CPAMOs news Issue 14 February 2012

Welcome to the 14th Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) newsletter. This is a regular digest that will introduce you to, and keep you updated on CPAMOs initiatives, and act as a portal to relevant research in the field of pluralism in the arts, innovative artists, and links to interesting talks about pluralism in the arts. The newsletter is intended to be your go-to resource for information on cultural pluralism in the arts. You have received this e-mail because you are a member of the CPAMO listserv. Please let others who share our professional and artistic interests know about this listserv and encourage them to subscribe by visiting http://tinyletter.com/Cultural-Pluralism-in-the-ArtsMovement-Ontario-CPAMO. The listserv is moderated and is for sending out newsletters and CPAMO updates. You may unsubscribe at any time. For more information, you can look us up here: Website: http://cpamo.posterous.com Facebook: search CPAMO or click here! Twitter: http://twitter.com/_CPAMO

Content
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) What is CPAMO? Ottawa and Kingston Bound Toolkits on Pluralism in the Arts Workshops on Cultural Competence and Curatorial Development Canada Dance Assembly and CPAMO Upcoming Events TED Talks on Diversity Who We Are Contact Us

CPAMOs news

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 performing arts communities of Ontario. CPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers to engage with presenters across Ontario and to enable presenters to develop constructive relationships with Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers. CPAMO is supported by Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists who are involved in theatre, music, dance and literary arts. They are members of CPAMOs 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, Canada Council Stand Firm members, 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) and its members to build their capacities, cultural competencies and understanding of pluralism in performing arts so that CCI and its members engage performers 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 and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

Ottawa and Kingston Bound

CPAMO has now begun its next phase of activities (2012-2014) in the Ottawa and Kingston communities!!! On February 1, CPAMO Project Lead, charles c. smith, met with various local organizations in the Ottawa community. This included: Canadian Federation of Friends of Museums, the Ontario Arts Council (Board), the Ottawa Art Gallery, Shenkman Hall and CentrePointe Theatre, MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities), the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (CNAC) and Creative Trust. On February 2, charles met with representatives of the Kingston Arts Council and the Queens University Fine Arts Faculty. These meetings were very successful in considering how best to work within each of these communities to promote pluralism in the arts. In the next few months, CPAMO will work with each of these communities to plan workshops and public forums and to promote its toolkit on evidence-based practices to promote pluralism in the arts. This effort will also involve Prologue to the Performing Arts, Creative Trust, members of CARFAC, the Independent Media Arts Alliance and others. 2

CPAMOs news
This is an exciting development that will enable CPAMO to work closely with Ottawa and Kingston artists and presenters and, in this way, building a movement for pluralism in the arts across Ontario. As such, this effort will complement CPAMOs ongoing work in the Greater Toronto Area and with its Roundtable members.

CPAMOs Toolkit on Pluralism in the Arts

In recent issues, the CPAMO Toolkit on Evidence-Based Practices to Promote Pluralism in the Arts has been discussed. This Toolkit is now available online at https://sites.google.com/site/cpamotoolkit/. While the CPAMO Toolkit is rather comprehensive and more will be added to it as we learn about the experiences of arts organizations and presenters, it is good to know that other organizations have either released or are working on toolkits to promote diversity and pluralism. CPAMO will be working with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to release a book in the spring of 2012 that will contain its toolkit and that of Toronto Arts Foundation Neighbourhood Arts Network. This book will also include many of the presentations and keynote addresses delivered at CPAMO Town Halls over the past two years. Some of the papers that will be included in this book are by: George Elliot Clark, Natasha Bakht, Kevin Ormsby, Amanda Paixao, Ajay Heble and Helen Yung. The book will be launched in Ottawa, Kingston and Toronto in the upcoming months. Stay tuned here to learn more about it!!!!

Workshops on Cultural Curatorial Development

Competence

and

CPAMO has now held three workshops to discuss cultural competence and curatorial development. These workshops were well-received with presentations by: Mimi Beck and Anne Marie Williams of the CanDance Network; Patty Jarvis of Prologue to the Performing Arts; and Skye Louis and Leah Burns of the Toronto Arts Foundations Neighbourhood Arts Network. Respectively, these workshops addressed: what is needed to develop guidelines and criteria for the selection of presenterperformer partnerships and the co-commissioning of performer works by presenters; the importance of arts education in schools and in building communities. the importance of community engagement as an integral component of building audiences amongst Aborioginal and ethno-racial communities.

CPAMOs news
CPAMO is now planning a fourth workshop to release a draft of the co-commissioning criteria. This will be held toward in April 2012. This workshop will finalize the criteria for cocommissioning and identify directions for future implementation. Specifically, presenters and performers will openly share what they have contributed and what they have learned through their work. This will ensure the outcomes of the project are shared by all involved and result in a shift in the performance ecology as the results are shared amongst a critical mass of presenters and performers.

Canada Dance Assembly and CPAMO A Pas de Deux

In December, Nathalie Fave, executive director of the Canada Dance Assembly (CDA), approached CPAMOs Project Lead to discuss how CPAMO and CDA might work together to embed the values of pluralism into the structure and operations of the CDA. To this end, charles will be assisting the CDA in promoting its national dance week (http://www.cdaacd.ca/en/programs-services/national-dance-week) and all CPAMO dance companies are encouraged to join the I love dance on facebook at www.facebook.com/ilovedancejaimeladanse and to promote your projects there. The CDA and CPAMO will also be working together to engage dancers from Aboriginal and diverse communities to bring ideas forward on the best ways that the CDA can support dance from these artists and companies and how the cda can sustain such support over the short- and long-term. Plans are to convene consultations and prepare for a full day conference/Town Hall at the CDA national meeting in Ottawa in October. Stay tuned!!!!

Upcoming Events
All Balls Don't Bounce: Sports Weekend February 17 at 7 pm FREE Mediatheque 150 John Street Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3C3 416-973-3012 Joe Frazier: When the Smoke Clears They say that Philadelphia is the capital of boxing and Joe Frazier's Gym is the White House. This is the story of a father, a son and a forgotten legacy. Mike Todd | UK | 2011 | 72 min All Balls Don't Bounce is a sports and entertainment media content collective. Learn more: www.allballsdontbouncepresents.com

CPAMOs news
Arabesque presents in association with Small World Music: JAMRA February 9 12, 2012 Saturday & Sunday Matinees: 2 pm - 4 pm Evening Performances (Thurs-Sun.): 8 pm 10 pm Fleck Dance Theatre, Harbourfront Centre 207 Queens Quay West York Street and Queens Quay http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/today.cfm?id=3276 17 Dance Artists 11 Musicians & Vocalists Artistic Director & Choreographer: Yasmina Ramzy Musical Director: Bassam Bishara Percussion Director: Suleiman Warwar Guest Choreographers: Ferda Bayazir (Turkey) and Sashar Zarif (Azerbaijan) Tickets:$30-$45 / Information and Tickets: 416-920-5593 * some tickets are available through Arabesque all other tickets sold through the Harbourfront Box office: 416.973.4000 / www.harbourfrontcentre.com/whatson/today.cfm?id=3276 Edna Patterson-Petty: African-American Contemporary Quilts December 2, 2011 February 19, 2012 Ottawa Art Gallery (Contemporary galleries 1 & 3) Arts Court 2 Daly Avenue Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6E2 The contemporary art-quilts of East St. Louis, Illinois artist Edna J. Patterson-Petty are improvisational and 'jazzy' in their aesthetic quality. They function as conveyors of memories and histories of place slavery, race and racism, community and self-emancipation. The quilts in this exhibition not only speak about adversity, they are testaments of the inventiveness of African-American culture as expressed in the syncopated jazz beat. For more information: www.ottawaartgallery.ca/exhibits/2011/edna-patterson/index-en.php Montgomery's Inn Finding Freedom: The Joshua Glover Story Friday February 24, 7 - 9 pm The true story of Joshua Glover is presented through the medium of a dramatic first person narrative. Mr. Glover was an enslaved person who escaped from a southern American plantation arriving in Etobicoke through the underground railway where he found work at Montgomery's Inn. $20 plus HST; includes snacks, refreshments and a tour of the Inn. Preregistration required. 5

CPAMOs news
4709 Dundas St. W., two lights north of Bloor Street, just east of Islington Avenue 416-394-8113 montinn@toronto.ca The Great Mountain Red Sky at Toronto's Young People's Theatre The Great Mountain is an adventure story about the transformative power of nature, and the courage it takes to the see the world with new eyes. The Great Mountain is a story that inspires, entertains and captures the imaginations of kids and families alike. Young Nuna has started to hear things she can't figure out. Realizing she has inherited the ability to hear the spirits of rushing rivers and soaring mountains, Nuna's grandmother takes her to the river and entrusts her to a boatman who brings her to where a glacier is melting and the spirit of a great mountain weeps. Does Nuna have the power to answer the mountain's cry? Nuna discovers the transformative power of nature and the importance of courage. This action-packed play focuses on young people's capacity to address pressing environmental issues and recognize their own ability to make a difference to the future of the planet. Truly, it takes a great amount of confidence and courage to move a mountain, and to break the patterns entrenched in our society. Red Sky brings excitement for youngsters and families alike when The Great Mountain makes its main stage debut with 20 performances at Toronto's prestigious Young People's Theatre from Feb 6 20, 2012, starring Allyson Pratt, Meegwun Fairbrother, Nicole Joy Fraser, with stage management by Dustyn Wales. Check out the public performances below! Monday, February 6, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Tuesday, February 7, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Wednesday, February 8, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Thursday, February 9, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Saturday, February 11, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 2:00 pm (public performance*) Sunday, February 12, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 2:00 pm (public performance*) Monday, February 13, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Tuesday, February 14, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am Wednesday, February 15, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm Thursday, February 16, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 10:30 am, 12:45 pm 6

CPAMOs news
Saturday, February 18, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 2:00 pm (public performance*) Sunday, February 19, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 2:00 pm (public performance*) Monday, February 20, 2012 Young People's Theatre, Toronto, ON 2:00 pm (public performance*)

TICKET INFO: Public Performances*Cost: Youth (under 18 yrs) / Seniors (65+) $15 . Adults $20 Special Ticket Pricing: $10 Tickets - Saturday Savings on Saturday, February 11, 2011 Pay What You Can- Sunday, February 19, 2011 To purchase tickets, please visit the Young People's Theatre website (http://youngpeoplestheatre.ca/) or order by phone at 416-862-2222 28 Days: Reimagining Black History Month January 19 - February 29, 2012 Justina M Barnicke Gallery 7 Hart House Circle , Toronto Monday - Wednesday & Friday 11 am to 5 pm Thursday 11 am to 7 pm Saturday - Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm The Gallery is closed on statutory holidays Website: www.jmbgallery.ca/exhibitions.html Phone: 416-978-8398 28 Days brings together the diverse work of Canadian artists with that of their international contemporaries in the United States and the United Kingdom to explore the staging of Black History Month. Featuring works in print, video, photography, painting, drawing, and sculptural installation, the exhibition examines the confluence of history and memory and its relationship to contemporary art and representational space. Louis Armstrong, the African Heritage, and the Beginning of Jazz Wed Feb 15, 2012 - Free 2 - 3 pm Barbara Frum Library 20 Covington, Toronto A lecture about Louis Armstrong, his influence on Jazz, and its relationship to African Heritage. Free admission. Please Call 416-395-5441 to Register ( Registration opens November 1, 2011) www.torontopubliclibrary.ca Once Upon An African Village: Song, Dance And Story With Fule Badoe Wed Feb 15, 2012 at 10:30 am 7

CPAMOs news
York Woods Library 1785 Finch W, Toronto Program for all ages. Free admission. www.torontopubliclibrary.ca

Movie Nights at Malvern 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm on recurring dates: February 7 - The Help (*5:30 pm) February 14 - Skin February 28 - The Blind Side Malvern 30 Sewells Road Toronto, ON M1B 3G5 For more information, call the branch at 416-396-8969.

TED Talks:
Nate Garvis: Change our culture, change our world About this talk: We dont just need better laws -- we need better culture. At TEDxTC Nate Garvis asks what we can do to create an environment in which powerful institutions are used for the common good. Nate Garvis focuses on how we can use our civic institutions for the common good. Founder of Naked Civics, he believes we must create the culture for the world we want to live in. About the speaker: Nate Garvis encourages communities to create a better future through all available institutional tools. He was the V.P. of government affairs and the senior public affairs officer for Target. In 2010 he founded Naked Civics, a website dedicated to civic design and working above politics to move our society forward. Link: www.ted.com/talks/nate_garvis_change_our_culture_change_our_world.html Onyx Ashanti: This is beatjazz About this talk: Musician and inventor Onyx Ashanti demonstrates "beatjazz" -- his music created with two handheld controllers, an iPhone and a mouthpiece, and played with the entire body. At TED's Full Spectrum Auditions, after locking in his beats and loops, he plays a 3minute song that shares his vision for the future of music. About the speaker: Onyx Ashanti is a musician, geek, open-source advocate, Maker, collaborator ... and we come back around again to musician. The intrumentation he has created 8

CPAMOs news
fuses technique and technology into a full-body musical system, playable with hands, arms, mouth and body. As he says: I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician. in other words, the music i create live, can not be replicated without technology. My music is called "Beatjazz." It is a mix of sound design, live looping and jazz improvisation. My instrument of choice over the years has been a Yamaha Wind MIDI controller, but now the limitations have started to stunt the growth of this new form, so i designed an instrument that can take it into future. He is now working on the next iteration of his instrument, codenamed Tron, and built around a helmet-mounted controller. Link: www.ted.com/talks/onyx_ashanti_this_is_beatjazz.html

John Bohannon: Dance vs. powerpoint, a modest proposal About this talk: Use dancers instead of powerpoint. That's science writer John Bohannon's "modest proposal." In this spellbinding choreographed talk from TEDxBrussels he makes his case by example, aided by dancers from Black Label Movement. About the speaker: John Bohannon is a biologist and journalist. After embedding in southern Afghanistan in 2010, he engineered the first voluntary release of civilian casualty data by the US-led military coalition. As a visiting scientist at Harvard, he studies the evolution of fame using data provided by Google. His research on the blurring line between the cuisine of man and pet caused Stephen Colbert to eat cat food on television. Using an alter ego known as the Gonzo Scientist, he runs the "Dance Your Ph.D." contest for the journal Science, an international competition for scientists to explain their research with interpretive dance. Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/john_bohannon_dance_vs_powerpoint_a_modest_proposal.html

Who We Are
CPAMO ROUNDTABLE MEMBERS As a resource to plan and coordinate its activities, CPAMO has set-up a Roundtable comprised of individuals involved in the performing arts from ethno-racial and Aboriginal creation-based arts organizations and those involved in performing venues. The members of the Roundtable are: Anahita Azrahimi, Sparrow in the Room Farwah Gheewala, Education Coordinator, Soulpepper Theatre 9

CPAMOs news
Denise Fujiwara, Canasian Dance Charmaine Headley and Bakari Eddison Lindsay, Collective of Black Artists Lata Pada, Sampradaya Dance Creations Andrea Baker Nova Bhattacharya, Ipsita Nova Projects Seema Jethalal, Manifesto Festival of Community and Culture Cian Knights and Anne Frost, Cultural Pluralism in the Arts/University of Toronto Scarborough University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Phillip Akin, Obsidian Theatre Marilo Nunez, Almeda Theatre Mae Maracle, Centre for Indigenous Theatre Brainard Bryden-Taylor, Nathaniel Dett Chorale Emily Chung, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective Spy Denome-Welch, Aboriginal Playwright Sedina Fiati, Actor Ravi Jain, why not theatre Shannon Thunderbird, Teya Peya Productions Olga Barrios, Olga Barrios Dance Santee Smith, Kahawi Dance Menaka Thakker, Menaka Thakkar Dance Company Kevin Ormsby, Kashedance Sandra Laronde, Red Sky Performance Mark Hammond, Sony Centre for Performing Arts Ahdri Zena Mandiella, b-current Jenna Rogers and David Yee, fuGEN Theatre Sandra LeFrancois, Cahoots Theatre Cindy Yip, Korean Canadian Dance Studies of Canada Wanda Nanabush, Association for the Development of Native Arts Michelle Kopczyl, Fuse Magazine charles c. smith, wind in the leaves collective Onuwa Ogbolu, visual artist

Contact Information
charles c. smith Project Lead of CPPAMO Lecturer, Cultural Pluralism and the Arts/University of Toronto Scarborough charlescsmith@sympatico.ca Victoria Glizer Project Assistant info.cpamo@gmail.com Website: http://cpamo.posterous.com 10

CPAMOs news
Facebook: search CPAMO or click here! Twitter: http://twitter.com/_CPAMO Mailing Address: 32 Costain Avenue Toronto, ON M4E 2G6 416-686-3039

11