Resources for Arts Organizations
Below you will find a selection of articles and resource materials on topics relevant to arts organizations and festivals, including Post-Pandemic Reopening and Recovery, COVID-19 Resources for the Arts Sector, Equity Issues, Governance, Growth and Stability, Indigenous Art and Artists, Using Social Media Effectively, Going Digital, and Leading through a Crisis, among others.
Governance
- Governance structures for theatres, by theatres: What I Wish Existed... by Yvette Nolan
- Scrutinizing “Archaic” Governance Structures in a Year Marked by Crisis and Calls for Greater Inclusion by Eva Salinas
- A Policy Primer: Guide to Developing Human Rights Policies and Procedures (OHRC) – IMAA
- The default nonprofit board model is archaic and toxic; let’s try some new models
- Boards Are Broken, So Let’s Break and Remake Them by Michael J. Bobbitt
- The Board’s Role in Times of Organizational Crisis by F. Duke Haddad
- Performing Arts Boards: Governance during the Pandemic – What should volunteer boards do (and not do) to help organizations in their battle for survival. A discussion paper by Lucy White, Michael Hodgett and Erika Beatty.
Growth and Stability
- The Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organizations. Financial success for arts organizations begins with artistic excellence and cultural relevance, suggest interviews with leaders of 20 high-performing organizations. Report by Zannie Voss and Glenn Voss.
- The Road to Results: Effective Practices for Building Arts Audiences. This report identifies and examines nine practices of arts organizations that successfully expanded their audiences. By Bob Harlow.
- How to Ask for $ In Tough Times:12 tactics in 24 Minutes, webinar presented by Matt Lehrman.
- 4 Pillars for the Sustainable Development of the Arts by Toni González.
- Making Spaces for Art (Inspiring bricks-and-mortar stories)
Indigenous Art and Artists
- A Culture of Exploitation: “Reconciliation” and the Institutions of Canadian Art
- Indigenous Canadian composers by Lawrence Wiliford
- How Canada Uses Indigenous Art to Market Itself to the World by Julian Brave Noisecat
- Canada Council for the Arts’ Creating, Knowing and Sharing: The Arts and Cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples programs
Equity Issues
- Principles for Building Anti-Racist Theatre Systems
- Dismantling Racism Works Web Workbook
- The Role of Indigenous Artists and the Development of an Indigenous Pedagogy for Modern Artistic Expression by Joahnna Berti
- Indigenous Protocols for the Visual Arts
- On the Lack of Black Artists in Calgary’s Artist-Run Centres—and Canada’s Too by oualie frost
- Why I’m Done Talking About Diversity: Or, Why We Should Try an All-White Diversity Panel by Marlon James
- White Artists Need to Start Addressing White Supremacy in Their Work: Those Who Benefit From Racism Should Be on the Front Lines Fighting It by Angela Pelster-Wiebe
- Diversity in Publishing – Organizations & Initiatives resource page by Magazine Association of BC
- BIPOC writers like Souvankham Thammavongsa and Ian Williams show an experience of Canada many of us do not know by Marsha Lederman
- The Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organizations, Part II: A Spotlight on Organizations of Color – 21 leaders of arts organizations of color report deep community engagement and high-quality programs were critical to their financial health. Report by Zannie Voss and Glenn Voss.
- What Are the Paradigm Shifts Necessary for the Arts Sector to Nurture THRIVING Institutions of Color? A Yancey Consulting Report commissioned by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The New York Community Trust.
- Statement from the MacKenzie Art Gallery Equity Task Force
- A Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit for the Interactive Digital Media Industry (Interactive Ontario) – IMAASource
- Some of the work that Persephone Theatre is doing to address current challenges around Equity and Inclusion:
- Decolonize First workbook
- Nahanee Creative: Catalyzing social change to transform colonial narratives & impacts with decolonial facilitation, unlearning tools & communication design led by Squamish Matriarchs.
- Royal BC Museum handbook on Indigenous Repatriation
- Towards Braiding, an on-going collaborative process between Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa Andreotti hosted and funded by the Musagetes Arts Foundation.
Using Social Media Effectively
- How are non-profit arts organizations using social media? An insider look into how 3 organizations engage with their communities by Mikaela Hill
- Why Social Media Matters to Nonprofits – MissionBox
- Social Media Guide for download from Nonprofit Hub
- A Strategic Guide to Social Media for Nonprofits for download from Sprout Social
- Nonprofits, You Need a Social Media Presence: Here's Why
- Social Media for Nonprofits: 11 Essential Tips for Success by Katie Sehl
- Arts Organizations Thriving on Social Media: An In Depth Look at 3 Stunning Campaigns by Rebecca Evans
- How Social Media is Changing Our Art Experience
- Social Media for Nonprofits: How to Make an Impact with Little Budget by Elise Dopson
- 21 social media tips for nonprofits by Marc Pitman, Nonprofit Technology Conference
- How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media To Increase Donations And Boost Visibility by Jacqueline Tabas
- How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media to Boost Donations, Digital Marketing Institute
Going Digital
- Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Now: Grants for digital artistic content
- The Pandemic as a Factor of Transformation in Arts and Culture - The Ascendance of "Digital Culture"
- Arts Organizations and Digital Technologies by Kristin Thomson, Kristen Purcell and Lee Rainie
- A future for virtual? Adapting to a fatigued event audience in 2021 by Mark Curtis
- Don’t Let Zoom Fatigue Affect Attendance for Your Virtual Events
- DIGITAL REACH Environmental Scan report prepared by Nordicity and Lord Cultural Resources
- How to avoid webinar fatigue and improve lead generation from virtual events by Tay Ling
- Digital Marketing Recommendations for Our Arts Community During COVID-19 Outbreak
- 'Beginning of a new era': how culture went virtual in the face of crisis by Laura Feinstein
Leading through a Crisis
- 10 Reminders for Leaders During this Crisis (& Most Other Times) by Jay Desko
- How to Lead Through a Crisis, Center for Creative Leadership
- 15 Leadership Lessons for Nonprofits Navigating A Crisis, Forbes Nonprofit Council
- Qualities Your Nonprofit Needs in a Crisis by Melanie Lockwood Herman
- 9 nonprofit leadership skills every Director must master by Sandy Rees
- Five Ways Nonprofit Leaders Can Lead In The Midst Of A Crisis by Chris Marlow
- Building strong leaders in times of crisis by Larry Clark
- ArtsReady, an online emergency preparedness service by and for arts/cultural nonprofits, provides arts organizations with customized readiness plans for business continuity and post-crisis sustainability.
COVID-19 Resources for the Arts Sector
Government of Canada
- COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
- Plan d'intervention économique du Canada pour répondre à la COVID-19
- Tool for risk-assessment of mass gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Outil pour l’évaluation des risques relativement aux rassemblements de masse pendant la pandémie de COVID-19
- Canadian Heritage’s FAQs
- FAQ du Patrimoine canadien
- Supporting Arts and Live Events Workers in response to COVID-19
- Support for Workers in Live Arts and Music Sectors Fund
Canada Council for the Arts
- COVID-19 FAQs (English)
- COVID-19 FAQ (français)
- Funding Support for Arts and Live Event Workers in response to COVID-19
- Digital Now: Grants for digital artistic content
- Explore and Create program
Global Public Affairs
- Venues that may be willing to offer space to governments and health authorities for testing spaces, clinics, etc. If you are interested in adding your venue, please enter your information directly into the spreadsheet
- Document on various metric categories for COVID-19 impacts that arts organizations are documenting
- If you have suggestions for new categories to add to the document, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- For further information, please contact:
- Sean Casey – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Tara Mazurk – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Other Resources
- FACTOR Support for Live Music Events
- COVID Impact Statistics
- COVID-19 resources for museums
- These arts leaders took over their organizations just as the pandemic hit. Here are their lessons in navigating through crisis by Brad Wheeler
- When the music’s over: COVID-19 decimated the arts in Canada, and the worst may be yet to come by Kate Taylor
- Tips for Hosting Meetings & Events in the Era of COVID 19 by Suzanne Curran
- Hosting Live Events in the Covid Era by Stephanie Miles – includes suggestions about generating revenue from and for live events
- Culture + Community in a Time of Crisis: A Special Edition of Culture Track
- Understanding Audiences survey from Advisory Board for the Arts (membership with ABA is needed to view the article)
Post-Pandemic Reopening and Recovery
- The Performing Arts Post COVID-19: A discussion paper by Erika Beatty and Michael Hodgett
- Lights-on: A Guide to the Safe Re-Opening of Live Performances report from Ryerson University
- Safe Meetings and Events: How COVID-19 Could Change the Industry's Future by Megan Boley
- Inclusive event planning after COVID-19
- Festivals for Solidarity
- Art, After Virus: Seven Questions for a Sector on the Edge by David Maggs
- Big City Blues: Why Smaller-Town Cultural Entities Have an Opportunity Right Now (DATA) by Colleen Dilenschneider
- Patron Survey Tools for the Arts
- Will arts companies regret making so much content available for free during shutdown? by Caitlin Vincent for The Conversation
- In It for the Long Haul: How arts and cultural organizations can consider adapting by Zannie Voss (SMU DataArts) and Jill Robinson (TRGArts)
- Yannick Nézet-Séguin's open letter to US President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala D. Harris
Photo Credit: Krista Solheim in the New Dance Horizons production of FLOWERS by Robin Poitras and Edward Poitras.