Welcome to our first edition of Committee Corner featuring our co-chairs for this year’s symposium:
Cultural Kaleidoscope: Migration in the Arts
Committee Corner will be highlighting our efforts and thoughts as we move closer to the symposium date which is right around the corner! We will be posting every Monday from now until the Symposium date which is February 21.
Early bird tickets are available until Monday, January 21
buy your tickets and join us for a day of important conversations!
This week we put our co-chairs in the Committee Corner, let’s see what they had to say!
This week we want to introduce you to our co-chairs Gemma Bordonaro and Stephanie Gundert. We asked them a few questions in order to get to know them better and understand what they think of this year’s symposium, which is fast approaching. Our co-chairs are wonderful ladies who help motivate the entire Arts Ahead team while we all work towards our goal of delivering the fourth annual symposium on February 21, 2019.
Let’s get to know our leaders for this year’s Arts Ahead cohort.
Gemma Bordonaro
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Favourite Chip Flavour: Honey Dijon
Why arts management?
Throughout high school and university, I did a lot of stage management and fell in love with theatre arts. I realized being on stage was not my goal even though I am a complete broadway nerd. I love the glow of the lights but knew that that was not where I wanted to be, so I had to find my perfect stage. When I was completing my Bachelor of Arts at Brock University I took an arts management course which allowed me to discover where I wanted my future career path to go, I just did not know how. All I knew was that I loved being organized, scheduling, being a boss lady, and had a passion for education, so I needed to decide: bossing people around at a theatre or becoming a teacher. Then I found Arts Management at Centennial and realized that I could do both… I can work in education and community outreach, and be in a management position surrounded by the arts! It is the best of both worlds and I can now say I have found my perfect stage.
Cultural migration in the arts means to me something that is moving around and not staying stagnant.
I come from the theatre world and in theatre, things have stayed the same for so long and it has been a very euro-centric type of theatre and very white bread. Where there have been many cultures not represented in this field and I think cultural migration is about bringing these cultures to the surface and showing the art world that there is more than what is being shown in the public eye.
What art do you want to discover more about?
I would love to learn more about museums! If I didn’t go into theatre studies, I would have wanted to study History. I love learning about ancient civilizations, and dinosaurs are my favourite! I think learning about the logistics of a museum would be cool because it would bring together my love for history, dinosaurs, and arts & culture.
Stephanie Gundert
Zodiac Sign: Taurus
Favourite Chip Flavour: Sour Cream and Onion
Why arts management?
Before this program, I was working at a gym full time and serving in the evenings part-time and had been for 2 years. I completed my degree in Theatre Studies at York University and was unclear about what was next for me. I was searching for what I wanted my future career to look like specifically in the arts. I was feeling unfulfilled because I was overworking myself and felt disconnected from my art practices. I started to look at job postings online in the arts and culture field. I quickly realized that I naturally gravitated towards positions that involved a coordinating responsibility or had an administrative flavour. Then I found the Arts Management program at Centennial College. I am so happy to be deepening my knowledge and leadership skills through this program and the symposium specifically. I am going to be sad when the program is over, but I am looking forward to what the future holds for me.
One of the most challenging things that I have encountered working toward the symposium would probably be stepping in to my leadership role and helping guide the different committees to accomplish what they need to accomplish. I think in the arts everybody needs to realize who that leader is inside of them otherwise the important conversations won’t happen and the risks won’t happen. So for me honing in on that skill has probably been the biggest challenge and the most rewarding part of the symposium.
What art practice do you want to discover more about?
I want to learn more about the ballet and visit the AGO more often. I also want to re-discover my love for spoken word and slam poetry. I miss it. This program has brought me into contact with so many art forms which has gotten my mind thinking in different ways, especially visual arts. I would also really enjoy exploring art galleries and museums around the world one day.
Stay tuned for next weeks Committee Corner featuring the programming committee!
Early bird tickets are available until Monday, January 21
buy your tickets and join us for a day of important conversations
Stay connected with us on our socials! We are posting videos and symposium updates to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter weekly.
Blog post by Alandra McKirdy