Debbie Reid
Collective members that know her well, think Debbie Reid, M.Ed, is one of the brightest and wildest minds, period. She gracefully balances a hilarious sense of humor with sharp insight. Her career leading social change in Community Disability Services spans more than 3 decades. Debbie has been an executive director at a variety of organizations, a documentary film maker, an instructor at the University of Calgary and Macewan University, an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities and a mentor to many.
Like so many creative people, Debbie has diverse interests that keep her perspective fresh and fun. In her spare time if she is not silk screening a T-shirt, or repairing guitars, she is likely making mustaches out of the hair from her many dogs (see exhibit, A, above).
A conversation with her for Ben's research helped spark the name for the collective and captures the essence of what the collective sets out to do. Debbie said,
“I think what helps me keep creative is seeking out interactions with passionate, creative people…
Hard to put into words what happens…but kinda like, weird, humourous, spontaneous interactions can JAR me out of habitual patterns of thinking”
Currently Debbie is the Senior Manager of Leadership and Community Development at SKILLS Society and a part time instructor at Macewan University .
Debbie was an integral part of helping make the documentary, Through the eyes of artists (Arthouse productions, 2005). The film follows a group of artists with disabilities from Edmonton, Alberta Canada as they explore social justice issues through various art forms. Check it out below:
