Tag Archives: Divergence

Call for Submissions: The Gathering Divergence – Spring 2025

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On a purple abstract background. Text: Call for Submissions. Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference Spring 2025. Now and for the Future: Steps Towards Dismantling Inequities in the Arts Dance / Theatre / Visual Arts / Music / Literary Readings. Deadline: March 31, 2025. CPAMO logo

Gathering Divergence Interdisciplinary Festival & Conference is a festival and conference with a specific focus on Indigenous, racialized, deaf, disabled and mad, women and other historically – marginalized arts communities. Held over 2 days, GDMAF/C features performances, literary readings, visual arts exhibition, panels, workshops and creative investigations from diverse practices.  

Geared towards meaningful conversations, professional development, sharing strategies, it encourages divergence across arts practices and collaboration. This year’s theme for Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival & Conference SPRING 2025 | Now and for the Future: Steps Towards Dismantling Inequities in the Arts 

We facilitate

  • an interactive space where arts organizations artists and attendees share 
  • dedicated to advancing, visual arts and performing arts , while advocating  for  pluralism in the arts 
  • dialogue on common interests, experienced and strategies towards a better more equitable and inclusive arts sector.

We believe
Systemic change is more effectively achieved through collective, creative action, and seeks to: 

  • create, support and learn through open-source resources and toolkits 
  • advance strategies to understand how we are influenced by issues of equity and digital technology in and out of 
  • amplify the artistic practices and administration of IBPOC individuals

We aspire?
We hope that everyone arrives at a better understanding of the many ways in which we support, create from and within the Arts sector as indigenous / ethno-racially identified artists with a pluralist lens.

APPLY NOW!  Deadline: March 31, 2025 at 11:59 EST

When is the festival and conference?
May 19 – 23, 2025
Location: Online / In-Person events 
Theatre Passe Muraille,  16 Ryerson Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2P3 

What we offer:

  • Opportunity to display / showcase / facilitate a workshop or performance
  • *Performances should be NO more than fifteen minutes in length

Required for consideration:
– Explanation of how your proposed work relates to the Conference’s Themes:  
     a) Broadening capacities for IBPOC Arts makers
     b) Implementing creative process for the future
     c) Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusive Learning
     d) Wellness for IBPOC Artists and Arts Organizations 
– Works where contributors / artists or those self identify as IBPOC
– Works created by Black / IPOC artists and Organizations
– Artist / Organization Website URL, Social Media Info, Biography (150 words)
– Headshot / Company Image / Bio Image 300 dpi
– Links to previous work(s) or work proposed.

For Visual Artists 

  • Size, medium, title 
  • Installation requirements 
  • 3-5 High Res JPEGS of work complied in a PDF Document 
  • 300 Word Artist Statement 
  • 300 Word Explanation on how your work applies to the CPAMO Call for Submissions

For Performances or Workshop 

  • Set up and installation requirements 
  • Estimated time for set up and striking 
  • Whether assistance is needed or included
  • 300 Word Explanation on how your work applies to the CPAMO Call for Submissions

Compensation Range varies:
– Dance / Theatre  / Music Honorariums between $750 – $2000                     
  (based on the number of artists)
– Literary Readings between $500 – $700
– Workshops $500 (1 hour maximum)
– Visual arts* between $500 – $700 (for week’s showing)
  * CARFAC fees according to “Exhibitions in Other Public Places”

Selection Process: 
Administered by a Selection Committee (CPAMO Board member(s), Co-Director/Curator of Programming and Engagement, Convenor/Co-Director Curator of Transformational Change, and Pluralism in Organizational Change (CPAMOPOC) members.

AN IMPORTANT NOTICE: CPAMO operates in a Cloud-based platform. 
Documents MUST be submitted via (Google Drive, Box, One Drive, Dropbox etc.) and the link should not require permission for the Selection Committee to view. 
Submission Link: https://forms.gle/PAA3vFpGRdKGWguMA
Please remove Please make sure all submitted links are functional and include  accessible links to a headshot and your support materials. 
Personal links from your computer / laptop should not be sent. Please upload all required

QUESTIONS?: 
Contact: Kevin A. Ormsby programming@cpamo.org
Applicants will be notified by April 19, 2025

An Anthology Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation Vol. 2 publication is available for purchase!

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The second volume of An Anthology Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation: Thoughts from Canadian Artists / Arts Workers / Organizations in the Arts Ecology is available for purchase!

This publication builds on Volume 1 and continues the conversation on the need for sectoral change centering the voice of IBPOC visionaries for the Arts sector’s 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. View the table of contents and introduction here.

An Anthology of Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation Volume 2 is available for purchase as a PDF ($30) or in print (book $30 + $8 shipping)

PDF Publication ($30)

Publication in Print (book $30 + $8 shipping)

Please note:

  1. The PDF version is available for immediate download after purchase. Please make sure to download the PDF right away.
  2. The printed version is mailed as an oversized letter (no tracking). Due to the Canada Post strike (starting on Nov. 15), there will be delays in delivery.

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us info@cpamo.org

CPAMO is supported by the Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, Canadian Arts Presentation Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Toronto Arts Council, English Testing Canada, Barrett and Welsh, Sun Life and LeSage Arts Management.

funders logos

Leadership Transition 

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Dear friends and colleagues,

We are writing to congratulate our founder, Executive Director/ Convenor, charles c smith on his new adventure.  After 20 years of effort to develop CPAMO and bring it to its current level of professionalism, leadership and service in the arts community on issues of decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism, charles will be with CPAMO to the end of 2024 in an advisory role as he is moving on to another adventure as he leads the newly-established initiative entitled Canadian Network for Equity and Racial Justice (CNERJ), an exciting partnership between Canada, Mexico and the U.S bringing together leaders across diverse sectors, e.g., the arts, business, labour, academia, health, education, sports, etc.

The purpose of the Partnership is to share best practices and commit to taking concrete steps domestically and trilaterally to combat systemic racism, discrimination, and hate while striving towards cohesiveness between national laws and mutual commitments to international human rights conventions.

Funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and supported by the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, the Chinese Canadian National Council Social Justice, Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change, charles will be the project lead for this exciting project.

We at CPAMO will certainly miss him – his leadership, vision, inclusive approach and his voice in matters of decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism in the arts.  Since the initial working days with Community Cultural Impresarios (now Ontario Presents) and the publication of Pluralism in the Arts in Canada: A Change is Gonna Come, charles pioneered many initiatives that have now become more regularly involved in conversations about the arts in Canada.  For example:

  • Writing, editing and soliciting books and articles on these issues;
  • Convening public forums first called Town Halls and now Gathering Divergence: Multi-Inter Arts Festival and Conference;
  • Organizing in-person and online panels, webinars and artistic showcases;
  • Advocating to all arts funders on the challenges and pressing needs of Indigenous, Black, People of Colour and other historically marginalized artists, i.e., the Deaf and disabled, immigrants and refugees, 2SLGBQTI, women and others
  • Conducting organizational reviews of large, medium-sized and small arts organizations;
  • Developing and delivering education and training sessions for a wide variety of organizations, including the CPAMOPOC pluralism organizational change program as well as the series of Anti-Black Racism in the Arts training program.

Just have a look at our website! www.cpamo.org

All in all, charles’ work for CPAMO has clearly made an impact in the arts world as now funders and arts organization are more involved with intent to address the issues CPAMO has raised.  While we will miss charles, we wish him all the very best for his new adventure.

And as CPAMO moves forward, we will keep you informed of how his invaluable expertise will be followed as we continue our work with our partners, colleagues and friends to embed decoloniality, anti-racism, equity and pluralism into the arts practices, goals, aspirations and concrete outcomes for funders and arts organizations.

Until the end of this year (2024), charles will be with CPAMO to start our strategic planning where we are working with BeSpoke Collective Consultants. In the interim, CPAMO will be exploring a Co-Director model with Erin Jones in the Convenor role as part of her current work as Curator, Transformational Change and Kevin A. Ormsby’s in his role as Curator, Programming will now include, engaging in CPAMO’s advocacy work with such organizations as the Canadian Arts Coalition.

Sincerely,

CPAMO’s Board of Directors