Transforming Together: Systemic Change for Community Benefit
Arts Ottawa Releases Landmark Case Study on Nonprofit Merger, Sector Reform, and Collective Leadership
In a bold move to reimagine how the arts sector is supported, Arts Ottawa has released a comprehensive case study titled Transforming Together: Systemic Change for Community Benefit, chronicling the historic merger between the Ottawa Arts Council and Arts Network Ottawa. This merger goes beyond structural consolidation and offers a replicable model for nonprofit transformation rooted in equity, collaboration, and community governance.
The case study details how two of Ottawa’s leading arts service organizations took an innovative, human-centered design approach to dismantle silos, reframe leadership, and build a new organizational structure based on shared power. With over 450 community members engaged, Arts Ottawa is now emerging as a catalytic hub for collective action in the arts.
“This isn’t just a story about two organizations merging,” says Cassandra Olsthoorn, former Executive Director of Arts Network Ottawa and now Co-Executive Director with Arts Ottawa. “It’s about shifting how we lead, who makes decisions, and how we sustain meaningful change in the arts sector.”
From early trust-building to a new governance model that decentralizes authority and empowers artists as decision-makers, Transforming Together offers a transparent look into the why, how, and what next of organizational reinvention. The process included co-creation labs, artist commissions, and iterative community testing, resulting in a structure that includes Action Labs, a Community Advisory Circle, and a Core Leadership Circle.
Supported by funding from the City of Ottawa, Ontario Arts Council, the Ottawa Community Foundation, Canada Council for the Arts, and others, the merger also addresses long-standing systemic issues: barriers to equity, lack of coordination in advocacy, and the need for adaptable, resilient infrastructure in a post-pandemic world.
“Mergers in the nonprofit sector are often seen as a last resort,” says Nicole Milne, former Executive Director of Ottawa Arts Council and now Co-Executive Director with Arts Ottawa. “We approached ours as a generative opportunity—one to create something new, more inclusive, and more effective.”
The case study is already drawing attention from municipal leaders and national arts funders as a potential blueprint for other cities.
For interviews, background, or access to community participants, contact: Nicole Milne Co-Executive Director, Arts Ottawa nicole@artsottawa.ca | 613-983-6282
