This project is led by arts leaders from a collective of arts organizations, funders, capacity builders and policy advocates who are shaping the project’s trajectory. Members include representatives from:
- Toronto Arts Council
- City of Toronto
- Toronto Metropolitan University
- Infrastructure Institute through U of T’s School of Cities
- OCAD U’s Cultural Policy Hub
- Creative Collisions
This project is guided by an advisory committee composed of:
Terri-Lynn Brennan, Inclusive Voices
Dr. Terri-Lynn Brennan combines a 30-year professional career in culture and education, with national to global experiences living and working on 4 continents, across 12 countries. Terri currently services clients through her company, Inclusive Voices Incorporated, and holds a senior leadership role at Ontario Presents. Terri proudly identifies as mixed Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) and British where her people come from Six Nations of the Grand River.
Oliver Pauk, Akin Collective
Oliver Pauk is a practicing visual artist and the Founder and Director of Akin, Toronto’s artist-run creative workspace. He holds an Honours BA, Specialist in Economics from the University of Toronto. oliverpauk.com
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Nevine Sedki, Radio Artist and Community Organizer
Nevine Sedki is a seasoned Resource Mobilizer and Nonprofit Director with over 25 years of experience in philanthropy, equity, and community engagement within the arts and social impact sectors. Nevine is committed to using the arts as a powerful tool for systemic social change and mobilizing community-centric support for arts and social justice initiatives, fostering transformative change through the intersection of creativity, advocacy and activism. A music enthusiast, she also channels her passion as a DJ and radio host with over two decades of experience, sharing her love for diverse sounds and musical storytelling with listeners.
Robin Sokoloski, Mass Culture
Robin Sokoloski is Co-Founder and Director of Programming and Research of Mass Culture (www.massculture.ca), a not-for-profit, national consortium of over 1000 arts organizations in Canada, which advances research on arts and culture. As a renowned arts leader known for her capacity to mobilize cross-sector collaborations with academics, funders, and arts practitioners to support a thriving arts community, Robin has stewarded major convenings such as ASOs: Positioning a Future Forward. Robin has provided consultation services on research development, program design, and evaluation for organizations such as the Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Council Newfoundland, Dance Umbrella Ontario, and the Association for Opera in Canada. Currently, Robin sits on the Board of the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Centre for Free Expression’s Steering Committee.
Sean Lee, Tangled Art + Disability
Sean Lee (he/they) is an artist, curator and currently the Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disabilityexploring the assertion of disability art as the last avant-garde. Orienting towards a “crip horizon”, his practice explores the transformative possibilities of access aesthetics as an embodied politic that can desire the ways disability disrupts.
Tonya Surman, Centre for Social Innovation
Tonya Surman is a leading social entrepreneur in Canada, known for her visionary ideas and collaborative models that drive systemic change for people and the planet. She co-founded the Centre for Social Innovation, which has supported over 6,000 initiatives, and developed the Constellation Model, a framework used globally for impactful partnerships. Additionally, she created the Community Bond, a pioneering social finance tool that has raised over $10 million to support social entrepreneurs. Currently, she is leading significant organizational changes at CSI amidst a major transformation in the commercial real estate sector.
Robert Sauvey, Dance Umbrella of Ontario
Robert Sauvey has an extensive background in arts and cultural leadership positions and is currently the Executive Director (ED) of the Dance Umbrella of Ontario. Previously, he was the (ED) of Dancemakers the second oldest contemporary dance company in Ontario. His experience in dance also includes over five years as the Director of Touring and Artistic Administration for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
This project is made possible with support from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Questions? Email programs@artsbuildontario.ca
