Still Moon Arts Society
Still Moon Arts Society inspires vibrant and connected communities by creating artistic experiences and nurturing a passion for nature.
The group does so through eco-arts and environmental stewardship programming, in addition to its founding annual festival: the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. Still Moon’s belief in the power of artistic experiences to move and engage people guides the society as it brings together art, environment, and community in East Vancouver, with specific focus on the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood and the Still Creek watershed.
Join it in forging ahead into a future where humans and more-than-humans live in collective harmony.
Still Moon was created in 2004 in response to the neglected state of Renfrew Ravine, where rented dumpsters were filled with trash multiple times a year and crime rates were high. Carmen Rosen, a working artist, prior nonprofit founder, and concerned citizen who values community green spaces, was disturbed at the state of the ravine, but also saw an opportunity: Could Renfrew Ravine be transformed into a thriving community green space, rich in art and ecosystem health? Could art act as a catalyst for change within a community? These questions led to a myriad of ecological art projects, restoration initiatives, and Still Moon’s founding initiative, the Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival.
Co-presented with Renfrew Park Community Association each September, the Moon Festival is a series of free public events that celebrate the Harvest Moon, Still Creek, local art, and the diverse cultural traditions of the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood. Its program includes a Harvest Fair, Twilight Lantern Procession, and Streamside Lanterns, plus live music, dance, shadow puppets, eco-arts, workshops, and more. From 2022 to 2024, the Moon Festival has included a special finale performance, Consciousness of Streams, a three-year community performance project contemplating the lost streams buried beneath the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood.
Still Moon staff and board members have continually been recognized for their creative and community work. Rosen received the Vancouver-Kingsway Community Spirit Award in 2009 and Mayor’s Arts Award in 2010. In 2012, the Queen’s Jubilee Award was given to Rosen, board member Emily Chan for outstanding youth achievement, and board president Terry Tayler for 35 years of community building. In 2013, Rosen gave a TEDx talk on salmon returning to Still Creek. In 2016, Youth Coordinator and board member Chitha Manoranjan received the BC Multiculturalism award, and in 2017, Henry Chan received two Mayor’s Arts Awards for Volunteer and Board Member of the Year.
