The Gathering
Celebrating 10 years of showcasing, convening and support for equity and pluralism in the Arts
Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) celebrates 10 years of working with providing services to and facilitating learning forums for artists and arts organizations in equity, diversity, inclusivity and pluralism. Through centering their work around empowering the arts communities of Ontario with a focus on galvanizing opportunities for Indigenous and racialized professionals and organizations, CPAMO will convene the arts community around a four day event, The Gathering: Celebrating 10 years of showcasing, convening and supporting equity and pluralism in the Arts. The first day of the Gathering will feature the Black Arts Mentorships session and the Nia Center for the Arts, for more information about all four-day please visit our website www.cpamp.org.
The Gathering: Conversations with Local Arts Services Organizations
Tuesday, May 28, 2019 | 2-6pm
CSI Daniel Spectrum
585 Dundas Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 2B7
Panel General Admission: $10
Register on Native Earth’s Box office.
Curated by Parul Pandya in collaboration with Muse Arts, East End Arts, Art Starts, Scarborough Arts, North York Arts, Urban Arts, Arts Etobicoke, Lakeshore Arts, and Jumblies Theatre.
With the involvement of the leaders of local arts services organizations and other dynamic community-based arts organizations, this session will explore the important role such grassroots organizations play in connecting marginalized and other communities in the arts.
Participants: Ruth Howard, Jumblies Theatre | Paola Gomez, MUSE Arts | Shana Hillman, East End Arts | Bruce Pitkin, Art Starts | Lila Karim, North York Arts | Wendy Rading, Arts Etobicoke | Kim Dayman, Lakeshore Arts | Marlene McKintosh, UrbanArts | Derek Spooner, Scarborough Arts | Performance by Shaunga Tagore Theatre.
Bios:
Ruth Howard is the founding Artistic Director of Jumblies Theatre. Since 2001, she and Jumblies have created multi-year residencies in a series of Toronto neighbourhoods, resulting in large-scale productions and lasting Offshoots. Ruth has worked across Canada and in the UK as a theatre designer; created many projects combining visual, literary, performing arts, oral history research and community-engagement; taught at many universities, colleges and schools; mentored many artists, projects and organizations; and won awards and recognition for her work. Some of her recent projects with Jumblies include the 2016 Train of Thought tour, the 2017 Touching Ground Festival of new works, the Four Lands touring project in 2017/18, in 2019: Odaabanaaag, a collaboration with Soundstreams and composers Melody & Beverley McKiver,Who Knew? with a Jewish seniors’ centre in North York, and Grounds for Goodness, an exploration of social hope. Many years ago, Ruth graduated from the University of Toronto and the National Theatre School of Canada.
Paola Gomez is a trained human rights lawyer, community organizer, artist facilitator, writer and dreamer. A member of PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile, Paola is involved in causes such as ending violence against women and forced migration, as well as community engagement.
Paola is the co-founder and Program Director of Muse Arts (a.k.a Sick Muse Art Projects). In this role, she has developed an innovative way of integrating conversations about identity, inclusion and community engagement into community art programs. She facilitates creative writing workshops for women who are survivors of sexual violence and promotes reconciliation and acceptance through arts for Colombians affected by years of armed conflict in the region. Paola is also the Director of Happening Multicultural Festival.
Paola was awarded the 2008 Toronto Community Foundation Vital People grant in recognition of her exceptional community initiatives. The Canadian Centre of Victims of Torture (CCVT) awarded Paola with the Amina Malko Award for her work in supporting refugee women in Canada, the 2016 City of Toronto Human Rights Constant E. Hamilton on the Status of Women and most recently the 2018 Pioneers of Change Excellence in the Arts from Skills for Change for her work in supporting newcomer and refugee communities through Community Arts initiatives.
Shana Hillman is an Arts Manager with over 18 years experience in audience development, marketing, fundraising and program development. Hillman joined the staff of East End Arts in March 2017. In addition to her work with East End Arts, Shana has been the Producer for Hari Krishnan and his company inDANCE for over 17 years. Previously, she has held positions at Kaeja d’Dance, Creative Trust, Dance Umbrella of Ontario, Toronto Dance Theatre, Sony Centre and the Banff Centre. An active volunteer, Shana is President of Small Print Toronto, an organization that stages interactive literary events for children, and is also a member of the steering committees of ArtsVote and Arts Day at the City.
Bruce Pitkin, Executive Director, Art Starts. As a theatre artist with international experience and a community perspective, Bruce is a true believer in the power of art as a form of expression and a means to empowerment. After earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in performance from York University, Bruce performed, directed, produced, and taught in Japan, Germany, the United States, and Canada. He was the Artistic Director at both the Acting Academy (Munich) and the International Michael Chekhov School of Acting (Munich), and taught Shakespeare, Scene Study and Audition Technique at the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto from 2007-2013. In 2013, he was named in NOW Magazine’s Top Ten Artists to Watch for his directing work. He comes to Art Starts after five years as Executive Director of Theatre Ontario.
Lila Karim is the founding Executive Director of North York Arts. Over her 17-year career in the cultural sector, Lila has worked for several non-profit arts organizations including the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, ReelWorld Film Festival and The Harold Greenberg Fund. Lila has held various roles including artistic producer and programmer. Through community and commercial partnerships, Lila has helped generate upwards of 500,000 cultural patrons and has created opportunities for artists and cultural-leaders to thrive. Lila is a digital photographer with a B.A.A. in photographic arts from Ryerson University. Her work has been exhibited in Toronto, and she regularly serves on visual arts juries.
Wendy Rading is currently the Interim Executive Director at Arts Etobicoke. She has worked in the not-for-profit arts for the past decade, starting with building community at Artscape and the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga. At Arts Etobicoke as the Gallery and Program Manager, she transformed the Storefront gallery into a bustling artist community space with diverse exhibitions and artist talks. As well, she coordinated skilled artist facilitators to provide dynamic art programs for kids, adults and seniors. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Wendy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Recreation Studies from the University of Manitoba and a post graduate diploma in Arts Administration and Culture Development from Humber College. Wendy aspires to build healthy and vibrant communities by using the arts as a catalyst and to support and nurture emerging and professional artists, highlighting the benefits they bring to individuals, communities and the city.
Kim Dayman is an artist, arts advocate and cultural leader. As an OCADU Alumni she strongly believes in community engagement, social justice and that art is a unifying language. For the past four years Kim has worked as Program Manager with Lakeshore Arts and has seen the organization through a period of substantial growth. Her work with the LASO’s as well as past positions with organizations such as Art Starts and The Living Arts Centre her career has focusing on community arts development outside of Toronto’s downtown core. Chosen as one of the Toronto Arts Council’s Cultural Leaders in 2018 Kim believes in increasing equity through critical and reflecting thinking and that artists play an important role in political advocacy and civic engagement.
Marlene McKintosh has been the Executive Director of UrbanArts since 2008. Having worked with some of Toronto’s most notable organizations for over 25 years, Marlene has a solid background and expertise in arts administration, non-profit management, organizational development & capacity building, advocacy, training and employment services for multiple stakeholders. With a passion for youth and the arts, Marlene works tirelessly to ensure young people have access to quality programs and services and that their voices are included in the decision-making process. Marlene is a recipient of the Black Business & Professional Association’s (BBPA) 2015 Woman of Honour Award for excellence in service to the community.
Derek Spooner, M.A., is a non-profit, management and fundraising professional with a strong background in program and fund development, operations, communications, and marketing. Currently, Derek is the Executive Director of Scarborough Arts, one of Toronto’s six Local Arts Service Organizations mandated to bring arts and cultural services to under-served communities outside the downtown core. Derek has built dynamic, profitable fundraising teams throughout his career, including $9.04M in fulfilled gifts between 2011 – 2016 for the Toronto International Film Festival, Save The Children Canada, The New England Aquarium, The Boston Museum of Science, The Chicago Memorial Children’s Hospital and Mirvish Theatre Productions.
Performance by Shaunga Tagore Theatre:
Shaunga Tagore is a queer multidisciplinary, multidimensional creator. She is a storyteller & astrologer living, working and loving in Tkaronto. Her last play, Letters to the Universe was presented at The Theatre Centre in 2017, with an exploration presented in 2017’s CPAMO gathering Her work explores themes of survivorship, hero/queeroism, and the tangling of memoir, fantasy, mythology, non-linear time and parallel dimensions. She is also invested in building a language, community and practice around theatre as ritual. Currently, Shaunga is developing a new original musical titled Otherworldly Giants – a story about the outer planets coming to life as everyday humans. She is excited to present an early exploration of this new work at CPAMO’s 10th year anniversary celebration.
The Gathering on May, 21 and May 27-29 is in collaboration with:
Accessibility: Aki Studio Theatre, CSI and Regent Park Film Festival are accessible. Nia Centre for the Arts is partially accessible.
We aim to host a fragrance-free event. Please do not wear perfume, cologne, or other scented products.
Kevin A. Ormsby. Program Manager of Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO), Kevin is also the Artistic Director of KasheDance, movement coach and Arts Marketing Consultant. The Ontario Arts Council’s Chalmers Fellowship recipient (2017), KM Hunter Dance Award Nominee (2016), Toronto Arts Council’s Cultural Leaders Lab Fellow (2015) and The Canada Council for the Arts’ Victor Martyn Lynch – Staunton Award 2014 recipient for outstanding achievement by a mid career artist, he has many interests in the creative practice and administration in dance. He has honed his passion for dance, advocacy, writing and education while performing with various companies and projects in Canada, the Caribbean and the United States.
Roshanak Jaberi is an Iranian-Canadian performer, choreographer, producer, and the Artistic Director of Jaberi Dance Theatre (JDT). She creates inter-disciplinary work that focuses on the intersection of art and social justice. Jaberi has a research informed artistic practice that values collaboration, community, experimentation, risk-taking and knowledge sharing. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from York University and has presented her work in Canada, US, and Europe.
Sashar Zarif is a multi-disciplinary artist, educator and researcher whose practice invites a convergence of creative and cultural perspectives, steeped in traditional, ritualistic, and contemporary dance and music of Western/Central Asia. He has toured in over 36 countries promoting cultural dialogue through fieldwork, residencies, performances, and creative collaborations.
Laurence Lemieux is a choreographer, performer, presenter, teacher and artistic director of Citadel + Compagnie. Born in Québec City in 1964, Lemieux trained as a gymnast before approaching dance. She began studying ballet in 1979 and demonstrated such promise that one year later, Ludmilla Chiriaeff, founder of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, invited her to continue her dance education at the company’s school in Montreal, where she progressed quickly under the tutelage of Ballet Master Daniel Seillier. During a summer workshop run by the Banff Centre, Lemieux met choreographer David Earle, who was working on his masterpiece, Sacra Conversazione. Under Earle’s instruction, she began learning Graham technique, an approach well suited to the young dancer, and in 1984 she followed Earle to Toronto to study with Toronto Dance Theatre (TDT). She joined the company in 1986, dancing for founders Earle, Peter Randazzo and Patricia Beatty, and later for Christopher House. Her 1998 performance in House’s Cryptoversa earned Lemieux the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Best Performance in Dance.
Nova Bhattacharya studied bharatnatyam technique in Toronto with Menaka Thakkar. An eloquent performer, she is described by the press as “sly and dreamily contemplative” (Now Magazine), a “contained goddess” (Globe & Mail), and a “mischievous visitor from another world…” (Märksiche Allemeine). Her choreographic language offers poetic, metaphoric, and mythic exaltations of the human spirit. She has created works for the Canada Dance Festival, Dancemakers, Tarragon Theatre, Toronto Dance Theatre, and others. The desire to integrate her practice into contemporary Canadian cultural expression, continues to take her along an exhilarating path of exploration and collaboration with a wide range of artists, including Peggy Baker, Dana Gingras, Ed Hanley, Mika Kurosawa, Marc Parent, and José Navas.In 2012 she received the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for artistic achievement in dance, and in 2016, the Summerworks’ Outstanding Direction Award. The jury citation lauded her “radical work that pulls apart notions of power, tradition, and ritual, puncturing exoticism and querying the contemporary.”
Compañía Carmen Romero is Canada’s most provocative flamenco collective. In their twenty-six years-plus in operation they have developed a rich and original aesthetic that employs flamenco as a language of expression and not as a cultural art form to solely preserve the traditional and historical origins. They invite curiosity, challenge and risk into the process as the genesis to their creations. Compañía Carmen Romero is described as a company that “conveys old traditions to the modern world articulating the primal essence of flamenco.” June Heywood, Caravan World Rhythms. Compañía CarmenRomero breaks the glass ceiling and lets flamenco tell the story, express the idea and open the creative door for all to enter and explore.
Robert Sauvey has an extensive background in arts and cultural leadership positions and is currently the Executive Director of the Dance Umbrella of Ontario. Before joining DUO he was the Executive Director of Dancemakers, the second oldest contemporary dance company in Ontario, recently celebrating their 40th anniversary. At Dancemakers Robert successfully developed and implemented a new curator led operating model to position the organization for the future. His experience in dance also includes over five years as the Director of Touring and Artistic Administration for Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Ronald A. Taylor is the Artistic Director of the Toronto-based company Ronald Taylor Dance founded in 1993.
Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) 
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