Event

As you may have heard, a group of cultural organizations has come together to conduct a feasibility study for a bilingual network for cultural management knowledge exchange. A place like this does not yet exist for Canadian cultural management professionals.  

You are now invited to take part in Phase 2 of the study in August. 

In Phase One, thanks to the feedback from our initial June consultations, we learned, we’ve gained a strong understanding of what the sector needs, including increased connections. Now, we need your input to determine how a lean, bilingual, and interdisciplinary community designed to bridge gaps in knowledge could function sustainably. 

To learn more about the project context and phase one, please go here.

We are working to build the place for the online knowledge exchange that you’ve been looking for – a place where arts and culture managers, post-secondary educators and others across the country can share knowledge and learn from each other. This exchange is to be omnidirectional, meaning everyone will share knowledge with each other in various ways – a bridge to make connections across our sector. 

You can help us see whether it’s possible.

Sign up with the links below for a consultation session to share your input. Space is limited, so don’t wait!

Upcoming English sessions:

• Monday August 18, 2:00 PM ET – for Post-secondary arts and cultural management educators
• Tuesday August 19, 11:30 AM ET  – for Service Organizations (FULL)
• Wednesday August 20, 11:30 AM ET – for anyone interested
• Wednesday August 20, 2:00 PM ET  – for anyone interested

French sessions: 

• Monday August 18, 11:30 AM ET  – for Post-secondary arts and cultural management educators
• Tuesday August 19, 2:00 PM ET  – for Service Organizations
• Thursday August 21, 11:30 AM ET  – for anyone interested

Can’t make these dates?  Please take our survey. 

If you would like to know more, please contact Julia Campbell, Project Manager: networkproject@artsconsultants.ca.

We would like to thank our partners and steering committee. Banff Centre, Brock University Project de recherche, Canadian Association of Arts Administration Educators, CAPACOA, Carleton Sprott School of Business, Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (University of Regina), Compétence Culture, Confederation Centre for the Arts, Connexxions Consulting, Culture Works Canada, Fédération Culturelle canadienne française, HEC Montréal, Humber College Arts Administration, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Mass Culture, and University of New Brunswick (Contemporary Management for Arts and Culture).

We have an opportunity to explore the potential creation of a Canadian network for cultural management professionals, a virtual community where arts and culture managers, post-secondary educators and others can share knowledge and learn from each other. 

Sometimes we struggle to find current, reliable information, to avoid duplicating existing resources, and even know who to talk to for advice. This is where a network – a community of practice for all of us involved with management in arts and culture – for sharing, learning and connecting could be so valuable.

You can help us see whether it’s possible.

Arts Consultants Canada is undertaking a national feasibility study with a pan-Canadian steering committee of over a dozen collaborators. From May–September 2025, the study aims to identify the potential for this bilingual community of practice, one that could be genuinely valuable for each of us as we do our work in a rapidly changing environment.  

It’s critical that we hear your voice for this opportunity to be explored.

Sign up with the links below for a consultation session to share your input. Space is limited, so don’t wait!

English sessions:

• Monday June 16, 11:30 AM ET  – for Post-secondary arts and cultural management educators
• Tuesday June 17, 11:30 AM ET – [At Capacity] for Service Organizations
• Tuesday June 17, 2:00 PM ET  – for anyone interested
• Thursday June 19, 11:30 AM ET  – for anyone interested
• Thursday June 19, 2:00 PM ET  – [New] for anyone interested 

French sessions: 

• Monday June 16, 2:00 PM ET  – for Service Organizations
• Wednesday June 18, 11:30 AM   – for Post-secondary arts and cultural management educators
• Wednesday June 18 , 2:00 PM ET – for anyone interested

Can’t make these dates?  Please take a few minutes to fill out our survey!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Culturenetwork

If you would like to know more, please contact Julia Campbell, Project Manager: networkproject@artsconsultants.ca.

We would like to thank our partners and steering committee. Banff Centre, Brock University Project de recherche, Canadian Association of Arts Administration Educators, CAPACOA, Carleton Sprott School of Business, Centre for Socially Engaged Theatre (University of Regina), Compétence Culture, Confederation Centre for the Arts, Connexxions Consulting, Culture Works Canada, Fédération Culturelle canadienne française, HEC Montréal, Humber College Arts Administration, Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance, Mass Culture, University of New Brunswick (Contemporary Management for Arts and Culture), UofT Scarborough, and Young and Associates.

June 6, 2022 1:00- 4:00 pm (EDT)

CHRC and Canadian Heritage is offering this Respectful Workplaces in the Arts workshop to encourage better workplace practices and behaviours. This workshop will cover information on Ontario Provincial legislation, definitions of harassment and bullying as well as case-studies to navigate the complexities of problematic situations. This workshop is not a legal nor therapy clinics, it is conversations facilitated by experienced cultural sector leaders. Resources are discussed to help individuals and organizations towards contribute to better work environments and/or to develop their own policies/codes of conduct.

This program will be in English however, French sessions are available. For further information contact info@artsconsultants.ca. / Ce programme sera en anglais mais des sessions en français sont disponibles. Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez contacter info@artsconsultants.ca

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Leverage the Arts Ecosystem to Influence Local Prosperity by Cate Proctor

Artists are the creative germ of the arts sector. Without artists, the arts ecosystem would simply not exist. Period. Yet, the ripple effect of a vibrant arts sector—within economic and creative industry terms—often overshadows fundamental components of creative cultivation. If we truly understand the drivers for artistic creation, we easily recognize artists’ implicit and explicit influences on social, economic, and community development. Applying this knowledge shifts value to the front end of the value chain, to artists, whose work both spawns local arts scenes and drives scalable impacts for creative industries and non-arts sectors.

Artists bring unique perspectives and insights to their work. In many cases they hold a mirror to society showing the rest of us ‘what really is’. Can this be this intimidating? You bet!

Come join the conversation to learn how we can better integrate unique voices that exist in our communities. We will explore potential ways and means to appreciate and activate artists’ presence. We will discuss how their creative role is a fundamental pillar for the arts ecosystem, and when nurturing artists’ creative capacity, we also cultivate social, well-being and economic benefits.

For information about where to find the book visit:  www.proctorshiftconsulting.com/my-book

The Programming Committee is currently waiting for answers regarding funding for projects that we could undertake for the membership of ACCA. In the meantime, we have a suggestion, but we need your feedback.

There are many technical tools out there which can make things easier in working with our clients: we need to know which are being used by the membership, and how they are being used.

Many of us already have technical tools that we use regularly with clients, but there are other members that are not as tech savvy.

We are asking you to go have a look at the list linked below and see what is there (and this is by no means an exhaustive list).  Is there one, or a number of these that you would be interested in learning more about, to add to your “tech stack”, and would you be interested in taking part in a workshop or workshops that we could set up with the creators of these programmes?

In order to give us an idea, please send your comments to jane@jneedles.com and the programming committee will take them to heart and figure out the best way to get this information to you.

We hope that you are all well and thriving, as we finally begin to return to a cultural world that is coming back to life slowly.

ACCA Seminar Topics Maurizio. docx(1)

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 at 7pm EST / 4pm PST / 8:00pm AST

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell has written some fascinating books such as “Outliers” and “The Tipping Point”, with lots of content that is applicable to our roles as consultants. This one challenges us to consider our instinctual tendency to trust. It’s a fascinating collection of stories about the disastrous results of miscommunications between people who are strangers to each other.  Making sense of the stranger, Gladwell writes, “requires humility and thoughtfulness and a willingness to look beyond the stranger, and take time and place and context into account.”

Tuesday, October 5 at 8:00pm AT / 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT

Our latest book is a celebration of gatherings! There is every indication from across the country that audiences can’t wait to return to live events, to experience music and dance and theatre and just about anything arts related as long as we can be together again. In this book, Barbara Ehrenreich explores the cultural traditions of collective joy throughout history. What draws people to festivals, dance rituals, rock and roll concerts and the recent carnivalization of sports? As with many things, understanding our past informs our future.

Dancing in the Streets explains what Netflix in our living room cannot provide – the common desire to dress up, head out and experience events together in a crowd!

Please join us for our next ACCA Book Club meeting on Tuesday, October 5 at 8:00pm AT / 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT.

On March 10, 2021 ACCA presented a virtual Open Forum to discuss the key drivers of change in the evolving arts ecosystem in Canada with panelists Kelly Hill, Hill Strategies, Valerie Sing Turner, Artistic Producer of Visceral Visions Society and Creative Director of CultureBrew.Art and Jane Needles, Consultant.

Key Drivers of Change ACCA Open Forum March 2021

Hill Four Key Drivers 

Needles Cross-sectoral Recovery Roundtables Presentation 2021.03.10

Key Drivers of Change ACCA Open Forum Summary March 10