FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nova Arts Hub
4489 Viewmont Ave,
Victoria, BC
V8Z 5K8
https://novaartshub.com/
Award-winning Victoria artist brings together local and international storytellers for rare public event on May 7
Nova Arts Hub founder Lajah Warren — recently recognized by the Governor General — hosts closing celebration of groundbreaking cross-cultural program
VICTORIA, BC — Lajah Warren, a 26-year-old Indigenous artist and community builder who received two major awards in late 2025 — including recognition at the BC Multiculturalism and Anti-Racism Annual Awards presented by the Governor General — is opening her Nova Arts Hub to the public for a one-night storytelling and arts fundraiser on May 7, 2026.
The Storywork Fundraiser Event marks the closing celebration of Nova's Global Storywork Studio, a program that paired Victoria-based artists with an international artist to explore ethical cross-cultural storytelling. Tickets and donations are available at novaartshub.com.
"On Vancouver Island, we can be so isolated from the rest of the world and the issues happening globally," says Warren, who relates to the Albany and Warren families of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nation. "This program bridges the gap between local artists and international artists to better understand the world and our place in it."
The event comes at a moment when arts funding across Canada is shrinking and grassroots cultural spaces are increasingly shouldering the work of keeping marginalized voices visible. Warren's Nova Arts Hub is one of a small number of Indigenous-led organizations in the region doing that work at an international scale.
In November 2025, Warren received the Witness Legacy Award for Social Purpose and Responsibility through Art at the Greater Victoria Regional Arts Awards. A month later, she was named Emerging Leader of the Year at the provincial multiculturalism and anti-racism awards — recognized specifically for building intercultural trust through the arts.
"This fundraiser is about affirming that storytelling across cultures matters," Warren says. "Art is a tool for connection, healing and shared understanding."
The May 7 event will include an exhibition of cohort and international artist’s works, a roundtable discussion with program participants, a collective storysharing activity open to all attendees, and a fundraiser raffle running May 1–20.