Welcome! Hello! How Are You?

My name is Jennifer. I am a visual anthropologist, consultant, and educator working on lək̓ʷəŋən territories/Victoria, BC on Vancouver Island. This site is a combination of projects I have been privileged to work on and the creative work of others I find inspiring. As a researcher, I think visually—that is, images not only illustrate my thoughts, images help me to process my ideas. This is a place to share these ideas in a jacket full of stories.

If you have any questions or want to chat, feel free to contact me at: jcrobins@uvic.ca  

Biography

I am originally from Treaty 7 territory in the Prairies, but I have been very fortunate to call the Coast and Strait Salish territories of the West Coast home for some time now. Something about the ocean keeps calling me back every time I try to step away. This love drew me to Vancouver Island where I completed my PhD in Visual Anthropology and Materiality at the University of Victoria in 2017. From here, I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Cultural Studies Department at Queen's University and joined the Creative Conciliations Collective. "Go be with the maple trees for a while" a friend said to me. So, I went on to do just this. And there were maples, and birch, wild blueberries, and lots of train rides. There was significant time spent by the rivers and a Great Lake (I have only seen one so far) reflecting on the post-Industrial landscape that is southern Ontario and Québec. In fall 2018, I shifted gears and drove myself to the center of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, for Postdoctoral Fellowship #2 through the University of Winnipeg. My work here allowed me to expand my interest in institutional policies pertaining to community-engagement and advocacy. Winnipeg also came with time spent by rivers, rivers that sure have a lot to say about the complicated history of this project that we live in called Canada and for this, I am remain grateful for the time spent listening to the flowing waters of the Red and Assiniboine. Turns out time spent has been a nice part of this thing called “the postdoc”.

I am currently back with the ocean breeze, on lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ territories, where I work on number of creative and community-led projects. I am a Research Associate with the Visual Stories Lab & Adjunct Faculty in the Department of Anthropology, where I teach a number of courses related to visual culture, Canadian history, and community-driven arts, archival, and advocacy initiatives. I am also a Research Associate (formerly postdoc #3!) with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research where I take part in a number of projects under the Canadian Managed Alcohol Program Study, including the evaluation of Indigenous-led harm reduction and culturally supportive housing in partnership with the Aboriginal Coalition to End Homelessness.

Freelance  

Since 2019, I have worked as a freelance consultant on behalf of museums, galleries, cultural centres, and Indigenous nations on various projects that support community-engaged advocacy through creative and participatory research methods and collaborations. This work builds on over 15 years of working alongside artists, musicians, curators, archivists, researchers, educators, students, activists, Elders, and Knowledge Keepers. I love the ability to truly collaborate. There is so much joy that comes from working with people and learning about lives lived. I also like to have a good time! And good work, even the really hard work, can be a great experience with the right people.

Freelance services that I am able to provide include:

  • Community-driven archives and collections research.

  • Institutional repatriation research & reports.

  • Qualitative research including oral histories, focus groups, semi-structures interviews.

  • Mixed methods of data analysis including narrative, visual, and surveys.

  • Curatorial exhibition development for museums, art galleries, education & cultural centers.

  • Education and public program development.

  • Project and event management.

  • Collaborative paper, report, and policy writing.

  • Exhibition catalogue and digital content creation.

  • Professional grant writing.

Just Jen

Just Jen cannot be fully separated from everything listed above, but when I do move away from the keys and the screens, I really love— though not exclusively—the following: long walks and big talks; beaches, boats, and bikes rides; jumping in water and sitting by fires; reading books I can touch; pretty much all music but especially rock & roll; and time spent around a table sharing a good meal.