It is my last day at the Ontario Arts Council - Conseil des arts de lOntario here in Toronto. It has been a profound honour to serve the entire cultural community of Ontario for the past 4+ years in my capacity as Touring and Audience Development Officer. What a professional gift it has been to get to see, understand, and support the work of emerging, mid-career, and senior artists of every discipline, as well as organizations (from the fledgling to the stalwarts) creating and presenting some of the finest dance, film, theatre, visual arts, community arts, and arts education work I have ever seen. My tastes and interests are forever changed, expanded, and heightened. Thank you. I have also had the great pleasure of servicing and supporting the work of countless volunteer presenters across the province, many of whom I once encountered in my touring days as a musician. My congratulations to you all and my thanks for the countless hours (months really) of work done by these volunteers to ensure that quality cultural programming takes place in their communities. They are the unpaid cultural ambassadors who go out of their way, on their own time and dime, to present in whatever space or venue they can find... and they inspire me on par with the artists who, against all odds and sometimes better judgment, continue to create and present ideas, dreams, and considerations through their endeavours, and manage to move them from rehearsal hall sketches to performances in communities hundreds of miles away, years after the inception of the work. And a tip of the hat to the many municipal presenters who, while operating out of established venues, toil daily to ensure that thought provoking work makes it to the stage alongside the more commercial works that are the stock and trade of balanced budget municipal council mandates. Thanks to the Arts Service Organizations who work to coordinate services and resource for their member artists and organizations that they may all have opportunities to grown and learn and strengthen their footing along the path. Thanks to the many jurors who came in (and continue to) share their time and talent as part of the peer assessment process, ensuring that all applications are judged fairly, based on the quality of the work, the impact of the project, and the viability of the proposal. Your informed and passionate perspectives as jurors was utterly reassuring that the process, while challenging and not perfect (nothing is) is amazingly just. Thanks to my friends, mentors and amazing colleagues here at the OAC. Ive never met or worked with a more principled group of arts administrators who daily hold the needs of the community first and foremost in every discussion, be it budget related or policy driven. And deep thanks to the professional colleagues in my life (at the OAC and beyond) who have (perhaps unknowingly) served as mentors, each in their own way. A personal change for me is definitely the discovery of a passion for contemporary dance and other disciplines I had not had enough prior exposure to, but from a skills set growth perspective I must thank the francophone community for welcoming a francophile into their ranks. It has been an intense and rewarding challenge to work in a second language, (a self-inflicted growth as it was not something that was part of my original job or portfolio) and I sincerely appreciated the warm welcome and patience extended to me. (Nous avons fait du bon travail ensemble. Merci!) But the greatest lesson, observation, and change that I will carry forward into all I do is that of Diversity... not quota driven inclusion, but meaningful consideration, invitation, consultation and attention to the communities that rightfully have a place at the table, but for whom an institution may not have initially designed its programs or processes to consider, address, or include. At OAC that has meant that (based on input from the people of the province during extensive strategic plan consultations) new generation (under the age of 30), regional (outside Toronto), culturally diverse, aboriginal and francophone artists be included as strategic priorities during outreach, program development, assessment participants, and overall continued view of the ecology of the cultural sector. While the above may seem or feel obvious, I have witnessed, even in myself, how easily one simply proceeds (with the best of intentions) with what one knows and is familiar with, often overlooking or systematically excluding others. The profound take away for me is the value of formalizing the reflection process to identify what obstacles are in place for people to access equitable services, who is missing, excluded or systematically under-served, how best to meaningfully consult communities directly on how they may be included and served equitably (rather than deciding in isolation on behalf of others), and how to genuinely include these important changes and considerations as a mandate then reflected in the daily methods of an organization. I thank all those who have supported and taught me thought kind words, encouragement, challenging conversations, patience, and praise. All will inform my heart and head as I start my new position as Executive Director at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City in June. Im sad to leave the OAC, Toronto, Ontario, and Canada but growth requires risk and adventure, and lessons learned require new forums to exercise them and put them into practice. Kansas City here I come...
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 12:56:31 +0000
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