Heather Bishop
Human Rights Activist | Musician | Environmentalist
Heather Bishop is an accomplished musician/singer-songwriter, social activist, keynote speaker, visual artist, published author, and tradeswoman. And, her country would concur, as Heather was awarded the Order of Canada in 2005.
Highly admired for her social activism, Heather has spent the past 4 1/2 decades championing feminism and the environment, and speaking out against racism, homophobia, and discrimination of any kind. In 1976, she piloted and taught the first Pre-Trades Training for Women Course in Canada and is currently working on another first – teaching the Canadian pilot of The Art of Managing Your Career. Both of these initiatives promote and help advance the financial and greater wellbeing of women and artists in their professional lives.
Heather is best known around the world as a talented and respected musician, having released 14 acclaimed folk and children’s albums, winning numerous JUNO nominations, Parents’ Choice Gold Awards, Western Canadian Music Awards, and NAPPA Awards. In 2011, Heather released a hardcover coffee table book of her artwork titled My Face is a Map of My Time Here. Her latest CD, released in the spring of 2019, is a live recording of her Canadian retirement concert entitled The Last Tracks.
Heather Bishop has always lived her belief that, when she gives voice to the truth in her own life, it strikes a chord in other people’s lives as well. She is dedicated to an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, and socially just world – a world in which wellbeing is extended to everything and every being.
Background
Heather has received the Order of Canada (2005) and the Order of Manitoba (2001), as well as an Honorary Doctorate of Law (2011).
She founded Mother of Pearl Studio of the Arts, which brings in world class instructors to provide master classes for professional artists as well as deliver basic skills development.
Topics
It’s an Inside Job
Leaving a Small Footprint
Heather Bishop has always been devoted to protecting the planet, and she walks her talk. She built her passive solar home in 1979 and, not only was it state of the art then, but her innovative ideas ensure that it still remains ahead of its time. Her latest adventure was building a passive solar straw bale cottage on her land and installing a 16Kwh solar panel system to meet all her power needs.
Our World is a Village
Highly admired for her social activism, Heather Bishop has championed feminism and the environment, speaking out against racism, homophobia, and discrimination of any kind. Her stories are a rich history of this country’s lumbering move forward to maintain our reputation as a leader in respecting, and being enriched by, diversity.
The Gift of Being Gay
Heather Bishop came out publicly in 1972. It was a lonely time because while the majority of her community was forced to hide to protect themselves, their family, and their jobs, Heather was standing tall and catching strong, hate-filled winds. Today, although the struggle for equality is not over, Heather is filled with gratitude to have witnessed great change in her lifetime. Music is the crucible that cradles and nurtures cultures’ emotions. It is also perhaps the most effective means for those cultures to be reflected back to themselves in a new frame so that they might continually be nudged forward towards greater social justice. Music is the voice of the people.