June is Pride Month; a time to celebrate members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ * community. 

Building inclusive spaces goes beyond physical spaces. Fostering a diverse and inclusive environment for all communities, including 2SLGBTQIA+ helps individuals feel included, seen and welcomed. 

Cultural venues have an important role to play in offering spaces that prioritize 2SLGBTQIA+ artists and communities. There are several organizations that prioritize access to space and opportunity within the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Here are just a few great examples of spaces in Ontario!

Pride Toronto Creative Studio & Artist Residency Program 

The Pride Toronto Creative Studio & Artist Residency Program was developed to address the continuously growing gap in safe and affordable Queer & Trans creative spaces after speaking first hand with 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. These spaces have been created to fill a need to reflect diverse communities, amplify marginalized artists, and give greater visibility to diverse forms of 2SLGBTQ+ creativity.

To learn more about the Pride Toronto Creative Studio and these programs, click here. 

The 519

The 519 is committed to the health, happiness and full participation of the LGBTQ2S communities. A City of Toronto agency with an innovative model of Service, Space and Leadership, the 519 strives to make a real difference in peoples’ lives, while working to promote inclusion, understanding, and respect. They provide accommodating and non-judgemental space where individuals, organizations, and non-profit groups can meet, organize, and work towards their goals.

Learn more about the 519 here.

The Intergenerational LGBT Artist Residency

This program is the first intergenerational artist-in-residency program for 2SLGBTQIA+ visual artists in Canada. The residency offers studio space, travel support, and free room and board to juried applicants for the duration of the two-week residency. Residents also receive mentoring and studio visits from critically acclaimed artists and curators.

Learn about this program here.

We celebrate the work done by the amazing organizations across Ontario dedicated to creating safe, affordable, and community driven space for 2SLGBTQIA+ community members. 

*We recognize that the acronym 2SLGBTQIA+ does not encompass all sexualities, gender identities, and expressions. ArtsBuild Ontario recognizes that there is a wide spectrum and are committed to  making our programs and initiatives, as well as our physical space at 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, safe and accessible for all.

After two and a half years at ABO, it is bittersweet to announce that our Program Manager, Amy Poole will be moving on from ABO. 

Amy has made so many wonderful contributions to ABO during her time here. She successful executed the Learn It | Build It | Manage It series (2019-2021), the Creative Space Case Study Project, two rounds of the Creative Space Mentoring Network program, facilitated many webinars, and guided the administration for the Indigenous Creative Spaces Project, resulting in the completion of phase 1 of the project. 

In her new role with the Hamilton Community Foundation (HCF) Amy will be working as an Administrative Assistant with Philanthropic Services. The Hamilton Community Foundation (HCF) is part of a network of over 191 Canadian community foundations who contribute time, leadership, and financial support to initiatives that benefit their community most, based on an intimate understanding of local needs and opportunities

Amy’s new team will greatly benefit from her exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and positive attitude.

Tatiana Doucette will be moving into Amy’s role as Program Manager effective June 9, 2022. 

Over the past two years, the Indigenous Creative Space Project has grown and developed in so many ways. Guided by an Indigenous Advisory Circle and supported by ArtsBuild Ontario, the project aims to build a network of knowledge and experience within a cultural context and determine the needs and recommendations for the development of Indigenous sovereign spaces across the ecology of Ontario.

Participating communities include:

• Friday’s Point Temagami (Temagami/Bear Island)
• Kingston
• Manitoulin Island
• North Bay
• Six Nations of the Grand River
• Thunder Bay
• Toronto

Community Gathering Circles

Seven Community Gathering Circles were held for Indigenous artists, arts organizations and community members across the province. Communities were invited to speak about what is needed to foster the development of Indigenous creative spaces.

Legacy Stories

Legacy Stories highlight the stories of six Indigenous creative spaces in Ontario, exploring where the spaces begin, where they are going, and where they hope to be. These conversations were transcribed and shared internally with each organization and their communities to protect the cultural knowledge that emerged from each Circle.

Project Materials and OCAP

The Indigenous Creative Spaces Project respects the First Nations Principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession). Project materials are shared on a private website for Indigenous artists, arts organizations, and community members participating in the project. This protection creates a sovereign digital space for communities to connect and learn from the knowledge shared in this project. Access to this website is fully determined and managed by the Indigenous Advisory Circle.

Looking Ahead

In the year ahead, the Indigenous Creative Spaces Project will see the development of the online series “I Have More to Say”, which will feature dialogues and learning opportunities around emerging themes from Community Gatherings. Additional material known as “Guidance from the Circle” will also be released in early 2023, illustrating the needs and recommendations from each community around developing sustainable Indigenous arts spaces.

We would like to thank the Indigenous Advisory Circle and Co-Conveners for their guidance and shared insights in this project work.

If you have questions about the project or would like more information about the project, please email indigenouscreativespaces@gmail.com.

May 19th is Global Accessibility Awareness Day! There are many factors to consider for inclusive, accessible creative spaces; from making a physical space wheelchair accessible and ensuring ASL interpretation for public events, to all-gender restrooms and sliding-scale ticketing, there are many opportunities to ensure creative spaces are accessible.

Improving the accessibility of a space depends on the different structures in place across four operating models that arts organizations and their spaces generally work within:

1. Space is independently owned and operated 
2. Space is privately owned and independently operated
3. Space is government owned and independently operated 
4. Space is government owned and  operated

Organization size, funding structures, and general organizational needs are all factors that impact how spaces define accessibility. 

So, where to start?

ArtsBuild Ontario has created a toolkit to provide you and your organization with a place to start in making accessible creative spaces. In this toolkit, we provide some basic resources about accessibility legislation in Ontario, including the AODA and Design of Public Spaces Standards, Ontario Building Code and Human Rights Code. Additionally, resources are available that help to provide accessible communications and service providers for American Sign Language (ASL) and interpretation, audio descriptions, closed captioning, and transcriptions. 

This toolkit is also available in both English and French. 

For more resources on making your space more accessible, check out this webinar ABO presented in and learn how to assess, communicate, and put venue accessibility into practice.

ArtsBuild Ontario is a member of  PASO-OPSA , a coalition of Ontario Arts Service Organizations that, collectively, acts as a conduit to over 272,000 creative workers, and artists across the province, as well as to thousands of organizations, large and small, that create and support artistic expression in Ontario.

The coalition has collectively identified key priorities for Ontario’s arts sector around which it is aligned, and will champion, as we move though the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, PASO-OPSA recommends that the Government of Ontario:

1. Commit to Truth and Reconciliation in arts and culture.

The Government of Ontario should establish a permanent $10 million annual fund for Indigenous artists, cultural leaders, organizations, groups and collectives that is designed and managed by Indigenous artists.

2. Increase investment in the Ontario Arts Council (OAC).

Funding for the OAC has fallen dangerously behind the growth of the sector. When inflation and population growth are taken into account, to simply keep in line with 1991 investment levels, the OAC requires a permanent base budget of $110 million in 2022. In 2021, the OAC’s base budget was $60 million.

3. Embrace the role of the arts in a range of areas of provincial jurisdiction, and facilitate connections between ministries to accomplish this.

The Government of Ontario should leverage the powerful creative and innovation assets of Ontario’s arts community by acknowledging its contributions to, and ability to advance, fields such as health, mental health, education, entrepreneurship, and to engage with other sectors to address crises such as systemic racism, and others.

4. Ensure that anti-racism, and principles of fairness and justice, are embedded in all provincial programs and services.

This includes: recognizing that artists who identify as members of equity-seeking groups, as well as grassroots arts initiatives, have disproportionately faced systemic barriers to accessing support, and require low-barrier and accessible funding; working in partnership with arts organizations to hear and learn from smaller grassroots arts and cultural initiatives with the intention of informing the development of province’s arts and cultural priorities and policies. The next Government of Ontario can ensure the Ontario Human Rights Code is being upheld by evaluating the systemic barriers and exclusions that exist in, and may be perpetuated by, its investments and programs.

5. Foster the advancement of young people to participate, and provide vision and leadership in the arts.

This includes: mentorship opportunities for new-generation artists and cultural leaders, intergenerational connections between established and emerging arts leaders; supporting connections between grassroots groups and major institutions that encourage learning and transformation for all participants.

6. Work towards reducing Ontario’s carbon emissions and environmental impact.

The Government of Ontario should acknowledge that reducing emissions requires not only policy and legislation, but large-scale cultural and paradigm shifts by investing in cross-sectoral collaborations between the arts sector and Indigenous communities, climate researchers, social and behavioural scientists, industry leaders, organizations advancing awareness of environmental issues, and others. This also includes supporting the arts and culture sector to research, design, and implement sustainable and energy efficient venues and buildings; and develop strategies for sustainable touring and large-scale production.

7. Recognize the need for, and current lack of, appropriate physical and digital infrastructure.

This includes: establishing a permanent funding program to support renovations, capital projects, and new builds for arts and culture organizations. This program should also provide grants for organizations and smaller groups to support short term access to space, support the capacity of organizations to digitize collections and present digitally, and support upskilling and training. The government must also address the lack of broadband internet access which disproportionately impacts Northern Ontario communities.

8. Increase investment in arts education in Ontario’s publicly-funded schools.

The Government of Ontario should engage arts sector stakeholders to maintain, design, and update curricula that is contemporary and relevant to Ontario’s diverse population, and ensure sufficient physical and human resources are in place to deliver them. It should also investigate the current disparities in publicly-funded specialized arts schools, and ensure equitable access for racialized students and students from low-income households.

9. Amplify the majority of Ontarians’ voices by working toward a Federal Basic Income Guarantee.

This includes: advocating and working with the Federal Government on the development and implementation of a Basic Income Guarantee; shifting existing provincial income support systems toward Basic Income principles that require less conditionality and provide recipients with more autonomy; implement an Ontario Basic Income demonstration program targeting low-income artists, gig-workers, and other precariously employed Ontarians for inclusion.

We are available to provide additional details on each of this recommendations, and we encourage the Government of Ontario to work in concert with PASO/OPSA members to envision the path forward for Ontario’s vibrant arts community.

For more information, please contact:

Jason Samilski, Managing Director, CARFAC Ontario | jason@carfacontario.ca

PASO/OPSA Coalition Members

• Alliance culturelle de l‘Ontario
• Artist-Run Centres & Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO)
• ArtsBuild Ontario
• Association des auteures et auteurs de l’Ontario français
• Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM)
• Association for Opera in Canada
• Bureau des regroupements des artistes visuels de l’Ontario (BRAVO)
• Canadian Alliance of Artists – East Chapter
• Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC Ontario)
• Canadian Music Centre
• Choirs Ontario
• Craft Ontario
• Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO)
• Dance Ontario
• Dance Umbrella of Ontario
• Directors Guild of Canada (Ontario)
• Folk Music Ontario
• FUSION – The Ontario Clay and Glass Association
• Galeries Ontario / Ontario Galleries (GOG)
• Ontario Culture Days
• Ontario Presents
• The Association for Opera in Canada (Opera.ca)
• Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada
• Réseau Ontario
• Théâtre Action
• Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA)
• WorkInCulture