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Noel Szabados Arts Administration & Engagement Assistant Noel (she/her) is the Arts Administration & Engagement Assistant at Arts Ottawa. As a visual artist and Fine Arts student based in Ottawa, she brings a thoughtful, creative lens to her work supporting the local arts community. Noel provides essential administrative support to help keep programs running smoothly and accessible. Her passion for the arts is rooted in a belief that creativity can foster connection, expression, and meaningful change. Whether behind the scenes or in the studio, she is dedicated to uplifting local voices and cultivating a vibrant, inclusive arts ecosystem.

Learning and Co-Creation Labs Bringing together artists, interest holders, staff, and sector experts to explore governance, advocacy, artist leadership, and collaboration, to co-create a shared leadership model rooted in equity, volunteerism, and collective care. Photo: Quest Arts Ottawa hosted innovative Learning and Co-Creation Labs that brought together interest holders, sector experts, the arts community and staff to explore governance models that center artists, with advocacy, equity, and volunteerism playing pivotal roles in shaping leadership structures. The three Learning Labs we held between February and April served as an introduction to themes such as governance, advocacy, artist leadership, trust-building, and cross-sector collaboration. Participants reimagined traditional governance approaches, explored strategies to strengthen collective advocacy efforts, and heard from policy experts, grassroots organizers, and sector leaders who are reshaping governance and advocacy frameworks. These hands-on sessions bridged sector-wide learning with localized, actionable solutions. WATCH THE LEARNING LABS ONLINE READ THE REPORTS HERE Learn more about each Learning Lab LEARNING LAB #1: Governance Models and Advocacy in the Arts Sector In this lab, we explored how shifting political landscapes, rising costs, and systemic inequities are reshaping the arts sector. LEARN MORE •••••••••• LEARNING LAB #2: Artists as Community Leaders This Learning Lab explored the ways in which artists drive systemic change and lead community development to create meaningful change in society. LEARN MORE •••••••••• LEARNING LAB #3: Redefining Volunteerism in Governance In this Lab, we examined the decline in volunteerism and its impact on arts governance, from leadership challenges to increased workloads. LEARN MORE Building on that foundation, the Co-Creation Labs held on April 24 th and 26th invited participants to collaboratively bring those insights to life. Over 4.5-hour interactive sessions, artists, community organizers, and arts advocates co-designed a governance model rooted in inclusive decision-making. Creative tools like café-style speed dating, visual storytelling, and consensus-building helped shape a shared leadership structure for Arts Ottawa. Together, we co-created a Governance Charter grounded in community values—ensuring leadership that is transparent, accountable, and artist-centered. WATCH THE CO-CREATION LAB RECAP These labs were designed not only to imagine new systems but to build them—reflecting the vibrant, diverse, and evolving arts community we serve. This work directly shaped how the Core Leadership Circle (CLC) and  Community Advisory Members (CAM)  were formed, recruited, and are run.  

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Arts Ottawa was created as a result of a merger of Arts Network Ottawa and Ottawa Arts Council. History Arts Ottawa was created as a result of a merger of Arts Network Ottawa and Ottawa Arts Council in order to bring Ottawa’s arts community under a united voice. Learn more about all phases of the engagement process that brought us to where we are today: Read the Case Study Ottawa Arts Council Ottawa Arts Council was established in 1982 with a mandate to advocate for the arts in Ottawa, connect artists of all disciplines and backgrounds by providing information and skills development, organize an annual festival, and to establish a municipal arts centre in the urban core. Following significant financial obstacles, the Council re-examined its mandate in the nineties to focus its efforts as an arts service organization. Through increased financial resources, the Council solidified its role as an arts and culture advocate. Arts Network Ottawa Arts Network Ottawa began in 1980 as Arts Gloucester, a volunteer umbrella organization created to serve Gloucester. In 1987, Gloucester Arts Council incorporated as a non-profit charity and in 1997, signed a purchase of service agreement with the City of Gloucester to provide service and professional assistance to groups, becoming the first arts council in Ontario to do so with their municipality. The following year a similar agreement was signed with the Township of Cumberland. Following municipal amalgamation in Ottawa, the organization later rebranded to Arts Ottawa East, then AOE Arts Council, then Arts Network Ottawa. A timeline of Merging Ottawa Arts Council & Arts Network Ottawa 2000 Initial merger discussions for Arts Ottawa East and Council for the Arts in Ottawa 2012 City of Ottawa publishes Renewed Action Plan 2019 Ottawa Cultural Alliance's Cultural Roadmap encourages sector collaboration 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: Increased collaboration between OAC and ANO 2021 Financial analysis conducted by Brynaert Brennan & Associates 2022 Phased engagement process with local consultants May 2023 Develop community co-creation framework to pursue merger October 2023 Announcement of OAC and ANO Merger and Community Feedback Survey December 2023 Community Conversations March 2024 Design thinking workshops held June 2024 Workshop Organizational Model at Arts Leaders' Breakfast and present at AGMs 2025 New Arts Service Organization and organizational model implementation Collaboration After the amalgamation of the City of Ottawa in 2000, both organizations worked collaboratively on arts advocacy, including in the early 2000s on Ottawa’s first arts and heritage master plan (Ottawa 20/20). Preliminary merger discussions were had by staff and boards at the time, but it was determined that each organization would be stronger in achieving unique goals for the community as separate organizations. Collaborative work did continue: both organizations partnered with the City of Ottawa and on Join the Crowd, an arts awareness campaign; a community-wide campaign called My Ottawa Includes Culture in 2004 that stopped a proposed 80% cut to Ottawa City Council arts funding; and again in 2008 partnered to run Our Ottawa Still Includes Culture, another rally in response to a City Council proposed 54% cut to arts funding. Both also participated on the Steering Committee and in consultations that resulted in the City of Ottawa’s 2013-18 Renewed Action Plan for Arts, Culture and Heritage. In 2015, both organizations co-formed Ottawa Cultural Alliance with five other cultural umbrella groups to undertake joint initiatives to strengthen Ottawa’s cultural sector. From 2017-2019, the Alliance completed a community-driven, community-wide Arms-Length Cultural Development Feasibility Study, hosted an Ottawa Culture Summit, and facilitated the creation of this new community-driven A Liveable City for All: A New Cultural Roadmap for Ottawa 2019-22. Building Trust Arts Network Ottawa and Ottawa Arts Council reinforced their partnership through the COVID-19 lockdowns. As the priorities and needs in the sector sharpened, a stronger unified approach continued to be taken by the organizations and consistently saw increased impact and results when working in collaboration. We actively engaged with key internal invested parties, including board members, staff and funders, to understand their perspectives. This process developed a careful yet important environment of openness to a merger between Arts Network Ottawa and Ottawa Arts Council, which generated excitement and curiosity about the process and its possibilities. On October 30, 2023 we made a formal announcement about our plans to merge into a united organization and voice for the arts in Ottawa. On October 30, 2023 we made a formal announcement about the merger. By coming together as a merged organization, we can provide a stronger, more unified response to the complex issues facing the arts community in Ottawa. We are driven by the urgent need to respond to today’s challenges in the arts sector. Learn more about all phases of the engagement process that brought us to where we are today. Explore the new Artist Talk! Our new community hub brings together events, resources, and discussions — all in one place. Stay connected, informed, and inspired. Visit Artist Talk Subscribe to the Arts Ottawa Report! Arts Ottawa offers a bi-weekly report that will keep you up to date on all of the programs and services Arts Ottawa has to offer the Ottawa community. Learn about our newsletters here. Email* Yes, subscribe me to Arts Ottawa Report. * Submit

Meet the Arts Ottawa team Meet the Arts Ottawa Team Alex Maltby Programming & Partnerships Brooklyn Marok Digital Engagement & Design Cassandra Olsthoorn Co-Leadership, Strategy & Community Mobilization Joni Hamlin Programming and Operations Nicole Milne Co-Leadership, Operations & Revenue Generation Noel Szabados Arts Administration & Engagement Assistant Board of Directors Anona Kosmack Knowledge Steward Chirag Gehani Financial Steward Dominic Brisson Legacy Steward Emily Ramsay Chairing Member Jeff Richstone Support Chair

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Stay tuned! Coming Soon! Arts Ottawa supports and advocates for artists and the arts in Ottawa.

Browse Arts Ottawa's exhaustive list of resources for artists in Ottawa. Funding ORGANIZATIONS City of Ottawa Ottawa Community Foundation Ontario Arts Council Ontario Trillium Foundation Ontario Creates Ontario Arts Foundation Canada Council for the Arts Canadian Heritage The Actors' Fund of Canada Canadian Writers Foundation Metcalf Foundation Michaëlle Jean Foundation Factor Canada Media Fund Telefilm Canada Filmmaker Assistance Program International Federation of Arts Councils & Culture Agencies Theatre Action Telus Community Boards MICRO-GRANTS Music x Business Grants Ottawa Art Society Awesome Foundation Tontine Awards 100 Women Who Care Ottawa 100 Men Who Care Ottawa GRANT PROPOSAL WRITING Ontario Arts Council Guide Ontario Presents – Webinar Series for Arts Presenting Canada Council Guide FUNDRAISING SKILLS AFP Ottawa: Association of Fundraising Professionals (Ottawa chapter) WorkInCulture: WorkSmarts Algonquin College Charity Village FUNDRAISING TOOLS Grant Connect by Imagine Canada GoFundMe Indiegogo Arts Service Organizations MULTIDISCIPLINARY ArtsBuild Culture Outaouais Ontario Presents Ottawa Festivals PERFORMING ARTS Dance Ontario Dance Umbrella Théâtre Action Ottawa Fringe Festival Ottawa Music Industry Coalition (OMIC) Canadian Music Centre Canadian Media Producer Association VISUAL, CRAFT AND MEDIA ARTS ARCA Artscape Craft Ontario Canadian Media Producer Association Ottawa Film Office Ottawa Art Gallery Ontario Society of Artists Digital Arts Resource Centre Services LEGAL Arts Law Ottawa Ontario Government Independent Legal Advice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Artists Legal Advice Services (ALAS) Steps to Justice Pacific Legal Education & Outreach Society (PLEO) Canadian Intellectual Property Office Copyright Visual Arts National Network of Legal Clinics for the Arts CONTRACTS CARFAC Ontario NETWORKING Artengine Ottawa-Gatineau Printmakers’ Connective Ottawa Black Art Kollective Ottawa Guild of Potters National Capital Network of Sculptors West Carleton Arts Society Association des auteures et auteurs de l’Ontario français (AAOF) WorkInCulture Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada artsUNITE CAPACOA The Musicians’ Association of Ottawa-Gatineau including Huntsville and Sudbury ArtsConnect Ottawa Editors Association of Canada Canadian Freelance Guild Writers Guild of Canada Canadian Actors' Equity Association Associated Designers of Canada Playwrights Guild of Canada Union des Artistes International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Canadian Federation of Musicians Canadian League of Composers Songwriters Association of Canada Canadian Dance Assembly HOUSING PAL Ottawa Ottawa Community Housing Centretown Citizens Corporation FINANCIAL Employed artists: Income tax for artists and writers Young and Associates Art Producer Resource CAREER MANAGEMENT Art of Managing Your Career – CHRC INSURANCE The Arts & Entertainment Plan Group Health Benefit Program Assurart RESEARCH AND POLICY Hill Strategies Creative City Network Arts and Belonging: Community Foundations Canada VOLUNTEER City of Ottawa Volunteer Ottawa Charity Village Volunteer Listings Volunteer Canada Supplies and Equipment VISUAL ARTS Patrick Gordon Framing Studio Wallack’s Art Supplies and Framing DeSerres National Capital Network of Sculptors list of suppliers MUSIC Lauzon Steve’s Music Long & McQuade Musical Instruments PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO Henry’s Vistek Independent Filmmakers Co-operative of Ottawa Digital Arts Resource Centre OTHER Ottawa Tool Library Presenting GALLERIES Ottawa Art Gallery Annexe City of Ottawa Galleries and Exhibition Spaces Ottawa School of Art Gallery SAW Gallery Gallery 101 Voix visuelle Orange Art Gallery Wallspace Gallery de Montigny Contemporary Luna Glass Studio STUDIO SPACES AND RESIDENCIES City of Ottawa Artist Studio Program Studio Space Ottawa Enriched Bread Artists SPAO Residency Ottawa School of Art Residency Program The Flava Factory Artengine Diefenbunker Artist Residency TOURING Canada Arts Presenters - CAPACOA Ontario Presents Réseau Ontario LOCAL MEDIA Apt613 Ottawa Life CKCU CHUO CBC Ottawa Morning CBC All in a Day Ottawa Citizen Artlist Centretown News Artsfile Nosy Mag PERFORMANCE VENUES Live on Elgin Algonquin Commons Theatre Bronson Centre Meridian Theatres at Centrepointe Arts Court Great Canadian Theatre Company Club SAW Micaela Fitch Room La Nouvelle Scène Gilles Desjardins Shenkman Arts Centre The Gladstone Ottawa Little Theatre The Origin Arts & Community Centre Ottawa Dance Directive Studio Rental Gigspace ONLINE SPACES Etsy Artsy Behance Dribbble Medium 500px Soundcloud Bandcamp Spotify TALENT AGENCIES Angie's Models & Talent Inc. First Stage Mensour Agency Professional Development Community Conversations Community Conversations FULL SPECTRUM SERIES Brand Strategy: How to Create a Compelling Strategy for Artists - Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah Going Digital: Moving Your Performance Online, Allison Burns Patreon: The Ins and Outs of Peer Funding, Colin White Brand Longevity: Localising, Evolving, and Diversifying Your Brand Over Time, Kwende Kefentse NFTs: A New Revenue Generator for Digital Arts, Carmilla Sumantry Advocacy: a Tool Guide to Using Your Voice for Action in the Arts, Fae Johnstone Get Insured: Navigating the World of Liability Insurance, Colette Mendenhall Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Best Practices in Creating Authentic Change, Sharon Nyangweso Arts+ series Mac-Cam COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES HIGH SCHOOLS Canterbury High School De La Salle High School École secondaire catholique Béatrice-Desloges The Ottawa School of Art SPAO: Photographic Arts Centre Algonquin College School of Media and Design University of Ottawa, Department of Visual Arts University of Ottawa, Department of Theatre University of Ottawa, School of Music Carleton University, Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Carleton University, Art History Carleton University, Music La Cité, Arts et Design OTHER INSTITUTIONS AND ONLINE LEARNING Gloucester Pottery School Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association Ottawa Acting Studio Cultural Human Resources Council Digital Arts Resource Centre Propeller Dance Odyssey Theatre Youth Apprenticeship Program OrKidstra The School of Dance Ottawa School of Theatre Level Up The Royal Conservatory, Artist Educator Professional Training Alcorn Music Studios Kick Start Arts Digital Toolkit SOCIAL MEDIA Drive Social Engagement with Bio Sites from Unfold Canadian Federation of Independent Business Hubspot - Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate Guide OPERATIONS The Art of Good Governance Cultural Human Resources Council Volunteer Ottawa Future of Work HR Toolkit Canadian Code of Conduct for the Performing Arts Respectful Workplaces in the Arts SOFTWARE SketchUp TechSoup Canada Google for Nonprofits Sumac OTHER RESOURCES Resources - Ontario Presents Advocacy CANADA Canadian Arts Coalition Canadian Heritage – Creative Canada Policy Framework ONTARIO Ontario Culture Stategy Ontario Non-Profit Network OTTAWA Ottawa 2013-18 Cultural Action Plan Ottawa Cultural Alliance Artist Wellbeing HEALTH Ottawa Public Health Mental Health Crisis Line Mental Health Links Youth Services Mind Beacon Unison Benevolent Fund Indian Residential School Survivors Society Ontario Health and Safety, Ministry of Labour, Training, and Skills Development Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act Artists Health Alliance SAFETY Distress Centre of Ottawa and Region The Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa (SASC) WISE Ottawa Sexual Assault Network (SAN) Ontario Human Rights Commission — Anti-Harassment and Anti-Discrimination Policies AOcVF (Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes) Respectful Workplaces in the Arts Canadian Code of Conduct for the Performing Arts Dandelion Initiative Not in Our Space! Artist Producer Resource—Creating a Harassment Policy Project Sound Check Commit to Kids The Lifeline Canada Foundation Kids Help Phone Reconciliation The staff and Board of Directors of Arts Ottawa stand in solidarity with the Indigenous families and community members affected by residential schools, ongoing injustices, and systemic discrimination across this land. Working internally and externally, we are committed to keep learning, building trust, and removing barriers across our operations and services, to become a stronger, more supportive ally. For those affected by the legacy of residential schools, please note that support is available: The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides support for former students and those affected. The emotional and crisis referral services can be accessed by calling the 24-hour national crisis line: 1-866-925-4419. - The Indian Residential School Survivors Society offers a crisis line for grief, crisis, and trauma counselling: 1-800-721-0066. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: 94 Calls to Action National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation University of Alberta, Indigenous Canada course Indigenous Ally Toolkit Guiding Principles for Presenting Indigenous Work Towards Braining, by Elwood Jimmy and Vanessa Andreotti Article: “21 things you may not know about the Indian Act” Resources for Indigenous People We acknowledge that our offices, located on Daly Street in downtown Ottawa, stand on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. For generations, the Algonquin people have lived on, cared for, and protected this land. It remains their homeland to this day. This acknowledgment is not a declaration of history alone, it is a recognition of the ongoing presence, rights, and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. In offering this statement, we aim not only to honour the Algonquin Nation but also to actively resist the erasure of Indigenous identities, cultures, and voices from our shared history and present, many of whom continue to be denied the opportunity and resources to make, share, and experience their traditional art and ways of life on these very lands. True reconciliation begins with awareness and continues through action. Through our work, we commit to amplifying Indigenous voices, stories, and experiences, and to supporting the sovereignty, rights, and cultural resurgence of Indigenous peoples. This is one small but vital step in the ongoing journey toward truth, accountability, and meaningful change. Tungasuvvingat Inuit Inuit Specific Services Gignul Non-Profit Corporation Housing Services Tewegan Housing Services Kagita Mikam Employment Services Makonsag Children and Family Services Larga Baffin Health Services Minwaashin Lodge Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
 Assembly of Seven Generations Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families Odawa Native Friendship Centre Multi-Services The Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance Media Indigena Mashkawazìwogamig Indigenous Resource Centre Indigenous Arts Collective of Canada Ottawa Aboriginal Coalition Resources Jump to category: Funding Arts Organizations Services Supplies Presenting Professional Development Advocacy Artist Wellbeing Reconciliation For Indigenous People

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