Welcome to the first Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts Movement Ontario (CPPAMO) newsletter.

This will be a monthly digest that will introduce you to, and keep you updated on CPPAMOs initiatives, and act as a portal to relevant research in the field of pluralism in the arts, innovative artists, and links to interesting talks about pluralism in the arts. The newsletter is intended to be your go-to resource for information on cultural pluralism in the arts. You have been sent this initial e-mail because you are a CCI member or because we share professional and artistic interests. In order to receive subsequent CPPAMO newsletters, please subscribe by sending an e-mail to cppamo@gmail.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line and you will receive an invitation to join the listserv. The listserv is moderated and is for the purpose of sending out newsletters and CPPAMO updates. Your e-mail address will be kept confidential and you may unsubscribe at any time. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Newsletter contents 1) What is CPPAMO? 2) Town Halls on Pluralism in Performing Arts 3) Research into Cultural Pluralism 4) Featured Artist 5) Spotlight on Diversity 6) Who We Are 7) Contact Us -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What is CPPAMO? Cultural Pluralism in Performing Arts Movement Ontario (CPPAMO) is a movement of Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists working with presenters to empower the performing arts communities of Ontario. CPPAMO seeks to open opportunities for Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers to engage with presenters across Ontario and to enable presenters to develop constructive relationships with Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers. CPPAMO is supported bv Aboriginal and ethno-racial artists who are involved in theatre, music, dance and literary arts. These artists are members of CPPAMOs Roundtable and include representatives of Sampradaya Dance, Nathaniel Dett Chorale, Little Pear Garden Theatre Collective, Centre for Indigenous Theatre, Sparrow in the Room, fu-Gen Asian Theatre, b-current, why not theatre, urban arts and backforward collective, Culture Days, Canada Council Stand Firm members, Obsidian Theatre, the Collective of Black Artists, CanAsian Dance and others. With the involvement of artists from these organizations, CPPAMO is working with CCI and its members to build their capacities, cultural competencies and understanding of pluralism in performing arts so that CCI and its members engage performers from these communities and, thereby, enable audiences across Ontario to access artistic expressions from diverse communities on a regular basis. CPPAMO aims to facilitate the following: Aboriginal and ethno-racial performers will have opportunities to showcase their work to and build relationships with presenters across Ontario;

Presenters will have opportunities to see and learn about the diverse cultural values, histories and practices of Aboriginal and ethno-racial performing artists and to develop relationships with these performers; Education and training programs on cultural pluralism will be set up to provide performing arts organizations with practical guidance on successfully integrating culturally diverse values and principles in their operations, planning, audience-development, marketing, programming and decision-making processes; The performing arts community in Ontario will have useful and appropriate tools and guides related to cultural pluralism; Diversity practice and implementation will be guided and facilitated by a professional equity/diversity arts specialist with hands-on and ongoing field experience.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Town Halls on Pluralism in Performing Arts CPPAMO is currently in the process of planning a pair of Town Halls on Pluralism in Performing Arts to take place in 2010. The first will be held in mid-January at the University of Toronto, Scarborough campus and the second in the spring in Kitchener-Waterloo. These Town Halls will feature performances by Aboriginal and ethno-racial performing arts organizations. These performances will be followed by a facilitated discussion and creative brainstorming on the relevance of these performances to the increasing Aboriginal and ethno-racial diversity of Ontario and their significance to cultural performances organized by performing arts venues. The own Halls will identify the challenges performing arts organizations face on these issues, particularly relating to what steps can be taken to: develop audiences from Aboriginal and ethno-racially diverse communities; promote and market performances to diverse communities; and develop collaborative projects between Aboriginal and culturally diverse performing arts organizations and performance venues. The discussion of these sessions will be recorded and will form the basis of a report which will be provided to those who attend the sessions and made available to all CCI members as well as others in the broader performing arts communities. This report will enhance the dialogue on pluralism and diversity within the performing arts community and to provide examples of what some performing arts organizations are doing or plan to do to address this matter. The report will also be provided to funding bodies to influence their discussions on how to support pluralism and diversity in performing arts. For more information on how you can participate in the town halls, please contact us (contact info at the end of this newsletter). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Research into Cultural Pluralism in the Performing Arts Part of CPPAMOs mandate is to serve as a portal that connects interested performers, presenters, and cultural workers to research in the field of cultural pluralism. Each newsletter will list relevant publications that can be accessed online or through CPPAMO. If a hyperlink to the resource is not provided, please contact us and we can help connect you to the resource.

Navigating Difference: Cultural Diversity and Audience Development (2006) Format: Research publication Author: Arts Council England Description: Arts managers, policy makers, practicing artists, academics, audience members, and commentators explore the relevance of cultural diversity in the arts, and implications for policy makers, management, programming, marketing and audience development. This is done through examining the imbalance of power and inequality, complexities of representation, how we use language, internal dynamics of an organization, and creativity and innovation in programming. Access: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/publication_archive/navigating-difference-cultural-diversity-andaudience-development/ Fundraising Through a Different Lens (2009) Format: Article Author: Ferris, Alice L. Description: Speaks about fundraising among culturally diverse communities and the inadequacy of western practices in philanthropy in these circumstances, and the importance of knowing cultural practices and norms and utilizing diversity for creative planning methods. Access: http://www.afpnet.org/Publications/KaleidoscopeCurrent.cfm America is changing but are its art museums?(2009) Format: Article Author: Lufkin, Martha Description: Examines the changing ethno-racial demographics in the US and the resultant changes to curatorial programming and management that are required to reflect this. Access: http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/America-is-changing-but-are-its-art-museums?/18563 Comparative Analysis of International Film Festivals (2008) Format: Report Author: Ovichinnikova, Mila Description: Performs a diversity analysis on major international film festivals by contrasting components of the Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, Vancouver International Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, The Berlin International Film Festival, London Film Festival by analyzing their guiding values to the actual diversity represented in their festival and year-round programming, human resource policies, audience outreach programs, disability access, community partnerships and future goals. Access: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~humdiv/CPA/independent.html Diversity in Canadas Arts Labour Force: An Analysis of 2001 Census Data (2005) Format: Report Author: Hill Strategies Research Inc. Description: An analysis of the situation of visible minority, Aboriginal, and immigrant artists in Canada through examining the portion of such artists in the labour force and their earnings from 1991 to 2001, broken down by province and metropolitan area. Access: http://www.arts.on.ca/Asset407.aspx Analysis of the UIS International Survey on Feature Film Statistics (2006)

Format: Information Sheet Author: UNESCO Institute for Statistics Description: Analysis from 2005-2006 that examines 101 countries. It discusses cinema in developing countries like Nollywood, cinema multiplex distribution, worldwide film production, box office statistics, the use of technology in filmmaking, diversity of languages represented in films, while acknowledging a dearth of information from developing countries which affects the conclusions of the study. Access: http://www.uis.unesco.org/template/pdf/cscl/Infosheet_No1_cinema_EN.pdf -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Featured Event and Artist Every newsletter will feature a significant event as well as an Aboriginal or ethno-racial artist or performance company doing innovative work in promoting cultural awareness and creative dialogue across cultures. The Canada Dance Festival The Canada Dance Festival is committed to the best in Canadian contemporary dance dance that is daring, provocative and highly entertaining, dance of outrageous beauty. The 2010 edition of the Canada Dance Festival will be held June 5 12, 2010, at the National Arts Centre and venues around the National Capital Region. The 2009 Festival featured a forum called Dancing Through Cultures which was designed to promote discussions of culture, identity, racism and belonging among dance professionals in Canada. It grew from deepening discussions between the artistic director of the Canada Dance Festival and various members of the dance community about whether artists coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, including Aboriginal artists, feel that they are being treated fairly by the dominant dance culture. It explored the realities facing artists of colour and Aboriginal artists who participate in Canadian culture, and questioned whether there is really respect and admiration for all people who contribute to our collective notion of Canadian contemporary art. Website: http://www.canadadance.ca/pages/index.php/get-involved/ Kaha:wi Dance Theatre (pronounced Ga-Ha-Wee) is a Toronto artist based company founded by Artistic Director/choreographer Mohawk Santee Smith. KDT creates professional dance productions and is committed to increasing awareness and understanding of Aboriginal culture through the work of the company. Kaha:wi Dance Theatres Artistic Director has become known for her successful blend of traditional and contemporary dance elements. This new style of dance expression can only be described broadly as contemporary Aboriginal dance. See them perform: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1nmwueqgos Website: http://www.kahawidance.org/index.php -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Spotlight on Diversity Each newsletter will also feature links to interesting films, clips, and speeches about multiculturalism in the arts, debates around cultural pluralism, and explorations of race and cultural diversity in performance.

Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the Single Story and the importance of being aware of the multiplicity of narratives in culturally diverse literature. Link: http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Who We Are Charles C. Smith Artistic Director of CPPAMO Lecturer, Cultural Pluralism and the Arts/University of Toronto Scarborough charlescsmith@sympatico.ca Angela Britto Program Assistant cppamo@gmail.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Contact Information Mailing Address : 32 Costain Avenue Toronto, ON M4E 2G6 416-686-3039 http://cppamo.wordpress.com/ cppamo@gmail.com If you wish to receive subsequent newsletters, please send an e-mail to cppamo@gmail.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line of your e-mail. You will then receive an e-mail to join the listserv. Posting to the listserv is moderated, your e-mail address will remain confidential, and you may unsubscribe at any time. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.