IMPORTANT INFORMATION

September 5thStaying Updated with Cecilia Garcia, North York Arts

Staying up-to-date is hard, specially if you don’t even know where to start. This workshop, geared towards newcomer visual artists, will provide tips and online resources to keep yourself up-to-date with call for submissions, work and volunteer opportunities, grants, and arts & culture related events taking place across Toronto. Participants will also have a chance to network and connect with fellow artists.

Cecília holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in film studies from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil and has built a diverse portfolio working in the Brazilian film industry. After arriving in Canada in 2014, she received a diploma in arts management from Western University and has since volunteered with multiple arts organizations in Toronto. Currently, Cecília is the Program and Volunteer Coordinator at North York Arts, and the Gallery Assistant at Queen Gallery.

September 19thFinding a mentor with Inés Aguileta, Neighbourhood Arts Network

There are many ways to take your artistic practice to the next level, mentorship is one of them! In this workshop we will discuss:

  • What a mentorship is, styles and benefits
  • Strategies to find the right mentor
  • Tips to build a strong mentoring relationship

Inés is an arts administrator who also brings a deep background in project management. She has been involved in the arts community for nearly a decade but has been passionate about the arts since childhood. After graduating from York University’s Honours Graphic Design program, she relocated to Spain where she earned her Master’s in Cultural Project Management at the Barcelona School of Design and Engineering. Upon her return to Toronto, she undertook the Marketing and PR Manager role at Soundstreams. Since then, she has volunteered at TEDx Boston, TIFF, and The Toronto Maker Festival. Currently, at the Toronto Arts Foundation, she coordinates numerous programs for Neighbourhood Arts Network. Inés is an avid globetrotter and lover of culture – beginning with that of her native Mexico. She believes her experiences working and living in many other parts of the world have greatly benefitted her understanding and respect of many different cultures and forms of artistic expression.

October 10thNetworking Tips & Techniques with Norma Garcia, Independent filmmaker and Arts Administrator

Gain an understanding of the importance of a professional network to career health. Learn how to start to network, how to make the most of your time when looking for networking opportunities and how to grow your network successfully.

Norma Garcia is an independent filmmaker, grants consultant and avid supporter of cultural diversity in the arts. Norma’s previous work experience includes serving as a Program Coordinator for the National Film Board of Canada, as a Senior Grants Assistant for the Toronto Arts Council and Content Coordinator for BravoFACT – a division of Bell Media.  Currently, Norma provides grant workshops and consultation services to support artists’s projects in the city of Toronto; she also just finished the  production of a film she produced and directed, having successfully secured funding for it’s creation.  

October 24thThe Curator’s role with Ellyn Walker, Independent Curator

This workshop will involve thinking through the role of the curator in relation to artists. Sharing insight from experience in exhibition planning, curating and administration, this workshop will prepare artists for exhibition-making processes in a variety of contexts. How do artists and curators work together? Where do the responsibilities of each role lie? What are the protocols and practices of the curator/artist relationship? Find out first-hand information about how artists can engage curators and vice versa.

Ellyn Walker is a curator and writer based in Toronto/Tkaronto. Her curatorial projects have been presented in artist-run centres, public space, art galleries and museums across Canada – most recently at the Thames Art Gallery in Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Her writing has been widely published in magazines, journals, online and in books, such as in the recent anthology DESIRE/CHANGE: Feminist Art in Canada (2017) by McGill-Queen’s University Press. Ellyn was recently awarded the Thematic Exhibition of the Year Award by the Ontario Association of Art Galleries for her project CANADIAN BELONGING(s) presented by the Art Gallery of Mississauga in 2016. She is currently a PhD candidate at Queen’s University in the Cultural Studies program.

November 7thArtists’ rights and copyright with Sally Lee, CARFAC Ontario

This workshop will provide a general overview of

  • CARFAC Ontario – its programs, services, resources, sectoral and advocacy on behalf of artists
  • Artists’ rights – including copyright, moral rights, exhibition and reproduction right, and Artists Resale Right

Sally Lee has worked at not-for-profit arts organizations representing a wide range of disciplines for over 25 years. Prior to joining CARFAC Ontario as Executive Director in 2015, Sally held management and leadership positions at the Toronto International Film Festival, Soulpepper Theatre Company, and the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival, where she served as Executive Director. Other groups where she has worked or volunteered include the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto, the Images Festival, the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre, Artists for Peace and Justice Canada, Samara Canada, Pan Am Path, BorderLines Magazine and the Women’s Press. She is a Fellow of the 2006 TAC Cultural Leaders Lab and currently sits on the board of Wavelength Music, the Visual Arts and Media Arts Committee of the Toronto Arts Council, the Advocacy Network of the Toronto Arts Foundation, the Advisory Board of Reel Asian, and the Nominating Committee of Access Copyright. She has also participated in the production of several independent films and music videos. An active member of Toronto’s independent music community since the early 90s, Sally currently plays bass and sings in the band Long Branch.

November 28thArtist-Run Centres with Ana Barajas, YYZ Artists’ Outlet

This short conversation will cover the role of artist-run centres and their position within the visual arts ecology in Toronto.

Born in Mexico City, Mexico, Ana Barajas holds a BFA from OCAD University in Sculpture/Installation. She received a MVA, Curatorial and a MA, Modern Art History from the University of Toronto. As the Director of YYZ Artists’ Outlet, a non-profit artist-run centre, Barajas has managed more than one-hundred exhibitions to date.  

December 12th – Info Session: Immigration Strategies for Artists with Emily Lukaweski, Immigration Lawyer.

Emily has served on the board of VANL-CARFAC and has over 5 years of experience with immigration programs and application processes for temporary and permanent economic immigration into Canada for artists and creative professionals. Her specialty is in taking a big picture approach to immigration strategies, and finding solutions tailored to each individual case. In this session, she will be presenting information on immigration strategies useful for artists looking to obtain both temporary and permanent status in Canada.

Location: YYZ Artists’ Outlet, 140-401 Richmond St W.

Time: 6:00 – 8:00pm

RVSP required – To register: newcomer-artists-workshops.eventbrite.com

For more information: marta.paralia@gmail.com