221A is pleased to welcome Gillian Der 謝美華 as Community Coordinator.
Gillian Der 謝美華 is an independent researcher and writer residing between Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsliel-Wautulth territory and St’àt’imc territory. Gillian’s work focuses on how environmental hazards and our changed climate intersect with social differences with a particular interest in rural communities. In 2025, Gillian received her MA in Geography from UBC for her work on living with wildfire in the Upper Bridge River Valley. She used arts-based and community engaged methods to gather insight into the affective and qualitative experiences of community members post fire. In the summer of 2025, she returned the knowledge to her community through a three day arts & research festival. In addition to her written thesis, she created Hold Over Fires, an immersive and interactive art exhibition with Alternatives Gallery where she gathered disabled and non-disabled communities in Vancouver to contemplate diverse forms of grief including climate grief in an urban context.
As Community Coordinator, Gillian brings her experiences in community organizing and political advocacy to support 221A’s artist programming.
Please join us in welcoming Gillian!
