Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is a movement of Indigenous and ethno-racial artists working with presenters to empower the arts communities of Ontario. CPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Indigenous and ethno-racial artists to engage with presenters - in theatre, music, dance, visual arts - across Ontario and to enable presenters to develop constructive relationships with Indigenous and ethno-racial artists.
 
CPAMO is supported by Indigenous and ethno-racial artists who are involved in theatre, music, dance and literary arts. They are members of CPAMO’s Roundtable and include representatives of Sampradaya Dance, Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Kaha:wi Dance, Sparrow in the Room, b-current, why not theatre, urban arts and backforward collective, TeyyaPeya Productions, Culture Days, Sheyanne Productions, Obsidian Theatre, the Collective of Black Artists, CanAsian Dance and others.
 
With the involvement of artists from these organizations, CPAMO is working with Community Cultural Impresarios (CCI), Canadian Dance Assembly and their members to build their capacities, cultural competencies and understanding of pluralism in the arts so that these members engage artists from these communities and, thereby, enable audiences across Ontario to access artistic expressions from diverse communities on a regular basis.
 
CPAMO gratefully acknowledges the funding support it has received for its activities from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport.

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The pace of activity has been exciting to say the least. With new funding partners, collaboration workshops and research we are making fast progress on our pluralism and sustainable alternatives for artists and arts organizations.  As many of you have done, we made a submission to influence the Province’s first cultural strategy.  You can find it on www.cpamo.org/reports-and-resources

As you know, the Canada Council is making a strong commitment towards equity in its new funding model.  CPAMO and the growing network of diverse and First Nations organizations and artists are well placed to lead and influence the changes in funding as they develop their implementation and measurement plans. We look forward to robust conversation at NASO in February. CPAMO is undertaking the job of host on behalf of the Canada Council so we will be all over it. 

A focal point for this year will be a spring townhall to capture and share the breadth of equity work we are all doing. We take much hope from the new Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Melanie Joly, not just for promised new funding, but her recognition of the importance of culture in reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, social cohesion in a diverse society, refugee integration and also commitment to put culture on the international stage again. 

The Board of Directors wish you all the best for 2016 and successful year for all. 

John Ryerson, Board Chair


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We started 2016 working on a few things that we want to share right off the top:

1) The Ontario Government's Culture Strategy.  Like many artists and arts organizations in Ontario, CPAMO submitted its perspectives to the Ontario government for consideration in the development of its first Cultural Strategy and Plan.  Based on its work and research over the years, the CPAMO paper both provides an overview of the comparative status and importance of Indigenous and racialized artists, and other marginalized artists.  The full paper can be read at  http://cpamo.org/reports-and-resources/

2) Media Arts Network Ontario (MANO).  CPAMO's Executive Director collaborated with two others to prepare timely resource guides for MANO that address equity, governance and human resources, and conflict resolution.  MANO took on this work to provide guidance to its members on these matters and these documents were released at its annual meeting at the end of January.  To review these documents, see http://mano-ramo.ca/resources/studies/

3) The Theatre Centre.  CPAMO's Executive Director was invited to write a piece about bias in the reviews of a play that was staged at the Theatre Centre as part of its November Ticket for 2015.  This writing focuses on the 'blinders' reviewers seem to wear when they see bodies of colour on stage and the types of roles they play, particularly on the subject of race and racism.  To read the full review, see http://theatrecentre.org/?p=7293

4) The Canadian Arts Summit.  CPAMO's Program Manager and Board Member were invited to participate as panelists for the recent Summit held at the Banff Centre for the Arts.  Both were on the panel 'The Face of Leadership in Contemporary Canada, see http://canadianartssummit.com/19th-summit/19th-summit-program/

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CPAMO to date has conducted three workshops under the explorations of Building Collaborative Practices. Facilitated over the past six months, workshops began in October and ends in Spring 2016. The workshops and findings coincide with research and documentation on collaborative practices, which is lead by CPAMO’s Program Manager, Kevin A. Ormsby with additional support from charles c. smith, Venessa Harris and Jane Marsland. Below are some of the general findings thus far.

WORKSHOP I: Thinking Collaboratively Acting Collectively (October 2016) facilitated by Charmaine Headley | Kevin A. Ormsby
• Collaboration as transformative process into how we create, produce and consider presentation and opportunities in the arts.
• Having working agreements and contracts are important. How does one engage in collaborative agreements on projects collectively?  
• Consider talking freely, knowing goals and intentions, remove the barriers of  interpretation. Call people in not call them out.
• Explore Conscious and collaborative business practices, collaborations can offer transformative changes to system.
• Thinking seriously about share benefits and goals in the collaborative. Can this visioning happen together?  Write it down, go back, assess, clarify and allow change.
• Working towards collaborations as INVESTMENT vs. COMMITMENT
• Is working collaboratively also about fostering intergenerational and inter professional conversations?
• Explain your practice in a rounded and connected way towards public impact (social concern)

WORSHOP II: Building Collaborative Practices facilitated by Ronny Brown – Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts (November 2016)
• Responsive ways of collaborating involves broadening the horizons of facilitating and engaging with changing demographics of participants in the Arts.
• Have Collaborative transparency around values and common shared principles
• Seek links to Arts and Social Issues  
• Creating messages together and also having everyone say the same messaging
• How can writing with passion help facilitate the work you are doing with the presenters?
• What’s the language you use when communication with presenters?
• How is collaborative practice with a presenter is an investment in the community of the presenters
• How does one provide / create the framework that is accessible for the presenter and audience
• How in collaboration do you transfer knowledge to the presenters and audience, the potential for knowledge transference?
• Make the collaboration fun: How, when and how do you interact with the physical space of the places we collaborate
• In collaborations its important to spend time learning about each other and find out the timeframe it takes to build a partnership and collaboration that is meaningful
• Follow-up its important to acknowledge the work you did together.
• WIN THE AUTHORISERS – what is the relationships and impact statements for the work you did together
 
WORKSHOP III: Curating Collaborative Engagements facilitated by Beatriz Pizano of Aluna Theatre (December 2015)
• Considering time logistics in your collaboration: timing of grants and impact on developing relationship for a collaborative partnerships
Knowing clearly whom the collaboration will assist and the values they can achieve.
Collaborating Administratively can assist in lean administration, operating within a network/build relationships, international touring, secure more diverse funders, partnering with universities etc.
• Finding common theme to work on, e.g., human rights, reconciliation
• Making connections and building relationships - takes time!
• Use of internships can be helpful, eg. Theatre Ontario, Metcalf, OAC Access/Career Development

Do stay in tune for other workshops and focus groups offered by CPAMO in 2016. 

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CPAMO coordinated the program for the February 18/19, 2016 Annual Meeting of National Arts Services Organizations.  The theme for this gathering was Emerging Trends in Canadian Arts: Partnering for Change.  This theme was explored over the length of the gathering, i.e., 1.5 days, and began with a conversation with Canada Council’s CEO and Director, Simon Brault to discuss the proposed changes to the Council’s granting programs, their criteria, timelines, adjudication processes, assessment, evaluation and any developments following the initial implementation of this new direction. 
After this, the agenda focused on:

Check it out on CPAMO’s website to see the full program in English or in French. 


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In Ottawa, CPAMO is continuing its focus on building awareness and commitment toward collaborative projects and to begin to explore the viability of a shared platform in the Ottawa arts community. CPAMO continues to work with its local Ottawa partners, i.e., CARFAC National, MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities), Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture, Arts Ottawa East, and individual artists such as Leah Snyder, Maria Gomez Umana, Natasha Bakht.  This work will build on sessions held with these artists and arts organizations over the past two years with the objective of developing collaborative practices within the Ottawa arts community.  

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CPAMO is now planning its second Town Hall in the Greater Toronto Area to be held at the Arts and Letters Club. The objective of this forum to facilitate conversation between arts organizations dedicated to pluralism - i.e., pluralism of content presented, artists/producers, and in audiences/communities engaged - and to take temperature of the field, understand barriers to furthering this objective and, based on this, to compile recommendations for systemic change that CPAMO will bring forward in a report for its members, Advisory Committee and to share in dialogue with funding bodies.  This forum will invite some of these arts organizations to share in this dialogue: SKETCH, Tangled Arts, the Aga Khan Museum, Nia Centre, Media Arts Network Ontario, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Playwrights Guild of Canada/Equity Project, Ontario Association of Art Galleries, Ontario Presents, SAVAC, etc.  These and other groups and individuals will come together to share information on their activities, what they have learned, their challenges and opportunities, and what they need to continue or grow their work.  A report will be issued documenting this and putting forward the report with its recommendations to arts organizations and funders.   It is anticipated that the recommendations will need to be placed into an action plan and that a collaborative group of those assembled will work with CPAMO on this.

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The  Artist’s Resale Right (ARR) is a proposed legislation in Canada which will entitle visual artists to receive 5% from a secondary sale of their work, it will apply only for original works of art protected by copyright and suggested to include works sold for $1,000 and more. It is currently legislated in at least  93 countries around the world, all 28 EU countries as well as 65 countries outside of the EU such as Morocco, Ukraine, Dominican Republic, Columbia and Mexico.

This legislation will be beneficial for all artists but especially to indigenous artists who sold their work at  low prices years ago and now their work resold for much higher price at auction houses and commercial galleries. This includes many artists in remote northern communities who live in impoverished conditions but  their work considerably increases in value. In addition, indigenous artists have established themselves as a unique identity and brand in the  international art market, but they are not benefiting from profits made on their work in the secondary market. One prominent example is: Kenojuak Ashevak, an acclaimed Inuit artist, sold her piece Enchanted Owl in 1960 for $24. In 2011 it was resold for $58,650 by Waddington’s auction house in 2001. Ashevak didn’t not receive any profit from this resale.

CARFAC and RAAV propos that the Minister of Canadian Heritage present the Artist’s Resale Right as an addition to the Copyright Act. To help bring the ARR to Canada you can email or meet with your Member of Parliament (MP).This will both raise awareness on Parliament Hill and show public support for the ARR. It takes only a few minutes to email your MP using the online form, as well as  CARFAC and RAAV have tips for meeting with your MP: www.carfac.ca/initiatives/help-bring-the-artists-resale-right-to-canada


Sources and for more information:

Policy Proposition Recommendations for an Artist’s Resale Right in Canada
www.carfac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Artist-Resale-Right-Proposal-Oct-2015.pdf

The  Artist’s Resale Right Campaign 
www.carfac.ca/initiatives/help-bring-the-artists-resale-right-to-canada

Frequently Asked Questions about the Artist’s Resale Right
www.carfac.ca/news/2013/05/14/frequently-asked-questions-and-misconceptions-about-the-artists-resale-right
 


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CPAMO is influential in the arts as a convener of public forums, organizer of skill-based and knowledge exchanges, researcher, a forum for networking, and a collaborator with various partners across the Greater Toronto Area, in Ottawa and nationally. 

Partnerships: CPAMO has partnered with various organizations to achieve common goals. As such, CPAMO has considerable influence on other arts organizations as it has partnered with them to sponsor Town Halls and showcases: CAPACOA; Magnetic North; Ontario Presents/Community Cultural Impresarios; Neighbourhood Arts Network (Toronto); CircadiaIndigena (Ottawa); The Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership and City of Ottawa; Flato Markham Theatre and Sampradaya Dance Creations; Theatre Ontario; IMPACT Festival  (Kitchener-Waterloo); alucine Latin Film Festival; MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities - Ottawa); CARFAC National; MayTree Foundation; Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (Ottawa); Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts; and the Luminato Festival.

CPAMO has delivered workshops on best practices in data management, fundraising, soclal media, volunteer and community engagement.  These have been delivered in partnership with: Tech Soup; Heather Young and Associates, Creative Trust and the Neighbourhood Arts Network; Business for the Arts; SudarshanJagannathan; Lucy Hamlet / Black Chick Group; and the Maytree Foundations Diversity-On-Boards.

Artists Engaged by Presenters: Several CPAMO Roundtable members successfully performed, or will be performing in 2016, on the stages operated by presenter members of Ontario Presents.  These were/are:

Engagements in the Broader Arts Community: CPAMO is involved in a number of initiatives promoting pluralism in the arts: CPAMO Advisory Committee; Canadian Dance Assembly Advisory Council on Pluralism; Steering Committee of the Canadian Arts Coalition; ONN Shared Platform Working Group; Coordinating Committee of National Arts Services Organizations; OAAG (Ontario Association of Arts Galleries); Playwrights’ Guild of Canada/Equity In Theatre Steering Committee; Toronto Arts Council’s Cultural Leaders; the Canadian Museums Association; Business for the Arts/artsvest; Provincial Arts Services of Ontario.

CPAMO’s staff and Board have been invited to facilitate gatherings of artists as well as make presentations to various conferences and symposiums, including: Community Cultural Impresarios Annual Meeting 2009; Carfac National Conference 2012; Canadian Dance Assembly National Conference 2012; Professional Arts Organizations Network For Education 2013 And 2014; Royal Conservatory Artists Education Program 2012 And 2013; Ontario Association Of Art Galleries   2014; Vancouver International Dance Festival 2013; Impact Festival 2009 and 2011; Prismatic Festival 2010; Ethnocultural Art Histories Research 2014; White Water Gallery ‘Big Dream Conference’ 2015; Toronto Arts Counci//Banff Centre for the Arts Cultural Leaders program; the Aga Khan Museum; Ismaili Cultural Centre; Cultural Hotspots North York Arts Council; artscape; artsvest Board diversity program; Canadian Museums Association; Ontario Non-profit Network

Research, Publications and Social Media:  CPAMO’s research has been captured in the book Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come which appeared in 2012 through the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.  This book has become a resource to many arts organizations and as a text for university education.  For example, the book has been used by: Theatre Ontario: Ontario Association of Art Galleries: Made In B.C.; Banff Centre for the Arts Indigenous Arts Program; University of Toronto Scarborough Arts Management Program; and Humber College Arts Administration Program. 

CPAMO commissioned a report by Jane Marsland Thinking Collaboratively: Acting Collectively: Creating and Operating A Collaborative Learning Community for Indigenous and Ethno-Racial Artists.  This report was launched at CPAMO’s Toronto Town Hall on October 16, 2015 at the Arts and Letters Club.   CPAMO’s Program Manager is now conducting follow-up research to Marsland’s report. This involves interviews and conversations with CPAMO Roundtable members, members of the CPAMO Advisory Committee and others to assess interest, their needs for such research and to identify sources. This research will cite examples of collaborative practices between arts organizations focusing on Indigenous and ethno-racial communities.  A final document will be released in the fall 2106.