MC MINDS
Elora Cook • MC Minds Blog • Building an Arts Impact Community Event - Reflection and Inspiration
Samantha Fox • MC Minds Blog • Through the Advocacy Looking Glass
Yvette Nolan • MC Minds Blog • Organizational Structures
Lowell Gasoi • MC Minds Blog • The Art of Advocacy
Simon Brault & Sedina Fiati • MC Minds Video • Cultural Diplomacy
Kwende Kefentse • MC Minds Podcast • Culture space, public policy and economy
Senator Patricia Bovey & Tara Mazurk • MC Minds Video • The Massey Commission
Naghmeh Sharifi, Hannah Claus & Jean-Philippe Uzel • MC Minds Podcast • Professional practices in visual arts arising from Indigeneity and Diversity in Montréal
Jasmine Spei & Meg Shannon • MC Minds Blog • Introducing MC Minds: On the Edge
Gary Neil, Clayton Windatt & Kristian Clarke • MC Minds Video • Canadian Culture in a Globalized World
Cate Proctor & Bridget MacIntosh • MC Minds Blog • Alternative Federal Budget Chapter
Miranda Campbell • MC Minds Podcast • Community youth arts
Judith Marcuse • MC Minds Podcast • Art for social change
Zainub Verjee & Narendra Pachkhédé • MC Minds Podcast • The Massey Report
Geoffrey Crossick & Christina Loewen • MC Minds Video • Understanding the value of arts & culture
Christine Pellerin • MC Minds Podcast • Social finance
Julie McIsaac • MC Minds Blog • Civic Impact Frameworks: Mass One Study Date
Diane Davy, Katherine Carleton, Susan Nagy & Glodeane Brown • MC Minds Video • Longevity in the Arts Sector
Diana Carter & Sharon Jeannotte • MC Minds Podcast • Counting on Culture: Impacts and Indicators in Ottawa
Samantha Staresincic • MC Minds Blog • The Future of Work: Mass One Study Date
Lisa Fiorilli & Ali Hassan • MC Minds Video • Sustainability in cultural careers
Margo Charlton • MC Minds Podcast • Transforming communities through the arts
Dr. Amanda Coles & Kate Cornell • MC Minds Video • The status of women in Canadian arts and cultural industries
Michael Maranda • MC Minds Podcast • Waging Culture
WHAT IS MC MINDS?
Mass Culture presents MC Minds Podcast, Video and Blog, insightful conversations with individuals in the arts on an array of cultural research topics. These include the current socio-economic status of artists, new revenue models for the arts, arts for social change and so much more.
MC Minds will inspire, educate, question, connect and journey through knowledge on arts and culture research topics across Canada.
Would you like to recommend someone for an interview with MC Minds? Contact Kathryn at kathryn@massculture.ca.
MC MINDS BLOG
You can find Mass Culture’s most recent blog posts below, or visit the main page where all blog pieces are listed here.
Perspectives on T.R.A.I.N Bias and Privilege Workshop by Claude Schryer
I have been following the good work of Mass Culture since its inception while I was running the Inter-Arts Office at Canada Council. I was excited to have a virtual arts research organization to complement existing arts structures with a mandate to ‘connect the dots’ and help us, all of us, understand who we are as an arts community and how to better work together with clear data and cooperative models.
Your voice in policy development: Understanding the pathways in by Tara Mazurk and Colm O’Sullivan, PAA Advisory | Conseils
In Spring 2022, the Research in Residence team met in-person for the first time since the project’s inception. Find out more, and read about the next steps.
Ready to start arts advocacy? How to take the first step by Kate Cornell and Tara Mazurk
Democracy shouldn’t be a well-kept secret. So let’s discover the tools of the trade, the ‘insider tips’ that make arts advocacy possible, and get started!
Like any undertaking, if we have enough motivation, if we know where to look, and if we can find people to hire or help, we are capable of making advocacy and government relations a key part of the arts manager’s toolkit.
Developmental Evaluation and Me by Khiem Hoang
Evaluation scares me
Until recently, I was never too excited about evaluation. I mean come on. No kid grows up saying “I wanna become an evaluator!” (Those words would sound terrifying in a child’s voice.) Evaluation always seemed like an afterthought to me. A process that happens after your project—where you sit down, stare at spreadsheets, and attempt to justify what you did.
Update on the Research in Residence: Arts' Civic Impact initiative
In Spring 2022, the Research in Residence team met in-person for the first time since the project’s inception. Find out more, and read about the next steps.
'State of Emergence: HOW do we meet?' by Art of Festivals
When we start, run and end a project; when we learn something new; when we collaborate with others; when we experience personal and professional growth: we are changing ourselves and changing our world.
'A Treasure Trove of Teaching Resources for Arts Policy' by Robin Sokoloski
In the Fall term of 2021, Director of Mass Culture Robin Sokoloski co-taught a course alongside Janis Monture for Centennial College’s Arts Management program. In this blog, Robin shares the resources she used to teach the course.
'Building an Arts Impact Community – Reflection and Inspiration' by Elora Cook
Elora Cook offers reflections on Mass Culture the Association for Opera in Canada‘s joint event in June 2021, Building an Arts Impact Community
'Through the Advocacy Looking Glass: Lessons I learned going from government relations to government employee' by Samantha Fox
Sam Fox shares her experiences and ideas around how to advocate effectively for the arts sector
'The Art of Advocacy: Presence in the Performance of Advocacy Relationships' by Lowell Gasoi
Lowell Gasoi shares experiences that invite us to think about the idea of presence in advocacy work
'Governance structures for theatres, by theatres' by Yvette Nolan
Yvette Nolan speaks about her experience of theatre governance structures and what changes she envisions for their future to ensure the continued success of the theatre.
Alternative Federal Budget Chapter – Arts & Culture by Cate Proctor & Bridget MacIntosh
This article was originally published in July 2020 as Mass Culture’s contribution to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives‘ Alternative Federal Budget Recovery Plan.
Mass One Study Date: Civic Impact Frameoworks by Julie McIsaac
Exploring Opera.ca‘s Arts Impact Kernel, and re-contextualizing it to track recovery and resilience.
Mass One Study Date: Future of Arts Work by Samantha Staresincic
Looking at the “now” to think about the Future of Arts Work in Canada.
Introducing MC Minds: On the Edge by Jasmine Spei & Meg Shannon
As Mass Culture’s work expands, we wanted to create a space for us to share our (and your) stories and to tie together the threads of research and practice so that we can create a thriving arts sector in Canada.
MC MINDS PODCAST
MC Minds Podcast, hosted by Mindy Doherty Griffiths, partners with Stephen Hurley and voicEd.
Listen to the podcasts embedded below now.
In this podcast, Miranda Campbell discusses her community youth arts report, and her research on children and youth in the arts and creative industries.
Miranda Campbell is an Assistant Professor in the School of Creative Industries at Ryerson University. Her research focuses on creative employment, youth culture, and emerging and small-scale forms of creative practice. Her book, Out of the Basement: Youth Cultural Production in Practice and in Policy, was shortlisted for the 2014 Donner Prize for the Best Public Policy Book by a Canadian. She is the chair of the Board of Directors of Whippersnapper Gallery and a former coordinator of Rock Camp for Girls Montreal.
Diana Carter and Sharon Jeannotte discuss the research report produced by the Ottawa Culture Research Group, Counting on Culture: Impacts and Indicators in Ottawa, which provides insights drawn from Ottawa’s most comprehensive compilation of culture indicators.
Diana Carter has an educational background in social work and more than 30 years experience in leadership roles in the community and national organizations – in Canada and the UK, Currently the Executive Director for the Ottawa Museum Network, Diana is knowledgeable and experienced with the operations of voluntary sector, not-for-profit, community and public sector organizations. She is a member of the Ottawa Cultural Alliance, and co-chair of the Ottawa Cultural Research Group & Ontario Network of Regional Museums Networks (RMN).
M. Sharon Jeannotte is Senior Fellow at the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa. From 2005 to 2007, she was Senior Advisor to the Canadian Cultural Observatory in the Department of Canadian Heritage. Before that, she was the Manager of International Comparative Research in the Department’s Strategic Research and Analysis Directorate. She has published research on a variety of subjects, including the impact of value change on Canadian society, international definitions of social cohesion, the points of intersection between cultural policy and social cohesion, the role of culture in building sustainable communities, culture and volunteering, immigration and cultural citizenship, cultural mapping as a tool for place-making, and provincial / territorial cultural policy and administration in Canada.
Margo has worked in the arts for over three decades as a community-engaged artist, theatre producer, consultant, and grants officer.
About Margo: Margo was the founding artistic director of Popular Theatre Alliance of Manitoba and a member of the steering committee of the Canadian Popular Theatre Alliance. Her work in community-based theatre took her to events, conferences and symposiums across Canada and to Cuba, Brazil, Nicaragua and Panama.
More recently, she has developed art-based research methods and conducted program evaluations and strategic planning for arts and community organizations.
In 2002, Margo became the Toronto Arts Council’s Theatre Officer and in 2016 was appointed Research and Impact Manager for Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation. Some of her projects include: lead researcher for Transforming Communities Through the Arts, a SSHRC-funded study of three Toronto neighbourhoods; managing Arts Stats, an annual Toronto public opinion poll about the arts; and evaluation of TAC programs focusing on arts access.
References:
- Full report: Transforming Communities Through the Arts
- Picture book: Transforming Communities Through the Arts
- Toronto Arts Stats 2017
In this podcast, Naghmeh Sharifi, Jean-Philippe Uzel and Hannah Claus discuss professional practices in visual arts arising from Indigeneity and Diversity in Montréal (French version available HERE).
Left to right: Naghmeh Sharifi, Hannah Claus, Jean-Philippe Uzel
Naghmeh Sharifi’S Artist’s Statement: My work is focused on the human form and psyche. By placing the body as a recognizable yet universal form in ambiguous situations I explore its psychology in relation to itself and to its environment. Through experimentation in various mediums I depict notions of in-between, probing the human experience of space and geography. I invite the viewer into these wordless maps that I create, which permeate boundaries as much as they help build them. www.naghmehsharifi.com
Biography: Naghmeh Sharifi is an Iranian/Canadian Multidisciplinary artist based in Montreal. She holds a BA in visual arts and one in psychology from the University of British Columbia. Since 2006, her work has been exhibited in Tehran, Berlin, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Toronto and Skopje. In Montreal, she has presented her work at such sites as Montreal Council of the Arts (2015) Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery (2017) and the MAI (Montreal intercultural arts) (2018). In 2015, Naghmeh was the recipient of the Impressions Residency at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Naghmeh recently completed an MFA (concentration Painting and Drawing) at Concordia University. Get to know Naghmeh • Instagram & Facebook
Hannah Claus est une artiste visuelle de descendance anglaise / irlandaise et Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk]. Elle vit et travaille à Tiohtià:ke [Montréal] où elle a complété sa Maitrise en beaux-arts de l’Université Concordia en 2004. Dans sa pratique, Claus crée des œuvres qui priorisent une perspective autochtone et Haudenosaunee [Iroquoise] en s’engageant avec la mémoire, l’espace et le temps. Ses installations se trouvent dans les collections publiques du Musée des beaux-arts du Canada, la Banque d’art du Conseil des arts du Canada, la Ville de Montréal, et le Ministère des Affaires mondiales Canada, entre autres. Claus est membre de la communauté Tyendinaga – Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte en Ontario. Apprenez à connaître Hannah Claus
Hannah Claus is a visual artist of English / Irish and Kanien’kehá:ka [Mohawk] heritages. She lives and works in Tiohtià:ke [Montreal] where she completed her Masters of Fine Arts at Concordia University in 2004. In her practice, Claus creates artwork that explores Indigeneity, particularly through a Haudenosaunee [Iroquois] perspective, as a living current experience, through engaging with memory, space and time. Her installations and artworks may be found in public collections such as the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Council Art Bank, the City of Montreal and Global Affairs Canada. Claus is a member of Tyendinaga – Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in Ontario. Get to know Hannah Claus
Jean-Philippe Uzel is a professor of art history at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and a member of the Centre interuniversitaire d’études et de recherches autochtones (CIÉRA). His area of expertise is the history and theory of modern and contemporary art, with a focus on the relationships between art and politics. For the past 20 years he has brought this perspective to his interest in Indigenous and culturally diverse contemporary art in North America. From 2012-2013 he was Chair of Contemporary Québec Studies at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3; his research program addressed differing perspectives on contemporary Indigenous art in North America. He is the author of the study Professional practices in visual arts arising from Indigeneity and diversity in Montréal (Conseil des arts de Montréal, 2018). Get to know Jean-Philippe
In this podcast, Kwende Kefentse discusses his research into the connection between culture, space, public policy and economy. You can find out more about Kwende’s work here.
Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, Kwende is currently back in Ottawa after completing his MRes in London with The Bartlett’s Space Syntax Lab (UCL) in 2017 / 2018. Fascinated by cities, his array of professional ventures reflect different explorations and investigations into how they function, with a particular focus on the connection between culture, space, public policy and economy.
As an established practitioner, policy maker and public thinker in this nexus of subjects, Kwende is frequently invited to keynote conferences and participate on panels, both locally and internationally, in the worlds of urban planning, creativity + culture and the music industry. His projects and ideas have been featured in international outlets like CityLab (The Atlantic), Spacing Magazine, and Monocle Radio to name a few.
Kwende works as the Cultural Industries Development Officer at the City of Ottawa, in an award-winning Cultural Development and Initiatives team. He played a leading role in developing the council-approved Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Heritage and Culture (2013 – 2018) and other strategic initiatives for the sector. He also successfully led a music industry development initiative in partnership with local music business leaders and the City’s Economic Development staff. Recent achievements include the Connecting Ottawa Music industry profile, the launch of the MEGAPHONO conference + showcasing festival, the birth of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition, and the development of the Ottawa Music Strategy.
As DJ Memetic, Kwende has had a major impact on Ottawa’s underground dance scene for over a decade. Cutting his teeth on campus radio, Memetic co-founded TIMEKODE, one of the city’s longest-running, and most beloved dance parties. His solo + TIMEKODE original productions and remixes have been released on his own label, Memeplex, to critical acclaim from international outlets like Vice Thump, Radio Nova, and Wax Poetics.
Michael Maranda’s longitudinal research entitled Waging Culture examines the socio-economic status of visual artists across Canada.
About Michael: Michael Maranda is assistant curator at the Art Gallery of York University. For the past thirty years he has been engaged with the visual arts sector in Canada, as artist, organiser, administrator, curator, editor, advocate, publisher, critic, and, more recently, as quantitative researcher. His Waging Culture survey has set the mark for advocacy-based quantitative research in the sector, recognised as the go-to source for socio-economic information on Canadian visual artists. He runs the publishing activities of the AGYU, and is a prolific commenter on social media.
Maranda was educated at the University of Ottawa (political science), Concordia University (photography), and the University of Rochester (visual and cultural studies). His work has shown internationally, primarily in artists book-related venues. For some deeply ironic reason, his rip-off of Ed Ruscha’s Twentysix Gasoline Stations was exhibited in several of Gagosian’s gallery spaces.
You can see more of Michael’s research at the Art Gallery of York University’s website.
In this podcast, we discuss art for social change with Judith Marcuse and the collaborative research shared through the International Centre of Art for Social Change. In building on this research, conversations among the community-engaged art for social change sector and with government helped to inform and develop a Policy Recommendations document.
Judith Marcuse has worked in the arts for over five decades. Trained in dance in Canada and abroad, she performed with Canadian and foreign companies spanning 20 years. As a choreographer/director, she has created more than 100 dance/theatre/film works. For the last 20 years, her internationally-recognized work has focused on community-engaged art for social change (ASC). She teaches, speaks and consults internationally
Marcuse is Founder of the International Centre of Art for Social Change and has led a recently-completed, six-year national study on ASC while establishing a two-year graduate program in the field, the first of its kind in Canada. She is a recipient of major awards, including an honorary doctorate, and, most recently, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Canadian Network of Arts and Learning.
Website: https://icasc.ca
Christine Pellerin speaks to the report, “More Than Money: How Social Finance Can Build Resilience in the Arts Sector” by Christine Pellerin and Elizabeth MacKinnon, released through the Metcalf Foundation.
Christine Pellerin is a fundraiser, arts administrator, and researcher with 15 years’ experience in the performing arts industry, having worked with some of the country’s leading cultural institutions including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Theatre Centre, Soulpepper Theatre, Harbourfront Centre, TIFF, the National Ballet of Canada, and Cirque du Soleil. She is currently the Manager, Governors Council at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake where she is responsible for stewarding their mid-level donor program.
A passionate advocate for the non-profit sector, Christine’s research has focused on the power of social finance to catalyze new ways of funding arts initiatives. Her work as an Innovation Fellow with the Metcalf Foundation led to the co-authored report entitled More than Money: How social finance can build resilience in the arts sector. She is an alumna of the Banff Centre’s Getting to Maybe: A Social Innovation Residency program and is a member of the Toronto Arts Council’s 2018 Cultural Leaders Lab. A lifelong learner, Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in Theatre from York University, a post-graduate certificate in Arts Administration from Humber College, and is a first-cohort graduate of Carleton University’s Masters of Philanthropy & Nonprofit Leadership program. She is proud to serve as a board member for Cahoots Theatre and the CANVAS Foundation
In this podcast we engage with the Massey Report premised on the recent critical essay by Zainub Verjee in Canadian Art titled “The Great Canadian Amnesia.” Zainub is joined by Narendra Pachkhédé in discussing the politics of the report as well as how the essay engages with the Report.
Zainub Verjee is a media artist, curator, writer, arts administrator and public intellectual. As an accomplished leader in the art and culture sector, over four decades, she has shaped culture policy at all levels of governments and significantly contributed to building of cultural institutions and organizations in Canada and internationally. Often invited to speak nationally and internationally, on cultural policy, contemporary art and cultural diplomacy, she has been a prolific writer on issues pertaining to Art and Culture. Her artwork has been shown internationally, including at the New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art and the Venice Biennale.
Narendra Pachkhédé, is a Commonwealth Scholar, with a broad-based scholarship in Anthropology, Foreign Affairs, Cinema, Contemporary Art, Architecture and Public Policy. He has pursued his doctoral studies in Canada and works at cross section of philosophical inquiry, social theory, politics of ideas and systems of knowledge production and its registers. He is a multidisciplinary artist, curator and critic. Discourse oriented, through his procedures of pedagogy and exhibition, he fosters collaborations and interventions at range of sites, events and networks. As a multidisciplinary artist with a research based practise, he engages with multiple temporalities and epistemologies of the creative process and its manifestations.
MC MINDS VIDEO
Kate Cornell interviews Dr. Amanda Coles about her research into the status of women in the Canadian arts and cultural industries.
Dr. Amanda Coles, Arts and Cultural Management / Employment Relations, Department of Management, Deakin Business School, Deakin University
Dr. Amanda Coles holds a cross-appointment in the Arts and Cultural Management and Employment Relations graduate programs in the Faculty of Business and Law at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia. Amanda’s research examines the political economy of labour markets and workforce development in the cultural economy with a focus on public policy, collective representation and gender. She is a Co-Researcher with the SSHRC funded Interuniversity Research Centre on Globalisation and Work (CRIMT) in Montreal, Canada. Her academic career is informed by her professional history in the Canadian independent film and television production sector.
Kate Cornell, Executive Director, Canadian Dance Assembly
Kate Cornell is an arts advocate, and writer based in Toronto. Kate advocates nationally on behalf of the arts sector as the Co-Chair of the Canadian Arts Coalition/la Coalition canadienne des arts. As English-language spokesperson for the Coalition, she has been interviewed by the Globe and Mail, Canadian Press, and CBC’s The National. With a PhD in Communication and Culture, her graduate research focused on Canadian cultural policies for dance at the federal level. Her research has been published extensively in anthologies, journals, magazines, and online. Kate has worked in arts management for two decades at a range of organizations including: the Canada Dance Festival, Toronto Dance Theatre, the CanAsian International Dance Festival, the National Ballet of Canada, the Canadian Society for Dance Studies/La société canadienne d’études en danse, and most recently as the Canadian Dance Assembly’s Executive Director. Over the years, Kate has taught at several university performing arts and education programs; she now acts as a mentor in arts management internship programs. Kate sits on Advocacy Committees at the municipal and provincial levels; notably, she is a founding member of the Mass Culture/ Mobilisation Culturelle research lab initiative. Kate Cornell is the proud recipient of the John Hobday Award in Arts Management (2016) from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Ali Hassan interviews Lisa Fiorilli about WorkInCulture’s MakingItWork: Pathways toward sustainable cultural careers.
Lisa Fiorilli, Research and Outreach Manager, WorkInCulture
Lisa Fiorilli is a research and policy professional with several years of experience in Canada’s arts & culture sector. Her experience has spanned across the public and not-for-profit sector, and she is passionate about developing and sharing the data that tells the story of the value of arts and culture to our economy and society.
She joined WorkInCulture as the Research & Outreach Manager in 2017, and she is tasked with managing the organization’s flagship research projects, including MakingItWork, as well as with developing a broader research strategy for WorkInCulture. Her previous experience includes policy, research and funding-related roles at the Canadian Independent Music Association, Ontario Creates (formerly the Ontario Media Development Corporation), and the Bell Fund. Her educational background is in political science and economics, and she holds a Master of Arts degree in Public Policy and Administration from Ryerson University.
Ali Hassan, Stand-up Comic, Actor, Host on CBC
Ali Hassan is a stand-up comic and actor who has performed for audiences across Canada and internationally. He is a Canadian Comedy Award nominee who has performed at the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Toronto’s JFL42, the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, and now tours his solo comedy show Muslim Interrupted around Canada and internationally.
CBC fans will recognize Ali as the host of Laugh Out Loud, a frequent guest-host of q, the leading arts and culture program in Canada, and the host of Canada Reads. Ali was recently in the Netflix holiday film The Holiday Calendar, and this summer will be in the films My Spy and Mafia Inc, and in the CBS action series Blood & Treasure. His other credits include Designated Survivor on ABC and FXX’s Man Seeking Woman, PBS Kids’ Odd Squad and CTV’s Cardinal.
Glodeane Brown, emerging arts administrator and founder of Culture Fancier, interviews Executive Directors Diane Davy of WorkInCulture, Katherine Carleton of Orchestras Canada, and Susan Nagy of Lakeshore Arts to find out more about their experience working in the arts and cultural sector.
Diane Davy, Executive Director, WorkInCulture
Diane Davy, the Executive Director of WorkInCulture (WIC), brings to the role over 25 years’ of senior level expertise in both policy and operations. In her consulting practice she specializes in the business of the creative community, working with both for-profit and non-profit enterprises. Her areas of focus include strategic business planning, organizational structure and management, marketing strategies, revenue generation, board governance and other related topics. She has hands-on experience in developing and delivering skills training and is a firm believer in lifelong learning for all.
Katherine Carleton, Executive Director, Orchestras Canada
Katherine Carleton has been Executive Director of Orchestras Canada/Orchestres Canada, the national association for Canadian orchestras, since 2005. Noted as an arts advocate and a leader in collaborative initiatives among arts service organizations, she was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada in December 2016, “for her efforts to promote a thriving arts and culture sector in Canada as an advocate and voice for Canadian orchestras.” During her 35-year career in the not-for-profit performing arts, Katherine has worked as a clarinetist, teacher, program manager, granting officer, and orchestra manager.
Susan Nagy, Executive Director, Lakeshore Arts
Susan Nagy graduated from Sheridan College (1981) with a certificate in Graphic Design. She worked in the Exhibit Design department at the Royal Ontario Museum and created a successful freelance business working with clients in the private and not for profit sectors. In 2000, Susan’s passion and belief in the transformative power of the arts, led her to Lakeshore Arts, one of the six LASO’s – Local Art Service Organizations in the City of Toronto. Under her leadership as Executive Director, the organization has been instrumental in the creation of meaningful and innovative youth programming and multi-generational engagement. Her interest in exploring ways to combine community building, cross-sectorial facilitation and social justice continues to be the driving force behind her vision for organizational growth. She contributes to building the vibrancy of the City’s art sector as a resource and committee member: Toronto’s Cultural Plan, Community Arts Action Plan, Arts Day at the City and Creative Spaces outside the Downtown Core and the Advisory Committee for the Culture Days National Symposium. In 2012, Susan was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and received the Ontario Arts Education Association award for Community Arts in 2015.
Glodeane Brown, Founder, Culture Fancier
Glodeane Brown is an emerging arts and culture administrator with a background in communications and interior design. She has studied at Sheridan College and Humber College. She is the the founder and editor of the arts and culture blog Culture Fancier, and a board Director at CAFKA (Contemporary Art Forum, Kitchener & Area), a non-profit public art organization.
Christina Loewen, Executive Director of Opera.ca, interviews Professor Geoffrey Crossick about his joint report with Dr. Patrycja Kaszynska, Understanding the value of arts & culture, which was funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
Professor Geoffrey Crossick, Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, School of Advanced Study, University of London
Professor Geoffrey Crossick was Director of the AHRC Cultural Value Project, which explored the benefits of cultural engagement to individuals and society, and the methods by which those can be understood. Its report, Understanding the value of arts and culture, jointly authored with Dr Patrycja Kaszynska, was published in 2016. The report has attracted considerable international interest and he has been invited to speak about it in many countries including Brazil, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, Denmark, Finland, Singapore, the USA and Canada. He is author of the recent report on The social impact of cultural districts for the Global Cultural Districts Network.
He is an urban social historian and Distinguished Professor of Humanities in the School of Advanced Study at the University of London. He was previously Vice-Chancellor of the University of London and Warden of Goldsmiths after being Chief Executive of the UK’s Arts & Humanities Research Board and taking it through to its establishment as a full research council in 2005.
He is currently Chair of the Crafts Council in the UK and a member of boards in the higher education and cultural sectors, including Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Horniman Museum and the National Film & Television School. He is a member of the Science Advisory Council of the UK Department for Culture, Media & Sport. He speaks in the UK and internationally on the value of culture, the creative and cultural sectors, higher education and research strategy, and the importance of the arts and humanities.
Christina Loewen, Executive Director, Opera.ca
With a 20 year career encompassing senior roles in ballet, dance and opera, Christina has led Opera.ca as Executive Director since 2009 with a vision focussed on helping the sector build resilience and navigate change. Recognized for her innovative thinking, collaborative leadership and cross-sectoral approach, she has launched new initiatives and programming for the opera sector in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship and lean start up principles, and evaluating impact.
Most recently, she has led the development of a unique Civic Impact Framework for Opera in Canada to be released this fall, a powerful new tool for evaluating, measuring and amplifying the social impact of opera in communities across Canada.
Kristian Clarke, Executive Director of the Dancer Transition Resource Centre, and multi-artist and arts administrator Clayton Windatt interview policy consultant Garry Neil on his book, Canadian Culture in a Globalized World: The impact of trade deals on Canada’s cultural life. Buy the book using the discount code in the video here: bit.ly/Canadian-Culture-Globalized
Garry Neil, Policy Consultant
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Garry Neil has worked for more than 40 years in arts and cultural policy, in Canada and internationally. He has extensive experience in policies for film, television, the Internet, publishing, performing arts, visual arts and music, as well organizational management. Since 1992, Mr. Neil has been a consultant to industry firms and associations, as well as to governments.
During his career, Mr. Neil has been CEO/Executive Director of several important cultural organizations, including ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists), CSARN (Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network) and the Association of Canadian Publishers. He has served on the Board of Directors of many others, including as Chair and Treasurer. He has been appointed by the federal and provincial governments to various public bodies, including six years on the Board and Executive of the Ontario Media Development Corporation.
Following 10 years as a member of its Board of Directors, Mr. Neil was Executive Director of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest social action/justice organization, from 2010-2016.
For more than a decade as Executive Director of the International Network for Cultural Diversity, Mr. Neil was at the forefront of the global campaign which led to the adoption in 2005 of the UNESCO Convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions. He spearheaded major studies for UNESCO on the current state of implementation of the Recommendation concerning the status of the artist in 2010, 2015 and 2019. Mr. Neil’s book, Canadian Culture in a Globalized World: The impact of trade deals on Canada’s cultural life was published this year by James Lorimer and Company Ltd.
Kristian Clarke, Executive Director, Dancer Transition Resource Centre.
As a founding member, Kristian brings to Mass Culture his many years of experience leading not-for-profit arts organizations. He recently assumed the role of ED at the Dancer Transition Resource Centre (DTRC) was the Executive Director of Canadian Artists Representation/le front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC Ontario) for nearly a decade, and previously was its Membership Coordinator. More recently, he has been working with performing artists as Senior Projects Manager at Canadian Actors’ Equity Association. While there, he took a leading role in creating and developing the Not in OUR Space! anti-harassment campaign for live performance artists working under Equity contracts. He has obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Leeds, a post-graduate degree in Cultural Management from Humber College.
Clayton Windatt, Multi-artist and Arts Administrator
Clayton Windatt is a Métis non–binary multi-artist living and working between Sturgeon Falls and Toronto, Ontario. Clayton holds a BA in Fine Art from Nipissing University and received Graphic Design certification from Canadore College. With an extensive history working in Artist-Run Culture and Community Arts, and through their own activism, Clayton works towards healthier relationships for national and global Indigenous artists and communities. The former Executive Director of the Aboriginal Curatorial Collective, Clayton maintains contracts with several colleges and universities, arts magazines, arts councils, arts organizations, and other organizations as a critical writer, columnist and consultant in addition to pursuing their independent arts practice. Clayton is an active filmmaker and director with works featured in festivals such as ImagineNative and the Toronto International Film Festival and recent commissions by the National Film Board of Canada. Clayton works in/with community, design, communications, curation, performance, theatre, technology, and consulting, and is a very active writer, filmmaker and visual-media artist and was recently appointed to the National Gallery of Canada’s Board of Trustees.
Tara Mazurk, Senior Consultant at Global Public Affairs, interviews Senator Patricia Bovey about the Massey Commission, inspired by the MC Digital Conversation that analyses the relevancy of this landmark piece 70 years down the line.
Patricia Bovey, FRSA, FCMA
Patricia Bovey was appointed to the Senate of Canada in November 2016 as an Independent Senator from Manitoba. Up until the end of the parliamentary session she was serving on the Foreign Affairs & International Trade Committee, and Deputy-Chair of the Special Senate Committee on the Arctic, she was a member of the Senate Advisory Sub-Committee on Art and the Sub-Committee on the Long Term Vision Plan of the Senate, and former member of the Official Languages and Deputy-Chair of Transport and Communications Committees.
As the first art historian and gallery professional and museologist to be appointed to the Senate, Bovey has worked on all issues, from legislation to committee work, primarily through the lens of arts and culture, and from her regional perspective. She has spoken in the Chamber about the impact of the arts, especially those on health and crime prevention. Her goal is to ensure the voice of arts and culture is heard, in the Senate and in every sector of society.
Winnipeg-based gallery director, art historian, professor and arts and culture management consultant, she was Director of the Winnipeg Art Gallery (1999-2004) and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (1980-1999), and appointed the Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Director Emerita in 2014. Founder of St Boniface Hospital’s Buhler Gallery, the University of Winnipeg’s Arts and Culture Management Program, and MA in Curatorial Practice, she was the Buhler Gallery Director/Curator from its 2007 inception to 2016, and University of Winnipeg Adjunct Professor of Art History, 2011-2017.
Author and lecturer on Western Canadian art, her recent publications include the award winning Pat Martin Bates: Balancing on a Thread, 2014; Visual Celebrations: II, (with Leona Herzog), 2017 and Visual Celebrations, 2012; Mud, Hands, Fire, The Legacy Of Canadian Studio Pottery, “Intersecting Perceptions: Continuity Through Innovation”, 2015; Experiences & Insights: My Life As Art, Mary Valentine, “Mary Valentine: Rhythms from the Land”, 2014; Carole Sabiston: Everything Below All of the Above, 2014; “The Prints of David Thauberger”, 2014. Don Proch: Masking & Mapping will be launched in the spring of 2019. She is currently writing Impacts and Turning Points: The Western Voice in Canadian Art.
University of Manitoba Chair (2013-2016), and board member ( 2007-2016), she served on the Boards of the National Gallery of Canada (2005 – 2009); Canada Council for the Arts (1990-1993); the 1986 Withrow/Richard Federal Task Force on National and Regional Museums; the National Board for the University of Waterloo’s Canadian Center for Cultural Management (2002-2010); member (1981-2004), the Canadian Art Museum Directors Organization and President (1988 – 1991) and was Emily Carr University’s Chair (1987-1989) and board member (1982 -1990). She was a member of the Public Art Committee of the City of Winnipeg (2003-2007), and the Mayor’s Task Force on Public Art (2002-2003). In higher education, she was a member of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Manitoba Rhodes Scholarship Committee and Loran Scholarship Selection committee.
Involved in international touring exhibitions, lectures, artist exchanges, and special initiatives in Finland, Iceland and Norway, she was an official guest of the Japan Foundation, the British Council and the Government of France.
Recipient of the 2015 Winnipeg Arts Council Investors Making a Difference Award, she is Fellow of the UK’s Royal Society for the Arts and Fellow of the Canadian Museums Association; and received the Canada 125 Medal; the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal; Winnipeg’s 2002 Woman of Distinction for the Arts; the Canadian Museums Association Distinguished Service Award; the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Medal; and the 2013 Association of Manitoba Museum’s inaugural Award of Merit.
Tara Mazurk, Senior Consultant, Global Public Affairs
Tara Mazurk is a co-founder and Operations Group member of Mass Culture. She works at Global Public Affairs as a Senior Consultant and registered federal lobbyist. In this role, she helps facilitate engagement between arts organizations and government.
Sedina Fiati, live performance/media performer, producer, creator and activist, interviews Simon Brault on the topic of cultural diplomacy, inspired by the MC Digital Gathering in partnership with the North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative (NACDI) that asked the question: can artists really save the world?
Simon Brault, Director & CEO of the Canada Council
In 2019, Simon Brault’s mandate as Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts was renewed for four years. He has been at the head of the Council since 2014. He came to the position with a full understanding of his role, having served as Vice-Chair of the Council’s Board of Directors from 2004 to 2014.
Also in 2019, Simon Brault became the first Canadian to be elected Chair of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA). He has been a board member of IFACCA since 2016.
Mr. Brault has been active in the cultural sector for over 30 years and has been a driving force behind a number of major projects. Notably, as Administrative Director and Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada, he coordinated the ambitious project of restoring Montréal’s historic Monument-National.
He has held key positions in national organizations and has participated actively in initiatives such as the Agenda 21C de la culture au Québec. An initiator of Journées de la culture, he was also a founding member and Chair of Culture Montréal from 2002 to 2014.
His first non-fiction book, Le facteur C : l’avenir passe par la culture (La Presse / Éditions Voix parallèles, 2009), explained the dramatic rise of cultural concerns in the public agenda. This lively, highly acclaimed work was published in English as No Culture, No Future (Cormorant Books, 2010).
A much sought-after speaker, Mr. Brault delivers many speeches every year at national and international venues, addressing the economic and social contributions of the arts and culture.
In 2017, he represented Canada as a cultural expert at the first G7 on arts and culture.
Simon Brault has received numerous distinctions for his commitment to the social recognition of the arts and culture. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada, an Officier de l’Ordre national du Québec, a Fellow of the Ordre des CGA du Québec and the Ordre des CPA du Québec, and he is a recipient of the 2009 Keith Kelly Award for Cultural Leadership. In 2015, he received the Ordre des CPA du Québec’s prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for bringing together “two worlds that were once disparate—the arts and business—an alliance that significantly benefits society at large.”
Sedina Fiati, live performance/media performer, producer, creator & activist
Sedina Fiati is a Toronto based live performance/media performer, producer, creator and activist with over 15 years experience. She is proudly Black, queer and femme. Favourite projects: Every Day She Rose (Nightwood Theatre, co-director), Switch: The Village (collective member, street performance, Buddies in Bad Times 2018 & 2019), Maternal (short film, producer, winner of Best Short at CaribbeanTales Film Festival), Feminist Fuck It Festival (multidisciplinary festival, co-creator and co-producer), All You Can Hold (multidisciplinary performance with LAL and Ange Loft, producer, MOCA Toronto), Tokens (web series, performer, multiple award nominations). Sedina currently works at Generator as the lead facilitator of the Artist Producer Training Program. Upcoming: Last Dance (web series, producer, creator, performer), Switching Queen(s) (collective street performance, collective member).
Mass Culture’s communications, and the materials found on this page, are spearheaded by Mass Culture’s Communications Working Group. You can find out more about them on the MC Network page.