Governance Reimaginings
Uncover the latest research and engage in emergent conversations around the re-imagination of governance in arts and culture organizations and spaces
Featured Post
Arts and culture organizations have long been struggling with the traditional non-profit governance framework.
How do decisions get made?
Who holds real and imagined accountability?
What does impact and success look/feel like?
What values are we upholding?
In the past few years, these lingering questions have emerged as crisis in many arts and culture organizations across Canada. In response, many have turned their attention to finding creative solutions and developing new models, rooted in values-based approaches, drawing from the inherent knowledge within, and through the creative practice of the arts.
In 2021, with the support of the Ontario Arts Council’s Arts Response Initiative, Generator launched Governance Reimaginings, in partnership with Shakespeare in the Ruff and Toronto Dance Community Love-In. The question at the centre of this knowledge exchange:
How can we deconstruct inherited governance structures to create systems of accountability and community care that support, and are aligned with, the values of the organizations and individuals we serve?
To answer this question, individual artists, leaders and board members from all three organizations gathered for intentional conversations around governance, learning about the integration of values, expanding our understandings, uncovering alternative models, and reflecting upon these learnings in the context of our individual and organizational experiences. We invited guests to offer provocations and share their unique perspectives and experiences:
Yvette Nolan
Zainab Amadahy
Tamarack Institute
Cynthia Lickers-Sage
Elder Whabagoon
Erin Kang (Ontario Nonprofit Network)
Jane Marsland
To support community and sector knowledge sharing and conversation, individual artists from all three organizations have written blog posts engaging with the urgent and emergent conversations brought forward in each session:
In 2022/23, the conversation continues in partnership with the Creative Champions Network, an initiative from the Toronto Arts Foundation. Generator is a Co-Creator for all of the events and activities in the Get on Board: Workshop & Speaker Series.
In conversation with Michelle Yeung, Creative Champions Network Lead
An interview featuring questions about Michelle’s board work, her hopes and plans for the overall program, and a window into what board members and arts leaders can expect from the upcoming sessions
At Generator, we believe it is vitally important to engage with artists in this conversation, so that what happens in the board room is not separated from what happens in the studio or in the creative process. We have invited artists to attend all Creative Champions Network sessions, to offer a reflection and response to the information and dialogue that emerges. Artist Responders are encouraged to engage in creative ways of offering summary and feedback, in a manner that draws from their own artistic values and practices:
At the same time, we also wish to share and highlight our own transitions in governance, and our continued organizational transformation in our Charting Waters - Transitions in Arts Organizations blog series. These writings and reflections highlight our organizational practice of sharing documented learnings, experiences, and perspectives for greater sectoral awareness, understanding, and community-building:
In the sixth and final post in our ‘Governance Reimaginings’ series, theatre artist, playwright and former Artistic Director for Shakespeare in the Ruff, Kaitlyn Riordan offers a personal response to a session led by Erin Kang.