An all-day symposium
Beyond Barriers: Creative Strategies for Accessible, Inclusive, and Connected Arts Experiences
This third-annual Arts Ahead symposium aims to bring together speakers and delegates from the arts and culture sector to share best practices on cultivating diverse and broad audiences and presenting versatile arts experiences.
Our mission is to attract Arts and Cultural Managers to a professional development symposium on Tuesday February 27, 2018 to explore the themes of accessibility, inclusivity and connectivity in the field of Arts management. We will aspire to bring diverse and engaging speakers to our Story Arts Centre campus to showcase best practices, methods and techniques to better cultivate, engage and unify large audiences and create a more versatile art experience.
Date: February 27, 2018
Venue: Story Arts Centre
Centennial College
951 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto
(Lunch and beverages are included in ticket price.)
Lunch is graciously provided by Phancy Food.
Program
Join us on February 27th, 2018 at The Story Arts Centre for our day-long symposium with three engaging panels led by experienced industry professionals.
Together we will explore:
- Inclusive and Diverse Communities in the Arts
- Accessibility in the Arts
- Canada Post 150: Conversations on Decolonization in the Arts
Symposium schedule – February 27, 2018
8:30 – 9
Registration and coffee (lobby)
9 – 9:15
Welcome (191/193)
9:15 – 10
Keynote: Khanh Tudo – Insomniac Festival (191/193)
10 – 10:45
Activation – Unity Charity
10:45 – 11
Break
11 – 12:15
Panel: Inclusive and Diverse Communities in the Arts (191/193)
Moderator: Karin Eaton – Ed, Mural Routes
Panellists:
– Amir Alibhai – Head of Performing Arts, Aga Khan Museum
– Rebecca Burton – Playwrights Guild of Canada
– Charles C. Smith – Ontarians for the Arts
12:15 – 1
Lunch break (cafeteria)
1 – 2:15
Panel: Accessibility in the Arts (191/193)
Moderator: Julia Dumanian – CEO, Canadian Hearing Society
Panellists:
– Kim Fullerton – Director, Akimbo
– Naomi Campbell – Deputy Artistic Director, Luminato Festival
– Alex Glass – Program Manager, ArtsBuild Ontario
– Eilidh Fisher – Program and Communications Director, ArtsBuild Ontario
2:15 – 2:30
Break
2:30 – 3:45
Panel: Canada Post 150: Conversations on Decolonization in the Arts (191/193)
Moderator: TBD
Panellists:
– Peter Kingstone – Visual/Media Arts Officer, Toronto Arts Council
– Daniel Northway-Frank – Institute Director, imagineNATIVE
3:45 – 4
Thank you / silent auction announcement (191/193)
4 – 5
Reception / networking (lobby)
Announcing our 2018 Arts Ahead keynote speaker:
Khanh Tudo
Khanh Tudo is a lover of bubble tea and identifies as a Queer Vietnamese artist based in Toronto.
While most of her work is in narrative and documentary cinematography, occasionally she works with experimental film and installation art.
Having been apart of collectives such as Invisible Footprints, Insomniac Film Festival and Trying Our Best Club, her work focuses on collaborative, intersectional feminist processes.
We are also very excited and honoured to announce the following speakers:
Naomi Campbell – Deputy Artistic Director, Luminato
Naomi Campbell is currently the Deputy Artistic Director of Luminato, where, as part of the programming and production team, she shepherds new works from ideas to production.
An award-winning producer of over sixty new Canadian performance pieces with companies including Nightswimming, Mammalian Diving Reflex, DVxT Theatre, the late Paul Bettis’ Civilized Theatre, VideoCabaret and numerous independent artists, she has produced national and international tours and was Industry Series Producer for the 2008 (Vancouver), 2009 (Ottawa) and 2010 (Kitchener-Waterloo) Magnetic North Theatre Festivals. Over the past 10 years she has consulted with independent companies and individual artists from coast to coast on touring, board development, visioning, and organizational transformation.
She is a Support Lead on Audience Engagement and Community Building for the Metcalf Foundation, teaches producing at The National Theatre School and Generator, and is an Access Activator through the British Council, part of a team that disseminates Relaxed Performance methodology to the Canadian cultural sector.
She has received 2 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, a 2005 Vital People Award from the Toronto Community Foundation, the 2009 Leonard McHardy and John Harvey Award, the 2010 Mallory Gilbert Leadership Award and the 2011 Victor Martyn Lynch‑Staunton Award, for her contributions to the national theatre community.
Julia Dumanian – CEO, Canadian Hearing Society
Peter Kingstone – Visual & Media Arts Officer, Toronto Arts Council
Peter Kingstone is a Toronto-based visual artist and curator, working primarily in video and photography.
As an independent artist, Peter’s installation pieces have been shown across Canada and internationally, and he was awarded the Untitled Artist Award in 2005 for his installation The Strange Case of peter K. (1974-2004).
Peter holds a degree in Philosophy/Cultural Studies from Trent University in Peterborough and a Masters of Fine Art focussing on video and new media from York University in Toronto.
Peter has presented at many conferences on the ideas around storytelling and social engagement. Peter started in September 2012 as the Acting Visual/Media Arts Officer at Toronto Arts Council.
Kim Fullerton – Founder and CEO, Akimbo Arts Promotions
Kim Fullerton is the founder and CEO of Akimbo Art Promotions which offers digital promotional services for hundreds of Canada’s most important cultural organizations.
She has worked in the Canadian visual art sector since 1983 as an artist, curator, writer, administrator, publicist, art consultant and entrepreneur with extensive experience in cultural organization, gallery management, and audience development.
She has organized numerous exhibitions as an independent curator and written for magazines, catalogs and newspapers. In 2016 she spearheaded the organization Access Visual Art to promote barrier-free galleries in Ontario and in partnership with AccessTO has built an online platform (accessvisualart.ca) to collect and distribute information on the accessibility features of art venues.
In 2017, she was awarded the RCA Medal by the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts for her service and contributions to the visual arts in Canada.
Alex Glass – Program Manager, ArtsBuild Ontario
Alex has been with ArtsBuild since January 2015 and is responsible for the overall programs, partnerships and communications at ArtsBuild Ontario. She connects with communities and arts organizations about learning opportunities and resources for all things facility related.
She brings experience from previous roles in the arts and nonprofit sector, including the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, Talisker Players Chamber Music and Canterbury Hills Conference Centre and Camp. Alex holds an honours degree in English and Cultural Studies from McMaster University and is a graduate from Mohawk College’s Public Relations Graduate Certificate program.
Karin Eaton – Executive & Artistic Director, Mural Routes
Karin has been involved in community arts activities for over 30 years. In 1990, she initiated a community mural project for Scarborough Arts Council that developed into the organization Mural Routes. She has been Executive Director since 2005.
It is through her research and many years of on-the- job training in the project development roles of mural production, that Mural Routes has attained its reputation and knowledge base.
In addition to managing the administrative functions, she helps to develop new partnerships and programs as well as consulting, running workshops, publishing resource material and managing mural projects. She initiated the first National Mural Symposium in 1996 and has led 17 more since that time.
Under her leadership a continuum of mural art education programs was consolidated under the umbrella of the (mobile) Mural Art Learning Institute.
In February 2013 Karin was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee for her contribution to the arts and service to Canada.
Eilidh Fisher – Program and Communications Coordinator, ArtsBuild Ontario
Eilidh joined ArtsBuild in April 2016 and is responsible for program support and all digital communications at ArtsBuild Ontario. She also manages all facility rentals at 44 Gaukel.
She holds an honours BA in Art History and Museum Studies from the University of Western Ontario, and is a graduate of Humber College’s Art Administration and Cultural Management program.
Her previous experience ranges from institutions including the FirstOntario Milton Centre for the Arts, Oakville Galleries and the Living Arts Centre, as well as coordinating community outreach projects for Arts Milton, where she also served on the board.
She is interested in accessibility and inclusion in the arts and has worked with organizations such as Community Living North Halton and the Dundas Valley School of Art to develop barrier-free programming initiatives and policies.
Rebecca Burton – Professional Contracts Manager, Playwrights Guild of Canada
Rebecca Burton has a BA in theatre and history from the University of Guelph, an MA in theatre from the University of Victoria, and she is a PhD ABD in theatre (though currently lapsed) at the Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies at the University of Toronto.
With her academic work, Rebecca has focused almost exclusively on the intersections between gender and Canadian theatre, as evidenced by her Master’s thesis (a critique of Vancouver’s now defunct Women in View Festival), PhD dissertation (entitled “Transforming by Performing: The Emergence of Contemporary Feminist Theatre in Canada, 1967 – 1977”), and various published articles (Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Research in Canada, alt.theatre).
Rebecca also works as an editor, educator, and researcher. She authored Adding It Up: The Status of Women in Canadian Theatre, the final report from a 2006 national study on equity in Canadian Theatre
Currently, Rebecca is the Membership and Professional Contracts Manager at Playwrights Guild of Canada, where she instigated and co-founded Equity in Theatre (EIT), a two-year initiative designed to redress the under-representation of women and other marginalized communities in the Canadian theatre industry (equityintheatre.com). In addition to her academic and administrative work, Rebecca has worked as a practitioner in various capacities, including as an actor, dramaturg, playwright, collective creationist, director, stage manager, and technician.
Charles C. Smith – Poet, Playwright and Essayist
Charles C. Smith is a published poet, playwright and essayist. He won second prize for his play Last Days for the Desperate from Black Theatre Canada.
He has edited three collections of poetry, has two published books of poetry- Partial Lives- Williams Wallace Press, and travelogue of the bereaved, TSAR Publications – and his poetry has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Poetry Canada Review, the Quille and Quire, Descant, Dandelion, the Amethyst Review, Bywords, Canadian Ethnic Studies and others.
He recently received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council’s Writers Reserve Grants Program and the Toronto Arts Council Writers Program. Charles is the Executive Director for Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario, co-chair of Ontarians for the Arts and a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives where he has published four books.
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Auction Donors
Thank you donors!
About Arts Ahead 2018
About the Team
The Arts Ahead 2018 team is a class of 17 aspiring arts managers, with backgrounds in art, dance, film, literature, music, and theatre. Some of us grew up in the ’80s, some in the ’90s, and some in the ’00s. Some of us have lived in Toronto and travelled the world, while some of us have arrived in Toronto from across several continents. Our shared passion is Accessible, Inclusive, and Connected Arts Experiences. To learn more about our team, visit: Co-Chairs, Programming, Operations, Development, Marketing, Finance & Web.
Our Symposium would not be possible without the generous support from our passionate faculty. Learn more about them (and our academic program) here.
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Accessibility
Centennial College and Arts Ahead have made accessibility a top priority. We want to ensure that we have an accessible and inclusive environment for all of our guests, students, faculty and staff. We always remain open to your comments, suggestions, improvements and feedback. If you have any concerns, access needs or a question about accessibility at the symposium, please feel free to contact Kate, from our Operations Team, at kmorri38@my.centennialcollege.ca.
For more information on accessibility of our facilities, please click here.
Our Mission
Arts Ahead is an annual symposium day for arts management professionals from various arts organizations across Ontario. It is an entirely student-run project organized by the Arts Management post-graduate cohort at Centennial College.
This third annual Arts Ahead symposium aims to bring together speakers and delegates from the arts and culture sector to share best practices on cultivating diverse and broad audiences and presenting versatile arts experiences.
Co-Chairs
Iggy Smart
Iggy is very excited and honoured to be a co-chair for this year’s Symposium. Prior to working in the events and legal fields, they graduated from the University of Toronto with a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Development Studies.
They have been immersed in the arts field since middle school, having danced ballet and run the film club for their high school. This passion continued throughout university and into their professional career, as they enrolled in film courses and went on to work for TIFF.
They have a strong interest in Canadian film and want to dedicate their career to supporting and engaging with talent from across the country. They hope the discussions and networking that take place at ArtsAhead 2018 will lead to more accessible and inclusive art spaces in Toronto and beyond.
Allison Hess
Allison is very excited to be making the transition to arts management at Centennial College after obtaining a Bachelor of Music and Education from McGill University and a Diploma in Music Theatre – Performance from St. Lawrence College.
She believes the arts should be fun and accessible for all, and she is looking forward to learning and engaging with other Arts Managers at this year’s symposium. As a performer, she has performed on stages big and small across Ontario, including the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
As an educator, she works with young performers across the GTA, and specializes in theatre for children ages 3 to 7.
She also adapts, arranges, and directs. In her spare time, she loves to bake and hang out with her cat Thor.
Programming Team
Sandeep Othayamangalath
Sandeep has been working in marketing, brand management and sales for almost a decade.
He’s also an avid visual artist. He wants to integrate his passion for visual arts with his experience in marketing.
One of his goals is to promote lesser known artistic talent on the world stage.
Rachel Stableford
Rachel Stableford is an accomplished artist and educator who has been teaching visual arts for over fifteen years. Rachel studied Visual Art at York University, specializing in painting and sculpture.
Rachel has shown in galleries across Ontario and the GTA and has sold many pieces and been commissioned to do paintings for both private and commercial venues.
Combining her love of teaching and visual arts, Rachel started her own business, Ribbit Art. Established in 2016, Ribbit Art is a creative art studio for children that’s main purpose is to instill a passion for the arts.
After graduating from Centennial’s Art Management program, Rachel plans to continue planning and managing innovative art programming for children in her community.
Operations Team
Ala Stasiuk
Alicja is a graduate of the University of Warsaw, where she studied American Culture Studies. Her thesis was about the role of folklore in ethnic identity of young Polish Americans in the Chicago area, where she conducted the research in March and April, 2015.
Since 2009, she has worked in multiple folklore festivals in Poland. In 2012, she joined PROMNI Folk Dance and Song Ensemble at Warsaw University of Life Sciences as a dancer, social media manager, and group coordinator.
She has performed in Poland and abroad including Portugal, Canada, Turkey, Russia, Italy, France and Switzerland.
Kate Morrison
It was Kate’s love of the theatre that ultimately brought her to the Arts Management program. She previously earned a B.A. in Drama Studies from York University and then an Event Management certificate from George Brown College.
She went on to manage a performing arts studio before landing a job in the theatre department of The Talent House, a regarded talent agency. She is excited to be furthering her career in Arts Management and to meet more of the wonderful people in this field.
In her spare time, you can find Kate attending shows with friends or cooking up a storm in her west end kitchen. At this symposium, she is ready to discover how Arts Managers can contribute to a more inclusive arts community.
Yoko Nakamura
From a young age, Yoko has been interested in film in the context of arts and culture. Being educated at the university level in Panama, America, Japan, and England allowed her to explore my love of different cultures and societies through the medium of film, animation, and arts.
After working in the arts and culture industry in Tokyo, she moved to Toronto in 2016. Since then, she has been working in the unique and challenging role of Youth Outreach Coordinator at Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Yoko completed the Television and Film Business program at Centennial College, and is currently studying in the Arts Management program also at Centennial.
Her time in Toronto has given her inspiration to work on an anime film in conjunction with a scriptwriter from England and has given her the drive and determination to be involved hands on in the Canadian film industry as well as the arts and culture industry.
Kelsey Muldoon
Kelsey is an aspiring arts manager currently enrolled in the Arts Management program at Centennial College. After receiving her BA in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2014, she spent time working in the service and hospitality industry in order to fund her love for traveling.
Although not a visual artist herself, she grew up in an artistic household, and always had a passion for the arts. She has volunteered with various arts organizations, most recently with the Ottawa School of Art on their development team.
Development Team
Anna Lister
With a background in classical and jazz vocal training, Anna grew up in a home where the arts was prioritized and incorporated into everyday life.
It was her love of business and sales that brought her to the conclusion that she needed to find a way to mesh business and the arts in order to have a fulfilling career.
She is a University of Toronto graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Russian and European Studies. After completion of the Arts Management program at Centennial College, she hopes to pursue a rewarding career in visual art dissemination.
Anya Mishina
In 2017, Anya graduated from the Saint-Petersburg Stieglitz Academy of Art and Design, where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in the field of Theory and History of Art.
She has two written publications with a focus on Scandinavian furniture and product design. She wrote her final research work on the history of development and further influences of High-Tech, Brutalism and Minimalism in architecture and design.
In September of this year, she moved to Toronto to continue her education in Arts Management at Centennial College. With a passion for visual arts and design, she is excited to start her career and meet new people in the field of the arts.
Jennifer Pinchak
Jennifer Pinchak is a recent graduate of the University of Toronto, where she majored in English and double minored in Cinema Studies and French as a Second Language.
She is currently a student in the Arts Management postgraduate certificate program at Centennial College.
She has always been passionate about the arts and has volunteered at various arts festivals.
Marketing Team
Lola Islamova
Lola Islamova holds the Diploma in Violin Performance from Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. Lola was studying on a scholarship with one of the most renowned pedagogues in Canada – Atis Bankas.
In past six years she had a magnificent opportunity to work and perform with many famous conductors, among them Tito Munez, Julian Kuerti, Johannes Debus, Lior Shambadal, Julian Kuerti, Sir Roger Norrington and Leon Fleisher as a member of the Royal Conservatory Orchestra.
Lola Islamova is also a very keen chamber musician. She enjoys playing in ensembles and frequently performs in different recitals and concerts. She is presently enrolled in the Artist Management Program at the Centennial College.
Kristine Mifsud
Kristine is an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Toronto. After receiving a BA in Visual Studies from the University of Guelph, she lived and worked overseas in Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 2010, she returned to Canada to continue my studies at OCADU.
Recently, her work was shown at: Roja Art Lab in Latvia, Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Redhead Gallery in Toronto, UB Art Galleries in Buffalo, and SHOW15 Idea Exchanges’ Biennial of Ontario’s emerging artists in Cambridge.
After completing the Arts Management program at Centennial, she aspires to be a contributing member of an arts organization in her community.
Finance Team
Naichen Ko
Naichen graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Multiculturalism and Linguistic Studies from Tamkang University in Taiwan. She had experience in Project Management and Customer Service where she built solid communication, problem solving and analytical skills.
As an art lover, she enjoys visual arts, photography, traveling and fashion. She also volunteered in arts exhibitions. She is looking forward to transiting her career path and obtaining management experience in Arts and Culture field.
Angie Chiba Ho
Angie is a dancer, an actress and Arts teacher. She has performed, directed, and written for major and minor theatres companies and schools in Hong Kong.
She is a proud graduate of The Chinese University in Hong Kong where she obtained her Master’s Degree in Literary Studies and her Bachelor of Arts in English. She also has an Associate Degree in English for Professional Communication from the City University of Hong Kong.
As an aspiring Arts manager, she is pleased to be investing her time in Centennial College in Arts Management.
Web Team
Gursimran Datla
Gursimran is an indie filmmaker with post-grad in Advanced Filmmaking. In May 2017, his short film ‘Refuge’ won best film at the Donny Awards.
He has received the Peter Dickinson award nominee for critical and creative thinking.
He has written and directed 5 short films that were screened at various film festivals. Gursimran was one of the finalists of the Sundance/Roger Ebert Fellowship for Film Criticism and is currently, working on two short scripts based on immigration crises and resistance among generations.
Arts Management Faculty
Rebecca Peirson
Rebecca is a seasoned arts marketing professional. She managed Mongrel Media’s Theatrical and Video Marketing and Sales departments, was the Marketing Manager at the National Film Board of Canada, the Marketing and Communications Director at Nightwood Theatre, the Associate Director of Marketing and Audience Development at Luminato Festival among other career highlights in the entertainment industry.
She currently teaches in the Arts Management program at Centennial College, in the Event Marketing program at Seneca College as well as being Crow’s Theatre’s Marketing Manager. Rebecca is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Radio & Television Arts and has been invited to speak at industry events on the art and smarts of marketing live events.
Melanie Fernandez
Melanie Fernandez is currently consulting and teaching. Clients include, Living Art Centre in Mississauga where she is Acting, Director of Performing Arts; she worked as Interim Director at Lifeline Syria, the Woodland Cultural Centre and others.
Previous, Melanie worked as Director Cultural Engagement & Activation Department at Harbourfront Centre and Artistic Director of the summer festival season for 14 years. She was responsible for community cultural development initiatives, the multidisciplinary festival activities, educational programmes and others.
For six years she worked as Community Arts Officer (as well as Acting Visual Arts Officer) at the Ontario Arts Council where she led a comprehensive policy review of community arts in the province that resulted in new definitions, directions and programs.
Melanie has worked as Head of Education at the Art Gallery of Ontario, taught at OCAD and serves on numerous local and national Boards and Advisory Committees.
Albert Brulé
Albert serves as Director of Resource and Business Development at Impact Consulting with Pillar Nonprofit Network, helping organizations enhance their effectiveness through the development and execution of strategies and programs that deliver measurable results.
With over 25 years experience in the sector, Albert has worked with community groups, post-secondary institutions, healthcare providers, arts and cultural organizations, social service agencies, environmental charities, and international development NGOs.
He teaches Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations at Western Continuing Studies, Financial Management in the Arts, Event Management, and Fundraising for the Arts Management Program at Centennial College.
Patricia McKinna
Patricia is a bilingual producer/manager with 25 years’ experience working with organizations in Entertainment/Performing Arts, Communications and the public sector. Currently General Manager of Performing Arts at The Royal Conservatory of Music, she is a results-oriented leader with a motivational management style and a record of building and retaining highly motivated teams.
In addition to RCM Performing Arts, she has managed and/or produced for the Royal Ontario Museum, Harbourfront Centre, Ross Petty Productions, Opera Atelier, and New York’s Pace Theatrical Group as well as numerous federal commissions of inquiry. Teaching has been a natural corollary to that work, both in the workplace and in the classroom, and beyond business skills has included children’s drama workshops, rehearsal piano and accompaniment, vocal coaching and public speaking.
Patty Jarvis
Patty has been a respected and passionate advocatefor arts access and community engagement for more than 30 years. Past leaderships positions have included Director of Education and Outreach with Canadian Stage and Executive Director of Prologue to the Performing Arts as well as consulting with Studio 180 Theatre, b-Current Performance and the Toronto District School Board.
Patty is a co-founder and current Chair ofPAONE (Professional Arts Organizations Network for Education) and is on the Advisory Committees of the Canadian Network for Arts and Learning and CPAMO – Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement in Ontario. She is a past Chair of the Toronto Theatre Alliance (now TAPA) and past Board member of Ontario Presents.
Currently, Patty is the Interim Associate Director, Education and Outreach for the Canadian Opera Company.