PROMOTING PLURALISM IN THE ARTS THROUGH COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Submitted

Community Cultural Impresarios And Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario December 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION 3

2.

BACKGROUND

3.

WHAT CPAMO HAS DONE 3.1 OTTAWA 3.2 MARKHAM 3.3 CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY 3.4 CPAMO BOOK LAUNCH 3.5 CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS 3.6 TOWN HALL VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT 3.7 PRESENTATIONS

6 7 10 12 15 18 19 20

4.

2013 PROJECTED ACTIVITIES 4.1 OTTAWA TOWN HALLS 4.2 MARKHAM AND KINGSTON TOWN HALLS 4.3 VOLUNTEER RECRUITMENT IN OTTAWA AND THE GTA 4.4 COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN ARTISTS AND PRESENTERS 4.5 CREATORS ROUNDTABLE

21 21 22 22 25 29

5.

PROMOTION AND COMMUNICATIONS

37

6.

BUDGET EXPENDITURES AND REVENUES

37

7.

APPENDICES

39

7.1 CPAMO ACTIVITIES SUMMARY 40 7.2 NOTES FROM OTTAWA TOWN HALL 45 7.3 NOTES FROM MARKHAM TOWN HALL (under separate cover) 5 7.4 DOUGLAS ROSENBERG KEYNOTE/CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY (under separate cover) 52 7.5 SASHAR ZARIFF KEYNOTE/CANADIAN DANCE ASSEMBLY 53

1.

Introduction:

At the start of 2012, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) provided a 3-year grant totaling $180,000.00 or $60,000.00 per year to support Community Cultural Impresarios (CCI) in a strategic collaboration with Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO). The CCI/CPAMO project proposed to: 1) convene Town Halls On Pluralism in the Arts in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and Markham; 2) facilitate development of Community Roundtables in Ottawa, Kingston and Markham; and 3) coordinate and conduct capacity building workshops for the CPAMO Roundtable members. This report provides the OTF with a review of the CCI/CPAMO activities during the 2012. 2. Background:

CPAMO is an Ontario-based movement of artists, arts organizations, presenters, associations, and others who are committed to advancing cultural pluralism in the arts. With the active involvement of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists working with presenters, CPAMOaims to empower the arts communities of Ontario by developing opportunities for Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists to engage with presenters 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 participants on CPAMOs Creators Roundtable that includessome of the most prominent ethno-racial and Aboriginal arts organizations in Ontario and reflect the growing activities of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists. The members of the Roundtable are: Anahita Azrahimi, Sparrow in the Room Farwah Gheewala, Education Coordinator, Soulpepper Theatre Denise Fujiwara, Canasian Dance Charmaine Headley and Bakari Eddison Lindsay, Collective of Black Artists Lata Pada, Sampradaya Dance Creations Andrea Baker Nova Bhattacharya, Nova Dance 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 Korean Canadian Dance Studies of Canada Wanda Nanabush, Association for the Development of Native Arts Gina Badger, Fuse Magazine Harvey Weisfeld, wind in the leaves collective Lua Sheyenne, Sheyenne Productions

In Ottawa, CPAMO is now working with the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (CNCAC), MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities), the Ottawa Chinese Canadian Heritage Centre, Circadia Indigena, One World Dialogue and independent artists Natasha Bakht, Jaime Koebel and Dipna Horra. CPAMO has involved and will continue to involve several partners in its activities including: Community Cultural Impresarios/the Ontario Presenters Network (CCI); the Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG); Centre Pointe Theatre and Shenkman Centre for the Arts (Ottawa); The Great Canadian Theatre Company (Ottawa); Markham Theatre; Grand Theatre (Kingston); the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Cultural Pluralism Advisory Committee (CPA); Canadian Arts Presenters Association (CAPACOA); Creative Trust; the Harmony Movement; the Institute of Canadian Citizenship; the CanDance Network; the Neighbourhood Arts Network of Toronto (NAN); Scarborough Arts; Canadian Artists' Representation/le Front desartistes canadiens (CARFAC) National and Ontario; the Media Arts Newtwork of Ontario (MANO); the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA); Artscape; Canadian Dance Assembly; and Prologue to the Performing Arts.

Each of these partners and Roundtable members will be active participants in developing, promoting and becoming involved in CPAMO activities. Each partner commits to providing support to implementing the proposed project plans and working with CPAMO to develop the relationships between the partners, Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and communities, other presenters/curators, and with funders and policy-makers.

With the involvement of artists from these organizations, since 2009 CPAMO has been working with 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. Through presentations, workshops, performances and dialogue, CPAMO has helped CCI and its members build their capacities and understanding of pluralism in performing arts practices. CCI presenters understand that adopting culturally pluralistic approaches is essential for them to better serve and engage the increasingly diverse audiences in their community. Over the last 3 years, CCIs members have learned about the diverse cultural values, histories and practices of Aboriginal and ethno-racial performing artists. They were provided with practical guidance on successfully integrating culturally diverse values and principles in their operations, planning, audience development, marketing, programming and decision-making processes. A summative toolkit has been created for presenters to refer back to as they move forward with implementing the knowledge, values and new approaches they have learned to embrace cultural pluralism in the arts. CPAMO is now involved in creating new relationships (in Ottawa, Markham and Kingston) and enhancing ongoing relationships between presenters and artists and to help build new ones with the public. CPAMO has broadened its work to include artists from diverse disciplines, eg., visual arts and literature, and has developed new partnerships within the arts creation, arts services and presenting field (for the purposes of this project, galleries will be considered as presenters). CPAMO has also engaged with presenters and arts services organizations in literature and visual art in several communities across Ontario. CPAMOs growth and credibility in Ontarios arts communities is evident amongst the Aboriginal and ethno-racial producers of art (i.e., artists), its presenters (i.e., venues that stage performances, publish literature, display visual arts in galleries) and arts services organizations in the fields of performing arts (e.g., CCI), visual art (CARFAC, IMAA and MANO) and capacity building in the arts (e.g., Creative Trust, Institute for Canadian Citizenship, and the Harmony Movement). Through its Project Lead, Charles C. Smith, CPAMO also has strong connections to the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) Visual and Performing Arts Program and Arts Management Program and, through this, contributes to preparing aspiring artists and arts managers to enter into the world of arts in Ontario, a world that values diversity and pluralism. As well, CPAMOs links with UTSC enhance its research functions as is evident in the preparation of the CPAMO tool-kit on evidence-based practices to promote pluralism in the arts that was released in June 2011 and is to be published in 2012. A listing of CPAMO activities to date is included at the end of this report as Appendix 1.

3.

What CPAMOHas Done and With Whom:

As the project proposal to the OTF indicates, CPAMO sought to coordinate a series of Town Halls and several workshops to explore issues of pluralism in the arts and to build capacities or 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. The workshops also build knowledge and skills for those involved and are of particular importance to Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations. The dialogue at these events promote collaborations between Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers and those responsible for performance venues. They also educate these individuals on what needs to be done to engage in ongoing dialogue and in building relationships that will bring about greater understanding of culturally diverse performances and the needs of venues to attract audiences from these communities. In essence, each of the CPAMO Town Hallshave involved presenters and artists from ethnoracial and Aboriginal communities to develop the goals, objectives, format for them and to identify panelists and performers to participate. As for the workshops, one of the keys to enhancing the relationship between presenters and artists is to develop the infrastructure of Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations in such areas as digital technology, use of social media and other communications technologies, development of fundraising campaigns and recruitment of volunteers. These areas are also key for Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists to develop their relationships with diverse communities to ensure communities are aware of what these companies are doing and can attend their performances as well as join them in their work. Many Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations have small administrative units of between 2-5 people, some of whom are not full-time. These staff are pressed to keep up with the demands of carrying out day-to-day administrative functions, e.g., coordinating meetings, securing venues for performances, coordinating tours, and working with volunteers. Given the many demands placed on such small administrative support functions, many Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists on CPAMOs Creators Roundtable have asked CPAMO for assistance in addressing matters related to fundraising, use of digital technology and social media, as well as communications with diverse communities to attract audiences and volunteers. To implement the activities noted above, CPAMO coordinated: 4 Town Halls. Two of these events were in Ottawa, one in Markham and one in Toronto. All of these events were coordinated in partnership with other organizations; and 10 workshops. 7 workshops were held in Toronto and 3 in Ottawa; the former

were for the data smarts and other technology sessions; and the latter were to plan the Town Hallas well as other events for 2013 and for one data smart session to be held in 2012. CPAMOs Project Lead also made presentations: as a panelist at CARFAC Nationals annual meeting; to launch the book Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come at CCIs annual meeting; and as a panelist at the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership annual meeting in Ottawa. Information about CPAMOs activities for Town Halls,workshops and presentations are provided below. These details are followed by summaries of CPAMO communications activities, budget expenditures and an overview of CPAMO activities since its inception.

3.1

Ottawa Workshops and Town Hall (http://cpamo.posterous.com/pages/cpamo-inottawa):

As noted in the CCI/CPAMO project proposal, one of the key methodologies has been to work in partnership with arts organizations in each local community. In Ottawa, CPAMO has been working with: the Ottawa Art Gallery, CARFAC National, the Great Canadian Theatre Company, the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture, the Ottawa Chinese Heritage Association, the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership, Gallery 101, Centre Pointe Theatre and Shenkman Hall for the Arts, One World Dialogue, MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities), CAPACOA and individual artists in dance and visual arts. These individuals and organizational representatives have worked together in workshops to help plan and coordinate the September 20, 2012 Town Halland December 17, 2012 Data Smarts sessions. They have also contributed to promoting the MASC Mondays performances (April 16, 2012 and September 20, 2012) and One World Dialogue International Peace Art Show (September 21-22, 2012). The planning workshops were held on April 16 (full day), June 12 and August 20 (half days). The first workshop offered presentations by the OAG, CNCAC and MASC followed by small group sessions. A MASC Monday was held in the evening, April 16. The artists who participated in this evenings performance were: Sonia St. Michel, Phil Jenkins, Celtic Rathskallions and Kathy Armstrong. The other two workshops were held to review the results of the previous session and to clarify logistics for the promotion of the Town Hall. The Town Hall on - Aboriginal and Ethno-Racial Communities in Ottawa and Implications for the Arts was a full day session held at 219 Argyle Avenue, the offices of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership. As part of this event, a MASC performance event was held in the evening and the following day, Sept. 21, the One World Dialogue's "International Peace Day Art Exhibit" was held at Shenkman Arts Centre. The Ottawa community is changing and there are increasing signs of this in the growth of Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities. To address this, several arts organizations in

Ottawa came together to discuss these changes and what they mean to promoting arts and culture in the Ottawa region. This Town Hallprovided opportunities for Ottawa artists and arts organizations to discuss these changes in the Ottawa region and to share strategies for engaging these communities and building audiences for and from them. This first Town Hall focused on the characteristics of Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities and relationship to community engagement and audience development. The panelists for this event discussed issues related to Aboriginal communities and their engagement in the arts as well as on ethno-racial and immigrant communities, their interests in the arts and their social capital. This was followed by facilitated discussions on the importance and extent of community-based organizations in Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities and how to work with them. In this session, participants received information related to the changing numbers and compositions of communities across Ontario related to: 1) What has happened and will continue to happen in terms of the numerical growth and areas of settlement of these communities; 2) The implications/significance of these changes in terms of social, economic, political and cultural perspectives; 3) The key characteristics of these growing communities, particularly in terms of cultural interests/retention and how this might lead to programming, employment and marketing opportunities; 4) The social capital of these communities and some geographic mapping of them as well. The presentations were in the morning followed by workshops in the afternoon which carriedthe morning discussion further in order to share information about what artists and arts organizations are doing to connect with these growing communities, what's working and where there is need for assistance. The results of these discussions will set the stage for future workshops aimed at developing strategies for Ottawa arts organizations to connect with Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities in the Ottawa Region. The speakers for the Town Hallwere: Jerry P. Longboatis Mohawk-Cayuga, Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River in Southern Ontario. Jerry has a Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Michigan and the Ontario College of Art and Design. He has extensive professional training and practice in Traditional and Contemporary forms of visual art, dance, theatre, and storytelling. Jerry creates from the oral traditions of his people - history, teachings, and stories. In 2002, after a 15 year artistic career, Jerry began work as a Program Officer at the Canada Council for the Arts primarily assisting Aboriginal Dancers and Dance organizations across Canada. In 2010, Jerry joined the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health as Cultural Coordinator to deepen his work with community. Catherine (Kateryna) Shepertycki is a graduate of the University of Ottawa with degrees in music (majoring in piano and ethnomusicology) and communication (focus on human creativity). Additional university study included work in Arts Administration (certificate) and Slavic Studies. Catherine received professional dance training at various dance schools in Ottawa, at the Saskatchewan School for the Arts and as a full-time student at the Kyiv Institute

of Culture, Ukraine.

After working at the Ottawa School of Art as a program manager for several years, Catherine joined the City of Ottawas Culture Division in 1989 and has worked in the areas of public art, cultural funding and arts development. Catherine led the transition of the municipal cultural portfolio from Ottawa-Carletons 12 former municipalities into the new, amalgamated City of Ottawa (2001). Since that time, she has successfully led the development of the Ottawa 20/20 Arts Plan (2003), the Arts Investment Strategy (2007), and the Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture (2013-2018) all in full partnership with the community. As Co-ordinator, Cultural Development and Initiatives at the City of Ottawa, Catherine is currently working on a range of municipal cultural initiatives with a diverse team of passionate people. Brian Ray is a social geographer who is interested in the diverse ways that urban people organize their everyday lives in multi-ethnic cities. For the most part, Brians work examines different aspects of immigrant integration in North American and European cities. His research projects have emphasized the following issues: the importance of cultural identity and gender in integration processes among new immigrants, housing affordability and homeownership trends among refugees and ethno-cultural groups, the social networks of immigrant women, the spatial segregation of immigrant and ethnic groups in large cities, geographies of employment and social mobility, and the social construction of race and racist practices. Beyond the fields of immigration and cultural diversity, his research also examines the sociocultural meaning of neighborhood spaces for marginalized groups and geographies of gender and sexuality. The notes for the Town Hallare attached as Appendix 2and the speakers presentations can be seen on CPAMOs website ((http://cpamo.posterous.com/presentations-from-ottawa-townhall-september). Fifty-five (55) people attended this session. There were several issues emerging from the afternoon session that will be discussed at planning meetings in December 2012 and January 2013. These issues will form the basis for follow-up activity in 2013-14. In the evening, CPAMO and MASC held the second MASC Monday performance. Approximately thirty-five (35) attended this performance which featured the following artists: Galitcha, Fana Soro, Maria Hawkins and Colores. As part of this Town Hall, CPAMO supported the International Peace Day Art Show whichis the main annual event for One World Dialogue (OWD) to celebrate the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21, 2012 from 7:00 10:00 pm at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Ottawa. The purpose of this show was to bring awareness and promote collaboration in the community around Peace Day by bringing different artists together from diverse backgrounds to dialogue on peace and integration in the Ottawa community. In this context, art creates a space for positive public engagement in a non-threatening setting.

Jaime Koebel, 2011

Basement Artists, 2011

HArt of Ottawa, 2011

At this International Day of Peace Art Show some art was also presented by youth both from Canada and Tanzania and on Saturday September 22, 2012 there were childrens art activities at the Shenkman Centre to engage youth in the Ottawa community on themes of dialogue and peace. The artists who participated in this event were: Jaime Koebel, Sandy Woods, HArt of Ottawa, Basement Artists, K.C. Geoffrey Ng, Sandra Millar, Sau Lan Mo, Art Camp, Maria Gomez, ElBagir Osman, Suzanne Valois, Olaf Krassnitzky, Tanzanian Childrens Art (Karama House Orphanage and Good Hope Orphanage), Saudia Rafiquddin One World Dialogue (OWD) is a non-profit organization that applies the principles of integrative thinking, art and design to social issues. OWDs mission is to examine how to create an effective dialogue that works towards greater integration and fostering a lasting peace. OWD works off building partnerships and promoting collaboration to showcase how the work around us can promote dialogue. Approximately two hundred (200) participated in this Art Show. The DATA Smarts workshop is scheduled for December 17, 2012 at the offices of the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership( http://smartdataottawa.eventbrite.ca/). Convened in partnership with Creative Trust, this session is a workshop on the uses of digital technology for office administration, particularly on financial matters, sponsor and audience engagement, report writing, etc.The details for this workshop are provided below in Section 3.5. One topic will be chosen for this initial session.

3.2

Together in Dance at Flato Markham Theatre (http://cpamo.posterous.com/pages/cpamo-in-markham):

Together In Dance ForumAt Flato Markham Theatre: Conversations and concrete actions about engagement through dance in a diverse communitywas presented on October 14, 2012 by Flato Markham Theatre in partnership with CPAMOand supported by the City of Markham and TixHub. As a follow-up to Flato Markham Theatres new dance series with the 2010-11Season, this world-class series included Canadian and international companies and has also been part of Markham Theatre Discovery, the theatre umbrellaproviding educational/outreach programs.For the 2011-12 season, the theatre joined the group of select presenters as partof

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the Ontario Dances initiative and supported by the Ontario Arts Council. Thisenriched the dance program of the Theatre with Ontario based dance companiesas part of the program mix and expanding the outreach portfolio. At the conclusion of the 2011-12 season, the theatre management reflected onits various dance programs and initiatives in order to: a) Collect intelligence: We initiated a conversation with the dance field inYork Region, with the goal of continuous improvement and the tackling of keyissues. The process helped us better understand the ecology of the field, andprovides meaningful information that we are going to be able to use for future efforts. b) Identify sectors of the dance field in the Markham region: i. ii. iii. Education sector (dance programs in educational institutions e.g.Unionville High School, York University; Recreational/private sector e.g. private dance studios, community schoolsand dance companies; and Professional sector e.g. dance professionals, companies, presenters suchas Flato Markham Theatre.

Based on this, it was clear that the Dance community is vibrant in Markham and that the Markham region includes a growing and rich community of diverse danceensembles and schools, representing the areas demographic trends. However, much of this work is in silos. As such, this forum aimed to build future success for dance in Markham and address the key question on how to engage with the various dance sectors in the region with the goal of developing a cohesiveand comprehensive plan in making the discipline more vibrant, connecting with diverse communities, increasing their participation and grow audiences. In this context, the goals of thisTown Hallwere to: 1. Bring people together and engage a conversation between the various sectors; 2. Better understand the needs of the various sectors of the dance community vs.theatre programs and services; and 3. Identify opportunities to Increase community engagement and build a vibrant audience for dance in the Markham Region. This gathering received presentations by several active in the field of dance as artists, presenters and educators, including Emily Cheung, Artistic Director of Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective; Vivine Scarlett, Artistic Director of Dance Immersion; Menaka Thakkar, Artistic Director of Menaka Thakker Dance; and Soraya Peerbaye, former Dance Officer for the Toronto Arts Council now working on a dance mapping project in Markham. The panel presentations were then followed by small group discussions that addressed the following: Table A: Theatre and Dance 1. What can the Theatre/Markham do for the dance community? Role? 2. Diversity in Dance: What is the next step for the Theatre and Markham? 3. What initiatives can we imagine for community engagement through dance at the Theatre and in Markham?

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Table B: Dance organizations and studios 1. Community engagement: Is it worth it? Why do it? 2. Diversity in Dance: What would be the value? How do we do it? 3. How can we work together (between the various sectors)? Partnerships opportunities? Table C: Dance Education 1. What is needed to grow the curriculum and develop the profession? 2. What are the employment opportunities? Dance studios? Companies? 3. How should the Theatre be engaged in dance education? 4. How can we work together (between the various sectors)? Partnerships opportunities? Minister Michael Chan, MPP, was also on hand to thank the presenters and speak to those gathered and the day ended with a keynote address delivered. Sixty (60) people attended this Town Halland the detailed report on this session is attached as Appendix 3. CPAMO will be working with Flato Markham Theatre and Markham groups to continue this dialogue in 2013-14. 3.3 Canadian Dance Assembly, Cpamo And The Ago KhanMuseum: Step in Time Technologies and Pluralism in Dance (http://www.cda-acd.ca/en/programsservices/2012-national-conference)

In collaboration with CPAMO and the Aga Khan Museum, the Canadian Dance Assembly held its 6th National Conference October 20-22, 2012in Ottawa.This was a gathering with the dance community to dialogue, build community, gain new insights, and help shape the future of dance in Canada with a focus on pluralism. CDA's 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. In conjunction with this year's conference, the Canadian Dance Assembly recognized and celebrated exceptional members of the dance milieu with Canadas first National Dance Awards theI love dance/Jaime la danse Awards! Below is a snapshot of the conference proceedings. Keynote Address:Douglas Rosenberg "Witnessing Technologies of Representation" (Appendix 4): Dance: Mediation and the

Unashamedly utopian, this talk addressed how we look, how we discuss, how we circulate and inscribe images of dancing bodies in a pluralistic world. Presenting ideas in a relational framework, Douglas Rosenberg situated dance within a larger conversation, as a discipline within a system of discourse, signifiers and conversations about mark-making, about presence, about bearing witness to a particular kind of humanness that has the potential to speak about both democracy and egalitarianism even as it conforms to contemporary esthetics. Technology and democracy are often mentioned in the same breath (the Arab Spring and social media for instance, or the internet as a force for democratizing information).The technologies of representation (as they relate to dance) are inextricably linked to access: to the tools of media, to who controls how the results of media/dance collaborations circulate in

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the culture and most importantly how the technologies of representation, (film, video, moving image production) reinforce ideas about women, race, disability, beauty, and such. When dance artists translate their choreographic ideas from stage to screen, often the result is that the screen version repeats unhealthy and damaging tropes that are antithetical to inclusion, democracy, and egalitarianism. This talk suggested models to re-articulate the possibilities of technology and dance and to create opportunities for creative and critical discourse in our dance communities that focus on the human condition. Panel - Changing demographics in dance - The successful practice of artistic pluralism Moderator: Warren GarrettSpeakers: Charles Smith, Amirali Alibhai, Michele Moss, Lata Pada, Zab Maboungou. The successful practice of artistic pluralism requires cross-cultural respect, dialogue, and understanding. The arts demonstrate and manifest the potential of thinking and creating together across differences. In times of changing demographics, considering the integration of new cultures within the Canadian mainstream, this panel discussed how we can adapt to current increasing changes, the intersection between artists from different origins mean. It also discussed: what are the questions that need to be addressed in order to attract people coming from different backgrounds, and what are the obstacles, challenges and success stories related to this topic. Innovation Forum I: "Dance From Stage to Screen: Five Journeys, Five Stories" Moderator: Douglas Rosenberg | Speakers: Priscilla Guy, Paulina Ruiz Carballido, JoDee Allen, Izabel Barsive, Olga Barrios This panel was story-telling time! The five artists shared their journeys through the life of a lens and discussed how . dance artists use new technologies as a component of their work; how they approach this form of expression and performance from behind the screen, how it alters the experience, why have they chosen to work this way, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of this digital age? Keynote Address: Sashar Zarif Dialectic Movement (Appendix 5): Sashar Zarif is a multi-disciplinary performing artist, educator and researcher whose artistic practice invites a convergence of creative and cultural perspectives. His interests are identity, globalization and cross-cultural collaborations. His practice is steeped in the artistry and history of traditional, ritualistic and contemporary dance and music of the Near Eastern and Central Asian regions. He has toured across the Americas, in Europe, North Africa, Central and Western Asia and the Middle East, promoting cultural dialogue through intensive fieldwork, residencies, performances and creative collaborations. He is the recipient of numerous national and international awards for his collaborations with outstanding Canadian artists, along with international icons such as Alim Quasimov (a collaborator on Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project), and universities and arts institutions across continents. Zarif is a research associate at the York University Centre for Asian Studies, a sessional faculty member of York University's Dance Department and on the board of directors of Dance Ontario and the World Dance Alliance - Americas. Among recent awards are a Chalmers Fellowship, New Pioneers Award for Arts and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Sashars keynote discussed the intersections between cultures, migration and globalization.

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At this annual gathering, the CDA also celebrated exceptional members of the dance milieu with Canadas first National Dance Awards TheI love dance/Jaime la danse Awards! 1. Rosco Floors I love dance community award WINNER: Kaeja dDance. dDance bridges dance art and the public. Co-Artistic Directors Karen & Allen Kaeja. Kaeja

2. En Pointe I love dance youth award WINNER: Love 2 Groove. Julia Gutsik Founder/artistic director of Luv2Groove is recognized for her versatility as a dancer, and distinct flavor and high energy as a performer and teacher. 3. I love dance seniors award WINNER: Charmaine Headly of COBA Collective of Black Artists. As Co-Founding Artistic Director of COBA, Collective of Black Artists, Charmaine Headley champions Africanist dance, and is inspiring new generations while playing a vital role in our community. 4. AFBS I love dance healthy citizens award WINNER: Dance Our Way Home. Dance Our Way Homes visionary director, Erica Ross, infused the dance practice with her personal relationship to life and the lens through which she sees it; her love for and relationship with Earth-based spirituality, the divine feminine, and the wisdom teachings of Buddhism and Shamanism. 5. I love dance award for a creative economy WINNER: Christianne Blanger Danse. Christiane Blanger-Danse, founded in 1989, now counts 600 students, and is the biggest dance school specialized in classical ballet in Quebec. heading many events for National Dance week 6. Aga Khan Museum I love dance international award WINNER: RUBBERBANDance Group. Since it was founded 10 years ago, RBDG had the opportunity to perform in several internationally recognized locations in the dance world, being a shining example of Canadian dance. 7. CPAMO I love dance award for the promotion of pluralism WINNER: Menaka Thakkar. Now celebrating 40 years in Canada, Dr. Menaka Thakkar is the founder and artistic director of the first professional school of Indian dance known as Nrtyakala Academy of Indian Dance and the first professional Indian dance performance company known as Menaka Thakkar DanceCompany. of a world- renowned dance school and company. 8. I love dance award for innovation WINNER: Julia Taffe of Aeriosa Dance. For the past 14 years Julia has pursued her artistic practice in non-traditional settings. She is the founder and artistic director of Aeriosa dance society, and stages her choreography in (and on top) of theatres, on mountains and on buildings. 9. I love dance audience member award WINNER: Henry Kim Wong. Henry was nominated as Vancouvers biggest dance fan, attending almost every contemporary dance performance

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in the city. 10. I love dance corporation award WINNER: TD Bank Group. TD Bank Group has been a consistent supporter of Canadas National Ballet School for nearly 30 years and have made over 100 gifts totaling more than $2.2-million in support. They have been the lead sponsor of flagship fundraising events and have contributed more than $1.2-million to support bursaries and scholarships for talented students in need in the professional ballet program. 11. I love dance organization award WINNER: Dance Collection Danse. Dance Collection Danse (DCD) is Canadas national research centre, archives and publisher dedicated to the preservation and distribution of Canadian theatrical dance history.. 12. I love dance donors award WINNER: Jeanne Lougheed. Jeanne Lougheed has supported dance and the performing arts all her life, donating to the Alberta Ballet School, the Alberta Ballet Company, the Banff School of Fine Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Approximately one hundred and twenty (120) attended this event. The artists supported by CPAMOs involvement in this event were: Cathleen Enns, Caroline Liffman, Christianne Belanger, Cindy Yip, Corinne Brethes, Jean Assamoa, Jennifer Bennett, Josh Martin, Kim Sato, Louis Laberge-Cote, Maria Osende, Michael Caldwell, Mirna Zagar, Rhodnie Desir, Susi Nalliah and Susanne Chui. 3.4 CPAMO Book Launch and NAN Toolkit:

On June 13, 2012, CPAMO Project Lead, charles c. smith, presented the results of a threeyear research project entitled Promoting Pluralism in the Arts A Change is Gonna Come.This took place at CCIs annual meeting in Ottawa on June (DATE) 2012 and involved the publisher, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, along with Natasha Bakht and Kevin A. Ormsby, two authors who have articles in the book. The tool-kit addresses areas that arts organizations have been discussing through the CPAMO project, its Town Halls and workshops, and in other conversations, i.e., what is needed and what is being done to lead and build collaborations in bringing about different ways of seeing and understanding through the arts. It also looks at practices by art organizations that have found ways to successfully transform their organizations so that they are deeply engaged in change activities, particularly in building and sustaining relationships between arts organizations and Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities. It gives concrete suggestions on how to go about implementing change work it sets out to give information that can assist arts organizations, whether presenters and/or creators, to look at what they need to do to engage with our rapidly changing communities and what they both need and can do together to bring the mutually desired change about. It looks to the central requirement of organizational leadership, particularly as it relates to risk, and then suggests a sequence of key activities with concrete suggestions and case studies of strategies that have been used by other arts organizations.

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This tool-kit is based on the premise that change is a good thing, a creative and engaging process, and a very rewarding one. The suggested strategies, concrete activities, case studies and annotated bibliography provide ample evidence of change work being not only possible, needed and desirable but, as well, leading to positive outcomes related to supporting a broad range of artistic expression, centering the arts within the day-to-day lives of communities, empowering and enabling communities and generating increased community involvement in arts organizations through increased audiences, retention of staff, board, sponsors and volunteers. This tool-kit is comprised of several sections. The first sections CPAMOs Work and The Need provide a context for why this tool-kit has been created and the need for it in the arts community. These two sections are then followed by a series of discussions related to the integral functions of an arts organization and what arts organizations, presenters and creators, might want to look at and do to implement equity and diversity initiatives in their work. These functions are organized in a sequential way to suggest what needs to be done first and how this will flow into other initiatives in other areas. In this context, the section on CPAMOs Work gives an overview of CPAMOs activities since 2009 and how it has engaged artists and presenters in a growing dialogue on pluralism in the arts, its significance to each of them, what is being done to promote it and what artists and presenters might do together. The section entitled The Need looks at current challenges in the arts ecology related to demographic changes, challenges facing Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and the articulation of needs by presenters to engage with diversity and Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and audiences in particular. These two sections provide background information and set the stage for introducing various strategic approaches to bringing about positive and constructive change. They need not be read first, or at all, but are provided to tell the story from developments happening locally and through the context of the CPAMO experience. In terms of strategic approaches, the sections in Strategies and Practices discuss key areas of an arts organization and are presented in an order of priorities. These priorities have been developed based on CPAMOs work over the past two years, including research conducted for this tool-kit. The strategies begin with the important element of Organizational Commitment. There is no movement on this or any other issue without the commitment of the organization, from its leadership in particular, to want to make change happen. Given some of the common challenges faced by arts organizations locally and in other parts of the world, organizational commitment might best be followed by reaching out to engage communities. The strategies and processes of Community Engagement are varied but each is premised on the notion that the arts, and arts organizations, need to be an integral part of community life as expressed in ways communities organize themselves and share resources as well as network with each other, particularly to ensure valuable information is actively circulated within communities, providing individuals with invaluable knowledge about what is available to them and how they can access and participate in these opportunities. This section suggests the critical importance for arts organizations, particularly presenters, to become part of that process and become active participants in community life rather than using traditional approaches of marketing and communications and waiting for people to come to see a show.

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Successfully carried out processes of community engagement will undoubtedly open doors for arts organizations to pursue other elements of the tool-kit. For example, having a higher profile in diverse communities can lead to engaging community members and artists in Programming Decisions and Curatorial Development of the arts organization. This requires processes of empowerment, information sharing and learning about the histories, traditions and contemporary arts practices of Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities. It also requires demystifying the process of presentation and the challenges, opportunities and constraints the presenting field must work with to support the arts. Empowering and sharing with communities in this way can build their confidence and trust in the arts organization which, in turn, can lead to Audience Development and ensuring individuals from diverse communities are aware of Employment and other service opportunities within the arts organization, e.g., volunteering, assisting in an advisory capacity and/or participating on the board of directors. In essence, one section leads to the other. However, it is very possible that creative and spontaneous things might happen and arts organizations need to be open to these and to bring them in to the change process. Oftentimes these developments can really ignite the change process as when the artists, presenters and communities are in agreement on needed areas of change and are open with each other about how to change and what each will commit to the process. The material in this tool-kit is presented in several ways. In each of these sections, there are summaries of some case studies and references to others. These highlight what arts organizations have done and/or are doing to address the issue under consideration. As there are many examples, the tool-kit summarizes only a few for each section and makes reference to others. To try and summarize all researched examples would make this tool-kit unwieldy and too lengthy. It would also take away the need for initiative from arts organizations and communities to dig in on their own in order to gain greater ownership and understanding of approaches to change work. For ease of reference, given the common use of the terms equity and diversity in most of the case studies, these terms are used in most cases instead of pluralism. At the tool-kits end is a comprehensive annotated bibliography. The bibliography is included in order to provide artists and arts organizations with sites to look up other examples of change work. This is important because no tool-kit contains all of the answers to any or every organization. Each organization interested in and committed to the process of change needs to do its own work in order to gain the benefits of the change process. In this regard, the annotated bibliography is a source that can be used to find additional examples of change strategies that might be as relevant as the case studies summarized in each section. The Neighbourhood Arts Network launched itsArts & Equity Toolkiton September 20, 2012. A brand new resource for community-engaged artists, this toolkit is designed to provide artists and groups with practical tools to reduce barriers to community participation in the arts, the Arts & Equity Toolkitis a comprehensive document that includes case studies, worksheets, resource links, and quotes from Toronto-based artists and groups. The Arts & Equity Toolkit shares innovative ideas and models from over one hundred Toronto-based artists and organizations, and marks an important milestone for equity in the arts in Toronto. The Arts & Equity Toolkit is available for free through the Neighbourhood Arts Network Reading Room. Excerpts from the Arts & Equity Toolkit, along with related toolkits from

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Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement of Ontario and a number of essays by prominent Canadian artists, are also included in the recent Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives publication Pluralism in the Arts in Canada. Edited by charles c. smith, this book will be included as a text for Arts Management students at the University of Toronto this fall. 3.5 Capacity Building Workshops: CPAMO partnered with Neighbourhood Arts Network (NAN), Creative Trust and Young and Associates to offer workshops Advanced Excel Skills + Drop-In Clinic for Database Questions Workshops.These sessions were held on November 6th,, 13th, 20th, 27th and December 4th, 2012. Each session focused on many aspects of Database Management andsession participants learned how to manage data, research databases, creating organizational consistencies about retrieving/entering data and central management of databases. Young and Associates demystified the stigma related to database and its management and demonstrated how having a working database can influence an organization on many levels. A total of 100 people participated in these five (5) sessions. Singing from the Same Songbook: Harmonizing Database and Accounting Software Every organization is likely to have at least two databases: its accounting package and a marketing, membership or fundraising package. Work is greatly streamlined when information is entered only once but whats the best way to harmonize the reporting so that both databases tell the same story? This workshop will consider the primary point of data entry, and options for capturing summary information without repeating all the details. In addition, we will explore reporting formats that will help you tell a story about your impact and celebrate your successes, supported by good, quantitative data both financial and statistical. Case studies will be presented for discussion. Garbage into Gold: Housekeeping for your Database The information you get out of your database is only as good as the data you put into it. In this seminar we will explore ways to create consistencies in the collection and data entry processes to ensure that your data is telling the true story. Finding lots of duplicate entries? Sinking staff time into maintaining multiple data files with overlapping contents? Losing opportunities because of missing patron information? Not sure if youve accurately tracked all your donations? Learn how to identify errors and omissions in your database, and get your data working for you again. Managing Data: Policies and Procedures for Populating Your Database Is your organization not big enough to warrant purchasing a fundraising database? Are you using spreadsheets to track your audience? No problem! Who should be tracked in your spreadsheet? What is enough information about a contact to warrant a spot in your database? Is an email address enough? Are you sure that your patrons information is safe in your spreadsheet? During this introductory seminar we will explore the basics of tracking contacts and donations within spreadsheets, and keeping consistent records when more than one person is working in the file.

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Managing Data: Policies and Procedures for Populating Your Database So you have a database system.now what? Who should be tracked in your database? What is enough information about a contact to warrant a spot in your database? Is an email address enough? Are you sure that your patrons information is safe in your database? During this introductory seminar we will explore the basics of adding contact records to your database, and how with a few clicks you can create your own network of supporters that works for you. Researching Your Database: Advancing Marketing and Fundraising with Database Research Youre on your way to a clean and consistent database, but where does that get you? Its time to research your database. Learn how to analyze your database for Marketing and Fundraising purposes to grow your audience and further your mandate. Expand your patron base, target your marketing, and meet or exceed your fundraising goals. Learn tips and tricks for mining your data and expanding your potential. Managing Up, Down and Across: A Peer Exchange about Buy-In on Database Investment, Training and Policies How much time does your database require to be properly maintained? Whose job is it to monitor the database? Can your data give you the answers youre looking for? Are your organization's expectations of your database realistic? Join us as we open a discussion among peers on how to manage database expectations. Whether you are responsible for database maintenance, or you supervise or participate in the process, you will benefit from the opportunity to share ideas for improving the process. Everyone needs to understand what goes into best database practices. Individuals from all organizational levels are encouraged to attend (staff, volunteers, board members). Organizations are welcome to send multiple representatives. Connecting the Dots: A Path to Effective Technological / Administrative Practices: Our final workshop will be facilitated by charles smith with Kevin A. Ormsby and will focus on connecting the applicability of all the workshops for our organizations and members. While workshops over the course of the year focused on specific information, we will use this information to show the applicability of, for example effective database management and its use in fundraising (e.g. Online fundraising, or donation drives or using technology from screen sharing programs to social media) to enhance the work we do. For some, there may be deeprooted insecurities about how to navigate around the different elements and how your organizations can use them. This session will be a working session, where we would like to show you how to use the collective knowledge base of your employees and organizations. The workshop dates are forth coming and will be at the end of all other workshops organized through partnerships with other service organizations.

3.6

Town Hall- CPAMO Volunteer Recruitment Event:

CPAMO hosted"Fall in Love with the Arts Speed Dating Event" on December 4th at the Daniels Spectrum (Regent Park Arts & Cultural Centre). This event matched individuals

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interested in volunteering with CPAMO Creators Roundtable members who were looking to recruit volunteers for specific functions within their organizations. The event will provided opportunities the Roundtable members to showcase their organization.

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Over forty (40) potential volunteers attended this event and 10 Roundtable members participated, including: Native Earth Performing Arts; Nova Dance; KasheDance; danceImmersion; COBA; Regent Park Youth Theatre; b-current; Aluna Theatre; Diasporic Dialogues; and Ballet Creole. This link is an endorsement of this event from the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRPpwV4Wg0E&feature=plcp Dub Poets Collective:

3.7

Presentations:

In addition to planning, coordinating and participating as a panelist or workshop resource at the various Town Halls and workshops discussed above, CPAMOs Project Lead made a number of presentations on various aspects of CPAMOs work. Two of these were for national gatherings and another for local Ottawa-based groups. These presentations were for: 1) June 9, 2011 CARFAC NationalArt and Law Conference (http://www.carfac.ca/national-conference-for-visual-artistsjune-9th-10th-lord-elginhotel-ottawa/lang-pref/en/). The text of this presentation is on CPAMOs website at http://cpamo.posterous.com/carfac-national-conference-on-art-law# 2) June 13, 2012 CCI Annual Members Meeting. This was the book launch for Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and, along with CPAMOs toolkit on evidencebased practices of pluralism in the arts, this book contains several essays and speeches that were presented by CPAMO workshops and Town Halls. 3) Oct. 1 2012 Local Partners and Immigrant Settlement. The Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership held its first annual to discuss issues related to immigrant settlement and featured CPAMOs Project Lead for a session on the arts.

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4.

CCI/CPAMO Activities for 2013:

Having developed significant partnerships and coordinated important initiatives, CPAMO has already begun the process of planning and coordinating its initiatives for 2013. Some of the details of this are provided below. 4.1 Ottawa:

In Ottawa, CPAMO will continue to work with local arts organizations and the Ottawa Local Immigration Partnership (OLIP) to convene two Town Halls and two workshops. The planning for the first Town Hall is underway in partnership with Circadia Indigena and will focus on Aboriginal artists in the capital region. A summary of this event, to be held in February, is below. The Ottawa planning group will be meeting in December 2012, January and February 2013 to plan for the second Town Hall and to continue the workshops on Data Smarts. First Peoples Artists Forum: The Ottawa 20/20 Arts and Heritage Plan was approved by Ottawa City Council in 2003. In addition to 20-year strategic directions, the Plan identified strategies, policy statements and a first five-year action plan. The Plan was to be renewed every five years, and a renewal process began in August 2009. This renewal process brought together the strongest diversity of representation and participation ever for municipal cultural planning purposes in the area. Voices of First Nations, Inuit and Mtis individuals and communities; representatives of the Anglophone and Francophone cultural mosaic; diverse citizenry from rural, suburban and urban neighbourhoods; new Canadians and arts, heritage, festival and fair representatives were heard. On February 8, 2012, City Council unanimously approved a renewed action plan for arts, heritage and culture (2013-2018) framed on the following four strategies: 1. 2. 3. 4. Celebrate Ottawas Unique Cultural Identity and Provide Access to Culture for All Preserve and Develop Cultural and Creative Places and Spaces Get the Word Out About Ottawas Vibrant Local Culture and Unique Identity Invest in Local Culture and Build Cultural Leadership

A significant gap was uncovered during the above renewal process related to recognition, commemoration, reclamation, development, awareness, investment and access to First Nations, Inuit and Mtis arts, heritage and culture in the Region. There is a need to bring together Indigenous and Aboriginal artists of the region to: a) Connect, build meaningful relationships, and engage in meaningful dialogue; b) Discuss reclamation of First Peoples culture and needs of First Peoples Artists in the region; and c) Respond to current opportunities within the region, including the renewed action plan for arts, heritage, and culture in the Ottawa region.

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This phase of work is best served through the planning and implementation of a First Peoples Artists Forum in early 2013. The proposal is as follows: Circadia Indigena will organize a First Peoples Artists Forum at the Richelieu Vanier Community Centre, and will: 1. Identify and connect with established and emerging First Nations, Inuit and Mtis artists in all disciplines who reside locally and regionally; 2. Connect with Algonquin Anishinabeg leaders, Elders, and Knowledge keepers as the First Nation of the area; 3. Connect with local First Nations, Inuit and Mtis organizations and community-at-large; 4. Oversee the planning, promotion, and implementation of a February Artists Forum (February 22 to February 24, 2013); 5. Officially report on the Forum findings and recommend next steps; 6. Liaise with the Cultural Pluralism in Performing Arts Movement Ontario to disseminate relevant information and findings from the forum. 4.2 Town Halls Kingston and Markham:

Preliminary planning is underway to coordinate a Town Hall in Kingston. This involves working with the City of Kingstons Director of Cultural Services for an event to discuss pluralism in the arts in Kingston that will dovetail with a major municipal activity that will likely involve the Mayor of Kingston and local councilors along with the University of Queens, the local arts council and artists as well as others from diverse communities. At this time, George Elliot Clarke has been invited to deliver a keynote address that will be a pre-performance talk on Africville touching on slavery and the Empire Loyalists in relationship to Kingston. This would be prior to the performance of Africville by Joe Sealy. The second Town Hall in Markham will be held toward the fall of 2013 and will build on the outcomes of this years event noted above. 4.3 Volunteer Recruitment Toronto and Ottawa:

In 2013 CPAMO proposes to convene two volunteer recruitment events one in Ottawa and the other in the Greater Toronto Area. Entitled Linking Aboriginal and Ethno-racial/cultural Volunteers to the Arts these two events will recruit arts organizations and presenters to meet with and involve individuals from diverse communities as volunteers. It is anticipated that approximately 120 potential volunteers will attend and meet with representatives of approximately 40 arts organizations. The purpose of thesetwo events is to link individuals from diverse Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities to arts organizations, particularly Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural organizations, to develop volunteer opportunities that will benefit each and support the capacity building of these organizations while providing professional development and networking opportunities for volunteers. To achieve this, CPAMO will undertake the following activities:

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1) Identify arts organizations that wish to be involved and assist them in developing their volunteer opportunities. Timeline: winter 2013 for Ottawa and fall 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 2) Conduct outreach to potential volunteers through promotional activities involving the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture, MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities, the Ottawa Chinese Heritage Centre, Artscape, Diversecity on Board/Maytree Foundation, the Harmony Movement/Arts4Equity Project. Timeline: - Feburary/March 2013 Ottawa; October/November 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 3) Solicit background information from potential volunteers e.g., resumes, c.v.s, bio notes and provide feedback to assist them in preparing for the Town Hall. Timeline: March/April 2013 for Ottawa; October/November 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 4) Identify panelists/workshop resources to lead and facilitate conversations on engaging volunteers. Timeline: April 2013 for Ottawa and October 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 5) Identify and confirm artists to perform at the Town Hall. April 2013 for Ottawa and October 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 6) Prepare promotional materials e.g., press releases, social media to promote the event to the public. Timeline: June 2013 for Ottawa and November 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; 7) Convene the Town Hall. Timeline: June 2013 for Ottawa and December 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; and 8) Prepare and circulate a report on the outcomes of the Town Hall identifying key issues and follow-up actions. Timeline: September 2013 for Ottawa and January 2014 for the Greater Toronto Area. The format for the Town Halls in Ottawa and the Greater Toronto Area will be structured as follows: 1) Opening Remarks by charles c. smith, CPAMO Project Lead 2) Morning Keynote Presentation 3) Aboriginal Arts Performance by CPAMO Roundtable members (e.g., Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, Red Sky Performance 4) Workshop sessions with panelists, e.g., Catherine Winter (Diversecity On Board/Maytree Foundation), Kevin Ormsby (Artistic Director Kashedance), Anita Agrawal (CPAMO), Bushra Junaid (Outreach Manager, Ontario Arts Council) 5) Ethno-racial/cultural performances by CPAMO Roundtable members (e.g., Sampradaya Dance Creations, Collective of Black Artists, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective, fuGen Asian Theatre, Why Not Theatre, Olga Barrios Dance to be confirmed) The event will be implemented by opening with a performance by an Aboriginal arts organization that will be followed by the first keynote presentation. Participating arts organizations will staff display booths for potential volunteers to seek out information on various volunteer opportunities and to make connections with representatives of participating arts organizations for any necessary follow-up. This will be a feature for the full day. Following the morning keynote, there will be a series of workshops with resources experienced in volunteerism in the arts. These workshops will address such issues as: (i) being on a board of directors; (2) assisting in fundraising and financial management; (3) engaging in community outreach; (4) using social media and digital technology. These workshops will be run in both the morning and the afternoon to allow participants to select at least two sessions.

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After lunch therewill be another performance and a final performance at the end of the day. The discussion of these sessions will be recorded and will form the basis of a report on the Town Hall. This report will be provided to those who attend and made available to all CCI members, CPAMO Roundtable members and others in the broader performing arts communities. The goal of this report is to enhance the dialogue on pluralism and diversity in volunteerism in the art and to provide examples of what is being done to address this matter. For the Ottawa Town Hall, CPAMO will work with Ottawa-based resources, i.e., speakers and performers. This activity has several anticipated outcomes. These are: 1) recruiting 100 individuals from Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities who are interested in volunteering for arts organizations within their own communities and/or with other communities; 2) recruiting 20 - 30 arts organizations, particularly from Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities, to participate in convening booths and determining opportunities available to volunteers; 3) providing a template to assist interested volunteers in preparing their resumes and offers for presentation to interested arts organizations; 4) providing a template to assist interested arts organizations, particularly Aboriginal and ethoracial/cultural, in preparing descriptions of their volunteer needs; 5) providing a template to interested volunteers and arts organizations to assist them in developing and sustaining the volunteer experience; 6) enabling volunteers, particularly from Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities, and arts organizations, particularly from Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities, to make connections so that volunteers are able to provide services in areas needed by arts organizations, e.g., board representation, community outreach, translation/interpretation, fundraising, social media, digital technology, etc. 7) where appropriate, developing collaborative working relationships between Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural arts organizations to share volunteers; 8) showcasing three-to-four performances by Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural artists as a means to celebrate volunteerism by individuals from Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities; 9) providing information on the social capital of Aboriginal and ethno-racial/cultural communities and the capacities of these communities for volunteer activities. As a follow-up this event, CPAMO will continue to build on the previous work done by the Ontario Stand Firm network by: a) Adding to the baseline database of volunteers based on the results of the former Stand Firm Network in the spring of 2011 and the CPAMO event in December 2012. Timeframe: January 2013; b) Continue outreach to: (i) Aboriginal and ethno-racial community organizations; (ii) the Harmony Movement, Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the Maytree Foundation Diversecity On Board project; (iii) community-based networks and media, including the Aboriginal and ethnic press, the Local Immigration Partnerships across the GTA and in Ottawa as well as Native Friendship Centres in these areas. Timeframe: May September 2013;

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TIMEFRAME: In 2013, CPAMO proposes to coordinate two volunteer recruitment events matching volunteers with Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations in the late Spring (in Ottawa) and Fall (in the Greater Toronto Area) of 2013. 4.4 Collaborations In The Arts:Developing Pluralism In The Arts Across The Gta

In the winter and spring, 2011, exploratory meetings were convened with several large Toronto-based arts organizations, e.g., the National Ballet School, Luminato, the City of Toronto Economic Development Department, SONY Centre for Performing Arts, the Royal Conservatory of Music. Similar meetings have been held with Oakville Theatre, Markham Theatre, Rose Theatre (Brampton), Ontario Contact and Meadowvale Theatre (Mississauga), Prologue to the Performing Arts, the CanDance Network and the Canadian Dance Assembly. These meetings were held to discuss possible collaboration between the CPAMO Roundtable members and larger cultural organizations for the purposes of information sharing and project development aimed at supporting the Roundtable members and these arts organizations to: Develop collaborative promotional/marketing and audience development strategies aimed at connecting with Aboriginal and diverse communities interested in the arts; Develop access to volunteers and other organizational resources, e.g., staff and board members; Enhance CPAMO members understanding of how to attract private sector foundations and corporate sponsors interested in the arts; Provide organizational support for financial and administrative systems development amongst CPAMO members. CPAMO is now undertaking the following actions to implement this activity: a) Identifying successful collaborative strategies involving ethno-racial and Aboriginal arts organizations that have worked with large well-established arts organizations as well as corporate and private sector funders. Several CPAMO members have experienced such collaborations. These members include: Manifesto with the Toronto International Film Festival and Luminato; Sampradaya Dance Creations with Luminato; REELAsian Film Festival with Richmond Hill Theatre and the University of Toronto Scarborough; South Asian Visual Arts Collective with the Art Gallery of Ontario; Red Sky Performance with Young Peoples Theatre. b) Consulting with Roundtable members to discuss these strategies and to develop a plan of action for meetings with: (i) enable presenters; (ii) ethno-racial and Aboriginal business associations and media; and (iii) corporate and private sector funders, including Business for the Arts. c) Developing a joint strategy with the Roundtable to identify how to engage presenters, ethno-racial and Aboriginal business and media, and corporate and private funders. Based on the interests of all concerned, this project proposes several concrete proposals for furthering this conversation and bringing these arts organizations together to work on initiatives that will support each other in tangible and measureable ways.

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In this context, CPAMO Roundtable members will be called together as follows: a) Aboriginal Arts. The companies included within this grouping are: Red Sky Performance, Native Earth Performing Arts, Association of Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre; b) South Asian Arts. The companies included within this group are: Sampradaya Dance Creations, Why Not Theatre, Menaka Thakker Dance, Nova Dance, South Asian Visual Arts Collective; c) Asian Arts. The companies included in this group are: Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective, fuGen Asian Theatre, Cahoots Theatre, REELAsian Film Festival; d) African Diasporic Arts. The companies included in this group are: the Collective of Black Artists, KasheDance, the wind in the leaves collective, b-current, Theatre Archipelago, Nathaniel Dette Chorale, six awe, danceImmersion; and e) Latino Arts. The companies included in this group are: Alameda Theatre, Aluna Theatre, alucine film festival, Olga Barrios Dance, Vanguardia Dance, Maracatu Aber. For the presenters, this approach allows for them to have several entry points into specific communities. It also provides them with opportunities to work with the organizations in each community on common marketing and program promotional strategies that may have a better chance of penetrating these communities. For example, rather than working with one organization in any given community, the presenters will have access to several, thereby enhancing their profile in a given community through use of diverse promotional mechanisms. To support this approach, CPAMO will undertake to connect with and involve the following organizations: a) the Institute of Canadian Citizenship. A legacy project of the former GovernorGeneral Adrianne Clarkson, this organization provides access to cultural institutions for new Canadian citizens. It currently partners with galleries and museums to enable interested citizens to use a cultural access pass to access these institutions. The Institute has connected with over 15,000 individuals with this program since its inception. The Institute will be involved to communicate to these individuals to determine their interest in the possibilities offered through this project; b) the Diversecity On Board/Maytree Foundation.DiverseCity onBoard welcomes qualified candidates with a passion to serve from visible minority and underrepresented immigrant communities. This initiative connects with many individuals interested in serving on boards and as volunteers for a wide-range of organizations, including the arts. c) the Harmony Movement. Harmony Movement provides interactive diversity education programs that empower and inspire youth, educators and those in the social service sector to develop an equity lens, empathy, respect, and leadership skills as leaders for social change. d) the Neighbourhood Arts Network.The Neighbourhood Arts Network is the place where arts and community engagement meet in Toronto. NAN collects research and shares information to assist artists and community organizations do what they do best:

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enrich Toronto and transform it into a more vibrant, beautiful, liveable city. NAN is Toronto-wide network of over 750 members, including artists, arts organizations, cultural workers and community agencies working throughout the City of Toronto, from North York to the downtown core, and from Etobicoke to Scarborough. e) Local Immigration Partnerships across the Greater Toronto Area. These include: York-South, North West Scarborough, West Downtown Toronto, Eglinton East/Kennedy, Toronto South as well as in the York and Peel regions. These partnerships have been created to enhance access to programs and services for recent immigrants to settle more readily in their new environment. Action Plan: Based on the above, an action plan will be implemented in 2013 involving collaboration between participants of all sectors. The elements of this action are: Match CPAMO members with presenters to develop fundraising activities: Partners: CPAMO Roundtable members and presenters Timeline: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014 Output: (1) Match presenters with CPAMO Roundtable members by communities noted above (2) Presenters enable CPAMO Roundtable members to develop fundraising strategies Outcome: CPAMO Roundtable members undertake fundraising activities with specific targets Activities: (1) 2 information meetings with arts groups by communities noted above (re., CPAMO Roundtable members) and a list of what they're looking for in terms of fundraising initiatives (e.g., capital/equipment, operating/project funding); (2) 4 one-on-one meetings between and CPAMO Roundtable members to develop and implement organization specific strategies CPAMO shares information on outreach/marketing strategies: Partners: CPAMO Roundtable members and presenters Timeline: March December 2013 Output: CPAMO Roundtable members enhance outreach/marketing capacities of presenters in diverse communities with connections to media and community networks Outcome: Greater promotion of the arts to Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities Activities: 2 information meetings with arts groups and follow-up by CPAMO Roundtable members with individual presenters to develop/implement outreach/marketing/communications strategies targeting media and community networks CPAMO members access spaces: Partners: CPAMO Roundtable members and presenters Timeline: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014 Output: CPAMO Roundtable members who need have access to space of for rehearsals and workshops Outcome: (1) CPAMO Roundtable members are able to use rehearsal space and defer funding for space rental to organizational and project costs; and (2) receive profile through promotional/outreach/marketing in communities of CPAMO Roundtable

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Activities: (1) CPAMO undertakes survey of its members to determine needs; (2) City of Toronto canvases to determine availability of space; (3) CPAMO and City of Toronto meet to assess need and space availability; (4) based on this, space is allocated CPAMO members pitches to stage work:

Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists are not often commissioned to create a new work and, when this happens, they begin to consider how to use this opportunity to leverage support for their organization. Partners: CPAMO Roundtable members and presenters Timeline: Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2014 Output: CPAMO will hold four sessions to assist Roundtable members to create an effective sponsorship package and to enhance the organizations pitch. Outcome: (1) CPAMO members will make pitches to stage shows in venues operated by the ; (2) venues will receive pitches and make selections of performances to be be staged Activities: 2 information meetings will take place each year as follows: (i) CPAMO Roundtable members. Over the past years, CPAMO Roundtable members such as REELAsian Film Festival, Manifesto, KasheDance, FuGen Asian Theatre, Sampradaya Dance Creations, IMAGINATIVE Film Festival, Red Sky Performance, South Asian Visual Arts Collective, Why Not Theatre and others have made successful ptiches to Luminato, Richmond Hill Theatre, University of Toronto Scarborough, Hart House, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Rose Theatre (Brampton) and other venues. Such a session would pair the aforementioned CPAMO members with the major organization(s) they have worked with. Timeframe: Spring 2013; (ii) . CPAMO has worked successfully with several presenters who are interested in supporting the CPAMO Roundtable members. Some of these presenters include: Oakville Theatre, Markham Theatre, Prologue to the Performing Arts, CanDance Network. This session will be delivered by representatives of the who would provide insight into their decision-making processes and curatorial perspectives. Timeframe: Fall 2013. Projected Outcomes: As outcomes, this project aims to deliver opportunities for the presenters to: I. enhance their understanding of diverse communities and how they access information about cultural activities and what cultural activities interest them; II. enhance their entry points into diverse communities for purposes of marketing and audience development; III. develop collaborative promotional mechanisms and programming with CPAMO Roundtable members; IV. attract volunteers and other resources from diverse communities. This project also aims to deliver opportunities for CPAMO Roundtable members to: I. stage their performances in venues operated by ; II. enhance their understanding of the presenters in terms of submission of proposals for performances;

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III. develop their understanding of fundraising strategies for capital and/or program purposes; IV. gain access to space for rehearsals. At the end of 2013, CPAMO will convene a session with all participants to share results of their activities, to share what they have learned and to discuss how best to continue with this initiative over the long-term. CPAMOCreators Roundtable:

4.5

In 2012, CPAMO expanded its Roundtable membership by including some of organizations involved in the former Stand Firm initiative of the Canada Council Equity Office. As part of this, CPAMO has now undertaken efforts to support the capacity-building work that had begun by the former Stand Firm initiative. Through presentations, workshops, performances and dialogue, CPAMO has worked with its Roundtable members to build their capacities in the areas of organizational infrastructure (e.g., using new technologies for financial management and audience development), in developing relationships with presenters and in enhancing their understanding of changing demographics and methods to engage diverse communities as audience and volunteers. A summative toolkit has been created for these organizations and artists to use to assist them in moving forward with implementing the knowledge, values and new approaches they have learned to embrace cultural pluralism in the arts. Based on activities begun in 2012 and supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Canada Councils Equity Projects Grants, CPAMO seeks to further build the capacities of its Roundtable members in such areas as: 1. Providing tools for the development of effective organizational systems and practices; 2. Attracting volunteers to engage with CPAMO Roundtable members in various capacities, e.g., board members, fundraising, governance; 3. Improving understanding of how Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities access information in order to enhance marketing and promotion activities by CPAMO members interested in building audiences from these communities; 4. Building relationships between major presenters and CPAMO Roundtable members to undertake mutually beneficial exchanges of resources; and 5. Developing the capacities of Roundtable members to make successful pitches to presenters to stage work by Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists. Building Capacities of Aboriginal and Ethno-racial Arts Organizations to Sustain Pluralism in the Arts in Ontario is a key part of CPAMOs activities begun in 2012. This project will build on work currently underway within CPAMO and the former Ontario-based Stand Firm initiative. It will begin in February 2013 and end in January 2014. It is an initiative focusing on two geographic areas: the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Oakville, Scarborough, Markham and Mississauga; andOttawa. A CPAMO survey of its Roundtable members in the fall 2012 has helped in creating CPAMOs 2013 series of workshops that will focus on Broadening Relationshipsto enhance relationships amongst Roundtable members but and with wider communities, organizations, artists and funding bodies. The survey results indicate the following:

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1. Of the upcoming workshops for end of 2012, interests lied in the following areas Advanced Excel Skills + Drop-In Clinic for Database 50.0% Questions Online Fundraising Campaigns - Tips and How-Tos 83.3% Screenshare for Virtual Meetings and Remote 16.7% Troubleshooting Effective Technological / Administrative Practices 50.0% 2. Of the workshops proposed for 2013, here are where interest lies and will be pursed. Working within Communities 50.0% Working with Older Adults 11.1% Effective Marketing and Engagement Strategies 66.7% Strategies to Seeking, Nurturing and Keeping Donors 66.7% Making Pitches to Presenters for Performances and 38.9% Gallery Showings Collaboration with presenters 61.1%

CPAMO will continue to work with its Creators Roundtable members (including new organizations that have recently joined from the former Stand Firm Network) and involve them in the capacity building workshops and other related activities. These are: 1. Providing tools for the development of effective organizational systems and practices; 2. Improving understanding of how Aboriginal and diverse communities access information in order to enhance marketing and promotion activities to build audiences from these communities; 3. Building relationships between major presenters and CPAMO Roundtable members to undertake mutually beneficial exchanges of resources; and 4. Developing the capacities of Roundtable members to make successful pitches to presenters to stage work by Aboriginal and ethno-racial performing artists. These activities, including strategies and timeframes, are described below. In proposing these activities, this project aims to: i) enhance the capacity of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists/creators to sustain the benefits of this project; work with Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists to diversify their revenue sources and to attract corporate and individual contributions; increase opportunities for volunteerism by attracting individuals from diverse communities to lend their time to support diverse arts organizations; enhance capacities of Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations to connect with diverse communities in order to build audiences for their work; and provide and enhance opportunities for dialogue and relationship-building between Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists, presenters, art services organizations as well as community networks and individuals from diverse communities.

ii)

iii)

iv)

v)

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All of this projects activities will be conducted in a transparent fashion and thoroughly documented. This record will be made available in diverse formats, including web-based and digital. This will then be circulated to interested individuals, communities, artists and other groups. Further, developmental tools will be developed to provide group and one-to-one support to participants. Based on the former Stand Firm Network and CPAMO experiences, it is critical to provide a forum for Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists to come together to network, share ideas and strategize. With CPAMO, the Creators Roundtable has been an invaluable source of intelligence, contributing greatly to the issues CPAMO has addressed over the past two years. The Creators Roundtable has been the foundation for building performers into this change process, enabling them to take space and have voice in public forums both with their art and their articulation of what contributes to that art. CPAMOs Creators Roundtable is a province wide network combining the past efforts of CPAMOs Roundtable and that of the Canada Council former Stand Firm Network. Having had to create, develop, manage, promote and run front-of-house, the Roundtable members have contributed out of their sheer will to see recognition for their work and the value they bring to Canadian arts and society. To enhance these efforts, to assist Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations with maximizing new opportunities with presenters, and to help them sustain the benefits of participating in this project, CPAMO will offer skills-building workshops for artists, organizational staff, and volunteers. Providing tools for the development of effective organizational systems and practices: Digital technology and social media are having a profound impact on the creation of art, its promotion/marketing and connecting arts organizations and artists to communities and audiences. Access to these technologies and capacities to work with them are critical for contemporary arts organizations, particularly for Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations that have experienced marginalization and may lag behind other organizations that have access to greater resources. As such, it is imperative that the members of the CPAMO Creators Roundtable are equipped to use new technologies to assist them in their growth and development as these tools can enable ethno-racial and Aboriginal arts organizations to: create new work using contemporary technologies (e.g., i-pad, loop stations for video and/or music, YouTube, voice- and sound-activated computers) while, at the same time, collaborating with artists locally, provincially, nationally and globally; engage with communities and audiences over internet, social media, through Skype and other computer-aided methods; and develop and sustain a tracking system for use in audience/volunteer development, marketing, communications and promotional activities. The following actions are now being implemented by CPAMO to address this issue:

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i)

Researching uses of digital technology in the development of performance work and presenting performances online. Timeframe: June September 2012; ii) Researching use of social media by arts organizations and their links to community engagement, audience and sponsor development. Timeframe: September October 2012; iii) Co-sponsoring the Canada Dance Assembly Annual Meeting which is focused on pluralism and new technologies. Timeframe: July October 2012. iv) Convening three half-day workshops on the use of digital technology for financial control and administration two workshops in the Greater Toronto Area and one workshop in Ottawa. Timeframe: October/November/December 2012; v) Conducting a survey of and interviews with CPAMO Roundtable members to assess their ongoing needs for the uses of digital technology. Timeframe: October - December 2012 Based on the results of these activities, CPAMO will implement four workshops on the uses of digital technology. This will be done as follows: 1) Assessing use of new tools by participant organizations and providing support where appropriate. Timeframe: winter-spring 2013; 2) Convening four (4) workshops for peer information and education as well as development of joint strategies. Timeframe: spring and fall 2013. It is anticipated that these sessions will build both the interest and capacities of CPAMO Roundtable members in the use of digital technology for financial control/administration, promotional and marketing activities, social media, attracting volunteers and developing creative work. This activity will be led by Kevin A. Ormsby and supported by Victoria Glizer, CPAMO Project Coordinator and Program Assistant responsible for its website and internet functions. Improving understanding of how Aboriginal and diverse communities access information in order to enhance marketing and promotion activities to build audiences from these communities: Over 2011 and 2012, CPAMO convened five workshops focusing on audience development. These began in June 2010 with a presentation on demographic changes nationally, provincially and across the Greater Toronto Area. Members of the former Stand Firm Network and CPAMO who were resources for these sessions included: Brainard Blyden Taylor, Nathaniel Dette Chorale; Majdi Bou-Matar, MT Space; Lata Pada, Sampradaya Dance Creations; Mimi Beck and Ann-Marie Williams, CanDance Network; Charmaine Headley, COBA; Julia Chan, Diasporic Dialogues; Skye Loius, Neighbourhood Arts Network; Jennifer Green, Soundstreams; Cian Knights, Scarborough Arts/Creative Mosaics; Menaka Thakker, Menaka Thakker Dance Anahita Azrahimi, Sparrow in the Room; Kevin Ormsby. Kashedance.

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Each of these workshops had been well received and many of its participants were individuals returning for each new session. As a result, an informal network has begun to develop through this process of sharing space and views. Such network building is a cornerstone of this work and having the same individuals return for new sessions builds a rapport between participants demonstrating individual and organizational interest. These sessions will be continued so that these and other relationships can be developed and/or enhanced. At the same time, the sessions will be enhanced by inviting resources who have extensive background in the information-gathering and communication patterns of Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities, particularly new immigrants. Such resources include: Sara Roque, a multi-talented Metis filmmaker, writer, arts administrator and activist who has been involved in a number of community-based arts and Aboriginal history projects. Past administrative work includes development coordinator at The Centre for Indigenous Theatre in Toronto; programmer at Te Waiariki Purea Trust, a Maori arts and cultural organization based in Rotorua, New Zealand; and co-founder of the OKaadenigan Wiingashk Collective, which is dedicated to raising the profile of Indigenous artists and training in the Kawarthas region. Roque holds an Honours BA in Indigenous Studies from Trent University. In 2008 she was appointed the Aboriginal Arts Officer at the Ontario Arts Council. She believes that cultural understanding and sovereignty is fostered through the arts and honors the vision and hard work of the many cultural emancipators before her. Nadia Caidiwho is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Information at the University of Toronto, which she joined in 2000. She holds an MLIS and a Ph.D. from the Department of Information Studies, at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She also holds an MST in Communication Studies from the Universite Stendhal Grenoble 3, France. Her primary research interests are information policy and community informatics. She is also involved in cross-cultural and comparative studies, researching the influence of culture on the production, distribution and use of information and its technologies. Recent research has focused on understanding better the ways in which information fits in the lives of vulnerable communities, specifically newcomers and immigrant groups, and Aboriginal communities in remote and isolated areas of Northern Ontario. She has received numerous grants to examine how groups and individuals seek, use and share information in their everyday lives, and how these information practices in turn enable inclusion, participation and engagement in the broader society. More information about Prof. Caidi's research is available at: http://www3.fis.utoronto.ca/faculty/caidi/home.html Nick Ashewasegawho is an Account Manager with a focus on Special Projects for NationTalk.ca, a leading Aboriginal Newswire, Event and Employment listing service operating across Canada. With nearly one million page views per month and a subscription base that includes 600 First Nations; 1000 media contacts (Aboriginal and non-aboriginal); and more than 10,000 personal subscribers including key decision makers from all industries. Nick has used his talents over the years at NationTalk to build relationships and create many partnerships with Aboriginal and non-aboriginal Canada. He has advised on partnerships with TD Canada, Marriott Canada, and Noront Resources with NationTalk, amongst others. As well, he has conducted close to 20 interviews with community members, politicians and industry leaders from across Canada such as; National Chief Shawn Atleo, Toronto Mayoral Candidate George Smitherman, award-winning recording artist Crystal Shawanda, and many more. Another endeavour he is collaborating on includes BuyAboriginal.com and

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TheNativeStore.com, these being platforms for both Aboriginal businesses and product suppliers to connect with the right people. Kevin A. Ormsby, CPAMO Project Coordinatorwho also works as a Arts Marketing Consultant, dance teacher, choreographer, movement coach and is the Artistic Director of KasheDance; a dance company hinging on the traditions of modern dance, ballet and the Diaspora. He is the Dance Animateur at the Living Arts Centre (Mississauga), a member of Wind in the Leaves Collective and was a dancer with Garth Fagan Dance (NY) and has worked as the Assistant Artistic Director as well as the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator of Ballet Creole, danced with Canboulay Dance Theatre, Caribbean Dance Theatre among others. A passionate advocate of Dance Education, writing and outreach, he has presented papers at Visualizing / Performing Africa Conference at Ohio University (2007), Canada Dance Festival (2009) and the Rex Nettleford Arts Conference (2011). He has sat on panels for the Canada Dance Assembly, Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts Ontario (CPPAMO), The Dancer Transition Resource Center (DTRC), written for Expose Entertainment Magazine, the Dance Current and was a Artist in Residence at the University of the West Indies Philip Sherlock Centre for the Creative Arts. He is Co-chair of the Performing Arts Committee of the Jamaica 50th Celebrations Steering Committee. It is anticipated that these sessions will enable CPAMO Roundtable members to design and implement their marketing and promotional activities with greater impact in diverse communities resulting in higher attendance at their events and increased interest of potential voluinteers. CPAMO will convene four of these sessions in 2013 two in Ottawa and two in the Greater Toronto Area. These sessions will be held in the spring and fall in each of these communities. Enhancing relationships between presenters and CPAMO Roundtable members to undertake mutually beneficial exchanges of resources: In the winter and spring, 2011,former Stand Firm co-Coordinator Helen Yung convened meetings with several large Toronto-based arts organizations, e.g., the National Ballet School, Luminato, the City of Toronto Economic Development Department, SONY Centre for Performing Arts, the Royal Conservatory of Music. These meetings were held to discuss possible collaboration between the Stand Firm members and large cultural organizations for the purposes of information sharing and project development aimed at supporting the Stand Firm members to: Enhance access to private sector foundations and corporate sponsors interested in the arts; Provide organizational support for financial and administrative systems development amongst Stand Firm members; Develop common and mutually beneficial strategies to engage diverse communities in arts organizations and as audience members.. These meetings have formed the basis for the continuation of this activity with the involvement of ethno-racial business associations and Business for the Arts. CPAMO is now undertaking the following actions to implement this activity:

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d) Identifying successful collaborative strategies involving ethno-racial and Aboriginal arts organizations that have worked with large wellestablished arts organizations as well as corporate and private sector funders. Several CPAMO members have experienced such collaborations. These members include: Manifesto with the Toronto International Film Festival and Luminato; Sampradaya Dance Creations with Luminato; REELAsian Film Festival with Richmond Hill Theatre and the University of Toronto Scarborough; South Asian Visual Arts Collective with the Art Gallery of Ontario; Red Sky Performance with Young Peoples Theatre. e) Consulting with members of the Creators Roundtable to discuss these strategies and to develop a plan of action for meetings with: (i) large arts organizations; (ii) ethno-racial and Aboriginal business associations and media; and (iii) corporate and private sector funders, including Business for the Arts. This will be done in September and October 2012; f) Developing a joint strategy with the Creators Roundtable to identify how to engage large arts organizations, ethno-racial and Aboriginal business and media, and corporate and private funders. This will be done in November 2012;

Following these steps, CPAMOs Project Lead will meet with the aforementioned large arts organizations to propose the strategies developed by the CPAMO Roundtable members. Based on this, an action plan will be implemented in 2013 involving collaboration between participants of all sectors. Some of the elements of this action will include: Matching specific Roundtable members with large arts organizations so that they can engage in mutually beneficial resource sharing. For example, CPAMO is aware that such large arts organizations are interested in attracting audiences from specific communities, e.g., Asian and South Asian. Given this, it is possible to match these large organizations with CPAMO members from these communities who are interested in developing fundraising activities and would appreciate accessing the resources of these large organizations to guide them in this; Inviting large arts organizations to be resources in CPAMO sessions on development of organizational capacities noted above (re., Providing tools for the development of effective organizational systems and practices) and, in return, having CPAMO members share information on outreach and marketing strategies to engage their communities. For example, several CPAMO Roundtable members are tenants of facilities operated by Artscape. Discussion is now underway to assess how Artscape can facilitate access to resources for these Roundtable members; Exploring opportunities for joint programming between CPAMO members and large arts organizations as a way to enhance the profile of both organizations in diverse communities and to enhance program offerings by the large arts organizations so that they are more reflective of the art being developed by CPAMO Roundtable members;

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 Exploring opportunities for CPAMO members to use the spaces of mainstream arts organizations during dark hours in exchange for accessing volunteers from diverse communities to work with these large arts organizations; At the end of 2013, CPAMO will convene a session with all participants to share results of their activities, to share what they have learned and to discuss how best to continue with this initiative over the long-term. It is anticipated that this activity will increase access to resources for CPAMO Roundtable members and engage Roundtable members in activities to enhance the curatorial and cultural competence of the major arts organizations involved. It is also anticipated that this activity will enhance the profile of the arts in Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities, thereby, increasing opportunities for audience development and volunteerism in the arts. Developing the capacities of Roundtable members to make successful pitches to presenters to stage work by Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists: Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists are not often commissioned to create a new work and, when this happens, they begin to consider how to use this opportunity to leverage support for their organization. CPAMO will hold a hands-on workshop to assist Roundtable members to create an effective sponsorship package and to enhance the organizations pitch. CPAMO will convene three full day sessions involving both its Roundtable members and presenters who have worked with CPAMO in the past. These are: a) CPAMO Roundtable members. Over the past years, CPAMO Roundtable members such as REELAsian Film Festival, Manifesto, KasheDance, FuGen Asian Theatre, Sampradaya Dance Creations, IMAGINATIVE Film Festival, Red Sky Performance, South Asian Visual Arts Collective, Why Not Theatre and others have made successful ptiches to Luminato, Richmond Hill Theatre, University of Toronto Scarborough, Hart House, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Rose Theatre (Brampton) and other venues. b) Presenters. CPAMO has worked successfully with several presenters who are interested in supporting the CPAMO Roundtable members. Some of these presenters include: Oakville Theatre, Markham Theatre, Prologue to the Performing Arts, CanDance Network, Grand Theatre (Kingston), Ontario Contact, Shenkman Centre for the Arts and Centre Pointe (Ottawa), and Ottawa Little Theatre. Representatives from these organizations will be invited to be resources for the threeCPAMO sessions two of which will be held in the Greater Toronto Area and one in Ottawa. Attendance at this session will be required for those seeking to be eligible to attend an exclusive networking session with local business owners and other potential sponsors. This exclusive networking session will be coordinated as part of the CPAMO project activity noted above, re., Building Relationships with Major Presenters. TIMEFRAME: Spring and Fall 2013 for the Greater Toronto Area; Fall 2013 for Ottawa.

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It is anticipated this activity will result in an increase of proposals for performances by CPAMO Roundtable members to large performing arts venues and, as well, an increase of Roundtable members performing in these spaces. 5. Promotion and Communications:

The CCI/CPAMO project has been regularly promoted through the CPAMO newsletter and through online campaigns for specific activities/events. During the year, CPAMO has produced four (4) newsletters CPAMO News #s 14, 15, 16 and 17 and has promoted several events such as the Ottawa and Volunteer Recruitment Town Halls as well as the Data Smarts workshops. Copies of the newsletters are on CPAMOs website (http://cpamo.posterous.com/pages/newsletter) and samples of promotional materials can be seen at (http://smartdata2012.eventbrite.ca/) (http://ottawatownhall.eventbrite.ca/). These newsletters provide information on CPAMO activities, activities of Aboriginal and ethnoracial performing arts companies, research on contemporary issues and links to talks and lectures related to pluralism in society and in the arts. The promotional materials advertise specific events and provide information on how to register for these events. At the same time, the CPAMO website has added new hubs to reflect its work in Ottawa (http://cpamo.posterous.com/pages/cpamo-in-ottawa). It has also added a hub for Markham (http://cpamo.posterous.com/pages/cpamo-in-markham). Further, CPAMOs list-serve continues to grow with over 400 individuals now registered and receiving the CPAMO newsletters and promotional materials.

6.

Budget Revenues and Expenditures:

As noted at the outset of this annual report, the CCI/CPAMO project received a grant of $180,000.00 or $60,000.00 per year for three years from the OTF. These funds were dedicated to supporting: i) ii) iii) iv) v) vi) vii) the Creators Roundtable - $30,000.00 Planning/Delivery of Town Halls - $18,000.00 Town Hall Artists - $8,000.00 Town Hall Speakers - $4,000.00 Marketing/Promotion - $6,000.00 Presenter-Community Roundtable Workshops - $10,000.00 Annual Report - $10,000.00

Of these funds, $20,000.00 was provided by the Canada Council for the Arts to support the Creators Roundtable and $6,000.00 was provided by the Ontario Arts Councils Arts Services Project Grants to support the Canadian Dance Assembly Town Hall. The remaining funds were provided by the OTF and have been expensed as follows: a) Town Hall Artists and Speakers: Town Hall Prep and Delivery - $18,000.00 ($12,000.00 OTF) Ottawa September 20 - $400.00* Flato Markham Theatre - $3,000.00* Canadian Dance Assembly - $3,000.00*

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 Circadia Indigena - $3,000.00* One World Dialogue - $1,000.00* (A Part of Sept. 20th Town Hall) MASC - $1,000.00* - (April 16 workshop session and Sept. 20th Town Hall)

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b) Creators Roundtable: $19,000.00 in facilitation fees ($3,750.00 OTF) $1,000.00 in materials, supplies, rentals c) Marketing/Promotion - $7000.00* d) Travel/Accommodation - $4,497.00* e) Presenter-Community Roundtable Workshops - $6,750.00* f) Annual Report - $10,000.00* * Indicates funding provided by OTF for items in the proposed budget which totals at $55,397.00 or $3,050.00 below budget. The remaining funds will be expensed at the end of December 2012.

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APPENDICES

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APPENDIX 1 7.1 CPAMO ACTIVITIES TO DATE:

CPAMO has been working with Community Cultural Impresarios (CCI) since January 2009 and began its public work in January 2010. Over 2010 2011, CPAMO has held several sessions aimed at bringing presenters together with ethno-racial and Aboriginal performing arts companies. Working with its Roundtable members (i.e., Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists), the staff and board of CCI and CCI presenter members across the GTA as well as in Ottawa, Peterborough and Kitchener-Waterloo, CPAMO has convened the following forums: i. September 2009. Ontario Contact presentation. CPAMOs Project Lead, Charles C. Smith, made a presentation at the 2009 Contact. This workshop drew close to 40 presenters and stimulated dialogue and information sharing on demographic changes, diversity in artistic standards and traditions, interesting initiatives being implemented to address these challenges and opportunities to do so.

ii. November 2010. This was a session with presenters and CPAMO Roundtable members to plan CPAMOs first Town Hall on Pluralism in Performing Arts which was later held at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus on January 29 and 30, 2010; iii. January 29/30, 2010. CPAMO held its first Town Hall on Pluralism in Performing Arts at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. This event was co-sponsored by the Universitys Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Program and close to 100 individuals attended. This Town Hall included two dance performances by Kevin Ormsby of Kashedance and Sampradaya Dance Creations, a panel session, a keynote address delivered by Sara Diamond, President of the Ontario College of Art and Design and workshops; iv. June 16, 2010. CPAMO partnered with the Kitchener-Waterloo Region Coalition of Performing Artists (COPA) and Magnetic North to convene a Town Hall that included a plenary and two workshops addressing pluralism in theatre. There were over 150 people who attended these sessions; v. June 29, 2010. CPAMO initiated its first of a series of six workshops on Audience Development and Working with Ethno-Racial and Aboriginal Communities. Held at Hart House at the University of Toronto, this event had close to 90 participants and examined demographic changes taking place across Ontario and their implications for connecting with communities; vi. September 22, 2010. In partnership with COPA of Kitchener-Waterloo, CPAMO convened a performance event as part of Culture Days in Ontario. This event featured local musicians, poets and theatre artists and was held at the Conrad Centre for Performing Arts. Over 80 people attended this event; vii. November 7, 2010.CPAMO held its third Town Hall in partnership with CAPACOA. With close to 50 people in attendance, this Town Hall included dance performances by the Collective of Black Artists, Ipsita Nova and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. A keynote address was provided by Governor-General Award-winning poet George Eliot Clarke and two workshops were held with presentations in these workshops provided by

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Shahin Sayadi (Artistic Director One Light Theatre,Halifax), Jeanne Holmes (Chair, CanDance Network) and Sandra Laronde (Artistic Director, Red Sky Performance) which was CPAMOs second workshop on audience development;

viii. November 22, 2010.CPAMO convened its third workshop on audience development.
With close to 40 people attending, this workshop focused on the history of colonization and important developments in the history of Aboriginal artists, e.g., the important work of Daphne Odjig, Thomson Highway, Alannis Obansawin and otherswhose practice was bothadvocacy for art created by Aboriginal peoples and resistance to colonization. The session also discussed strategies on partnering with Aboriginal artists and arts organizations with examples: from Harbourfront Cultural Centre and Planet IndigenUS, a multi-disciplinary arts festival coordinated through a partnership between Harbourfront and the Woodlands Cultural Centre located on Six Nations; Soundstreams work with the Thomson Highway opera, Pimweeotin, and the Ottawa Art Gallerys ongoing commitment to present Aboriginal art through development of long term relationships and collaboration with Aboriginal artists and arts organizations. In addition, there was also a presentation on information gathering practices of immigrant, ethno-racial and Aboriginal communities. January 28, 2011.CPAMO convened its fourth workshop on audience development. Held at Markham Theatre, this full day session built on the previous ones and provided an opportunity for presenters and performers to discuss common issues and concerns related to staging performances by Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists. This workshop involved presentations by general managers of performing arts venues who discussed what presenters need to do to set up a season's schedule, the criteria and methods they use to select performances and how performers can build a relationship with presenters. A number of performers also made presentations on how their companies create their work, the influences (traditional, modern, contemporary) on their work and how it fits into Canadian culture today. March 24, 2011. CPAMOs fifth in a series of workshops focusing on audience development was held in partnership with the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Program. It focused on audience engagement studies, results and ongoing work in building audiences from diverse communities, particularly Aboriginal and ethno-racial. The session involved presentations by Creative Trust, Creative Mosaics (Scarborough Arts Council), the Neighbourhood Arts Network (Toronto), CCI/CPAMO, Kashedance and Menaka Thakker,

ix. Regular meetings with Roundtable. The CPAMO Roundtable meets quarterly and has contributed to the development and implementation of CPAMO Town Halls and workshops. Serving as advisors, facilitators, workshop leaders and performers, the Roundtable members have offered a significant gesture to engaging with presenters. Their quarterly meetings have given them the opportunity to focus on collective and individual opportunities and growth. x. Values and Benefits Initiative.In partnership with CCI, CPAMO is developing a sample study of Aboriginal and ethno-racial audiences. Working with Sampradaya Dance Creations, Kaha:wi Dance Theatre, the Arts and Events Planning Office of the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, Modern Times Theatre and danceImmersion, CCI will educate CPAMO volunteers who will then interview audience

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members from each of these arts organizations. Following the interviews, the data will be analyzed and a creative summit held with each of these organizations to discuss the samples findings and next steps. xi. June 29, 2011. Workshop on Toolkit to Promote Pluralism in the Arts To capture these experiences and others, CPAMO is developing a toolkit for presenters and artists to refer to as they move forward with implementing the knowledge, values and new approaches they have learned to embrace cultural pluralism in the arts.This toolkit will address issues related to the following areas: 1) Employment and Professional Development, e.g., staff recruitment, training and promotional opportunities for individuals of diverse backgrounds; 2) Programming and Curatorial Decision-making, e.g., assessing productions from diverse communities as well as the collaboration with, and between these communities in programming development and promotion; 3) Community Engagement, e.g., making connections and building constructive relationship with organizations and community groups from Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities; 4) Audience Development, e.g., marketing and outreach in diverse communities, and various means of effective communications; and 5) Governance, e.g., the development and involvement of governance diverse communities in organizational decision-making, as well as the cultural pluralist awareness and practices of people in governing positions. xii. Town Hall at IMPACT 2011. CPAMO participated in the planning and implementation of the MT Space biennial IMPACT Theatre and Performing Arts Festival held in September 2011. As part of this project, CPAMO presented two showcases. xiii. Criteria for Co-Commissioning New Work - Fall 2011.

A) Workshop One October 31, 2011. Beginning with a presentation by Mimi Beck of the CanDance Network which regularly co-commissions work, this workshop will involve all presenters and performers in a discussion on what is needed to develop guidelines and criteria for the selection of presenter-performer partnerships and the co-commissioning of performer works by presenters. The guidelines and criteria for presenter-performer partnerships will determine the purpose of the partnerhships, the role to be played by performers and presenters, the desired outcomes and timeframes for implementation. Regarding co-commissioning, this session will develop the application/selection process, including criteria, for the cocommissionining of performers work and the intentions of presenters to present the work within their communities, share it with other Ontario presenters and promote the work in other national and international forums. Once the criteria for co-commissioning performer work has been established, the presenters and performers will agree upon a jury to review and select the work. B) Workshop Two November 29, 2011. Beginning with a presentation by Patty Jarvis of Prologue to the Performing Arts, this workshop will discuss the importance

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of arts education in schools and the importance of such education to building communities. Following the presentation, this workshop will pair presenters and performing arts organizations based on the guidelines and criteria drafted at the first session and including ideas related to arts education in schools. C) Workshop Three December 15, 2011. Beginning with a presentation by Skye Louis and Leah Burns of the Neighbourhood Arts Network/Toronto Arts Foundation, this workshop will focus on the importance of community engagement as an integral component of building audiences amongst Aborioginal and ethno-racial communities. The workshop will also provide opportunities for presenters and performers to begin to share the results of their work, network with each other and receive information on other similar collaborative projects within Canada and from other countries. The latter will be provided by CPAMO Project Lead, charles c. smith, based on research into 'best practices' of audience development with Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities. xiv. October 2012 June 2013. CPAMO Project Lead met with several artists and arts organizations in the Ottawa community and began workshops to develop plans for seminars, workshops and performances involving Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists in the Ottawa region; xv. April 2012. CPAMO supported a MASC (Multicultural Arts in Schools and Communities) and Coalition of New Canadians for Arts and Culture (CNCAC) performance. xvi. June 2012. CPAMO Project Lead made a presentation at the CARFAC annual meeting to address matters of concern to Aboriginal and ethno-racial visual artists xvii. June 2012. CPAMO launched Pluralism in the Arts in Canada:A Change is Gonna Come, edited by CPAMO Project Lead and published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. This launch was part of the Community Cultural Impresarios annual meeting. xviii. Newsletters and List-serve. CPAMO has put out sixteen newsletters as a service to the over 360 individuals on its List-serve. These newsletters provide information on CPAMO activities, activities of Aboriginal and ethno-racial performing arts companies, research on contemporary issues and links to talks and lectures related to pluralism in society and in the arts. Funding for these initiatives has been provided through various sources including: Canada Councils Equity Office, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Program and the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. There are several results from CPAMOs work. These include: 1. What began as an idea has now become part of significant discussions at regional and national networks, i.e., CAPACOA, Magnetic North, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, the Conrad Centre for Performing Arts in Kitchener-Waterloo, Markham Theatre;

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2. CPAMO has gained credibility with Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists and arts organizations, increasing the number who associate as members of the Roundtable or make presentations in workshops and/or as performers; 3. CPAMO has engaged several Aboriginal and ethno-racial arts organizations and artists for performances at Town Halls and for Culture Days 2010; 4. CPAMOs workshops have provided a common space for presenters and performers to share knowledge and experience, network and build relationships; 5. CPAMOs workshops have touched on a number of common issues for presenters and performers and the ensuing dialogue and knowledge shared between them is building relationships between them; 6. CPAMO has held events and been part of other events across Ontario, i.e., KitchenerWaterloo, Markham, Toronto, Ottawa, University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. With reasonable attendance at each of these events, it suggests that there is considerable interest amongst presenters and performers to engage in the process CPAMO provides. These outcomes indicate a clear interest in CPAMOs work, especially considering that many participants return session after session. This sets the stage for the next phase of CPAMOs work.

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APPENDIX 2

NOTES OF TOWN HALL ON PLURALISM IN THE ARTS IN OTTAWA September 20th, 2012
Participants: Alan, Melanie, Melissa, Annie, Suzanne, Alex, Lara, Mike, Georgia, Patrice, Tito, Gabriela CHALLENGES Artists get lost at the grassroots level Artists have to go to art galleries, to promote and that is difficult. Artists are poor and do not have the resources to do so. The questions they ask themselves is how to get into the mainstream? Aboriginals find a lot of red tape. Proposals are complicated and artists are not into those activities, do not know what to do. Art has become a business and artists are not business people. A big concern is that there are great voices to be heard but also to compete for grants. You need business skills to be successful in the system, be able to manage the lexicon, forms. Artists live a solitary existence. There is need to know where public funding money goes to, where and what for. One role of bureaucrats is to facilitate the process and to gather information Artists do not praise themselves. It is more about recognition from a group, peer recognition. One challenge is that the money goes to projects and there is the requirement to justify relevance, so the artist has to take a lot of her/his time to do the proposal instead of working on her/his art, therefore core funding goes to the project language not to the art. Artists have to produce and show a body of work Politicians should look at artists as money makers because art can increase tourism. Art and artists are investments. Support systems, access to resources are difficult for artists. Resources should be accessible; an artist should be able to get the help needed. There are organizations like CARFAC that organizes workshops about proposal writing and budgeting but the challenge is that sometimes artists do not think they need those tools Promotion of resources and grants is a challenge. Sometimes there are not applicants for some programs

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It is complicated to reach out to some groups in the community, particularly aboriginal and ethno cultural communities. There are systemic issues that immigrant groups face like the paternalistic approach of some organizations and also that they want artist to volunteer, to perform for free Creators live in poverty. The challenge is that to get grant money there is need to have a non-for-profit organization registered so a big sum of the money goes to the agencies to pay for staff not to the artists. Artists need management skills.

VALUABLE STRATEGIES USED CARFAC standard of how and artists should be paid. There is pressure to do more with some amount of money and also shows discrepancy between mainstream artists and minority and aboriginal artists. (MELISSA) There is an online resource Crowd Source. There is a network that might support and artists. There is not experience known of the results for this resource in the Canadian artistic context. (MIKE) There is an experience of capacity building between the production of a play and the Ukrainian community, which was the target audience. In order to engage the community, the theatre asked for funding and they created a mentorship program. It was the right fit because some of the people mentored became arts publicist and wardrobe crew. (ALAN) Mentoring is a lucrative partnering, we have the expertise, they have the community (PATRICE) Getting access to physical spaces has been successful (TITO)

Networks are a way to access to resources. All aboriginal production of King Lear. Engaging people from the aboriginal community to act for free in a committed and respectful way. The way to engage them was using traditional trading, based on respect and exchange. (SUZANNE)

NEXT STEPS FOR OTTAWA COMMUNITY Things get better with time when the grassroots network is strengthened and everybody looks for mutual benefits Community engagement. Having round tables, consultations make a difference. To have an informal conversation about the use of resources can be a success to piggy back on those resources

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It is important to have an initial conversation before engaging in a project. Try to be more inclusive. Look at the stakeholders and invite them for a conversation. Outreach. Who we can partner with in the aboriginal organizations and invite people to get to know better the spaces, resources and organizations (galleries, groups) Track down people. Change the attitude and ask what is that you need, what are you producing, when you are a presenter. Work with community leaders. Be innovative. Have fun, go back to play, colours, craft, exchange, beauty.

Section 1: Gallery 101, Paved Arts, Arts Saskatchewan, Gallery Divided and Gallery West (notes by Laura) - Gallery moved to the West coast. People learning how to talk to aboriginal without putting down. After six years good reputation. Here in Ottawa new dialogues and new aboriginal friends. - How to overcome? With cookies and tea, arts and social services are not meeting in Ottawa. In Saskatchewan arts boards provide money and the groups kept meeting: curators, artists and community. - Tribe of aboriginal artists collective (without space) worked together on Define Indian a project in collaboration with other organizations with tribe. - Ottawa is not connected yet, some galleries: 101, SAW - National Ottawa School of Arts in Oxleans, join and communication between galleries. Friday studios are empty, available for artists to rent or make affordable. Internal communications. - (2) NCC - key challenge a programmer and presenter. Relying on local talents no date to present and nationwide. Contemporary artists of vide backgrounds with excellence how can we provide the opportunities? Where to stay and how to sustain it? How and what resources are here? How to train people to develop presentations that are relevant? - Community arts , Nepean Arts, gallery city have been expending: aboriginal, Chinese, Indian, Russian, Ukrainian. Dance ethno centre for the community at grass roots organization. - Jennifer Cartwhight art appraisal/writer. Indian affairs project, Northen ??? Urban/rural art and photography How can she have voices represented Inuit connections (Mellissa and from Gallery 101) Saw LauMo Chinese heritage, Uan Ghogh workshop for children Challenge: Outreach Is any one getting a diverse audience?

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- CNCAC: not engaging enough people for new Canadians its hard. Liaison person knows businesses/food and gathering people there. Immigrants in suburbia creates more multiculturalism in classes for kids but not parents so much. Put off community not coming to the shows- diverse shows-information. - Challenges: Nepean - same programming and format of programming, not attracting an audience. People know about the place - not a lot of interest from public. Mellissa outreach across the country: send info, build relationship with people and keep cards, links and database. People have messages from your community; to connect with people; invitation comes from organizations. Urban Diversity Forum - urbandiversity.ca database of arts/cities across Canada and how they are changing. Programming with the best of intentions, maintain openness and awareness, NCC, networking, corporate strategy. - Call for artists CNCAC, open it up to artengine and 613 - Caleudan: there it a lot going on CNCAC website? - Street people art coop one year, a quarter; aboriginal street workers, one afternoon per week. Action at the end raised $700. Finance was cut, aid they were left to new group not supported. - Flying squad: opportunity for clients to ensure the life of the organizations; live arts communities dont ask the big businesses for financial support in Ottawa. - Prairies: how successfully gather Canada Council for the Arts grants so they read, move to big businesses. Staff in Toronto would write grants for artists. Professional development: CARFAC workshops on grant writing. Importance of putting upfront the statements that you support immigrants. If you want to bring audiences- multifaceted, understanding your audience. - Nepean: community galleries, 150km around the city. Community building where to place the galleries? Near libraries and rinks. - Outreach cannot be critically assessed , the quality has to be assessed, connection to hird wave generation of immigrants. - Where do we want to go? Talking with one another now. City run building, Ottawa school of arts, pottery, gallerys shows, OIP- youth teacher group, studios, three galleries, all in the vicinity. A lot of community work, its an arts centre and not just a theatre or a conference hall. Cross pollination students and children need to be filled. Partnerships. Complementing each others work rather than duplicating each others efforts. - Center for small organizations, Jerrys organization CNCAC.

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City has buildings that are unused around, there are some issues such as insurance but they can be used. Artists can be very self sufficient and can help beautifying the area. - Chinese heritage centre for rental 379 Keut Street, was first old united church, is opening this year.

Section 2: - Next steps discussion: hopefully nine opportunities to meet over three years. - Important to determine our collective contributions. - All have to embrace something different. - OCTC: collaborative relationships could be key. - How to get to target audiences, example: community organizations, community health centre, accessibility important. - Need to know the communitys challenges for access to help bring people from the community. - Audiences suppose to researching. Coming into the community to guide usual artists. - Knowing what to expect when starting to build a relationship/ a community connection. - Peter Hintown, Aboriginal show in every season. They needed to determine what the relationship was first, lots of research. - Importance of bringing in cultural specialists who can speak about how to approach and manage the relationship. - To be an active audience for their work, if you expect them to come an support what you do. - The importance of long time relationships instead of the one off. - Relevant to note the commitment can be with the person and carry through. - Outcomes from community research. Feels like its transposing but not true. Researching in community. - Investment, listening, result. Relationships. - The importance of dedicating staff to manage and nurture the relationship. - Latin-American community festival. - Important for organization cultural integration. - Leader of the communities are your partners, opening countless opportunities.

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- Messages arent get out about space (Shardman) - There were a variety of opinion on the immigrant to Canadian relationship - (Howard) Indigoes Film Festival - Networking, partnerships, relationship, ground up relationship. - Great writing challenge, barriers for artists to get funding. - Partnerships were successful, speakers , spot light on local filmmakers, opening night on Victoria Island. - Successes: when venue popular and partnerships were popular. Audiences and artistic practices. - Isabelle Cisterna: Neruda check out what she is doing. - Francophone presence lacking in the room? - A lot of learning that can come from the Francophone community. - Embassies? - Not always a reliable relationship, sometimes politically based. - Cultural consultations are absolute. - There are money in US embassy.

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APPENDIX 3 REPORT ON MARKHAM EVENT BY SAMANTHA TAJ IS UNDER SEPARATE COVER

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APPENDIX 4 DOUGLAS ROSENBERG KEYNOTE ADDRESS UNDER SEPARATE COVER

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APPENDIX 5 SASHAR ZARIF KEYNOTE AT THE CANADA DANCE ASSEMBLY

Dialectic Movement
Introduction I was born and raised in Tehran. I was entering my teenage years during those turbulent revolutionary days of the late 1970s and later during the war with Iraq through the 80s. To this day my family and I dont know exactly why, but I was arrested at the age of 13, imprisoned, and tortured for a period of two months. It had something to do with my involvement in dance but this still seems insane all these years later. I was hospitalized due to the injuries inflicted upon me, which afforded my father time to plan my escape. My journey took me from the shackles of a hospital bed in Tehran through my own version of Midnight Express in Turkeys refugee camps (For those of you who dont know, Midnight Express is film from 1978 about a student imprisoned in Turkey for drug smuggling. The films title became prison slang for an inmates escape attempt). Three and a half tumultuous and trying years passed before my exodus. Canada was to be my new home. To most, Canada is a haven from all struggles, but for me, it was just another land an ocean away. Another foster home, one of many I expected. When I found myself sitting in the comfort of Ms. Powells grade 10 ESL class on a cold, calm December day, the banality of it all seemed difficult to bear. I had no family. I had no friends. To my surprise, this fact was not lost on Ms. Powell. She asked me: Sashar, what are you doing for Christmas? I said: Nothing She replied: Nothing? Youre not going to have turkey with your family? I smiled awkwardly, thinking to myself: Forget the turkey, I would settle for the family. Right at that moment, as though I was thinking aloud, she said: If you have no family here, why dont you come over for Christmas dinner? Sitting at the Powells festive table, I was trying to fight the feeling of displacement. I maintained an erect posture and a continuous smile as a gesture of appreciation while I was sitting with Ms. Powells warm and hospitable family. I didnt know what to do with all the at tention I was receiving from everybody. As I gazed nervously around the room, my eyes fell on a Buddha statue resting amidst an assembly of Ikea-style furniture. This caught my attention. I felt connected in a way that I couldnt articulate at the time. Looking back, I realize that I had something very profound in common with the incongruent Buddha. That lone, juxtaposed Buddha statue on display in Ms. Powells living room was as exoticized and as strangely out of place as I myself felt that day. Though I wasnt aware of it as such, that Buddha sighting was the very moment I came across the conceptual juncture of Assimilation, Integration and Acculturation on the one hand and Preservation on the other. I felt a decision had to be made as to whether (1) I would fully assimilate into this new culture, leaving my past behind; (2) I would retain and maintain my culture, ignoring this new one; (3) I would somehow blend the two cultures into a combination that best suited me; or (4) I would search for another possibility to help negotiate my identity. I wondered if there was a way I could make peace with it all, a way that was not yet clear to me but that would make sense; a way that would be true to the duality of my experiences past and present while allowing me to be satisfied and happy in my life and art. And that is the basis for my talk today.

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This story acts as a backdrop for how I have developed personally and professionally. The confrontation between assimilating into this new culture and preserving my own history has long been a struggle of mine. How can I negotiate this apparent contradiction between the appearance of who I am in the eyes of others and the reality of what I feel in my artistic practice? Or, framed more appropriately in the context of dance, how can I negotiate the apparent contradiction between form and content? What I mean by form is actually the method or style of conveyance, and content is its essence or intent. The Dialectic Movement I came up with the concept of Dialectic Movement to describe what my dance is and how I develop my dance movement. The word dialectic can be defined as a method of investigation and discussion to expose false beliefs and elicit the truth. It can also be defined as the Hegelian process of change in which a concept or its realization passes over, into, and is preserved and fulfilled by its opposite. To my mind, life is an inquiry into truths. If we accept this proposition, then everything we do must be with an inquiring mind. Doing so will presumably yield a desired and/or genuine outcome. Everything should be dialectical and questioned unless and until we have reached a point of enlightenment. That is why I believe danceshould be an inquisitive journey, not simply a message or a statement. Dialectic Movement is, therefore, this inquisitive journey contextualized through dance. It is a process. It is not about artificial imitation, mimicking or merely mirroring the subject. It is about finding a parallel reality through ones own inner self to more genuinely embody the subject being interpreted. For example, to embody an elderly woman you must search deep down within yourself for an honest connection that best resembles the qualities of character (for example, trembling, the aging, the speed, the heaviness, the gaze, the weight of experience, of years, and so on). Developing the Dialectic Movement The emergence of my artistic practice, and in particular the Dialectic Movement, was a completely organic process. It is best characterized as having been developed by, and is still continuously evolving through the use of, my intuition and improvisational skills. While the Dialectic Movement came about naturally, the process of its development can be explained in three parts: (i) Research, which explores the past; (ii) Education, which discusses the present; and (iii) Creation, which references the future. I will share an excerpt here from my journal about my practice to help describe my thinking as I have developed the Dialectic Movement: Over two decades of an inquisitive Journey into the realm of life, both in terms of what it is and how we relate to it, I have come to adopt a family of necessity and need where the father is the intention, the mother is nature and environment, and the child is the creative outcome. When it comes to my approach to life, I picked dance, the relationship between the human experience and the time and space. These two dimensions of life, as immortal and temporary as they are, reflect themselves both in the environment around us and the environment we home for life, our body. Time births history and Space hosts the object. [[3]]

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i.

Research and the Past

The Dialectic Movement is inspired by the Sufi-Shamanic performing arts. This encompasses Western Mongolia, the steppes of Central Asia, across Iran and Afghanistan, and the Caucasus Mountains. These central and western Asian cultures are heavily connected and built on the Shamanic, and eventually Sufi, ways of life. Therefore my background, my personal cultural heritage, has strong ties with Shamanism and Sufism. The integrated ensemble of dance, music and poetry employed by Sufi-Shamanic practices is a famously integral element of their lifephilosophy. In the context of those who exercise Sufi-Shamanic arts in this way, dance is not a commodity. It cannot be commercialized or trivialized as such since it rejects itself as a function of entertainment. Instead, the practice is better characterized as an inquisitive journey. In this journey one must remain true to his or her self as well as the surrounding universe. The Dialectic Movement is a byproduct of over twelve years of my fieldwork in these regions. The fieldwork included teaching, training, investigating, interviewing, performing and collaborating with locals. The significance of exploring the past through this research was to first acknowledge the roots of the movement. And secondly, to gain a strong foundation of familiarity from which to legitimize my professional artistic integrity. Concurrently I have conducted the same activities here in North America, North Africa, South America, and across Europe. This enabled me to mobilize my outcomes, gains, learning and findings. I believe our bodies record human experience and pass it on by various means. I believe that the past is the present is the future. Past is not only the history but an existing part of our present. The inquiry to the past is the acknowledgment of the present and the prediction of the future. My practice aims to preserve the vitality and the movement of this continuum that has been divided into the three parts of past, present, and future. The research element not only provides a learning experience of the past but it maintains this continuum by keeping the internal existence and the external reality connected. From my journal: The incorporeal part of human experience, whether it is connected to our feelings and senses or to our unconscious, is directly reflected in our body. As long as this body exists in the realm of time and space it is a moving body and that movement is the reflection that is the instrument of my practice. My focus is the human experience, which is a continuing inquiry into the truth. ii. Education and the Present

I have often traveled to the areas of Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan, places to which my personal identity is intimately linked. I went in order to educate myself regarding their various cultural and artistic practices in those places. From there, I would travel to Europe or come back to North America to teach and share what I had learned. I found that European and North American students were often foreign to, or misinformed about, these lands. The educational portion was not so much to introduce the cultures per se, but rather to create a connection between the cultures I was presenting, teaching and the cultures that were

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receiving and learning. In a way, this work was creating a connection between the past and the present. What emerged from this process was a series of movement exercises and hybrid vocabularies. From my journal: My practice is the budding tree, established in the earth while rejuvenating in the air. Researching the roots, educating the body, and creating the fruits of this tree are the mandate of my practice. My research is about re-connection, my education is about embodiment, and my creation is about transformation. iii. Creation and the Future

The creation element was inevitable as there is always a creative outcome in any vital research and/or educational process. The components that facilitated the creation process, such as movement vocabulary, choreographic methods, use of space, musicality, and performance were developed in large part through the research and educational workshops I held. My creations are always personal. Its a journey of self-discovery. This journey is on-going and continuously allows me to develop my artistic voice based on my distinct characteristics. From my journal: I aim to celebrate life in my practice. This celebration encompasses the reality of life, the sad and happy, the lost and found, and the gray and the prey. To me the true meaning of beautiful is reality. The genuineness of a break down and the authenticity of a rising. Therefore I concentrate on the necessity, the vitality of life rather than the commodities of living. The Stages of the Dialectic Movement The Dialectic Movement consists of five stages. Each stage has to be fulfilled in order to arrive at our final destination. The five stages are: (i) Concept and Related Subject Matter (ii) The Environment; (iii) The Stories; (iv) Forge Connections through Parallel Realities; and, (v) Transcending Environment and Story. i. Concept and Related Subject Matter I work very intuitively and therefore I hardly ever imagine or aim for specific content in my dance work. I pick a concept that occupies me something about my past, my present or my future. For example, the concepts of human migration, or personal identity. Then I will pick related subject matter that I personally connect to the most when it comes to my concept. As an example, for my production Choreographies of Migration, a story that describes my personal experience of migration (the concept) was told in 4 chapters: Chapter 1 was based on the act of migration and the story behind it. This was my story. The subject matter was me. This included the concepts of escaping, being trapped, moving on, feeling at home, unfinished business, and so on. Chapter 2 was about the family and love that I have left behind, about sacrifices.

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Chapter 3 was about the unhealed wounds. About grieving and healing, it was about being heard or being received. This chapter was called ANAR (which means pomegranate). Chapter 4 was about finding place after displacement. About reaching out to connect and meeting the world around me at the same level.

Here I would like to take your attention to ANAR, the Third Chapter about unhealed wounds, grieving and healing. 1. In ANAR the concept was migration. The sub-concept was to explore experiences from the past that shape who we are and the experiences from the past with which we can identify. 2. The specific subject matter is in two parts. The first: my cousin who was executed at the age of 16 for her left wing activities in Iran. She was killed as a virgin, the significance of which Ill explain later. She was held in a solitary cell for 8 months before her execution. Secondly, the healing Shaman.I embodied the two parts of the dead virgin and the healing Shaman in ANAR. ii. The Environment

At this stage, I interact with the performer, concept, and subject matter by creating some elements of the environment in which the subject matter exists. I am attempting to create a connection between the dancer and his or her movements in the environment. I might ask a dancer to improvise to a piece of traditional music that has a psychological and/or cultural connection to the subject matter. Alternatively, I use traditional costumes, props, or even physical limitations related to the subject matter in order to introduce the subject matters state, environment or space. To represent the solitary confinement, I divided the upstage area into four sections, making four small boxes with high ceiling. Most of the dance happened in these small spaces. To further challenge the performers acceptance of the environment, I provided them with full traditional costumes and heavy head-pieces traditionally worn by Sufi Shamans. The Stories

iii.

The third stage is where the stories emerge. I use the concept, subject matter and environment as my platform to introduce different stories. The aim is to create an intimate bond with the performer and the subject matter. The stories are first from my own personal memories and experiences stories that have never left my mind or my heart, or stories that have intrigued me along the way. Secondly, I select stories from Sufi-Shamanic rituals that I have learned. Through these stories I introduce my world to the dancer/performer and we experiment and inquire into the experience embedded in the story. In ANAR, Choreographies of Migrationthe story was mainly in two parts: 1. What ever I remembered and heard later from my aunt about my cousin before her arrest, during her time in prison and of her death.

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2. In the Shamanic story of when a virgin is killed, there is included the belief that her soul gets trapped and roams the earth. She can only leave the wandering life and depart to heaven or sky when she has had her death story heard by her loved ones. For this the family hires a Shaman who visits her place of death, gets in touch with her, listens to her story of dying and goes to the family to tell them the story. At that point the Shaman embodies the wolf and the eagle, the symbols for earth and sky. This is to ensure that the Shamans body is in a state that is fully available to be a bridge for the virgins soul to depart to the sky. iv. Forging Connections through Parallel Realities

Once the story has sufficiently provided all of the physical details concerning the subject matter, this fourth stage has the dancer extracting the physicality of that subject matter and replacing it with an examination of its core intent. To do this, I ask the performer to welcome his or her own world into the work by bringing in their own experiences or stories that are similar in nature to what we have been working with. When this happens, one can see the parallel between the reality of his or her life and that of another. I see and believe that this is where the magic happens. At this point the content of dance, the core of the experience, emerges and all the rest fades into the background. Here is a note by one of the performers, Professor Carol Anderson. February 14, 2008: All of us have come far from Sashars initial proposal to create a ritual of mourning for those we have lost. We all understand more, and having worked together in performance, and response, Anar has become differently perceived. Sashar has seen us Susan, Terrill, Holly and me in his own symbolic way, imbuing us with wisdom perhaps, calling out reservoirs from us, empathy and presence. Putting on these costumes feels to me like assuming whole-body mask no longer this self, but a figure in a story of confinement and suffering. It is alien and isolating. Performance stirs connection on an energetic level, in this maze of being and understanding, evoking thoughts of captivity, alone and close to others who suffer and wait. v. Transcending Environment and Story

This fifth and final stage comes when the dancer is able to perform the movements that conflate both his/her story and the subject matters in such a way that the initial stories and environment are distilled, leaving only essential, core content. Here is a poem by Carol Anderson, inspired by ANAR that best describes this section of the process of the Dialectic Movement: I am the wings of the hawk I am the breath of the indigo sea I am the space between the brows The restless thorn of memory I am the trace of an apple bough I am the silence of the hill

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I am the dark enchanted star That haunts the bluest hour I am the wolf that shadows the deer I am the gold-lit eye of the eagle The winding of wounds The bond of desire I am the tree that stands alone In the stony field of mind I am the reach of hand to hand I am the lightning that slashes the darkness I am the cry in the arc of the storm, the bridge To the riverine forest, the sky I believe that the story of my cousin not only is an experience that has shaped my character and has stayed with me, but it is also a story that I relate to as an immigrant and being in a new place. I dont believe I will ever really lose this feeling of newness until I have my story heard and only then I can transform this place I am living in into a place that I can call home.

Conclusion When I was a child I remember sitting and moving on a carpet in my familys home, listening to my grandmother as she taught me traditional songs and dances. These experiences transformed me and began my lifelong journey as an artist. Rich stories told through song, poetry and dance instilled in me a deep fascination with ritual and oral history. I am committed to reclaiming the roots and integrity of these art forms and restoring their essence and true intent for audiences everywhere today. My creations make inquiries about the past, not to gain a perspective on the present and future, but to connect these parallel realities. The concept of past, present and future coexist as a synergy of human experiences. Some of the primary tenets of my work come from Sufism and Shamanism. After decades of research and practice I have observed many shared beliefs of these traditional practices and have interpreted them as Sufi-Shamanism in order to inform my work. In Sufi-Shamanism there are five directions the body can travel: four being points on the compass and the fifth that is a vertical continuum. In between these points of direction is a place of existence where the human essence and the environment in which it exists interact to create the human experience. The vertical continuum connects the earth and sky, the inner self and the environment around us. Many cultures have often been manipulated through globalization and colonization. As an artist from the East living in the West, I was forced to develop my identity through a Western lens. Being introduced as Middle Eastern by my host society too often simplified my identity. My research was an attempt to find alternative means of introducing myself in a way that best conveyed who I am. The result of this attempt was the Dialectic Movement, which offered me alternative ways of conveying this identity through art. It has since become a way of bridging my artistic practice on a cross-cultural platform. The success of this method is in forging common ground between cultures rather than maintaining perceptions of differences. Rather than

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empathizing with the other, the Dialectic Movement strives to highlight parallel similarities, thereby recognizing the common thread of truth that we are all citizens of a global village. Returning to the dinner at Ms. Powells house, I think back and now feel estranged from that Buddha. It seems we have less in common today than we did before.

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