We’re thrilled to share that our newsletter is getting a refresh! It’s an opportunity for us to stay connected with the arts community — keeping you informed about CPAMO’s latest news and initiatives, while also highlighting events and updates from other organizations across the sector.

We’re delighted to announce that CPAMO has received the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) Arts Service Organizations: Operating Grant. This program supports the ongoing operations of professional arts service organizations across Ontario — helping us continue to serve and empower Indigenous, racialized, and equity-seeking artists and arts organizations.

In addition, CPAMO was awarded a Catalyst & Transformation (CAT) Fund grant from WorkInCulture, which has been instrumental in advancing our journey toward a new model of shared leadership.

Through a 12-week Exploration Phase, the CAT Fund enabled CPAMO to deeply examine collaborative and non-hierarchical governance structures that align with our equity-driven mission. This project helped us explore frameworks that embed pluralism, accountability, and sustainability into our decision-making processes — preparing us for the next stage of our organizational evolution. With the support of the CAT Fund, CPAMO has moved from a genuine interest in shared leadership to a grounded, practical exploration that combines research, consultation, practice, and hands-on learning.   

Over the summer, CPAMO took part in Mass Culture’s Data Summer School: Data 101 workshops.  These sessions helped us reflect on our data management practices and explore new ways to organize and use data more effectively to tell our story.

We’re proud to share that Kevin A. Ormsby, CPAMO’s Co-Director, Curator of Programming and Engagement, was recently honored at the Inaugural Jamaican Diaspora Impact Awards Gala!

The event, held on October 24, 2025 at the Toronto Botanical Garden, celebrated the brilliance, resilience, and impact of Jamaicans shaping communities across Canada and the world.

We’re nearing the final stages of the 5th cohort of the CPAMOPOC Project (Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario’s Pluralism and Organizational Change initiative). Over the past two years, eight participating organizations have worked to transform their own practices while gaining the knowledge and skills to deliver anti-racism, equity, pluralism, and organizational change sessions within their own communities.   We are pleased and proud of the progress that our partnering organizations have made!  Stay turned for examples in our upcoming newsletters.

For more information, visit our website:
🔗 https://cpamo.org/equity-education-in-the-arts/cpamo-poc-cohort-5/

As this cohort wraps up, we’re beginning to plan for the next one! Stay tuned for updates — please reach out to Erin Jones, Convenor/Co-Director Curator of Transformational Change, at education@cpamo.org to learn more and participate in CPAMO POC VI.

Gathering Divergence – A Journal Centering IBPOC Perspectives in Canadian Arts Practices

The arts sector in Canada is in a moment of transformation—one deeply shaped by Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) creatives whose work continues to challenge, inspire, and reimagine how we experience art and culture. Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO) proudly announces the newly titled publication, Gathering Divergence – A Journal Centering IBPOC Perspectives in Canadian Arts Practices.

This journal represents a deliberate intervention against the historical and ongoing erasure of IBPOC contributions to the Canadian arts ecosystem. It features essays, reflections, and images from artists, scholars, and cultural leaders who are not only practitioners but also catalysts for systemic change. Many contributors have also presented or performed at The Gathering: Divergence Multi-Arts Festival and Conference, a complementary event that continues to nurture cross-sector collaboration and creative dialogue.

The first issue, Shifting Perspectives and Evolving Ways of Working in the Arts, explores how IBPOC artists engage with questions of social impact, cultural relevance, and artistic innovation. Through an intergenerational and interdisciplinary lens, Gathering Divergence highlights creative practices that honour legacy, center Indigeneity, and envision more inclusive and equitable futures for the arts in Canada.

With this launch, CPAMO reaffirms its ongoing commitment to cultivating space, opportunity, and understanding—ensuring that the voices shaping Canada’s cultural landscape are heard, celebrated, and sustained for generations to come.

📅 Event Details

Date: November 27th, 2025
Time: 4:30pm - 6:30pm
Location: Rooftop Meeting Space
30 Merchants' Wharf, Toronto, ON M5A 0L2

Accessibility: The venue is accessible by wheelchair. We aim to have a Fragrance-Free Event.

The event is free but RSVP is required!

RSVP on eventbrite!

About the Event

As Canada’s arts sector continues to evolve, Gathering Divergence A Journal Centering IBPOC Perspectives in Canadian Arts Practices stands as a bold affirmation of Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC) creativity, leadership, and influence. This newly launched journal highlights the methodologies, lived experiences, and artistic practices that are reshaping the arts landscape across the country.

Join us as we unveil the first issue, Shifting Perspectives and Evolving Ways of Working in the Arts, which explores how IBPOC artists engage with questions of cultural relevance, social impact, and creative innovation. Contributors to the journal include artists, scholars, and changemakers—many of whom have presented or performed at The Gathering: Divergence Multi-Arts Festival and Conference.

As part of the launch, we gather in celebration of the season, honouring the communities and collaborators who continue to help till the arts sector—cultivating space, opportunity, and understanding for generations to come.

Evening Highlights

✨ Journal launch and contributor reflections
🎶 Live conversation with contributors
🤝 Networking and Arts community connections
🍷 Light refreshments and holiday cheer

The second volume of An Anthology Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation: Thoughts from Canadian Artists / Arts Workers / Organizations in the Arts Ecology is available for purchase!

This publication builds on Volume 1 and continues the conversation on the need for sectoral change centering the voice of IBPOC visionaries for the Arts sector’s future. Featured articles (previously published / written) will complement articles from invited contributors from all performing arts and visual arts disciplines, digital / media arts and arts administration. View the table of contents and introduction here.

This publication is available for purchase in print here (book $30 + $8 shipping) or as a PDF here ($30). The PDF version is available for immediate download after purchase. Please make sure to download the PDF right away. 

Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – A Reunion of CPAMOPOC Organizations (May 19, 2025)

Now and for the Future of the Arts Sector: EDIP in Action (May 19, 2025)

Keynote by Kshama Patel and Wendy Rading, Etobicoke Arts (May 19, 2025)

Land Acknowledgement by Kevin A. Ormsby – Day 3 (May 19, 2025)

Stories / Strategies to Address Aging as an IBPOC Artist: What do we need to Consider? (May 18, 2025)

Wellness for IBPOC Artists and Arts Organizations in a Sector of Continued Inequities session (May 18, 2025)

Keynote by Kevin A. Ormsby and Land Acknowledgment by Erin Jones (audio only) (May 18, 2025)

Who’s Talking About Advocacy in the Arts?: It’s Continued Importance panel in partnership with Canadian Arts Coalition (May 16, 2025)

Land Acknowledgement by Cara Loft (May 16, 2025)

Our equity and anti-racism training programs are customized to your organization’s EDI needs.

There’s still so much work to do.

For more information view our brochure here.

The wind in the leaves collective (www.windintheleavescollective.com) 2025/26 season is under way with three offerings: Mallo Nights, allies and friends, and the Indigenous/ Black/People of Colour (IBPOC) Touring Network.

Mallo Nights

This program focuses in emerging dance and poets/spoken word artists who perform duets at Mallo Bistro (https://www.mallo.ca).  These are always exciting events merging dance and word with the poetry/spoken word being the music the dancer engages with.  Our next performances are in February and April 2026.

IBPOC Touring Network

Allies and friends

These performances take place at the Citadel+Compagnie where the collective is presenter in residence (https://www.citadelcie.com/event/allies-and-friends-mar/)

March 20 & 21, 2026

Parahumans

Solo Z: The Muscles Think In Infinite Parts x 3

This dance has been performed by four different dancers over 6 years as a 5-minute solo, as well as an extended 30-minute dance. Its initial inspiration is the classic 1966 Post-Modern Dance, ‘Trio A: The Mind Is A Muscle - Part 1,’ by Yvonne Rainer. ‘

Lilian Allen/Kevin A. Ormsby and Dwentea Chambers will perform a piece exploring dub poetry and Afro/Jamaicanmovement.  Bringing these artists together will provide critical and valuable insights into the influence of Jamaican forms of expression on artistic performance in Canada.

Karen Kaeja/Mio Sakamoto will perform unravel, a new solo in Karen Kaeja’s Im/Balance Project—a triptych of feminine embodiments. Performed by Mio Sakamoto, this work traces the delicate, often imperceptible terrain between stability and disarray.

May 1 & 2, 2026

Sylvie Bouchard formed BoucharDanse, a company that serves as an umbrella for her artistic endeavors. Bouchard cocreated and performed in the popular series Four Square at Tree House TV.

Jim Nason and Stephanie Harkness.

These two performed together for Mallo Nights in 2022. JIm is an artist and educator who  is the author of eight volumes of poetry. Stephanie is (they/them) is an artist, rehearsal director, and anthropologist based in Toronto.

The Black Screen Office exists to champion Black creators, grow Black-led businesses, and ensure Black stories are made and seen. By focusing on talent, access, and visibility, we help shape a screen industry that reflects the full richness of Black experiences in Canada and around the world.

About the Framework

• The Black Screen Office, in partnership with ADVANCE Music Foundation and Cultural Pluralism in the Arts Movement Ontario (CPAMO), is launching the first-ever Anti-Black Racism Policy Framework for Canada’s cultural industries.

• This is a community-informed, sector-wide roadmap grounded in consultations with over 140 Black creatives from across the screen, music, performing arts, theatre, and literary sectors.

• The Framework contains actionable recommendations covering definitions, hiring, mentorship, training, accountability, and more.

• It is designed for organizations of all sizes across Canada’s cultural industries and can also support Black-led organizations in advocacy with all levels of government.

Why this matters

We should care about Black people in culture because:

• It’s the right thing to do — Black artists deserve permanence, not performative gestures.

• It’s good for business — audiences demand authenticity, diversity, and representation.

• And relevance is survival — without change, cultural organizations risk becoming irrelevant to the very communities they need to serve.

Why It’s Needed

• For years, organizations have said: “We want to do better, but we don’t know where to start.”

• Symbolic gestures and statements have too often replaced structural change for Black artists and creative professionals.

• The Framework provides practical, measurable guidance to help organizations move from intention to implementation.

• It updates and adapts the definition of Anti-Black Racism—last widely revised in 2003, specifically for the realities of Canada’s cultural industries.

Statistics

• Cultural sector: Black professionals hold just 2% of board seats despite making up 4.3% of the population.

• Music sector: 98% of Black professionals have never applied for grants, and 89% of those who did were denied.

• Screen sector: Fewer than 3% of Black screen professionals occupy top creative roles like showrunner or executive producer.

Key Features

• Not a checklist - a tool for honest reflection, gap analysis, and the creation of tailored ABR policies.

• Encourages year-round promotion of Black talent and stories, moving beyond tokenism and “Black History Month-only” visibility.

• Recognizes the diversity and intersectionality within Black communities, urging sector-specific approaches for groups such as Black disabled creators or Black newcomers.

• Guides organizations through self-reflection, data analysis, goal-setting, and progress measurement.

Impact & Vision

• Backed by national funding partners including: Canada Media Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Creative BC, Ontario Creates, and Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative through the Black Business Initiative.

• Aims to create a cultural sector where Black artists, executives, and professionals are not just included, but empowered and celebrated.

• Builds capacity for structural change by equipping organizations with tools to dismantle anti-Black racism in their policies, programs, and workplaces.

An Anthology of Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation is available for purchase in print (book $20 + 15 shipping) and pdf ($20). To purchase please visit our website https://wp.me/p3jYa5-bVuTf or contact us.