e39 engle – the integral role of the arts in societal change

• The role of artists and culture is fundamental and so necessary, and we need so much more of it and not only on the side. The role of arts and culture in societal and civilizational change right now needs to be much more integral into, yes, artworks and imagination - helping us to culturally co-produce how we live and work together into the future and that means art works - but it also means artists' perspectives into much more mainstream institutions, ideas, and thoughts about how change occurs.

jayne engle, conscient podcast, april 17, 2021, montréal

Dr. Jayne Engle is Director of Cities & Places at the McConnell Foundation and Adjunct Professor at McGill University. She’s worked in participatory city planning, urban revitalization, and economic and real estate development in North America and Europe. She is passionate about bridging innovative local action on the ground with policy and systems change. Among her many activities include : Civic-Indigenous 7.0, RegX and Legitimacities, Participatory Cities Canada, Civic.Capital, Future Cities Canada, and the EmergencERoom.

I first met Jayne in February 2020 at TP3, a strategic gathering in Waterloo, ON convened by the McConnell Foundation and Tamarack Institute to create a coalition of organizations to address the climate crisis, (including through the arts). Jayne and I been exchanging about arts, cities and spiritual practices ever since.  

On Saturday, April 17, 2021, we went for a walk up Mont Royal in Montréal and recorded this conversation while doing a ‘soundwalk’. 

As I did with all episodes this season, I have integrated content from e19 reality in this episode. 

I would like to thank Jayne for taking the time to speak with me, for sharing her deep knowledge of urban issues, her spiritual beliefs and her insights on the role that arts and culture can play in societal and civilizational transformation. 

For more information on Jayne’s work, see https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayneengle/

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END NOTES FOR ALL EPISODES

Note : I'm currently 'pressing pause' and am not producing new content until further notice. 

Hey conscient listeners, 

I’ve been producing the conscient podcast as a learning and unlearning journey since May 2020. It’s my way to give back.

This Indigenous Land Acknowledgement statement was developed by members of the Algonquin community for my former employer the Canada Council for the Arts. I have adapted slightly to make it my own.

• I acknowledge that my studio, located in Ottawa, is on the unceded, unsurrendered Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation whose presence here reaches back to time immemorial.
• I recognize the Algonquins as the customary keepers and defenders of the Ottawa River Watershed and its tributaries. I honour their long history of welcoming many Nations to this beautiful territory and uphold and uplift the voice and values of our Host Nation.
• Further, I offer my respect and affirm the inherent and Treaty Rights of all Indigenous Peoples across this land and honour commitments to self-determination and sovereignty that have been made to Indigenous Nations and Peoples.
• I acknowledge the historical oppression of lands, cultures and the original Peoples in what we now know as Canada and fervently believe the Arts contribute to the healing and decolonizing journey we all share together

In parallel with the production of the conscient podcast and its francophone counterpart, balado conscient, I I publish a free ‘a calm presence' monthly Substack see https://acalmpresence.substack.com.  

Your feedback is always welcome at claude [at] conscient [dot] ca and/or on social media: Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin, Threads, BlueSky, Mastodon, Tik Tok, YouTube and Substack.

Share what you like, etc

I am grateful and accountable to the earth and the human labour that provided me with the privilege of producing this podcast, including the toxic materials and extractive processes behind the computers, recorders, transportation systems and infrastructure that made this production possible. 

Thanks for listening. 

Claude Schryer

Latest update on March 21, 2026