ArtsBuild Ontario and WorkInCulture (formerly Culture Careers Council Ontario), are pleased to announce the 16 mentorees that will join the inaugural session of their new joint initiative — the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network. Comprising a diverse cross section of Ontario’s arts organizations, the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network will help arts sector leaders who manage creative spaces, including theatres and galleries, share and learn from each other.
“Recognizing a skills gap specific to managing and creating arts spaces, we invited WorkInCulture to partner with us on this initiative because of their previous success in delivering outstanding mentoring programs around business skills,” said Lindsay MacDonald, Program Director at ArtsBuild Ontario.
“By offering participants the chance to work one-to-one with leaders in their field, the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network is a practical way to build on people’s desire to learn and share skills, connections and knowledge. The applications to become part of the Network were inspiring, and it was challenging to select only 16.”
Each mentoree has identified a key learning topic, and the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network matches them with a senior mentor who has tackled a similar challenge. The learning topics range from planning a major capital project to generating sustainable revenue from a creative space. Pairs meet for three hours every month and take part in two in person workshops that provide the opportunity to meet with their Network peers. Mentors will be announced in the coming weeks.
Made possible by funding from the Government of Canada and The Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network, with its emphasis on arts facilities, is the first of its kind in Ontario.
“Developing crucial management skills is important for the growth of the cultural sector, but for many arts managers and others in the field, it’s difficult to find the specific knowledge you need, at a cost you can afford,” says Susan Cohen, WorkInCulture’s Program Director. “We are all excited by this powerful opportunity for the exchange of experience.”
The Arts Facilities Mentoring Network’s inaugural mentorees are:
- Sandra Bell, Arraymusic, Toronto
- Richard VanDusen, 1000 Islands Playhouse, Gananoque
- Olinda Casimiro, Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa
- Moonsun Choi, Artengine, Ottawa
- Stephen Clarkin, Massey / Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto
- Heather Fullerton, Georgina Arts Centre & Gallery, Jackson’s Point
- Sharon Godwin, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Thunder Bay
- Penny McCann, SAW Video, Ottawa
- Sara Meurling, Factory Theater, Toronto
- Susan Nagy, Lakeshore Arts, Toronto
- Karen O’Brien, Toronto Dance Foundation, Toronto
- Robert Sauvey, Dancemakers, Toronto
- Angie Stillitano, Al Green Theatre, Toronto
- Yves Theoret, Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art, Toronto
- Salome Viguier, Le Labo, Toronto
- Tim Whalley, Scarborough Arts, Toronto
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Susan Cohen: susancohen@workinculture.ca , 416-340-0086
Lindsay MacDonald: lindsay@artsbuildontario.ca, 519-880-3670 x 102
Read the Press Release: TORONTO DANCE FOUNDATION AND THUNDER BAY ART GALLERY AMONG 16 MENTOREES ANNOUNCED AS PARTICIPANTS IN ONTARIO’S FIRST ARTS FACILITIES MENTORING NETWORK
