The Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference Spring 2026

May 12, 14 and 15, 2026

Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre

877 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4W 3M2

This three-day hybrid festival and conference centers Indigenous, Black, racialized, Deaf, disabled, Mad, women, and other historically marginalized artists and arts communities.

Join us for From EDI to What? The Changing Landscape of Equity and Inclusion in the Arts
Part of Gathering Divergence Spring 2026

📅 May 15 at 10:30 AM
📍 Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre + via Zoom

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) has become a central framework for how many organizations—including those in the arts—approach accountability, representation, access, and impact. In the arts sector, this work shapes not only who is supported, but whose stories are told and how audiences engage with them. At its core, EDI aims to focus on addressing systemic inequities, expanding access to opportunity, and fostering environments where differences are not only acknowledged but meaningfully supported.

At the same time, we are seeing a scaling back of EDI commitments in some institutions, from reduced funding to shifts in priorities or language. This raises important questions: Are arts organizations refining their approaches, or stepping away from accountability? And what does this mean for artists, cultural workers, and the communities they serve?

This shifting landscape raises important questions:

• What does it mean to sustain EDI efforts in a time of constraint or controversy?
• Are organizations reassessing strategy—or retreating from accountability?
• How do we distinguish between meaningful integration of EDI principles and symbolic or performative efforts?

This panel brings together diverse perspectives to explore what is changing, what is at stake, and how EDI can be sustained with clarity and purpose in a shifting landscape.

Moderator: Kevin A. Ormsby
Speakers: Tamla Matthews, Nathaniel Hanula-James, and Dharmini Thirukumaran

Join us online or in person

• Tuesday, May 12 – Online only
  Register: https://Gathering-Divergence-Spring-2026.eventbrite.ca
• May 14–15 – In person at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre
  Register: https://tapestryopera.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SOF000002aPZp2AM
• May 14–15 – Online
  Register: https://Gathering-Divergence-Spring-2026.eventbrite.ca

Tickets

• General Admission: $20
• Artist / Arts Worker / Accessibility Pricing: $15

If ticket prices are a barrier to attending, please email info@cpamo.org to request a complimentary ticket.

Accessibility: 

Online:  Otter closed captions will be available 

In person: the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre: all spaces are accessible to most; many are barrier-free. For more information: https://jackmanperformance.ca/how-to-find-us/

Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, the City of Toronto, and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.