Have you signed, or been asked to sign, a legal agreement that prevents you from speaking about your experience working with a Canadian arts organization? Please consider contributing to vital research through the “Silencing in the Arts” national survey. Information collected will serve to inform arts institutions, funders, and policymakers about the serious harms caused by silencing, and advocate to end the misuse of NDAs in the arts sector.
Link in bio - please share widely!
The anonymous survey is part of the first phase of “Silencing in the Arts”, a multi-year research project that traces the extent and impact of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on the Canadian arts sector. The project aims to shed light on the culture of silence that permeates the artworld, and the cycles of abuse and professional misconduct that are perpetuated as a result.
Initiated and led by curatorial collective Aisle 4, the project stems from widespread concerns about artists and arts workers signing NDAs without clear understanding of their rights, organizations quietly dissolving without public accountability, and the growing culture of censorship in our industry. “Silencing in the Arts” examines how these issues impact personal and professional wellbeing on an individual level, and reinforce power imbalances, limit transparency, and hinder growth in the sector more broadly. Through research and advocacy, we aim to shed light on these challenges and push for meaningful change.
“Silencing in the Arts” is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Sector Innovation & Development Program.
Launching today is a free online resource for artists and arts workers to understand their rights when it comes to NDAs. Intended to empower those most impacted by institutional silencing, the resource includes information about the ways NDAs are issued, what to do when being asked to sign an NDA, what your options are if you have already signed an NDA, and what resources you can access for legal and mental health support.
Link in bio - please share widely!
The online resource is part of the first phase of “Silencing in the Arts”– a multi-year research project that traces the extent and impact of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on the Canadian arts sector. The project aims to shed light on the culture of silence that permeates the artworld, and the cycles of abuse and professional misconduct that are perpetuated as a result.
Initiated and led by curatorial collective Aisle 4, the project stems from widespread concerns about artists and arts workers signing NDAs without clear understanding of their rights, organizations quietly dissolving without public accountability, and the growing culture of censorship in our industry. “Silencing in the Arts” examines how these issues impact personal and professional wellbeing on an individual level, and reinforce power imbalances, limit transparency, and hinder growth in the sector more broadly. Through research and advocacy, we aim to shed light on these challenges and push for meaningful change.
“Silencing in the Arts” is funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Sector Innovation & Development Program.
Available in this issue of @blackflashmag >> “Silencing in the Sector” – An essay that shares findings from our ongoing research project focussed on the role of non-disclosure agreements in the arts sector.
Thank you @blackflashmag for the opportunity and thanks to the anonymous artists who created their interpretations of 🤫, providing some visuals to the project and writing.
“In a strange disconnect, an industry that is meant to celebrate open discussion, creative expression, and constructive criticality is muzzled within the very structures where it is meant to develop. This paradox is the root of our research, which is fueled by compounded feelings of anger, exhaustion, and embarrassment of our sector.”
More info in our bio.
Attn: artists and arts workers across Canada! Have you signed an NDA* with a Canadian visual arts institution? Please consider sharing your story anonymously in a closed session with a legal professional.
*NDA = non-disclosure agreement, also sometimes called a confidentiality agreement. We are looking specifically at use cases other than protecting trade secrets / intellectual property
“Silencing in the Sector” is a research project tracing the impact of non-disclosure agreements on the visual arts sector in Canada, as a first step in advocating for change. Information collected will inform a resource intended to empower artists and arts workers while calling for institutions to revise their existing legal documents and practices.
Participants’ identities will be protected to avoid any negative legal implications associated with contributing to the project. Compensation is provided in the form of CARFAC consultant fees and access to professional psychotherapy services and legal counsel.
To express interest in participation, please fill out the “Silencing in the Sector” intake form (link in bio). To learn more, DM us @_aisle4 or email us [email protected]
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“Silencing in the Sector” is organized by Aisle 4 and funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.
So excited to dig in to this new project “Collective as School” by @gudskul and @a_g_y_u . We begin with a beautiful workbook in lieu of physical gatherings or zoom meetings across international time zones, which prompts us to reflect on the unique pedagogy around our specific collaborative project. We are honoured to be among the incredible roster of Toronto-based collectives and collaboratives participating in this generative program.
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📒🖍✂️🔍💭✨
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#JKTxGTA
#KnowledgeGarden
#Mustibisha
#CollectiveAsSchool
“Scarborough. The proper name evokes an entity half-violence, half-home. Is it the one who’s hurting, or is it the one leaving scars? I tried to repress my Scarborough roots in high school, preferring the cosmopolitan flair of “Torontonian” as self-designation. Now I am astonished by its beauty, toward which I had to turn a blind eye so to better elsewhere aspire.”
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We are thrilled to present a written piece by Fan Wu in response to Annie Wong’s “McCowan Spirit Walk” at the Scarborough Museum.
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Check it out: http://aisle4.ca/fanwu_anniewong
TONIGHT from 6-8PM >> Join us for the final workshop with Petrina Ng titled “A Guide to South Asian Flower Garlands”, led by Ramsankar and Anita Singh of Om Deepam Puja Centre, with conversation led by environmental activist and artist Amrita Singh.
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Over 25 years ago, Ramsankar and Anita Singh opened one of Scarborough’s first Indo-Guyanese shops. They will speak about how their business supports Scarborough’s vibrant South Asian immigrant community. In conversation with their daughter, Amrita, the family will also trace their journey from India to Guyana and finally to Toronto, Canada. Participants will learn how generations of the Indian diaspora are connected through jasmine, tulsi, lime, and rose water; and take part in the sacred practice of Hindu garland making.
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For “In Residence” Ng presents “Neither fortunes nor flowers last forever”, a series of workshops led by local florists that will look at non-western approaches to flower arranging and illuminate diverse cultural histories of plants and flowers.
Images from Annie Wong’s “McCowan Spirit Walk” which took place last week at the Scarborough Museum.
🍂🌙☁️🕯
The “McCowan Spirit Walk” is a guided tour is based on the imagined, solitary life of pioneer William McCowan, whose 1830 log cabin is located at the Museum. The walk maps a mystical pilgrimage-like ritual that reflects on the various spirits, energies, and stories of the surrounding site, as well as the cabin where McCowan lived alone for 54 years. Throughout the tour, participants will engage in vocal and breathing exercises to urge spiritual connectivity while wandering through the Scarborough parklands at nightfall. In this process-based performance, Wong evokes the psychogeography of walking rituals, using embodied knowledge and soundwork to consider the entanglements between the profane and sacred in everyday life. (📸: @aveckat )
Images from Annie Wong’s “McCowan Spirit Walk” which took place last week at the Scarborough Museum.
🍂🌙☁️🕯
The “McCowan Spirit Walk” is a guided tour is based on the imagined, solitary life of pioneer William McCowan, whose 1830 log cabin is located at the Museum. The walk maps a mystical pilgrimage-like ritual that reflects on the various spirits, energies, and stories of the surrounding site, as well as the cabin where McCowan lived alone for 54 years. Throughout the tour, participants will engage in vocal and breathing exercises to urge spiritual connectivity while wandering through the Scarborough parklands at nightfall. In this process-based performance, Wong evokes the psychogeography of walking rituals, using embodied knowledge and soundwork to consider the entanglements between the profane and sacred in everyday life. (📸: @aveckat )
Don’t forget to register for a limited spot on one of Annie Wong’s guided tours, based on the imagined solitary life of pioneer William McCowan.
🌒
The “McCowan Spirit Walk” maps a mystical, pilgrimage-like ritual that reflects on the various spirits, energies, and stories of the historic McCowan log cabin and surrounding parklands. Participants will engage in vocal and breathing exercises to urge spiritual connectivity with each site. Wong’s tours evoke the psychogeography of walking rituals, using embodied knowledge and soundwork to consider the entanglements between the sacred and profane in everyday life.
🌙
Each walk will start before dusk and conclude at nightfall. RSVP to [email protected] to participate in one of two walks: Wednesday November 6, 4:30-6:30; Saturday November 9, 4:30-6:30
Model Shots 📸📷📸 Here are some amazing images from last Saturday’s workshop “Spotlight on Jasmine, from Syria to the Philippines” led by Syrian florist Abd Al-Mounim and Hanan Nanaa, with conversation led by horticulturalist Christine Balmes
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This workshop was part of “Neither fortunes nor flowers last forever”, a series of workshops conceived by Ng and led by local florists, who look towards non-western approaches to flower arranging.
🌼
Thank you to all who participated!
🌺
Images by Anthony Gebrehiwot (@xvxyphoto )
Here are some amazing images from last Saturday’s workshop “Spotlight on Jasmine, from Syria to the Philippines” led by Syrian florist Abd Al-Mounim and Hanan Nanaa, with conversation led by horticulturalist Christine Balmes
🌸
This workshop was part of “Neither fortunes nor flowers last forever”, a series of workshops conceived by Ng and led by local florists, who look towards non-western approaches to flower arranging.
🌼
Thank you to all who participated!
🌺
Images by Anthony Gebrehiwot (@xvxyphoto )
