INNOVATION & RESILIENCE
IN CANADA’S CULTURAL SECTOR

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Centre des arts d'Edmundston

Edmundston, New BrunswickEdmundston (New Brunswick) Project: Plan de relance du secteur culturel
Discipline(s): dance, festivals, libraries, media arts, museums and galleries, music, reading, writing, publishing, theatre, visual arts

À peine trois mois après le début de la pandémie, le Centre des arts à initié une consultation publique de la communauté artistique pour assurer la relance du secteur culturel (arts, patrimoine, événements).

Special impacts:

Suite aux consultations publiques, une feuille de route a été développée, permettant ainsi d'identifier des axes stratégiques et des initiatives prioritaires pour la communauté culturelle. Le plan a aussi permit de rassembler de nombreux partenaires non-culturels pour appuyer la relance. Sans cette approche de concertation, il aurait été impossible de mettre en oeuvre tant de nouvelles initiatives. Notre secteur culturel est maintenant plus vivant que jamais.

Equity seeking: Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

STEPS Public Art

Toronto, OntarioToronto (Ontario) Project: CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency
Discipline(s): libraries, media arts, museums and galleries, reading, writing, publishing, visual arts, multidisciplinary

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed inequalities that leave out marginalized peoples and voices, particularly within public spaces. While STEPS has been dedicated to providing opportunities for these voices in regular programming, we saw an opportunity to further these efforts. Over the last 10 years in the field and through our participation on many public art selection committees, we have witnessed the disproportionate disadvantage that Black, Indigenous and other artists of colour have had in accessing large-scale public art opportunities. These opportunities begin with access to small to midsize portfolio building commissions. Our CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency offers its participants real world opportunities and experiences in creating public art works from conception through to realization. Through this unique program, STEPS celebrates creativity, diversity and inclusion through public art. CreateSpace builds the capacity of emerging BIPOC artists through a combination of technical skills training, targeted mentorships and networking.

Special impacts:

In 2020 STEPS launched CreateSpace, a national public art residency program providing emerging Black, Indigenous and racialized artists with the skills, relationships and practical experience needed to foster and develop skills in lasting public art practices. CreateSpace was open to early to mid-career Canadian-based visual and media artists working in public space. In total, ten artists were chosen from across Canada by a review panel composed of BIPOC members of the Canadian arts community. This first of kind program offered participants skill building, relationship fostering and networking opportunities, practical public art making experiences, introductions to new audiences and financial support.

As this is the pilot year of a multi-year program, the 2022 CreateSpace BIPOC Public Art Residency will build off the successes of its first year. The program strives to not only support individual artists, but to foster connections and cultivate conversation around social equity in city-building and design. It will foster solidarity amongst artists working in diverse contexts; between artists and their own communities, while also inspiring broader dialogue on representation in city-building processes.

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

Arts Council Wood Buffalo

Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, AlbertaFort McMurray Wood Buffalo (Alberta) Project: Buffys 2020: Arts Awards
Discipline(s): dance, media arts, museums and galleries, music, reading, writing, publishing, theatre, visual arts, multidisciplinary, arts education

The Buffys, also known as the Wood Buffalo Excellence in Arts Awards, is an annual program that recognizes and celebrates excellence in various areas of the arts and builds awareness of the incredible contribution artists make to Wood Buffalo. The Buffys invest in the future of our growing arts community by supporting our most exceptional artists through appreciation and employment opportunities, and by connecting artists to the wider community.

Special impacts:

Typically, the Buffys are a live, in-person event featuring live performances and presentations; however, with restrictions due to COVID-19, Arts Council Wood Buffalo adjusted the format of the awards showcase and turned it into an online cinematic experience that was pre-recorded and then broadcast for free on multiple platforms. Historically, the in-person showcase has reached an audience of about 400 people, but by offering it in an online format, the awards showcase reached an audience of over 14,000 households during the event premiere.

This story is special and impactful because the local arts community was featured to a much wider audience, which gave local artists a much wider reach to build their reputations despite restrictions due to the pandemic. After the event, local artists (award nominees, recipients and performers) were able to access the video as a legacy piece for their portfolios and continued promotion of their art forms. The Buffys provides artists with paid opportunities to showcase their work, and by moving the awards showcase to an online format, even more opportunities became available for artists to be paid for their work - this was especially important during a time when paid opportunities for artists had decreased significantly.

This was also the first time that the Buffys reached as far as Hollywood. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented virtually to Tantoo Cardinal, who is an Indigenous Canadian Actress from Anzac (a hamlet just south of Fort McMurray). Cardinal has been in feature films such as "Dances With Wolves," "Unforgiven," and "Legends of the Fall."

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

Randall Okita

Toronto, OntarioToronto (Ontario) Project: The Book of Distance
Discipline(s): media arts

Was working on a VR project before COVID happened. Idea of online viewing rooms and grappling with that through COVID, when demand for virtual content skyrocketed.

Source: Research

Link to website

Graham A. Brown

Vancouver, British ColumbiaVancouver (British Columbia) Project: COVID19 ART CHALLENGE
Discipline(s): media arts, reading, writing, publishing, visual arts, multidisciplinary

The goal from the very outset was to keep the art group at Barclay Manor connected during the lock-down.

Special impacts:

The COVID19 ART CHALLENGE, may not be that innovated but it is important for the small group of senior artist to keep in touch even if they do not submit a work of art for that weeks newsletter as of now July 13, I am getting the Week 40 underway, yes that is 40 weeks we have been sending this art challenge to our members. But that is not totally true we have attracted some poets and haiku writers to participate. Over the last 40 weeks I have seen a different side of the artist, and poets submissions. For some they have become more expressive allowing their inner ideas to come to the surface, and come out of their comfort circle and for a few this also means going across their cultural boarders. Having the distance helps. And for many seniors the acknowledgement that they have something to contribute.
For other artist they could learn what is most important the why they create, and do they have the courage to expose themselves.
At times you only hear me screaming yes when I see what a member has done, that brakes their comfort level. Let the bells ring out, for they have made this all worthwhile.

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

UKAI / Ferment

Toronto, OntarioToronto (Ontario) Project: Ferment
Discipline(s): media arts

Cutting-edge organization, blurring the edge of artistic creation, new business models. They may or may not have been able to generate revenues through their recent efforts.

Source: Research

Link to website

Arts Council Wood Buffalo

Fort McMurray, AlbertaFort McMurray (Alberta) Project: Music Video Collaboration
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

Collaborating with the spoken word band “All Imaginary”, they worked with film students to create an original music video.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

Yannis Lobaina

Toronto, OntarioToronto (Ontario) Project: Alive, Upside down series Photography
Discipline(s): media arts

My Goal is exhibit this collection, Alive, Upside Down, Is part of a series of experimental Digital poetry storytelling with mother nature as a protagonist. It's about the power of finding calmness in the chaos who surround us now globally.

Special impacts:

This year my series obtained the RBC Space Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, and thanks to this recognition I will be able to exhibit my photographic exhibition. Creating and persisting for our projects despite all the uncertainty that surrounds us and chaos, is in an act of resilience as an artist , mother and human being.

Equity seeking: Racialized
Source: Survey

Link to website

CAMMAC

Harrington, QuebecHarrington (Quebec) Project: Short Films
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

CAMMAC created six short films, a documentary and held virtual music workshops, lectures, concerts, a virtual choir and much more.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

STEPS Public Art

Toronto, OntarioToronto (Ontario) Project: INsiders
Discipline(s): dance, media arts, museums and galleries, theatre, visual arts, multidisciplinary

In the beginning of April, STEPS Public Art facilitated a national call for artists to create temporary public artworks in public-facing parts of their homes, gardens, balconies or courtyards. STEPS believed that during the pandemic, while we may be physically distanced, our desire to create, share and learn will always connect us together.

Artists were asked to consider the idea of public space and their sudden lack of access to it, exploring their public-facing private spaces and how the surrounding community could engage from a distance with their creative projects. We received an overwhelming response of 120 submissions in only two weeks.

STEPS supported ten artists from across Canada to bring eight projects to life. INsiders projects are diverse, ranging in materials and approaches from a front yard concert series with immersive set and costume design to an infinity room located in an empty storefront window that invites the public to both respond to and engage with an oversized COVID-19 disco ball. Selected artists represent both established and emerging practitioners and include Olivia and Hilary Wheeler (Victoria, BC), Michel Dumont (Thunder Bay, ON), Whyishnave Suthagar (Toronto, ON), Anna Camilleri (Toronto, ON) Somewherelse Collective (Toronto, ON), Taylor Boileau Davidson (Ottawa, ON), Tara Arnst (Lunenburg, NS), and Suzi Oram and Jordan Strong (Sydney, NS).

Special impacts:

INsiders was STEPS’ response to the Covd-19 pandemic, with a sole focus directed towards supporting artists, connecting communities and exploring public space during this uncertain time. The arts and culture communities are some of the hardest hit during the pandemic, with many artists, arts workers and producers suddenly out of work. Through INsiders, STEPS seeks to amplify the creative work taking place in public space across Canada. We continue to support artists to reimagine their communities over the pandemic recovery period.

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

Video Pool Media Arts Centre

Winnipeg, ManitobaWinnipeg (Manitoba) Project: Video Pool Media Arts Centre: Nurturing community of care to impact change in the artist-run centre model
Discipline(s): media arts
Read the story

Successful launch of first annual conference series on the topic of art and technology during COVID. Also: substantial amount of artistic programming of high quality. Overcame some challenges early in the pandemic. Accommodated artists' needs during COVID, e.g. equipment rental.

Special impacts:

Adapting to COVID conditions, but providing artist service despite COVID conditions. New conference launching potentially with the pandemic informing the online/virtual model for the long-standing conference.

Equity seeking: Racialized, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference
Source: Research

Link to website

Fredericton Playhouse

Fredericton, New BrunswickFredericton (New Brunswick) Project: InterMISSION Residency Program: Respond first, finetune later
Discipline(s): dance, media arts, music, theatre, multidisciplinary
Read the story

During COVID, we took the extended closure of the Fredericton Playhouse as an opportunity to collaborate with artists to develop and celebrate our local arts community. We adapted to the restrictions in mass gatherings by designing and executing InterMISSION (https://www.theplayhouse.ca/intermission/), a highly successful program of artistic residencies that allowed local performing artists to work and hone their craft, without audiences, in the Playhouse. Sixty-five artists, mentors, and videographers were paid to use our stage, equipment, and expertise in a series of twelve theatre, music, dance, and other creative residencies between September 2020 and March 2021.

Thanks to funding from the City of Fredericton, the Province of New Brunswick, the Fredericton Community Foundation, the government of Canada, and more than 75 private donors, InterMISSION provided much-needed financial assistance and a creative outlet for local performing artists and experts while their careers were on hold.

Special impacts:

InterMISSION was a resounding success. Our resident artists have been incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with our superbly experienced sound and lighting technical team, in our professional facility, with expert training from mentors with whom many of them have long sought to work. By supporting the artistic community in Fredericton and across New Brunswick during a time when most artists were out of work, this program created a positive social impact in our community by improving the mental health and quality of human life for not only the program participants but also the people who will share in the magic of their inspirational performances in the months and years to come. We aim to continue this program in future years and expand the engagement the Playhouse has with the artistic community in our region.

Source: Survey

Link to website

Ottawa Fringe Festival

Ottawa, OntarioOttawa (Ontario) Project: Undercurrents
Discipline(s): festivals, media arts, theatre, multidisciplinary

The goal of the project was to make original, contemporary performances with local artists. Undercurrents budgeted conservatively, but were blown away by the amount of support. They received just shy of 15, 000$ in revenue, and an additional 850$ in donations.

Special impacts:

Undercurrents presented 6 shows which were a mix of live-streamed and pre-recorded performances, as well as an audio drama and a performance that took place entirely through an app. Undercurrents used a pay what you can format for ticketing where patrons could choose tickets at 5$, 20$, 50$, 75$ and 100$. They expected ticket sale numbers to be mostly 5$ tickets, however, 5$ tickets only made up 36% of the sales (compared to 50% in 2020). This pay structure allowed Undercurrents to be much more accessible to the public.

Source: Survey

Link to website

Crazy 8s Film Festival

Vancouver, British ColumbiaVancouver (British Columbia) Project: Intensive, 8-day short filmmaking event
Discipline(s): media arts

Online pivot, detailed COVID-19 protocols for short filmmakers in 2021.

Source: Research

SpanicArts: Hispanic Association of Professional Artists Ltd.

Calgary, AlbertaCalgary (Alberta) Project: DesayunArte & DramatizArte
Discipline(s): dance, libraries, media arts, museums and galleries, music, reading, writing, publishing, theatre, visual arts, multidisciplinary

These two programs were developed by SpanicArts as an effort to innovate and adapt during the pandemic. The two events were adapted to be streamed online and keep the community engaged and connected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DESAYUNARTE:
DesayunArte begun in November 2019 with the purpose of bringing people closer to the visual arts. Each month, we invite members of the community to listen to an artist talk about a specific theme. The artists giving the talk are artists whose practices are related to the theme of each month. In the beginning, these artist talks were in person meetings, where people were able to meet each other, enjoy a cup of coffee and a quick breakfast while learning about art and engaging in meaningful conversations. The topics for the first three in- person sessions were:
Death through the Hispanic and LatinAmerican Vision. October 2019.
Music as a social expression in the Hispanic Culture. November 2019.
LainAmercian Women & Art March 2020.
With the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, SpanicArts had to find a way to keep the programming going and engage with the public. We decided to stream the programs online using Facebook Live. This meant of course that we could no longer meet in person and enjoy sharing a warm cup of coffee and croissants and thet we were unable to host the events in spaces dedicated to cultural activities. Nonetheless, bringing the programs to an online platform allowed us to reach a much wider audience, beyond the Calgary Community. We were able to expand our audience not only in Canada, but also internationally. We were able to invite artists from other places around the world to connect and participate with our local artists. We decided to host our events with one artist from our community and one artist from a different place, to create more opportunities for networking and discussion. By doing so, we realized that a new door had opened before our eyes: that of a fruitful exchange of realities from different communities all over the world. We now have SpanicArts members residing in many different parts of Canada.
DesyunArte has grown its audience and the possibilities have expanded since the beginning of the pandemic. As an organization, this challenge has also helped us to expand and grow our vision.
The themes for all the DesayunArte events we have held until now are:
1. Hispanic Theatre. April 25th, 2020
2. Art in the time of Covid. May 30th, 2020
3. Interculturality and Solidarity among communities. June 25th, 2020
4.Confined performance. July 27th, 2020
5. Artist Nature September 19th, 2020
6. Music in support of non violence. October 3rd, 2020
7. LatinAmercian Religious Art. November 2020
8. The gift of Art December 12th, 2020
9. Blue Monday Theatre. January 30th, 2021
10. Loving Art. February 20th, 2021
11. Feminist Art. March 20th, 2021
12. A world without art. April 17th, 2021
13. Behind the scene of creativity. May 29th, 2021
14. LGTBQ Art. June 26th 2021
15. Art in the field July 24th 2021

DRAMATIZARTE:
DramatizArte was scheduled to launch in March 2020. The project’s objective was to promote the reading of Theatre plays written by Hispanic authors, through dramatized readings in English or in Spanish to engage and nurture Hispanic reading amongst the new generations, to share the work and the plays of Hispanic theatre writers; and to promote and encourage the work of our local theatre performers and artists. This proposal was also developed as a way to minimize the cost of scene montage and rehearsals. Initially, the project was meant to be carried out in public libraries, where the public could join, with an entrance by donation, to help support the cast.
Once again, since the pandemic did not allow for those initial plans to take place, the event was moved to our online platforms, to be streamed via Facebook Live. To promote and support our members, half of the cast of each reading must be SpanicArts members. The event is held every two months and at the end of each reading there is a short interview to get to know the artists and ask them what they learned and experienced through the process of preparing for the event.
For the first event, we presented one scene from the play “Rosa de dos aromas” by Mexican writer Emilio Carballido.
In the March edition of DramatizArte we presented the short story “Unete Pueblo”, again from Mexican writer and playwright Emilio Carballido.
Performed by the theatre company “Latin Scenario”, the first organization to join SpanicArts as members. LatinScenario operates and is located primarily in Vancouver, BC.
The last edition of Desyunarte presented the play “Hamlet Mats”, performed by a theatre company based in Querétaro México. Thanks to the use of technology and online platforms, we were able to invite them to share their work, as well as helped them promote their work to the Canadian public.
So far, all the plays have been performed in Spanish, but we are considering the opportunity to present plays in English as well. We will continue to present plays from Hispanic writers and a cast with a minimum of 50% SpanicArts members.
We intend to be able to make these events in person as soon as possible to do so in a safe manner, hopefully by the Fall of 2021. We will also continue to stream the plays online to reach more public in the future.

Special impacts:

The future goals for DesayunArte is to continue attracting new public from different parts of the world and to obtain funding to be able to pay our artists a fee for their participation.
DramatizArte is an event that does not require as big a time commitment from the participants (actors and director) as an in-person theatrical performance (rehearsing, several functions). The budget is also smaller given that the play is presented online and the scenography can be digital as well.
DramatizArte is a project that allows us to create a platform for our theatre artists, many of whom do not speak English, giving them an opportunity to learn and engage with a new audience.
The future goals for DramatizArte are to present the plays in person once it is safe to do so, and to pay the cast of performing artists participating with the donations received during the functions.
This event opens the opportunity to collaborate with other theatre groups from other communities across Canada and other countries, like we did with the theatre company Los Focos, from Queretaro, Mexico.
Lastly, DramatizArte is an attractive opportunity to Hispanic playwrights to submit their work for consideration and possibly become featured in our event. SpanicArts wants to help these artists by promoting and making their work known to a wider audience worldwide.

Equity seeking: Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+
Source: Survey

Link to website

Arts Council Wood Buffalo & St. Aidan's Society

Fort McMurray, AlbertaFort McMurray (Alberta) Project: Art of Conversation
Discipline(s): media arts, music, reading, writing, publishing, visual arts

From May to December 2020, artists engaged in conversations over the phone with seniors or Elders. The artists created new pieces of art using that conversation as their muse. Arts Council Wood Buffalo then purchased those art pieces from the artists and gifted them to the seniors or Elders with whom they were made. Arts Council also offered seniors and Elders with an art supply kit for those who wanted to create art in addition to conversing with a local artist.

Special impacts:

The goal of Art of Conversation was to connect isolated seniors and Elders with local artists to have conversations, and then create art based on those conversations. Planned months before the pandemic became a reality, Art of Conversation was meant to be a face-to-face workshop between artists, seniors and Elders. COVID-19 prevented those in-person meetings from happening, but the pandemic has made the program more important than ever.

Arts are critical to connecting people and filling them with mental, emotional and physical well-being. Art of Conversation is intended to support good health, while also providing paid opportunities for artists to create their work. This project also served a a reminder of the important role of seniors and Elders in the community.

The program’s inaugural run created 29 art pieces that included songs, paintings, poems and even a balloon sculpture. Some of the stories told through the artistic pieces were new even to volunteers at St. Aidan’s Society, many of whom had known the seniors for years.

To celebrate this project, Arts Council created an online virtual gallery which features the artwork created through the Art of Conversation. The project was so successful that we secured funding from Suncor Energy and the federal government’s New Horizons program to run Art of Conversation again in 2021.

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

re:Naissance Opera

Vancouver, British ColumbiaVancouver (British Columbia) Project: Orpheus VR project: Pushing the limits of opera
Discipline(s): opera, media arts
Read the story

Choose-your-own-adventure virtual reality opera

Equity seeking: Racialized
Source: Research

Link to website

Hands on Media Education

Laval, QuebecLaval (Quebec) Project: I Belong Project
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

Hands On Media led virtual critical thinking and digital citizenship workshops to special needs adults and others.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

TOPO

Montréal, QuebecMontréal (Quebec) Project: Formations numériques en art médiatique
Discipline(s): media arts

Développement des cannaux de communication, de la performance sur les médias sociaux lors de la pandémie

Source: Research

Link to website

Kiran Ambwani

Montréal, QuebecMontréal (Quebec) Project: Kiran Ambwani’s Can-Asian Artistic Resilience project: Photography in solidarity with the Asian community
Discipline(s): visual arts, media arts
Read the story

Artiste asiatique qui a utilisé son temps pour monter un projet qui recueille 135 témoignages d'artistes asiatiques et canadiens à travers le Canada pour en savoir plus sur leur expérience de la pandémie et comment ils ont adapté leur pratique artistique

Special impacts:

Elle raconte l'histoire de plusieurs artistes asiatiques qui ont dû faire face à la crise et à une vague de racisme.

Equity seeking: Racialized
Source: Research

Link to website

École Alternative de la tortue-des-bois

Saint-Mathieu-du-Parc, QuebecSaint-Mathieu-du-Parc (Quebec) Project: Balado par les élèves de maternelle à la 6ème année
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

Created podcasts with students from kindergarten through to grade 6.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

Vancouver Arts Colloquium Society, Keiko Honda

Vancouver, British ColumbiaVancouver (British Columbia) Project: Project Terakoya
Discipline(s): media arts, reading, writing, publishing, multidisciplinary, community arts

The project Terakoya is an intergenerational learning and collaboration that is a unique approach to bridging the generational gap. Students (high school to university) and older adults to get a chance to form connections through shared experiences and projects. Older adults will play a vital role by sharing their wisdom and life stories, while students will learn valuable practical and emotional skills from working with older adults, such as group co-leadership, self-confidence, and emotional maturity. The older adults may also learn social networking skills and etiquette from the students.

Special impacts:

After harvesting the goodness and challenges of 2020 and this year, I would like to keep coming back to Goethe’s participatory method that allows us to see a thing that is perhaps hiding in plain sight all along. And go out to nature more. Our true legacy for further generations is to leave nature accessible to the next generations so that they can actively participate to come into being. And in that, I see what is art for.

Equity seeking: Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, D/deaf, disabled, or live with difference, Members of official language minority groups
Source: Survey

Link to website

City of Pickering

Pickering, OntarioPickering (Ontario) Project: Selfie Stations featuring Public Art and Cultural Space
Discipline(s): festivals, media arts, visual arts

With public events on hold over the summer, we designed, fabricated, and installed 5 selfie stations throughout Pickering that feature a background view of Public Art and Cultural Spaces that will allow and encourage residents and visitors to still go and visit their favorite locations in Pickering and create their own experience while social distancing. These 5 locations will be moved throughout the summer, and can be rebranded to suit our needs going forward.

Special impacts:

We are showcasing Public Art, and the multitude of Cultural Spaces available to encourage our community leaders to come back to hosting events of all sizes again in 2022, and to show Artist around the province that we appreciate the work of all artists, and will continue to showcase installations as key elements of our community.

Source: Survey

Link to website

Creative Lab North

Whitehorse, YukonWhitehorse (Yukon) Project: Creative Lab North
Discipline(s): media arts

CLN is an initiative to create a physical building to house a variety of innovation tech, tackling some of the biggest challenges in the region, such as internet access, limited training and talent, and others.

Source: Research

Link to website

Sparkin' Art

Gray-Bruce Region, OntarioGray-Bruce Region (Ontario) Project: Release the Fire Within
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

Created a digital choose-your-own-adventure with non-urban youth.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

Sheridan College

Oakville, OntarioOakville (Ontario) Project: Arts degree program remote pivot
Discipline(s): media arts, theatre, visual arts

When the pandemic forced the closure of post-secondary campuses across North America, faculty in Sheridan's Illustration and Music Theatre degree programs needed to quickly find ways to still deliver quality learning experiences online. The Illustration program found a way to teach drawing — a skill that had always been taught through in-person observation — remotely via a multiple-camera setup that provided multiple views of form. Meanwhile, the Music Theatre program quickly pivoted from in-person rehearsals to Zoom in order to continue workshopping of a musical and ultimately produced a recording of the musical's opening number that featured every student in the cast.

Special impacts:

Both the Illustration and Music Theatre degree programs thought quickly, creatively and innovatively to provide valuable and meaningful learning experiences in a remote environment. In Illustration's case, students were given a unique experience that prepared them for remote work in the future, and faculty learned ways that technology could complement their studio settings even after program delivery returns to an in-person format. Music Theatre's ability to pivot to remote rehearsals within 10 days of the suspension of in-person learning enabled the advancement of a new Canadian musical while providing students and staff with artistic satisfaction, unique experience and new perspective on how online rehearsal could be a valuable tool in the future shaping of theatre.

Source: Survey

Link to website

COSIMU

Montreal, QuebecMontreal (Quebec) Project: Échange interculturel. fonofone
Discipline(s): media arts, arts education

Working with an Innu artist, two high school classes participated in an intercultural exchange through new technology.

Source: Canadian Network for Arts and Learning

Link to website

Unscripted Twillingate: Digital Arts Festival

Twillingate, Newfoundland and LabradorTwillingate (Newfoundland and Labrador) Project: Unscripted Twillingate
Discipline(s): media arts

Four-day festival featuring music performances, visual art, & workshops. Partnerships with local restaurants, providing safe dinner pick-up for evening
entertainment.

Source: Research

Link to website