News
Untitled Document
Peter Caldwell Appointed as Director and CEO of the Ontario Arts Council
| 
|
Peter Caldwell, new Director & CEO of the OAC.
|
On October 24, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) announced that Peter Caldwell would succeed John Brotman, who is retiring after ten years at the council’s helm, as Director and CEO of the OAC. Peter was Vice President, Finance & Administration at OCAD University (formerly the Ontario College of Art & Design) from 1994 to April 2011. During this time, he served as chief administrative officer of Canada’s largest university specializing in art and design education. He has spent his entire career in the arts, working with such groups as Arts Foundation of Greater Toronto, Toronto Theatre Alliance, Ontario Ministry of Culture and Recreation (1980-81), and Theatre Ontario. His volunteer work includes the boards of directors of the Laidlaw Foundation, Toronto Artscape Inc., Design Exchange, Performing Arts Development Fund of Toronto and Platform 9 Theatre. He has served on the major grants review panel for the City of Toronto’s Cultural Affairs Division.
Peter has an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. As an undergraduate at Stetson University in Deland, Florida, he majored in French and minored in Spanish. He will join OAC on February 6, 2012.
Read the press release.
Top
John Brotman to Retire in January 2012
John Brotman, OAC Executive Director, is retiring at the end of January 2012. We will be organizing a farewell event in January. Stay tuned for further details.
Top
Ontario Arts Engagement Study Points to Opportunities for Arts Organizations to Build Audiences
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has released the findings of its commissioned report Ontario Arts Engagement Study by research firm WolfBrown. These findings reveal significant implications for arts organizations seeking to build audience development and engagement.
The study looks at the full spectrum of arts activities, from traditional audience-based activities (such as attending performing arts events or visiting an art gallery) to personal practice activities (such as playing a musical instrument, painting, or taking dance lessons), and includes arts participation via electronic, print and digital media (such as radio, television or the Internet).
It also explores the importance of these arts activities to Ontarians, the settings in which arts activities take place, the relationships between personal arts practice and attendance and the patterns of engagement across regions and demographic groups, such as age and gender.
KEY FINDINGS
|
Alan Brown's presentation was simulcast online for those who could not be there in person.
|
Click here for:
- The Summary
- The full WolfBrown report
- The video of the study launch on October 13, 2011, with Alan Brown (of WolfBrown)
- Related research resources
Top
Policy Change for New Applicants to Multi-Year Operating Funding
Over the past few years, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) has seen an increase in requests for operating support from new organizations. From 2006-07 to 2010-11, a total of 190 organizations received OAC operating funding for the first time – an average of 38 new operating recipients per year. First-time grants to these recipients totaled $3.5 million. Since we are in the third year of a flatline budget, we are having to implement a change to address the demand. As of 2012, all organizations looking for operating funding for the first time will only be able to apply in the first year of a program’s three-year funding cycle.
Top
Pilot Initiative for Aboriginal Presenters in the North
The Ontario Arts Council’s (OAC) newest pilot aims to strengthen support to Aboriginal presenters in northern Ontario who put on music events. Aboriginal Presenters in the North: Music Events (APN) is a three-year initiative that will provide $500 to $3,000 grants to Aboriginal music presenters in northern communities. Grants cover costs associated with presenting single public music events or concerts in their town, city, reserve or surrounding region.
The first deadline to the Aboriginal Presenters in the North: Music Events is February 1, 2012.
Download the application form and guidelines for the APN pilot initiative.
Both established and new Aboriginal presenters are encouraged to apply. APN’s simple and accessible application process is designed to attract new applicants and help first-time music presenters navigate the process.
With the broad appeal of music and the number of informal music events occurring in so many northern communities, Danis Goulet, Aboriginal Arts Services Developer, says that “music presenting seemed like a natural starting place for this initiative. We know there are activities happening, like house concerts, in many community-based venues. We saw the possibility to support people already doing great work and open the door to new Aboriginal presenters.”
Sara Roque, Aboriginal Arts Officer, adds, “We wanted to provide opportunities for skill development and to support the growth of a vibrant northern presenting network. There will be no restrictions on the musicians or the musical genres eligible for showcasing.”
Access to tools and resources
In addition, OAC is developing tools and resources to help emerging presenters build their experience and connections. A handbook that will give step-by-step guidance to programming music events will be available in the new year.
The pilot initiative is part of OAC’s ongoing strategic priority to increase funding, support and access to OAC programs for Aboriginal peoples in Ontario.
For more information please contact:
Danis Goulet
Aboriginal Arts Services Developer
647-258-5077 / 1-800-387-0058 ext. 5077
dgoulet@arts.on.ca
Sara Roque
Aboriginal Arts Officer
416-969-7454 / 1-800-387-0058 ext. 7454
sroque@arts.on.ca
Top
Fostering the Arts at the Local Level: A Review of Community Arts Councils in Ontario
In spring 2010, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) commissioned mDm Consulting to conduct a survey and produce the report Fostering Arts at a Local Level: A Survey of Community Arts Councils in Ontario. The goal was to gain a fuller understanding of the number and types of community arts councils that exist throughout the province, the contexts in which they operate, the roles they play in their communities and the range of activities they undertake in response to their regional needs. The report has been shared with community arts councils around the province.
Click here to read the report.
Top
2012 Skill Development Course for Artist-Educators
The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is pleased to support the Royal Conservatory’s Artist-Educator Foundations Course once again. Every year, OAC reaches new communities with this initiative but also returns to communities where there is a high demand and where each year spots are limited for this program.
The Artist-Educator Foundations Course is an introductory 30-hour course for Ontario artists wanting to work in schools, social service organizations or other community settings. Artists will learn how to develop arts-based lessons that incorporate their arts practice and effectively engage participants. In 2012, classes will run in Barrie, Kenora, Oakville, Ottawa, Sarnia, Sault Ste. Marie and Toronto. All classes will take place over two weekends, starting Friday afternoon or evening, depending on the site. Please note that registration and information will only be available as of January 9, 2012.
Click here for background information about the Artist-Educator Foundations Course.
Fee and registration
- The fee for the course is $60.00. (Travel costs are the responsibility of the artist.)
- The application process will open on January 9, 2012, and the application information will be made available here.
Registration and information will only be available as of January 9, 2012.
Participants will not be able to reserve a place in any course before January 9, 2012.
Schedule:
City | Language of Instruction | 2012 Dates |
Sault Ste. Marie | English | Mar 2-4, Mar 23-25 |
Toronto | English | Mar 30-Apr 1, Apr 13-15 |
Oakville | French | Mar 30-Apr 1, Apr 13-15 |
Kenora | English | Apr 20-22, Apr 27-29 |
Ottawa | English | Apr 20-22, May 11-13 |
Barrie | English | Apr 27-29, May 11-13 |
Sarnia | English | Apr 27-29, May 11-13 |
CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions about the Artist-Educator Foundations course, please contact the Royal Conservatory:
416-408-2825 / 1-888-408-2825
conservatoryschool@rcmusic.ca
For questions about the Ontario Arts Council, please contact:
Christina Akrong
Associate Arts Education Officer and Northern Arts Program Officer
647-258-5075 | toll-free: 1-800-387-0058, ext. 5075
cakrong@arts.on.ca
For information in French, contact:
Heather Meek
Arts Education and Northern Arts Program Assistant
416-969-7401 | toll-free: 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7401
hmeek@arts.on.ca
Top