ArtsBuild Ontario (ABO) is a provincial arts service organization that provides small and medium-sized organizations with tools, training, and advice to successfully manage physical and digital creative spaces. ABO works to reimagine the future of creative spaces through dedicated research projects and an engaged network of supportive partners.
Who we serve
It is both the honor and duty of ABO to serve Ontario’s arts, cultural, and creative communities. This includes communities who are or have been historically marginalized or underrepresented. With a focus on small to medium-sized organizations, ABO supports all those with a desire to build and manage spaces across all arts, creative, and cultural disciplines. ABO proudly works with non-profit, grassroots, and for-profit entities, as well as Indigenous communities and groups, and municipalities. In recent years, ABO has grown its service offerings in partnership with Indigenous and Northern Ontario communities.
Our impact
For over 20 years, ABO’s services have supported arts organizations, artists, and municipalities. ABO exists as an arts service organization with a unique role on the provincial and national stage. There is no other organization in Ontario or Canada dedicated to supporting arts organizations of all disciplines
with their cultural infrastructure needs. ABO’s network is wide-reaching with over 3,000 arts managers from across Ontario and beyond —in fact, over 25% come from outside of the province! With just over a third of its network based in major city centers, ABO takes great pride in supporting arts organizations from communities of all shapes and sizes.
Land acknowledgement
ArtsBuild Ontario acknowledges that our office is located in the 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, which is in a settler facility built on the traditional territory of the Attawonderonk, Anishinaabek, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. 44 Gaukel is located in what is now Kitchener, Ontario, which is situated on the Haldimand Tract, land promised to Six Nations, Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and includes six miles on each side of the Grand River from the source of its mouth.
We are a settler organization and value respectful collaboration with all the Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island who have lived on this land for thousands of years and who continue to be our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. Our work takes place in what is currently Ontario, which includes the traditional and unceded territories of the Anishinaabek, Attawonderonk, Petun, Cree, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, and Métis.
Our mandate is to support arts facilities and creative spaces, but we do not solely define
these from a colonial perspective. Arts facilities and creative spaces are not only physical
buildings, they are often inclusive of the land itself.
Equity statement
ArtsBuild Ontario recognizes, respects, and actively supports people from all backgrounds, particularly Indigenous, Black, racialized, francophone, 2SLGBTQ+, disability-identified, and other marginalized artists and arts organizations. ArtsBuild Ontario does not discriminate and does not tolerate discrimination against anyone based on their race, country of origin, sexual identity, gender identity, mental and/or physical ability, language, or age. ArtsBuild Ontario commits to making our programs and initiatives, as well as our physical space at 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, safe and accessible for all.
Commitment to accessibility
ArtsBuild Ontario is committed to providing its resources, tools and services in a welcoming and supportive way for all. We will identify, prevent, and remove barriers to participation on an ongoing basis by working to meet (and where possible, exceed) the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The staff of ArtsBuild Ontario will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodations to promote inclusion and access.
