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What is CPAMO?
Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is a movement of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists working with presenters to empower the arts communities of Ontario. CPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Aboriginal 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 Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists.
CPAMO is supported by Aboriginal 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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Greetings!!!
On behalf of our new Board of Directors we are very excited to be in on the ground of the incorporation of CPAMO. We are on an important journey for capacity building, collaboration and equity. This formalization of the movement will help us with both funding and advocacy as we pursue our goals of capacity building, collaboration and equity in a new framework. We just can’t keep moving from poverty to “windfall” to poverty in the arts. There has to be a better way and with your help we are on a quest to find it.
John Ryerson
Chair, Board of Directors
Well, we’ve been quiet for a bit but that is now over!!! As many of you know, CPAMO has now completed five years of activities with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Canada Council for the Arts Directors and Equity Project Grants, the Ontario Arts Council Art Services Project and Multi-Arts Grants, and the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, Recreation and Sport. We wish to thank our funders for their generosity and to Ontario Presents (formerly Community Cultural Impresarios) for working with us in receiving and disbursing these funds.
While we are pleased with what we’ve achieved, and attach a summary in this newsletter, we’re also pleased to inform you of our next steps and to invite you to participate in our future development.
Thanks to funding received from the Canada Council for the Arts Leadership for Change and Equity Projects Cultivate, and, Ontario Arts Council Compass grants, CPAMO will be coordinating activities to develop a relevant ‘shared platform’ as well as convening workshops to demystify the process for developing collaborative practices.
We discuss these things below.
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Development of An Artist Model ‘Shared Platform’
In the last two years, CPAMO has conducted surveys and interviews involving many of our members. In doing so, we’ve learned many things about both ongoing and new needs of these members. As a result, we applied for funding to the Canada Council for the Arts Leadership for Change Program and the Ontario Arts Council Compass Grants Program. We were successful in both and have now retained Jane Marsland to work with us in developing a shared platform that will be unique to CPAMO.
Jane is now in the process of conducting research and has met with the CPAMO Board, Advisory Committee as well as the Steering Committee for this project. Jane will soon send out a survey to CPAMO members and then design a format for focus groups that will be held mid-May.
Following this, CPAMO and Jane will consider the results of these approaches and put forward a model for CPAMO to take forward for development. This is an exciting opportunity and one that we think will be well received by various artists and arts organizations that are engaged and/or interested in pluralism in the arts.
Focus groups for this will be held on:
- Tuesday, May 19 - 6-9 p.m.
- Wednesday, may 20 4-7 p.m.
- Thursday May 21 12 - 3 p.m.
If you’re interested in attending, let us know as space is limited!!!
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Development of Collaborative Practices Artist-to-Artist and Artist-Presenter
With funding from the Canada Council Equity Office Cultivate Grants Program, CPAMO has received funding to coordinate 6 workshops that will be led by:
i. Charmaine Headley, Co-Artistic Director of the Collective of Black Artists (COBA) and Kevin A. Ormsby, Artistic Director of Kashedance and CPAMO Program Coordinator.
ii. Bea Pisano, Artistic Director Aluna Theatre.
iii. Eric Lariviere, General Manager, Flato Markham Theatre.
iv. Ronnie Brown (Title)
These sessions will be capped off with a shared learning circle led by CPAMO’s Executive Director, charles c. smith, and involving each of the resources noted above.
Registration for these sessions will begin soon and we anticipate that the first one will be held in June and the others in the fall and winter.
Stay tuned!!!
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Incorporation and Board of Directors
As a final note for now, CPAMO has now successfully incorporated!!! Guided by Kevin A. Ormsby’s expertise and with the support of the newly-established Board of Directors, CPAMO is on its way to establishing its structure and suite of programs. This will be developed to be consistent with the results of Jane Marsland’s work on the shared platform.
While small, the CPAMO Board is made up of very able, committed and passionate artists and artist educators and advocates. These members are:
• John Ryerson, Board Chair
• Sheniz Janmohamed, Board Treasurer
• Tina Chu, Board Secretary
• Farwah Gheewala, Member-at-Large
CPAMO is currently looking to add at least one and as many at three new members to the Board. Our areas of interest for expertise is in, you guessed it, fundraising, financial management, legal and/or human resources, and community engagement.
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Appreciation to CPAMO Members
We would be remiss if we did not thank the many speakers, artists, facilitators and others we’ve engaged since 2009. Our heartfelt thanks goes to all of our members for your ongoing support and to those whom we have been able to showcase or have as speakers in workshops and panels. While this list may not capture all of you, here are some highlights:
• Showcases: Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Sampradaya Dance Creations, Kashedance, Vanguardia Dance Projects, Nova Dance, COBA, Lee Pui Ming, Sedina Fiati, Das Faggot Manschaft, ANDPVA artists, Aluna Theatre, Nisha Ajuha, Lois Fine, Lua Sheyenne and Company, Roshanak Jaberi, Olga Barrios, Carlos Rivera, Little Pear Garden Collective, Dance Migration, Spy Denome Welch and Catherine MacGowan, Sheniz Janmohamed, Soraya Peerbaye, Sashar Zarif, Denise Fujiwara, Mikhail P. Morris and Melissa Noventa.
• Speakers: Soheil Parsa, Modern Times Theatre; Bea Pisano and Trevor Schwellnus, Aluna Theatre; Lata Pada, Sampradaya Dance Creations; Yvette Nolan, playwright; Ravi Jain, whynot theatre; Sandra Laronde, Red Sky Performance; Jini Stolk, Toronto Arts Foundation; Charmaine Headley, COBA; Emily Cheung, Little Pear Garden Collective; Vivinne Scarlett, danceImmersion; Menaka Thakker, Menaka Thakker Dance; Nova Bhattacharya; Ella Cooper and Angie Aranda, Neighbourhood Arts Network; Eric Lariviere, Flato Markham Theatre; Ronnie Brown, Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts; Natasha Bakht, choreographer/dancer; George Elliot Clarke, poet; Jaime Koebbel, artist; April Britski, CARFAC National; Sara Roque, Ontario Arts Council; Patty Jarvis, Prologue to the Performing Arts; Sashar Zarif, dancer/choreographer; Jerry Longboat, Circadia Indigena.
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Appreciation to Ontario Presents
As part of its development and growth, CPAMO would like to extend its deepest gratitude to Ontario Presents (formerly CCI-Community Cultural Impresarios) and, in particular, to Warren Garrett, Executive Director. Warren and CPAMO Executive Director, charles c. smith, have been in dialogue years before CPAMO received its first grant and its partnership work with Ontario Presents and its members. We’ve worked together to convene Town Halls, workshops, artists’ showcases and to prepare and disseminate reports on CPAMO’s activities.
Ontario Presents’ expertise has been invaluable as CPAMO developed our space in the arts ecology, working together to enhance the understanding and acceptance of Indigenous and ethno-racial arts practices that are making such a big mark on contemporary Canadian culture.
Ontario Presents has been an invaluable partner in working with CPAMO to enable the latter’s members to meet and connect with presenters across Ontario and Canada. One major result of this is the number of CPAMO members who have performed in the past couple of years in the venues of Ontario Presents members. Clearly a success story!!!
And there’s more to come! Warren Garrett is an active member of CPAMO’s Advisory Committee where he is joined by two Ontario Presents members Eric Lariviere, Flato Markham Theatre, and Ronnie Brown, Oakville Centre for the Arts. Through their involvement, CPAMO looks to build upon its relationship with presenters, enabling them to meet and enhance their understanding and appreciation for the arts practices of Indigenous and ethno-racial artists while, at the same time, imparting their knowledge on presenting and its challenges to these artists.
This is clearly a special relationship and, as some might say, this is how we roll!!!
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CPAMO Accomplishments
1. Introduction:
This report provides a summary overview of the accomplishments and impact of the collaborative project involving Ontario Presents/Community Cultural Impresarios and Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) .
Since 2009, CPAMO has been involved in four principle activities:
1. Coordinating public forums/Town Halls on pluralism in the arts;
2. Providing showcases of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists;
3. Coordinating professional development opportunities;
4. Engaging in networking activities within the arts;
5. Conducting research and promoting member activities’ and
6. Delivering presentations at conferences and other forums.
2. Town Halls And Workshops:
CPAMO coordinated a series of Town Halls and several workshops to explore issues of pluralism in the arts and to build capacities of artists and arts organizations, particularly Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and arts organizations. These events help identify challenges arts organizations are facing on these issues, particularly relating to what steps can be taken to:
- develop collaborative projects between Aboriginal and culturally diverse arts organizations and presenter venues across Ontario;
- develop audiences from Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities; and
- promote and market arts activities of Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities to diverse communities.
CPAMO has convened Town Halls in partnership with:
- ONTARIO PRESENTS/COMMUNITY CULTURAL IMPRESARIOS - 2010
- MAGNETIC NORTH – 2010
- CAPACOA - 2010
- VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT – 2011, 12 and 13
- OTTAWA – 2012, 2013 (2 SESSIONS IN 2013)
- COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - 2013
- THEATRE ONTARIO - 2013
- CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY – 2013
- MAKING A SUCCESSFUL PITCH - 2014
CPAMO has coordinated and delivered workshops on and with:
- DEMOGRAPHICS CHANGES– TORONTO AND OTTAWA (2011 AND 2012)
- BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PRESENTERS
- 12 DATABASE MANAGEMENT SESSIONS (WITH CREATIVE TRUST AND NEIGBHOURHOOD ARTS NETWORK – 2012 AND 2013)
- FUNDRAISING - 2013
- SOCIAL MEDIA - 2013
- MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS - 2013
3. Artist Showcases:
CPAMO has showcased the following artists:
- Kashedance – 2010, 2011 And 2013 Respectively At Town Hall With Ontario Presents In 2010, Impact Festival 2011 And Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly 2013;
- Sampradaya Dance Creations – 2010 And 2013 Respectively At Town Hall With Ontario Presents In 2010 And Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly 2013;
- Sedina Fiati – 2011 At Impact Festival;
- Lee Pui Ming – 2011 At Impact Festival;
- Collective Of Black Artists – 2010 And 2014 Respectively At Town Hall With Capacoa And Cpamo Year-End Meeting;
- Kaha:Wi Dance Theatre – 2010 At Town Hall With Capacoa;
- Nova Dance – 2010 At Town Hall With CAPACOA;
- Masc – 2012 And 2013 At Town Halls In Ottawa;
- One World Dialogue (a visual art exhibit) – 2012 At Town Hall In Ottawa;
- Little Pear Garden Collective – 2013 At Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly;
- Lua Sheyenne And Company – 2013 At Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly;
- Roshanak Jaberi – 2013 At Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly;
- Sashar Zarif – 2013 And 2014 At Town Hall With Canadian Dance Assembly And Critical Creativities Forum With U. Of T. Dept Of Religious Studies;
- Andva Artistis
- Spy Dennome Welch – 2013 At Impact Festival;
- Soraya Peerbaye – 2013 At Impact Festival;
- Sheniz Janmohamed – 2013 At Impact Festival;
- Fujiwara Dance – 2104 At Critical Creativities Forum With U. Of T. Dept Of Religious Studies;
- Vanguardia Dance Projects – IMPACT Festival 2011;
- Melissa Noventa And Mikhail Morris – 2014 At Critical Creativities Forum With U. Of T. Dept. Of Religious Studies And CPAMOYear-End Meeting;
- Craig Laur – 2014 At Cpamo Year-End Meeting;
- Lois Fine And Sadie Epstein-Fine – 2014 At CPAMO Year-End Meeting;
- Das Faggott Mannschaft – 2014 At CPAMO Year-End Meeting;
- Nisha Ahuja – 2014 At CPAMO Year-End Meeting.
4. Artists Engaged By Presenters
In 2013 and 2014, several CPAMO Roundtable members successfully performed, on the stages operated by presenter members of Ontario Presents/Community Cultural Impresarios. These were/are:
- Sampradaya Dance Creations at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga), Flato Markham Theatre, Grand Theatre (Kingston)
- Kaha:wi Dance Theatre at Oakville Centre for the Arts, Grand Theatre (Kingston), Flato Markham Theatre and Prologue to the Performing Arts
- Lua Sheyenne Productions in schools as part of Prologue to the Performing Arts
- REELAsian at Richmond Hill Theatre
- Nova Dance has been engaged by presenters for various workshops and projects, including Sioux Lookout and the Prismatic Festival;
- KasheDance and the wind in the leaves collective showcase at Ontario Contact;
- Aluna Theatre has been engaged by MT Space in Kitchener-Waterloo;
- Little Pear Garden Collective will be performing for Flato Markham Theatre in 2015
- KasheDance and the wind in the leaves collective have been engaged by Oakville Centre for the Arts in 2015
5. Collaborations
CPAMO has collaborated with numerous arts organizations for Town Halls, showcases, workshops and professional development activities. These include working with:
- FLATO MARKHAM THEATRE 2011 and 2012
- IMPACT 2011 AND 2013 FESTIVALS
- CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY PLURALISM COMMITTEE 2012 and 2013
- OAAG – 2014
- ARCCO - 2014
- CIRCADIA INDIGENIA – 2013 and 2014
- ANDPVA 2013 and 2014
- ALUNA THEATRE 2014
- ALUCINE LATIN FILM FESTIVAL 2013 and 2014
- CREATIVE TRUST/NEIGHBOURHOOD ARTS NETWORK 2013 and 2014
6. Presentations
- CARFAC NATIONAL CONFERENCE - 2012
- CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY ANNUAL MEETING - 2012
- PAONE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – 2012, 2013
- ROYAL CONSERVATORY ARTISTS EDUCATION – 2012, 2013
- ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF ART GALLERIES - 2014
7. Work In Communities and Networks
- OTTAWA
- MARKHAM
- KITCHENER-WATERLOO
8. Research And Promotions
- PLURALISM IN THE ARTS IN CANADA
- 23 NEWSLETTERS
- WEBSITE AND PROMOTION OF MEMBER ACTIVITY
9. Advisory Committee
The Advisory Committee is a supportive body to CPAMO and its members that will address the challenges listed above through identification of resources and alternatives to enhance capacity and the services CPAMO can provide its members. The focus will be on two key areas: undertaking a collective or collaborative approach to fundraising to build working capital and organizational development initiatives aimed at supporting the individual and collective growth of CPAMO and its members.
The Committee will provide advice and support to CPAMO’s efforts to ensure the long-term health and stability of its members, many of whom are small arts organizations in music, dance, theatre and visual arts. The Committee will assist CPAMO in providing the tools and resources to enable its members to develop strong planning and financial skills, achieve organizational health and balance, and acquire and maintain a fund of working capital.
- Advisory Committee Responsibilities:
To achieve the purpose noted above, the Advisory Committee will:
• Support and act as goodwill ambassadors for CPAMO. As ambassadors the members will help develop awareness and advance the vision for the program within their own respective constituencies.
• Act as ‘door openers’ to key individuals within their own community, company, industry or institution where CPAMO may be seeking participation and support.
• Give advice and guidance to CPAMO where needed, and may be invited to participate on working committees.
- Communications and Term of Commitment:
The Advisory Committee will kept up to date on program developments and progress. Committee Membership will be for a three-year period, renewable for an additional four years, or until the completion of the program.
Advisory Committee meetings will be held quarterly and working groups may be formed to address specific issues related to this initiative.
- Member Profile:
The Advisory Committee will be comprised of no more than 25 individuals from arts services organizations, presenters, funders, centres for artistic development and members of CPAMO’s Roundtable of creative artists.mmThis will include individuals who have distinguished themselves as supporters of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and will include representative members of CPAMO’s Roundtable.
The current members of the Advisory Committee are:
- Kathleen Sharpe, Executive Director, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund
- John Ryerson, former Director Cultural Services, City of Markham
- Patty Jarvis, Executive Director, Prologue to the Performing Arts
- Ronnie Brown, Oakville Centre for the Arts
- Eric Lariviere, General Manager Flato Markham Theatre
- Alicia Rose, National Outreach and Program Manager, Business for the Arts
- Kate Cornell, Executive Director, Canadian Dance Assembly
- Carol Beauchamp, Executive Director, Theatre Ontario
- Warren Garrett, Executive Director, Community Cultural Impresarios/Ontario Presenters Network
- Kevin A. Ormsby, Kashedance
- Helen Yung, Independent Artist and Former Co-Coordinator Canada Council Stand Firm Network (Ontario and Manitoba)
- Mimi Beck, CanDance Network
- Jason Ryle, Exeutive Director, imagineNATIVE
- Cindy Yip, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective
- Harvey Weisfeld, wind in the leaves collective
- Anita Agrawal, Consultant and Former Co-Coordinator Canada Council Stand Firm Network (Ontario and Manitoba)
- Charmaine Headley, Collective of Black Artists
- Rebecca Burton, Playwrights Guild of Canada
- Millie Knapp, Executive Director, Association of Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts
- Soheil Parsa, Artistic Director Modern Times Theatre
- Lata Pada, Artistic Director Sampradaya Dance Creations
- Bea Pisano, Artistic Director Aluna Theatre
The Advisory Committee has been helpful in guiding the CPAMO project into the future. Based on its input, CPAMO is now in the process of incorporating as a stand-alone entity and is pursuing development as a shared platform. Funding to assist in this endeavor has been provided by the Canada Council for the Arts “Leadership for Change Grants Program”.
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Impact of CPAMO’s Work
CPAMO has become influential in the arts community as a convener of public forums, organizer of skill-based and knowledge exchanges, researcher, a forum for networking and collaborator with various partners across the Greater Toronto Area, in Ottawa and Kitchener-Waterloo.
CPAMO has developedstrong relationships and partnerships and has focused on an evidence-basedpractices learning model where artists and arts organizations are able to share with each other what has worked, what they have learned, what they’re trying to understand. CPAMO's work impacts the cultural and public discussion on the values of contemporary Canadian art and culture, their understanding, appreciation for and their dissemination.
- Partnerships:
CPAMO has partnered with various organizations to achieve its goals. This has resulted in a higher number of public participants in CPAMO events and events coordinated by others with CPAMO’s involvement. For instance, in 2013:
1) Events CPAMO convened on its own or was the lead organizer for attracted approximately 800 people
2) Events CPAMO participated in as co-sponsor or supported attracted approximately 1,200 people. These events include those coordinated by Circadia Indigena, alucine Latin Film Festival, Association of Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts, IMPACT Festival, Ontario Contact, Flato Markham Theatre and Sampradaya Dance Creations.
This demonstrates the influence that CPAMO has generated across several arts communities in Ontario. In each of these communities, CPAMO has either led, or worked with arts organizations taking the lead, to promote pluralism in the arts and to engage artists and presenters in dialogue and building relationships. Whether through knowledge and skill building workshops, Town Halls, and artist showcases, CPAMO has achieved its objectives and provided support to platforms sharing similar goals.
At the same time, the involvement of CPAMO’s Project Lead in forums as a facilitator, session leader, steering committee member and speaker has confirmed the interest of local, provincial and national organizations interested in making substantive connections with CPAMO and to engaging the issues, concerns and ideas CPAMO has articulated and/or is developing to continuing to promoting pluralism in the arts. This is enhanced in CPAMO’s recent establishment of its Advisory Committee that has significant membership from amongst CPAMO’s Roundtable members, arts services organizations and provincial and national leaders in the arts.
As such, CPAMO has considerable influence on other arts organizations. This is notable in the forums, showcases and workshops CPAMO has either sponsored or co-coordinated. For example, CPAMO has partnered with the following organizations to sponsor, co-sponsor and/or co-coordinate Town Halls and showcases:
- CAPACOA
- Magnetic North
- Ontario Presents/Community Cultural Impresarios
- Neighbourhood Arts Network (Toronto)
- Circadia Indigena (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 and Neighbourhood Arts Network
- Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (Ottawa)
- Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts
- Luminato Festival
The workshops CPAMO delivered focused on knowledge transfer of best practices in data management, fundraising, soclal media, volunteer and community engagement. To do this, CPAMO has developed and delivered professional development training sessions with:
- Tech Soup
- Heather Young and Associates
- Creative Trust and the Neighbourhood Arts Network
- Business for the Arts
- Sudarshan Jagannathan
- Lucy Hamlet / Black Chick Group
- Maytree Foundations Diversity-On-Boards
As a movement to promote pluralism in the arts, CPAMO recognizes that it cannot achieve this without the involvement and input of its Roundtable members and other arts organizations that are working toward a common goal. Such opportunities for collaborative work have enabled CPAMO to expand its reach and, most importantly, to expand its objective of promoting pluralism in the arts in Ontario and across Canada.
- Artists Engaged by Presenters:
In 2013, several CPAMO Roundtable members successfully performed, or will be performing in 2014/15, on the stages operated by presenter members of Community Cultural Impresarios. These were/are:
- Sampradaya Dance Creations at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga), Flato Markham Theatre, Grand Theatre (Kingston)
- Kaha:wi Dance Theatre at Oakville Centre for the Arts, Grand Theatre (Kingston), Flato Markham Theatre and Prologue to the Performing Arts
- Lua Sheyenne Productions in schools as part of Prologue to the Performing Arts
- REELAsian at Richmond Hill Theatre
- Nova Dance has been engaged by presenters for various workshops and projects, including Sioux Lookout.
- Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective and Flato Markham Theatre
- Friedal and MT SPACE
- 'wind in the leaves collective’ and KasheDance and Oakville Centre for the Arts
- Engagements in the Broader Arts Community:
In addition to its programming work summarized above, CPAMO was involved in a number of initiatives promoting pluralism in the arts:
~ CPAMO Advisory Committee. This group comprises individual artists, Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations, and arts services organizations committed to supporting CPAMO’s growth and project development. Some members include: Playwrights Guild of Canada, Association of Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts, ImagiNative, Modern Times Theatre, Ontario Presents, Prologue to the Performing Arts, CanDance Network, Aluna Theatre, the Collective of Black Artists and others.
~ Canadian Dance Assembly Advisory Council on Pluralism. In collaboration with CPAMO and the Aga Khan Museum, the Canadian Dance Assembly 2013 National conference was inspired by the intersection of pluralism and technology in a rapidly changing environment. It featured panel discussions, keynote speakers, workshops on video, and new modern applications in dance in an innovative forum. As a follow-up, the CDA received a report from CPAMO’s Project Lead identifying key issues and strategies for the CDA to consider in order to embrace pluralism as an organizational value and core component of its work. In response to this report, the CDA set up a Pluralism Committee comprised of diverse members of the dance community.
~ Steering Committee of the Canadian Arts Coalition. In the spring, CPAMO’s Project Lead was invited to join this Steering Committee and he accepted. As part of the CPAMO time in this forum, CPAMO’s Project Lead contributed to the Coalition’s statement on the needs of the arts in terms of funding, professional development and the economic impact of the arts. CPAMO’s contribution was based on its considerable research on demographic changes and challenges faced by artists and presenters in terms of understanding these changes and engaging with diverse communities.
~ ONN Shared Platform Working Group. In the beginning of the year, CPAMO’s Project Lead joined the working group convened by the Ontario Non-Profit Network. This group consists of representatives of the Laidlaw Foundation, Metcalf Foundation, United Way, TIDES Canada, SKETCH and other organizations exploring and/or providing shared administrative services to support community initiatives. CPAMO’s involvement has been to learn from these organizations in order to consider its own growth and to share the CPAMO experience to date.
~ Working Group of National Arts Services Organizations. For the past three years, CPAMO Project Lead, charles c smith, has attended the annual meeting convened by Canada Council for the Arts with representatives of national arts services organizations. This has provided CPAMO with invaluable networking and information sharing opportunities with arts organizations across Canada. These meetings have made evident the unique role CPAMO plays in the arts ecology and CPAMO has made several constructive connections as a result of these gatherings. In the October 2013 meeting, Canada Council for the Arts turned over responsibility for coordinating future meetings to a working of these representatives. CPAMO’s Project Lead volunteered to participate on this working group and this was well-received.
~ Presentations and Facilitations. CPAMO’s Project Lead has been invited to facilitate gatherings of artists as well as make presentations to various conferences and symposiums. Some of these include: 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; Prismatic Festival 2010; Ethnocultural Art Histories Research 2014
~ ARCCO (Artist Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario). CPAMO’s Project Lead has been involved as facilitator for local dialogues in Ottawa, Toronto and Thunder Bay to assist ARCCO in planning its conference in 2015. Pluralism is a particular focus of the conference and was a key part of each local dialogue.
~ OAAG (Ontario Association of Arts Galleries). OAAG has established a mentorship program to support emerging Aboriginal and ethno-racial curators to engage in learning about leadership in the public art gallery context. CPAMO’s Project Lead is an advisor to this project and has given presentations at its meetings on this. Also, the CPAMO book, Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come, is used as a reference for those engaged in this project.
~ Playwrights’ Guild of Canada/Equity In Theatre Steering Committee. CPAMO Project Lead is on the steering committee for this project which will bring forward a conference and action plan on gender equity in theatre. CPAMO sits on this committee along with representatives of the Ad Hoc Assembly, Actra’s Diversity Committee and the Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance.
~ Critical Creativities. In partnership with the Dept. of Religious Studies, St. George Campus/University of Toronto, Beit Zatuon (exhibit/performance space), and others, CPAMO was part of the steering committee for this conference that explored the relationship between spirituality, creativity and urban space, and the significance of this to Canadian cities. CPAMO contributed to the conference theme, its speakers, as a resource, and for curating artist showcases at Beit Zatuon.
CPAMO's Project Lead has also become a resource to such organizations as the Vancouver International Dance Festival, the Professional Arts Organization Network for Education, the IMPACT Biennial Theatre Festival,Luminato Festival and the Canadian Arts Coalition. This has assisted in advancing the interests and contacts for CPAMO roundtable members and to increasing understanding of pluralism in the arts.
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 appeard 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. (dance program)
- Banff Centre for the Arts Indigenous Arts Program
- University of Toronto Scarborough Arts Management Program
- Humber College Arts Administration Program
CPAMO has also published 23 newsletters and maintains an active website (https://cpamo.wordpress.com/) and social media (Facebook and Twitter)
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Contact Us
charles c. smith, Project Lead of CPAMO
Lecturer, Cultural Pluralism and the Arts/University of Toronto Scarborough
charlescsmith@rogers.com
Victoria Glizer, Project Assistant
info.cpamo@gmail.com
Mailing Address:32 Costain Avenue, Toronto, ON M4E 2G6
Phone: 416-686-3039
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