February has been a busy month at CPAMO. We’ve been delivering EDI training sessions to arts organizations, preparing grant applications, and continuing our work through the Catalyst & Transformation (CAT) Fund grant from WorkInCulture.

We’re also excited about our upcoming mini-festival, Gathering Divergence: Multi-Arts Festival and Conference, taking place on February 24 and focusing on Black Arts in a Time Like Now. You’ll find more details in this newsletter, and you can register online. 

We are also starting to plan for our Spring Gathering Divergence: Multi-Arts Festival and Conference in May/June 2026. Keep an eye out—we’ll be sending our call for submissions in the coming months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

To view the table of content or to purchase visit our website.

A Multi-Arts Day Focusing on Black Arts in the Creative Sector

February 24, 2026 via Zoom

The Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival and Conference is a dynamic and supportive convening of arts practitioners, dedicated to sharing strategies that advance the work of Indigenous, racialized, Deaf, disabled, mad, women, and other historically marginalized artists and communities.

For its February 2026 edition — WINTER 2026 | Black Arts in a Time Like Now — the festival centers the current realities of Black arts in the creative sector. This one-day mini-festival will both examine the landscape facing Black artists and arts organizations today and actively support those developing or envisioning projects seeking future funding. The winter session is designed to foster sustainable systems that strengthen and support thriving Black-led artistic practices and organizations.

Featuring: 

1) PANEL DISCUSSION - The State of Black Arts in Canada | 1pm - 2:15pm

How are Black artists and  organizations coping, operating, and progressing in 2026? This timely conversation responds to the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent, extended through 2034, and its call to action around recognition, justice, and development. Panelists will explore the impacts of marginalization and underfunding, while also highlighting success stories and resilient practices within Black art-making communities in Ontario and across Canada. The discussion will foreground Black culture and cultural practices as essential sites of artistic and social value.

2) WORKSHOP  - Visioning Workshop for Black Creatives | 2:30pm - 4pm

This interactive workshop supports Black artists and organizations in developing and envisioning projects for future funding. Participants will work with experienced arts consultants in breakout sessions focused on strategy-building, funding pathways, sustainability, and fundraising. The workshop balances big-picture visioning with practical tools participants can immediately apply to their work.

Tickets: $10 panel | $10 workshop

Please note: If ticket prices are a barrier to attending, please let us know and we will provide a complimentary ticket.

About the Festival

Now in its 8th year, the Gathering Divergence Multi-Arts Festival and Conference is a space to gather, diverge, and intersect across disciplines, practices, and perspectives within the performing arts and the broader arts sector. We are invested in the intersections of thought, conversation, and performance.

Our February mini-festival specifically amplifies and supports the advancement of Black artists and Black-led organizations.

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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. 

 

 

Did you miss a workshop or panel, or attend one and want to revisit it? You can watch recordings of our past panels and workshops on our website or YouTube channel. Explore the archive and catch up on insightful conversations and valuable resources at: 

https://cpamo.org/videos/

 

 

 

At CPAMO we believe that IBPOC artists don’t belong in the shadows. They belong in the spotlight. To make this belief a reality, CPAMO works with organizations and individuals like you who are committed to making arts and culture in Canada equitable and accessible for all artists, not just a few.

We advance artistic opportunities for IBPOC artists across Ontario by working with them directly. We also help other organizations become agents of change in the arts sector. Now, more than ever, organizations need to cultivate equity and pluralism in the arts and eliminate barriers.

CPAMO’s training offers three programs, in-person, or online, to help organizations achieve this goal:

📚Organizational and Leadership Development: We work with you to design and implement strategic systems to support IBPOC artists, as we have done for SOCAN, Luminato, Fall for Dance North and many more.

📚Anti-Black racism program: We help you create safe, welcome spaces for Black artists.

📚Equity Reviews and Reports: Our commissioned reviews and reports address your specific organizational needs, whether environmental scans, policy reviews, interviews, focus group facilitations or policy recommendations.

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.

We invite you to get in touch with us today, so we can #smashthestatusquo together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

Publication Spotlight: Anthology of Visioning Canadian Cultural Transformation

 

 

 

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

This is the second year presenting this program (https://windintheleavescollective.com/ibpoc-touring-network/) in partnership with venues in Ontario and Quebec.  Here’s our line-up for 2025/26.

Registry:
Kashedance/Kala Collective: February 26. 
 
Guelph Dance: 
Coco Collective/Tiger Princess: March 27

Westben
SasharZarif Dance/Tiger Princess: March 22 
Kashedance/Kala Collective Feb 21

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.

 

 

A celebration of Black History Month featuring a first-time Black-owned pop-up marketplace, guest speakers, drumming, storytelling, DJs, and food. This family-friendly event is free and open to the community. 

For information: Email: akwaba.exchange@yahoo.ca | Tel: 416-938-2320.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

The 14th annual Toronto Black Film Festival – #TBFF26 – celebrates 30 years of Black History Month with bold, diverse, innovative and meaningful programming from 

February 11 – 16, 2026.

Films Starring Questlove, George Clinton, Isaach Bankolé, Fred Wesley, Marcus Miller, Nona Hendryx, and David Byrne. And archival footage of legendary artists like James Brown, David Bowie, and Elton John, Imani Perry, Sheldon Gilbert, Wesley Morris, Dr. Beverly Tatum, Patricia Williams, Justin Safari, Moise, Aziza, Ujumbe & Honore.

Full Program, All Access Passes & Single Tickets at TorontoBlackFilm.com

TORONTO, January 16, 2026 – The Toronto Black Film Festival (TBFF), presented by TD Bank Group (TD) in collaboration with Global News, announces the official program and event lineup for its 14th annual edition running February 11 – 16, 2026. Founded by the Fabienne Colas Foundation, the Toronto Black Film Festival will offer up its usual diversified, impactful and captivating program to Toronto audiences.

TBFF is Canada’s largest Black History Month cultural event, engaging thousands of attendees across generations and cultures, in-person and online. Through bold, unique and inclusive programming, the Toronto Black Film Festival has become Toronto’s annual must-attend gathering of film lovers and fans, and is an essential catalyst for Black artists and creatives from throughout the diaspora, amplifying their world-class stories. At its core, TBFF is more than an event – it is a movement that unites diverse communities to foster learning, deep connection, and shared cultural appreciation.

#TBFF26 will present 22 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 1 North American Premiere, 13 Canadian Premieres, and 5 Ontario Premieres. #TBFF26, Canada’s largest celebration of Black History Month through film and dynamic multi-disciplinary arts and public programming, showcases over 60 films from 15 countries, including Canada, South Africa, Ghana, Australia, the United States of America, Portugal, Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Uganda, Bermuda, and Nigeria.

 

💥 MOMENTUM: Career Development Conversation & Networking Opportunity

Real talk about real life in dance.

📅 Friday, March 13
⏰ 12–2:30 EST | 9–11:30 PST
💻 Live virtual, on Zoom

Can’t attend on the day, register anyway to receive the recording.

DTRC proudly hosts this annual Career Development Conversation & Networking Opportunity for the dance sector. This national flagship event - in Zoom - features a candid panel conversation with acclaimed dance artists about career choices, challenges, strategies and realities, followed by a digital networking session with invited artists and guest industry leaders.

In 2026: From Side Hustle to Career Path: Maximizing your skills & talents

🌟 Come be inspired
🤝 Meet leaders and go-getters in the field
🌍 Build your networking skills and connect in real time with artists across the country

Learn how industry professionals are using their skills and talents to build a well-rounded and fulfilling career.

Register to attend through the link or visit dtrc.ca.

Link to register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/1981048127277?aff=oddtdtcreator