In December (2011), May and June (2012), CPAMO Project Lead, charles c. smith, provided educational and training sessions for Scarborough Arts’s Kaleidescope Program, Soulpepper’s Education and Outreach Program and for the Royal Conservatory of Music Arts Educators.  These sessions addressed working with diverse communities and strategies to engage them in creative activities as well as on cultural appropriation and voice in contemporary arts curation and creation.

While there were common threads in these sessions, each was uniquely tailored to the interests of the groups.  For example, Scarborough Arts and Soulpepper were more engaged in outreach initiatives while the Royal Conservatory (2 sessions) wanted to discuss cultural appropriation and diversity in artistic creation.  Scarborough Arts and Soulpepper explored demographic changes in the communities they are working in, the history of barriers facing these communities, their challenges and accomplishments and the implications of these issues to their work.  The Royal Conservatory session addressed concerns regarding cultural appropriation, what it is, how it manifests in artistic work and the societal and individual roles and responsibilities in addressing this critical issue.

If your organization is interested in specific educational opportunities, feel free to contact CPAMO to discuss.  charles has provided education and training on such issues for over 25 years and has worked with such arts organizations as the Toronto International Film Festival, Etobicoke and Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts.

Led by its Project Lead, CPAMO is able to plan, design and deliver educational and training programs related to pluralism, equity, diversity and difference in the arts.  While each session will be tailored to the specific needs of each organization, CPAMO can assist organizations in the areas of outreach/marketing/promotion and community engagement, understanding the history and contemporary expression of Indigenous and racialized artists, organizational development and change and development of specific initiatives.

In addition to the organizations listed above, charles has also facilitated dialogue and conference sessions for such organizations as the Canadian Dance Festival (2009 and 2010) as well as for all of CPAMO’s workshops and Town Halls.