For over 20 years, ABO’s services have supported arts organizations, artists, and municipalities. We are unique in that we support arts organizations of all disciplines with their cultural infrastructure needs. Over the course of the pandemic, ABO has reflected on the current state of the arts in Ontario as the use and need for physical space has evolved.

We are excited to share with you today our new Strategic Plan for 2022-2025. The plan will guide ABO for the next three years with a re-energized Mandate, Mission and Vision:

Mandate: ArtsBuild Ontario provides the leadership and expertise needed to operate small to medium-sized arts and creative spaces in Ontario.

Mission: ArtsBuild Ontario supports small-medium-sized organizations across Ontario to build, finance, and manage their arts and creative spaces.

Vision: ArtsBuild Ontario strives for a thriving cultural sector with vibrant arts and creative spaces that are accessible to everyone.

The plan is guided by the following strategic directions:

1. Increase ABO’s relevance and impact by strengthening its connections to arts communities

2. Leverage existing successes and explore new approaches for creative spaces

3. Reflect the sector’s diversity to foster organizational growth

4. Demonstrate a healthy and robust financial position

Over the next three years, we will build on existing successes and develop our services around new models including digital infrastructure. We will strive to listen, reflect and deepen our connection with Ontario’s diverse communities to improve our services and cultivate partnerships alongside underrepresented groups. To support these goals, we will establish a healthy financial position to sustain ABO’s growth in the years to come.

We invite you to read and share ABO Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

We hope you will stay connected with ABO and be a part of the journey forward.

A Day in the Life is a blog series spotlights arts managers and their unique day to day experiences operating creative space. 

Author: Tatiana Doucette, Program Manager at ArtsBuild Ontario

Image Credit: John Spaulding Photography

As a non-profit arts organiztion, ArtsBuild Ontario (ABO) wears many hats. We’re an arts service organization that delivers programs, takes onprojects and advocates for the sector – but we also operate 44 Gaukel Creative Workspace, in partnership with the City of Kitchener. Each day brings a range of wins and challenges, , and while many spaces move through a third year of the pandemic,we thought we would share our  “day in the life” with our network of creative space managers!

I arrive at Gaukel at 8:30 each morning. After turning on all the lights, I head upstairs to brew a fresh pot of coffee andI do my morning walk through of the building. I check that our shared spaces like the Community Space and Rehearsal Space are returned back to normal from the previous nights rentals, make sure garbages are emptied, check the vending machine is stocked and make sure the building is tidy and ready for our renters and tenants.

Image Credit: John Spaulding Photography

With coffee in hand, I head back down and continue with our weekly to do list. Charging security cameras, checking custodial supply stock, and printing off weekly booking sheets are all part of maintaining smooth operations. Sometimes the building needs some extra love and we will put in a facilities request to the City of Kitchener if something needs a repair.

After that, time to answer emails. I respond to both ABO and 44 Gaukel emails and make sure that any tenant needs are taken care of. On average, we recieve approximately 30 emails per day from tenants, renters and the community. Ding dong! We get a ring at our doorbell. We accept mail and package delieveries for r tenants. I hand out whatever mail gets delivered and usually run into a tenant or two to chat with. I love getting to know tenants and listening to what they are working on. 

As the pandemic restrictions have eased, we have been very busy with tours and onboarding new tenants. This week alone, I had five tours of our space! If I have a tour, I am usually running around the building showing all of the different spaces, murals, and amenities 44 Gaukel has to offer. After a lunch break and (sometimes) a walk around Victoria Park, there is usually a meeting or two somewhere throughout the day. ABO has some new projects in the works and we are working on the next phase of the Indigenous Creative Spaces Project and preparing for round nine of the Creative Space Mentoring Network Program set to launch this Fall. 

Other adminstrative work includes making communications plans, social media posts, and e-news content. Around 3pm I like to stretch my legs and do another stroll around the building. We have tenants, like Artshine, who package their subscription boxes in the common area. Other tenants, like Good Company Productions, sublease other spaces in the building for video and photo shoots. Some days we have artists creating new music or teaching lessons. Other days, it might be quiet with no tenants around. We also often have street markets or other community events happening on Gaukel street. This summer, the City of Kitchener has been hosting events almost every weekend. No day or week is ever the same. 

By 4:30pm I wrap up.I leave the building and wonder what the next day will bring…

ArtsBuild Ontario (ABO) is committed to connecting our network with opportunities to access resources that increase capacity for the development of cultural infrastructure. 

On July 15th, 2022, ABO, along with our partners at DoGood Fundraising presented a webinar with an overview of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Capital Grant. Rohit Mehta, DoGood Fundraising’s Founder and President, discussed how arts organizations can leverage this capital grant with best practices for project proposals and preparing applications. 

This session was offered independently and in addition to OTF’s application supports, which include webinars and coaching calls. 

The Creative Spaces Mentoring Network 2021-22 (CSMN) is coming to a close at the end of June! 

CSMN 2021-22 provided an opportunity for leaders in the arts sector who are responsible for their spaces, focus on capital-related issues, or were seeking space, to come together with a mentor and develop their creative spaces project over the course of one year.

We wanted to extend our thanks to everyone who participated in the program: we have been so grateful to hear about how participants have developed their creative space projects over the past year! CSMN 2021-22 featured 16 mentor/mentee pairs, with pairs connecting virtually over Zoom from Haliburton, Hamilton, Lindsay, London, Toronto,  Vancouver, and more!

As the conclusion of this program draws closer, we would like to offer some reflections from mentors and mentees in this current iteration on their experience with the Creative Spaces Mentoring Network:

“This was a wonderful experience working with Ed Finlan as a mentee as I learned about the project he and his committee are working on as well as how their community is working towards an inclusive arts space.  I learned just as much as I hope he did.”

-Wendy Fairbairn, Mentor and General Manager of the Orillia Opera House

“Heart Comonos is a startup non-profit community engagement organization in Cooksville-Mississauga. We create events for all ages that are fun and fulfilling – like music, art and dance, park and neighbourhood cleanups, discussion groups, and projects that support people who are hurting. In the last 18 months, about 1500 people participated in approximately 45 events. We understand the value of mentorship as questions and issues come up about staff, volunteers, governance, funding, planning, programming, and long-term sustainability; thank you ArtsBuild Ontario for the gift of encouragement, and wise counsel through the mentorship of Olinda Casimiro over this very fast-paced start-up phase.”

-Hardy Steinke, Mentee and Executive Director of Heart Comonos

“Working closely with Hardy Steinke and the team at Heart Comonos has been a gift. Heart Comonos is an organization located in Cooksville-Mississauga communities, they are an inclusive, street-level organization that uses a community model of caring to walk alongside people who are hurting, lonely and isolated.  As a new grassroots organization who initiated a ‘pop-up hub’ concept to facilitate connection, they have started the conversation and are becoming a Neighbourhood Support Network where strategies – including support for mental health and wellness and promote social engagement and emotional healing through hands-on creative activities – all contributing to personal and community wellness. Their programs are making a difference – as they help to eliminate disparities in their community. I am grateful to have been connect to Hardy and his team –  thank you ArtsBuild Ontario!”

-Olinda Casimiro, Mentor and Executive Director of the Art Gallery of Northumberland

The next iteration of the Creative Spaces Mentoring Network will be launched in Fall 2022: keep updated by checking the program webpage and subscribing to our e-news for more info!

Today we celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day and honour the different languages, cultures and ceremonies that take place in communities across the country. 

We are reflecting on the history, resilience, diversity, and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in Canada. 

ArtsBuild Ontario continues to work towards creating an equitable and inclusive sector in which all communities can thrive. Today is an opportunity for Canadians to come together and learn how to be an ally in the journey forward. 

Three years ago, in hopes of finding a way to serve Indigenous communities in Ontario, the vision for the Indigenous Creative Spaces Project began to take shape. The project emerged out of a need to connect an ecology of artists, spaces and knowledge for Indigenous spaces in Ontario. To celebrate National Indigenous People’s Day, here are some of the organizations and spaces participating in the project! 

Debajehmujig Theatre Group

Debajehmujig was the first – and remains the only – professional theatre company located on a Reserve in Canada. They create original work based on an Anishnaabag/Chippewa Nation worldview and builds bridges between cultures, generations, and territories. They also support the development of Aboriginal artists in remote rural areas as well as cities. Since 2009, they have operated a purpose-built multi-arts centre in downtown Manitowaning.

Learn more about Debajehmujig Theatre Group.

Nozhem: First Peoples Performance Space

Nozhem is located in Peterborough on the campus of Trent University. Nozhem is unique to other performing venues in that their theatre is intended to be used “for ceremony, as a vessel to pour forth and nurture Aboriginal oral tradition, language, and knowledge.” Through this intimate setting, audience members are invited to develop an up-close and personal relationship with the many artists, singers, dancers, and performers.

Learn more about Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space.

Woodland Cultural Centre

Woodland is a multidisciplinary space which preserves, documents, educates and promotes the values, practices, language, national treasures and articles of both the past and contemporary First Nations of the Eastern Woodland area peoples. They offer a many programs and resources related to their museum, art gallery, and and library. 

Learn more about the Woodland Cultural Centre here. 

Aanmitaagzi/ Big Medicine Studio

Aanmitaagzi began through the convergence of the personal and professional histories of its core members, with the initiating vision of its co-founders. They determined tha Nipissing could be a home for research, development and creation of new works in dance, theatre and cross-disciplinary arts with both professional and community artists. Aanmitaagzi Collective was officially formed in 2008, and in 2010 it was incorporated as a provincial, not-for-profit organization.

Learn about Anamitaagzi here. 

Centre for Indigenous Theatre (CIT)

CIT is an institution offering a unique Indigenous cultural, theatre and performance training program. CIT contributes to the advancement of an Indigenous cultural economy and the arts, helping to mould young talent and professionals, organizing community presentations and workshops. They also work closely with alumni to share their learnings and their craft in a culturally appropriate and inviting setting.

Learn more about CIT here. 

Native Earth

Founded in 1982, Native Earth is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. For the first time in their history Native Earth is managing and operating their own vibrant venue: Aki Studio. The 120 seat black box theatre is situated in Daniels Spectrum, the revitalized arts and cultural centre in Regent Park. 

Learn about Native Earth here.