Culture Days Workshops Offered Across Ontario

Toronto, ON, (April 30, 2012) – Culture Days (Ontario) is offering skills development opportunities for artists, professional and volunteer-run cultural groups, libraries, museums, municipalities and anyone wishing to present an activity during the cross-Canada celebration of arts and culture next September 28-30. A variety of workshops will take place in communities from mid-April to early June to help participants increase the impact and success of their Culture Days activities.

2012 Culture Days Workshops in Ontario include:

A one-day French-language symposium on May 25, exploring topics related to community arts, outreach and arts education will be presented at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. This unique event is produced in partnership with Québec’s Culture pour tous (producers of Les Journées de la culture), the Fédération culturelle canadienne-français and the National Arts Centre. 

More than 20 Information sessions in communities across Ontario hosted by community arts councils and municipalities. Culture Days staff will share tools and resources and facilitate networking and collaboration in the community.

EVENT DETAILS

Cultural Mediation Symposium

This one-day symposium will bring together stakeholders in the Franco-Ontarian community in the National Capital Region to discuss the concept of “la médiation culturelle” – an expression current in Québec that brings together ideas of community art practices, arts education, audience development and outreach strategies. The symposium will present various positions on cultural mediation, and focus on initiatives undertaken by arts, community, and municipal groups. Attendance is free but requires pre-registration, please click here to RSVP.

Date	Time	City	Location
May 25	8:30am – 5pm	Ottawa	National Arts Centre

Information Sessions

Communities throughout the province are hosting Culture Days information sessions, which will offer  tools, tips and resources for Culture Days activity organizers. Early info sessions have already been held in London, Stratford, Cornwall, Kitchener and Mimico. Info sessions bring together artists, arts and cultural groups, municipal staff, community arts councils, business improvement associations, local media and other people interested in forging collaborations to organize Culture Days 2012 activities. All info session are free. The following information sessions have been scheduled:

Date	Time	City	Location
April 30	6:00pm	Niagara Falls	MacBain Community Centre
May 2	6:30pm	Hamilton	Hamilton Public Library
May 3	6:30pm	Brantford	Brantford Public Library
May 7	5pm	Barrie	City Hall Rotunda
May 8	3:30pm (CDT)	Red Lake	Chukuni Communities Development Corporation (Webinar)
May 10	2pm	Windsor	Windsor and Region Arts Council
May 15	10am	Durham County	The Regional Municipality Of Durham Headquarters
May 16	5pm	Mississippi Mills	Mississippi Valley Textile Museum
May 17	7pm	Smiths Falls	Railway Museum of Eastern Ontario
May 23	3pm (bilingual) 5:30 (bilingual)	Sudbury	Art Gallery of Sudbury Tom Davies Square
May 24	2pm	North Bay	North Bay City Hall
May 24	2pm	Ottawa	Arts Court
May 28	3pm	Etobicoke	Arts Etobicoke
May 28	5:30pm	Mississsauga	Mississauga Civic Centre
May 29	6:30pm	North York	North York Civic Centre
May 30	1pm	Peterborough County	Douro Community Centre
May 31	2pm 6:30pm	Thunder Bay	Thunder Bay Public Library – Mary J L Black Branch Thunder Bay Art Gallery
June 4	12pm	Trent Hills	Trent Hills Public Library – Campbellford Branch
June 4	4pm	Cobourg	Northumberland County Economic Development & Tourism
June 5	6:30pm	Guelph	Guelph Arts Council
June 6	7:00pm	Oakville	Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre
June 7	4pm	Kingston	Kingston Art Council
TBC	TBC	Kenora	TBC (Webinar)

ABOUT CULTURE DAYS

Culture Days invites everyone to explore, discover and participate in arts and culture in every community across the country. In 2011, the second annual Culture Days event took place in more than 800 Canadian cities and towns, with attendance topping 1.2 million Canadians. Last year, more than 1265 activities were presented across Ontario, a 36% increase over the first year’s participation levels.

This year’s Culture Days weekend will take place on September 28, 29 and 30, 2012. Once again, the event will feature free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public to participate “behind the scenes”—and to discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators, and designers at work in their community. To learn more, please visit www.culturedays.ca.

Each province has a Culture Days coordinator to help those interested in organizing their Culture Days activities. The Ontario Arts Council’s (OAC) involvement in Culture Days includes hiring Catherine McLeod as Ontario’s Culture Days Animator/Coordinator for the next six months. Working in partnership with Aubrey Reeves, Culture Days Ontario Manager and the volunteer Ontario Culture Days Task Force, Ms. McLeod’s primary role is to provide advice to Ontario-based communities, artists, arts groups and municipalities interested in organizing activities for Culture Days.

Early-registration continues until April 30. Individuals and organizations are invited to register one or more activity before April 30 to be featured in a national Globe and Mail advertisement. To register a Culture Days activity or to see who has already joined the movement, visit www.culturedays.ca

For more details about Ontario Culture Days announcements please visit: www.on.culturedays.ca.

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For more information about Culture Days in Ontario:

Catherine McLeod
OAC Culture Days Animator/Coordinator
(416) 961-1660 ext.5124
1-800-387-0058 ext. 5124
on@culturedays.ca  | www.culturedays.ca

Aubrey Reeves
Ontario Culture Days Manager
aubreyreeves@culturedays.ca
(416) 646-7469
1-800-387-0058 ext. 7469

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Culture Days in Ontario is supported by the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Government of Ontario in recognition of Celebrate the Artist Weekend.

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) is the province of Ontario’s primary funding body for professional arts activity. Since 1963, OAC has played a vital role in promoting and assisting the development of the arts and artists for the enjoyment and benefit of Ontarians.