(TORONTO, ON) THE GATHERING DIVERGENCE MULTI-ARTS FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE has been a powerful, positive and supportive convening of arts practitioners geared towards sharing strategies in the engagement of indigenous, racialized, deaf, disabled and mad, women and other historically – marginalized artists and communities. This year, Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference SPRING 2022 | Moulding The Future: Rethinking Strategies for the Arts Sector Now will address emergent ways of rethinking the sector as we emerge out of the pandemic, focusing on the responsibility of the sector to strategize, implement supportive systems that benefit IBPOC artists / organizations and the Arts Sector at large.

The festival / conference focused on varying topics within the Arts sector grounded in the transformative change through a cross-sectoral understanding of Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity. Through panels, workshops, exhibitions and showcases encouraging divergence across arts practices, collaboration and professional development shaped within the sensibilities of art making and networking of IBPOC artists and organizations.

Why Divergence? We are curious about the intersection of thought, conversation and performance. The Gathering Divergence Multi Arts Festival and Conference is  envisioned as a space to gather, diverge with diversity and intersect on the many aspects of the performing arts and  the  Arts sector. The festival and conference invites participants from across the world and the Canadian arts sector investigating intersections of artistic / organizational practices grounded in EDIP (Equity, Diversity, Inclusivity towards Pluralism) Divergence is a key component of critical thinking.

A varied offering over 3 days, the  festival and conference will feature performances, literary readings, online visual arts exhibition and creative investigations from diverse practices. A publication session  on an Anthology of Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation: Thoughts from Artists / Arts Workers / Organizations in the Canadian Arts Ecology continues the conversation on the need for sectoral change centering the voice of IBPOC visionaries for the Arts sectors future. Featured articles (previously published / written) will complement articles from invited contributors from all performing arts and visual arts disciplines,  digital / media arts and arts administration.

Save the date! May 10 – May 13, 2022 
Tuesday, May 10 & Thursday, May 12 via Zoom
Friday, May 13 in-person at Small World Music Centre with live stream! 
Address: Artscape Youngplace, 180 Shaw St, Toronto, ON M6J 2W5

Stay tuned for more information and registration coming soon! 

As you know we have been fundraising for both — our last Gathering Divergence in December 2021 and for our upcoming Gathering Divergence in May 2022. Help us showcase more IBPOC artists and arts administrators by contributing today!
https://gofund.me/3f9402a9