The Ontario Arts Council Reaffirms Support To Ontario Contact 2000

Toronto, February 1, 2000 - The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) confirmed today that Ontario Contact, its annual showcase for the performing arts, will be held in Toronto next October.

"I am pleased that Contact will continue to provide a forum for Ontario-based performing artists to present their work to arts programmers from across the province. Contact gives volunteer community presenters the opportunity to view performers and book them for the arts series in their home towns," said Steven Campbell, Director of Arts Education and Arts in the Community.

Ontario Contact 2000 has been streamlined and refocused. This year, the artists showcasing at Contact will be largely made up of OAC grant recipients in the performing arts. The forum will also feature workshops on variety of topics including the need to strengthen the relationships between artists and communities beyond the performance.

Year 2000 dates for Contact Ontarois, the parallel event held annually for Franco-Ontarian artists and communities, will be announced in the coming months.

OAC Media Contact: Kirsten Gunter, Manager of Communications
Tel: (416) 969-7403. Toll-free outside of Toronto: 1-800-387-0058, ext. 7403.
E-mail: kgunter@arts.on.ca