Generator 2020/21 Update

Over the past six months, Generator — both as an organization and as the group of individuals who comprise it — has been profoundly rocked by Covid-19, Black Lives Matter, the protests in support of racial and social justice, the stoppage of live performance and public gathering, and an uncertain future that looks nothing like our past. We have been hearing from our participants, staff, and colleagues about how they have been and continue to be affected by Generator and our programs, including the ways in which we perpetuate and participate in the settler-colonial, white supremacist, capitalist, and patriarchal models on which western culture is built. We have all inherited these systems and continue to live in them. 

We are learning and thinking about some of the actions we can take now to untangle ourselves from these oppressive systems that harm us all. We are committed to action that is systemic, thorough, and decided upon in consultation and collaboration with our communities. One of the biggest lessons we are learning is about slowness and being present. Change takes time, and we are resisting the urge to strive for neat, perfect, and quick resolutions to huge, systemic challenges. 

We are also five years into the model of Generator that evolved out of STAF in 2015. We feel that the time is right to look at our current model and evaluate how it is and is not serving our communities. We do not know what the future of live producing looks like in the context of Covid-19, or what the resource model that supports this work will look like in the years to come. This is a time of great transition for the live performance sector as a whole, and for Generator as an organization. 

After four years as Lead Producer, Kristina Lemieux will be stepping down from her role no later than the end of our fiscal year (August 31, 2021). Our aim with this leadership transition is to open Generator to ideas, possibilities, and new imaginings as independent performing artists in Toronto enter new phases of art-making and redefine producing.

As we embark on this period of transition, we are taking a number of actions at Generator. We will be sharing our learnings and explorations, including the thinking and planning that went into identifying these actions, on our blog. Our aim is to be as transparent as possible as well as to offer opportunities for cross-institutional learning. 

We are committed to the following actions in our current season (September 2020-August 2021):

• In light of all of the above, and acknowledging that Generator has, at times, harmed and failed artists and community members we have worked with, we have engaged consultant Zainab Amadahy to speak to the participants of the last two Artist Producer Training cohorts, staff, and board members about their experiences with Generator and Generator staff. Zainab’s report will inform and provide recommendations on next steps for the organization.

• Our board of directors will undergo a recruitment process that will involve a deep reconsideration of what it means to be a board member and what model of governance can best serve the organization and its communities. 

• Kristina will work with the board and Generator community to create and enact a succession plan and hiring process for new leadership for the organization. 

To account for the pandemic and the reflections already noted, we are also shifting the structure of our programming for the coming year as follows:

• APT (Artist Producer Training) will be a self-directed program for 2020/2021. We are inviting the six participants to guide their own individual learning and look to the leaders and mentors that they feel will best serve their development as artist producers. We will be working with them to create individual learning plans that will be supported by direct mentorship from Kristina and Sedina, and accompanied by opportunities for the cohort to come together in shared learning. Each participant will receive funds to support their time and to seek learning opportunities outside of the Generator team. 

• To continue our learning around anti-oppression and anti-Black racism, we will be working with our Company Collaborators to create and offer learning opportunities to those in our immediate community around alternative models of organizing, and other topics that will support our continuing growth and uphold Black and Indigenous futures.

• We recognize that, over the past five years, we have been working with a small and often homogenous group of individuals to share knowledge. To break us out of this cycle, we are creating a database of arts producing knowledge contributors in the live performance community who are interested in teaching and/or writing on topics related to producing. The goal of this is to deepen our work with folks not already connected to Generator. We will actively invite folks to participate in this database. 

As an organization overall, we have been thinking about Generator’s existing model through the lens of artist harm reduction in a landscape defined by underfunding and capitalist structures. Those structures are deeply rooted in white supremacy, patriarchy, and colonization. Historically, we have envisioned our role as offering tools and competencies to survive these unjust systems, rather than dismantling them. We recognize that it is time to reconsider our role, our organizational model, and programming to align with the needs emerging in the performing arts at this time. 

We invite you to follow along with our blog as we share insights and processes from this time. You can do so by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media (@generatorTO), where we will share our latest blog posts. Our first post is “We’re going to talk about boards a lot—here are some introductory frameworks to get us started.”

This statement was written and considered by Kristina Lemieux, Annie Clarke, Sedina Fiati, ted witzel, Claire Burns, and Elenna Mosoff

A statement from Generator

Over the past few weeks, there has been an outpouring of statements and actions in solidarity with # BlackLivesMatter - Generator stands actively and firmly in solidarity with Black artists and all Black lives. At Generator, we acknowledge that our work has harmed and, at times, failed the Black artists and community members we’ve engaged. We’re in the process of listening to folks who have come forward, and beginning to reach out to our community with active steps to transform, decolonize, un-learn, re-learn, and better support the Black, Indigenous and POC folk we work with. We are committed to transparency about what this process will look like for us, and we are prioritizing checking in with those who are closest to Generator. We’ll have more to say soon.

We see, support, and stand in solidarity with the anti-racist work that our colleagues and communities are doing. We join them in calling for justice and action.

If you want to talk to us about this statement, Generator, or an experience you’ve had with us, our ears and eyes are open. Email feedbackforgenerator@gmail.com, which will be monitored by members of the Generator Board, Kevin Matthew Wong and Elenna Mosoff. They will respond to all emails received and any requested confidentiality will be respected.

This statement was prepared by Kristina Lemieux, Keshia Palm, Sedina Fiati, Annie Clarke, Kevin Matthew Wong, and Elenna Mosoff

Welcome, Meg!

We are delighted to share that Meg Saxby has joined the Generator team as Project Coordinator for Transform Dance.

Meg Saxby is a social worker, educator and clinician. She has over ten years of experience in feminist sex education, newcomer support services, gender-based violence prevention and response and the cooperative movement. Meg works with both individuals and organizations who want to imagine, build and restore relational health for better relationships, healthier workplaces and a more just world.

What inspired you to become a part of Transform Dance?

”I’ve been working on gender violence for over a decade, including years practicing as a TJ [Transformative Justice] facilitator and years supporting survivors as they navigate the legal system. I never expected the conversation to reach the mainstream media with so much force as it did in 2017. I think we’re now at a very pivotal moment, culturally -- we have the chance to shift the stigma and silence, and to develop deeper and more effective responses to harm. For me, Transform Dance is a very inspiring and creative approach, because it’s collective, voluntary, one-size-fits-one and focused on healing and transformation. I am very honoured to be a part of this project.”

Learn more about the Transform Dance project here.