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Sign up for an Action Lab to get involved with Arts Ottawa. Interested in joining an Action Lab? Arts Ottawa offers varying levels of commitment to accommodate different capacities and interests. Read through the levels of commitment participants can choose from, then fill out the form on this page to join an Action Lab. Informed Participants choose to stay updated and aware of the new organizational model and its activities. Involvement: Receive newsletters, attend informational meetings, and follow progress reports. Time Commitment: Minimal, mainly involving reading updates and occasional attendance at information sessions. Consulted Participants provide feedback and insights on specific initiatives or decisions. Involvement: Participate in surveys, focus groups, or feedback sessions. Offer opinions on proposed projects and strategies. Time Commitment: Moderate, involving periodic engagement to provide input and attend consultation meetings. Engaged Participants actively contribute to the planning and implementation of initiatives within the organizational model. Involvement: Join working groups, attend regular meetings, and contribute to specific projects or Action Labs. Time Commitment: Significant, requiring regular participation and hands-on involvement in activities and discussions. Committed Participants take on leadership roles and are deeply involved in driving the organization's strategic goals. Involvement: Lead Action Labs, serve on the Core Leadership Circle, and participate in strategic planning and decision-making. Time Commitment: Extensive, involving ongoing leadership responsibilities, regular meetings, and active participation in high-level initiatives. Champion Participants advocate for the organizational model and mobilize others to engage and support the initiatives. Involvement: Act as ambassadors for the model, promote its goals, mentor new participants, and represent the organization in external engagements. Time Commitment: Very high, with continuous engagement, public speaking, networking, and mentoring activities. Join an Action Lab First name* Last name* Email* Organization Preferred Level of Interest Informed: I want to stay updated with the latest news and developments. Consulted: I am interested in providing feedback and insights on specific initiatives. Engaged: I want to actively contribute to planning and implementing initiatives. Committed: I am ready to take on leadership roles and drive strategic goals. Champion: I am passionate about advocating for the model and mobilizing others. Additional Comments or Areas of Interest Submit

Alex Maltby Programming & Partnerships alex@artsottawa.ca Alex is a musician, arts administrator and programmer, living and working on unceded Algonquin Anishnaabe territory. He has played an active role in the local music and arts scene for nearly two decades, with a focus on community engagement, equity, and relationship building. At Arts Ottawa, Alex collaborates with various interest holders to develop and expand programs and strategic partnerships that support Ottawa's arts community. Past artistic experience includes programming and performing at renowned festivals across Canada, such as Pop Montreal, Megaphono, Bluesfest, CityFolk, Westfest, Arboretum Arts Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, as well as participating in international events like PATIOS in León, Spain.

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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

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

Leah Cogan Community Wealth Building Learning Labs Leah is a key advisor for Arts Ottawa’s Community Wealth Building Learning Lab series, bringing deep subject expertise alongside long-standing experience working across the sector. She has played a central role in shaping the series by coordinating and curating speakers, drawing on her network of practitioners and collaborators, and facilitating workshops to ensure the right questions are being asked and meaningful insights are gathered to move the work forward. Leah Cogan is a bilingual coach, facilitator and educator who combines strengths-based, arts-inspired, embodiment practices with human-centered design principles and innovation theory. She is also a multi-disciplinary artist with experience in performance, creation and arts education. Iterating from her thesis project at Brown University, Leah has been continuously exploring the intersection of creative practice and collective action. She has worked as an engagement and knowledge mobilization specialist at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa, leveraging her creative tools to lead multi-stakeholder strategic sessions to design and coordinate around new community-led housing solutions. Leah also served as Chair of PAL Ottawa, a non-profit housing initiative serving aging artists in the National Capital Region. Leah is currently hosting a Learning Series with Arts Ottawa to explore Community Wealth Building as an economic coordination model for the sustainability and growth of Ottawa’s creative sector.

Arts Correspondents act as community storytellers, attending Arts Ottawa programs and events to listen, reflect, and share the voices, experiences, and ideas that shape Ottawa’s arts community. Arts Correspondents Arts Correspondents act as community storytellers, attending Arts Ottawa programs and events to listen, reflect, and share the voices, experiences, and ideas that shape Ottawa’s arts community. Photo: Brooklyn Marok Arts Ottawa is seeking Arts Correspondents to join the conversation and share their reflections through the lens of a community member. Correspondents will attend select Arts Ottawa sessions, events or labs then submit a written reflection of 1,000 to 2,000 words in a report or blog style format. This role is part of a new approach to centring voices from outside our organization. Arts Correspondents will offer an independent perspective on the work taking place, and their reflections will be shared across our channels to help broaden the conversation within the community. Payment for attending a session and completing a written piece is $376, in accordance with the CARFAC storyteller rate. Apply to be an Arts Correspondent COMMUNITY FORUM: Turning Priorities into Action - April 23rd 2025 Arts Correspondent: Murray Dineen Murray Dineen is a professional artist and printmaker who teaches at the Ottawa School of Art. From 2020 to 2025, he served on the Board of Directors of Arts Network Ottawa (now Arts Ottawa), and was also Director-at-Large of the Ottawa-Gatineau Printmakers Connective. Read their article here Correspondant artistique : Dillon Orr Dillon Orr est un metteur en scène queer franco-ontarien et le producteur exécutif artistique de Créations In Vivo, à Ottawa. Originaire de la rivière du Détroit, diplômé de l’Université d’Ottawa et de l’École nationale de théâtre du Canada, il développe une pratique de théâtre franco-mino grassroots, nourrie par le bouffe. Lire leur article ici ACTION LAB: Social Impact in the Arts - December 15th 2025 Arts Correspondent: Meral Tan Meral Tan is a graduate of Carleton University’s Film Studies MA program. She’s currently working as an arts administrator at the Digital Arts Resource Centre, programming events and educational opportunities in media arts. Read their article here COLLABORATIVE STRATEGY SESSION - November 27th 2025 Arts Correspondent: Ava Margueritte Ava Margueritte graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts majoring in conceptual photography. Her work is in the City of Ottawa’s permanent art collection, in private collections and has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Read their article here Arts Ottawa's Arts Correspondents are funded by the Giving Circle

Arts Ottawa supports and connects the local arts community, fostering collaboration and empowering creativity. We champion the arts as a vital force in Ottawa’s cultural, social, and economic life. About Arts Ottawa Arts Ottawa supports and connects the local arts community, fostering collaboration and empowering creativity. We champion the arts as a vital force in Ottawa’s cultural, social, and economic life. Our History Meet the Team Photo: Jamaal Khaleefa Mission To drive collective action in responding to community needs and priorities, fostering a thriving arts sector. Vision A dynamic cultural capital where the practice of art is meaningful and contributes positively to the development of the city and the quality of life of its citizens. Values Care and respect for artists, engagement with community, integrity and accountability, inclusiveness and collaboration. 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

Takeover our Instagram and showcase your work! Artist Takeovers Takeover our Instagram and showcase your work! Photo: Abigail Bailey The Artist Takeover Program offer a unique opportunity for Arts Ottawa to connect, collaborate, and uplift artists within our community. Selected artists will have access to our Instagram platform where they can showcase their work through Instagram LIVE and stories. We prioritize equity-deserving groups and strive to center marginalized voices. Artists have access to our platform for 24 hours but are only required to be online and active to complete the deliverables. Any time spent on the account afterward is optional. Artists will receive a payment of $125 for their takeover. To participate, artists are required to review the Artist Deliverables document and fulfill the outlined requirements. Once the deliverables are completed, artists are welcome to share additional content through Instagram stories or LIVE sessions. Please take a moment to review our Safer Spaces Policy as we ask all artists to adhere to these guidelines while accessing our Instagram platform. Apply for the Artist Takeovers 2025 here If you have any questions, please reach out to brooklyn@artsottawa.ca

Join the Arts Ottawa team for casual, in-person monthly drop-ins. Open Office Hours Join the Arts Ottawa team for casual, in-person monthly drop-ins. Photo: Brooklyn Marok About Open Office Hours Open Office Hours are casual, in-person monthly drop-ins where community members can meet Arts Ottawa staff to discuss their concerns, ask questions, and share ideas in an informal, accessible setting. We are partnering with Happy Goat and will be at various locations throughout the city. We hope to see you there. Notice of Open Office Hours will be shared in our e-newsletters and on Arts Ottawa social media channels. Come be a part of the discussion! Open Office Hours are proud to be supported by Happy Goat Coffee Co. This service is funded by

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