dynamic personality, devotion to community and passion for public art has made Calgary a better place to live for more than 30 years. She has served on the boards of numerous arts associations and has won multiple awards for her own art, which focuses on public participation. Equinox Vigil represents Sharon’s profound respect for the power of art and public ritual in building strong, loving communities. She created the event after serving in 2010 as an intern and guest artist at the Night of All Souls, held annually at Vancouver’s Mountainview Cemetery. She was also inspired by her journeys to Mexico to witness traditional Day of the Dead celebrations

As a founding member of the Equinox Vigil, Jodie Stevens is the Production Manager and contributes her expertise as a fibre/textile artist to the overall creative design of the event. As the artist liaison, she is part of the art selection, logistics and contract administration. She provides administrative support, overall technology requirements and bookkeeping.  She brings a background in event management which includes emergency response and troubleshooting for public events.\

“I have been working in community engagement with Sharon Stevens since I was nine years old. From this young age I learned about pre-production, production and post-production including scheduling, managing budgets, designing props, making props out of found materials, being an actor, creating b-roll for documentaries etc. But mostly I learned about community engagement and it’s with me in everything I do”.

Stewart Stevens has been the Site Manager since the first Equinox Vigil in 2012. He oversees the details from electrics to deliveries to setup and take down. Always a cheery smile and a wacky colourful shirt, Stew adds his charm to the village we create every year.

Johanna has been working in the nonprofit sector since 2000, contributing to the nonprofit landscape in Calgary in a myriad of ways. She is a  360°  consultant, providing management support, grant writing services, publicity, creative and technical writing, graphic design, website development and social media savvy – all with a keen understanding of the needs of the nonprofit sector.

Talia Potter is a lifelong volunteer and has been working as an arts administrator in Calgary for over a decade. Her focus has been on the people, volunteers specifically, including the small army of over 1800 volunteers with the Calgary Folk Music Festival. In addition to being passionate about the folks who make events happen, Talia has also worked in operations, coordinating food vendors and artisans, forging partnerships between organizations, helping to manage site teams, working with the City of Calgary, and even leading smaller organizations. Currently, Talia spends most of her time with her 8-month old son and takes on small contracts with organizations she believes in.

Yvonne Kustec is a Calgary based artist whose work explores theories around image, identity, and femininity.