ARCCO Best Practice Workshop Series Working Hand in Hand: Employment Issues for Staff at Media & Visual Artist-Run Centres Panelists and Facilitators (Abbreviated Biographies): Robert Ariganello | Roy Mitchell | Kim Tomczak | Vtape | Greg Woodbury | CSV | Natalie De Vito | Jessie Lacayo | Heather Webb | Gary Hall | Gallery TPW From Inception to Completion: What you Need to Know Before You Start A Facility Project Workshop Leaders: Janis A. Barlow | Nancy L. Hushion |
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MEDIA ARTS ORGANIZATIONS Roberto Ariganello Roberto Ariganello has spent the past 8 years working on behalf of media artists through his employment at the Liaison of independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) and his volunteer board contribution to the arts community in Toronto. He has been the Executive Director of LIFT since April of 2003 and prior to this post he was the Equipment Workshop Coordinator. Roberto has served as a board member to such organizations as the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) from 1999 to 2003, Pleasure Dome from 2000 to 2004. Roberto’s current board duties include the Cultural Careers Council of Ontario (CCCO), the Advisory board of Humber College Film & Television Program and Ontario representative for the Independent Media Arts Alliance. Roberto is also a filmmaker and has exhibited his work internationally since 1995. He is currently in production of a personal documentary entitled Will the Circle be Unbroken? about his grandfather’s life and crimes in Argentina. Liaison of independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT) is a non-profit, charitable, cultural, and educational media arts organization dedicated to celebrating excellence in film and the moving image. LIFT’s mandate has remained consistent during 24 years of operation: LIFT provides Toronto's vibrant independent filmmaking community with affordable access to production equipment and post-production facilities, professional & creative development workshops and courses, film screenings and a variety of other services. For over two decades LIFT has played an integral part in advancing and promoting the art of filmmaking in Toronto. Membership to LIFT is open to anyone interested in the centre and its activities.
Roy Mitchell Roy Mitchell has been the Executive Director of Trinity Square Video (TSV) since September of 2001. He comes to the TSV team as a member and past Board member. In addition to being an Executive Director, Roy is a practicing video artist whose work has screened locally and internationally, He has curated for festivals and written on art, film, and video. Before becoming an arts administrator, Roy taught English as a Second Language and was actively involved in CUPE 4400 as a member of the Union Negotiating Team. As a Union Activist, Roy developed an understanding of budgets and HR issues, as well as an endurance for long meetings. Trinity Square Video has been around for 35 years, supplying community organizations and artists with the support and tools to make video. Our members are predominantly emerging and mid-career artists working on documentaries, dramas, experimental video and video installation. We have equipment for shooting and editing your video, workshops to get you started, and innovative exhibitions in the Gallery. TSV is an accessible artist run centre that welcomes artists with a Do-It-Yourself attitude and a story to tell.
Kim Tomczak In 1982, Kim Tomczak became a founding director of V tape, a national information and distribution service for independent video. He has been actively involved with A Space (as a member of the board of directors 1982-84 and then as an active programmer). His most recent curatorial project entitled WHY VIDEO? was exhibited at A Space (Toronto) and SAW Gallery (Ottawa) in 1992, and is representative of his involvement with the restoration of early Canadian video art. He was a founding member of the Independent Artists Union and the Labour Arts and Media Committee of the Metro Labour Council, a founding director of the Images Film and Video Festival, a founding director of the Audio Visual heritage Trust of Canada, a founding director of Beaver Hall Artists Housing Coop and a past board member of the Oakville Galleries. Tomczak is currently the Past President of the Board of the Toronto Arts Council. Kim Tomczak is a multidisciplinary artist primarily known for his work in performance, photography and video. Born in Victoria, B.C. in 1952, he graduated with honours from the Vancouver School of Art (now the Emily Carr College of Art) in 1975. Within the same year he became a founding director of Pumps Centre for the Arts, in Vancouver, where he was involved both as a resident artist as well as in all aspects of fundraising and programming until 1980 when he moved to Toronto. Since 1983, Tomczak has worked exclusively in collaboration with Lisa Steele, producing videotapes, performances and photo/text works. LEGAL MEMORY (1992), their first feature-length work, has been shown in a number of film festivals since its release including: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Festival, the Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani (Turin, Italy), the Toronto Festival of Festivals. Their individual and collaborative work was the subject of a major survey exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1989-90. In 1993, Steele and Tomczak were recognized with two prestigious awards: the Bell Canada Award for excellence in the field of Canadian video art and a Toronto Arts Award (the Peter Herndorf Media Arts Award). In 1996, their work THE BLOOD RECORDS: written and annotated, received a world premiere at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Most recently Steele and Tomczak were awarded the Governor Generals Award in Media and Visual Art.
Vtape Founded in 1980, V tape is an international distribution, exhibition and resource centre with an emphasis on the contemporary media arts. As a centre for over 900 artists, V tape carries over 5,000 titles. V tape's in-office facilities include several study carrels for viewing and an extensive library of print materials available to the general public as well as to students, curators and researchers. In 1997, V tape published the New Media Guide, a catalogue of artists' CD-ROM's, WWWeb sites, audio installations and other artworks using new technologies. Since relocating to a larger and more publicly accessible office in May 1995, V tape has begun to emphasize the exhibition of video and media art. In addition to regular on-site exhibitions of artists' works (premieres, visiting artist presentations, etc.), we are working on two major exhibitions: "Ecstatic Memory" (January 1999-March 2000) will feature programmes by five curators at the Art Gallery of Ontario; a second, "Possible Maps" (February - March 1999), features programmes by three curators. V tape also provides exhibition support to galleries, curators and individual artists including dubbing and restoration services and affordable exhibition equipment.
Facilitator Greg Woodbury Greg Woodbury is an arts administrator, media artist and film and video specialist. He has been the Operations Manager of Charles Street Video for 6 years managing the technical facilities and has coordinated nine highly successful artist-in-residence programs, developed new 'Audio Art' commissions and initiated many partnerships with presenting organizations. The work produced at these residencies has been presented at the Images Independent Film and Video Festival, the Tranz<--->Tech biennial, YYZ Artists' Outlet and CBC Radio. The Canada Council modeled their new 'Commission Grant' after the very successful Images/Charles Street Video partnership. A tenth residency is currently underway and the completed works will be screened at the 2004 Images Festival. From 1989 through 1997 Greg was the Technical Manager at the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto where he was instrumental in re-locating the co-op to its expanded facility and moving it into the digital age by integrating Media 100 and Pro Tools systems into the post-production environment. Greg is also one of two Ontario Regional Directors of the Independent Media Arts Alliance (IMAA). He has coordinated and co-chaired regional meetings for member organizations and in his first year as a director Greg helped increase the Ontario Regional membership by a third making it the largest IMAA region in Canada. Greg has done advocacy work on a national level on behalf of member organizations and in the coming year he looks forward to strengthening the IMAA Ontario region and building ties with ARCCO.
Charles Street Video ("CSV") is a non-profit, artist-run centre located in downtown Toronto. Its mandate is to provide media artists with opportunities for production and to foster an environment for the advancement of the media arts practise. CSV rents editing suites, audio post-production suites as well as cameras and production gear. The facility hosts audio, video and installation artist residency programs, provides workshops and equipment orientations, awards scholarships to media art students, provides screening, performance and exhibition opportunities in partnership with presenting organizations, and publishes subclip, an on-line newsletter.
VISUAL ARTS ORGANIZATIONS Panelists: Natalie Devito Natalie De Vito has been Co-Director at Mercer Union, A Centre for Contemporary Art in Toronto since January 2001. She also sits on the Board of Directors of the CFMDC (Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre) and C Magazine. In her various roles she has learned a great deal about human resources and management, and believes that they should facilitate an enjoyable workplace. She recently participated in the Young Managers’ Roundtable for the Ontario Arts Council’s conference, The Healthy Arts Leader. Natalie is also an independent curator and writer, and holds a B.Sc. and B.A. from McGill University and an M.A. from York University. Mercer Union, A Centre for Contemporary Art is an artist-run centre dedicated to the existence of contemporary art. We provide a forum for the production and exhibition of Canadian and international conceptually and aesthetically engaging art and related cultural practices. We pursue our primary concerns through critical activities that include exhibitions, lectures, screenings, performances, publications, events and special projects.
Jessie Lacayo Jessie Lacayo professional activities encompass working as a Curator, Arts Administrator, Artist, Writer and Researcher. She has been working at Gallery 101 as Director/Curator since July 2003. Previous to this position she worked as a Curator at Open Space artist-run centre (1999-2001), as well as working in short-term contracts at the Canada Council for the Arts as Junior Program Officer in the Visual Arts Section and Program Assistant in the Dance Section, 2002. Lacayo holds a Specialized Diploma in Intercultural Education and Training and a MFA from the University of Victoria, BC. She is presently the Vice-president of the Board of Directors of Artist-Run Centre and Collectives of Ontario (ARCCO). As a curator for the past four years, Lacayo has worked with many national artists to stage multidisciplinary, multicultural and complex exhibitions that consider the active involvement of artists, new audiences and community. As a multidisciplinary artist-run centre, Gallery 101 is committed to the professional presentation, dissemination and promotion of contemporary visual arts from a broad range of backgrounds and aesthetics. We provide an inclusive perspective of contemporary cultural practices in our community by establishing a dialogue between artists, arts professionals and the public. Commitment to artists is our first priority. Besides providing professional support to exhibiting artists, we offer professional development opportunities and promotional services. Representing a membership of 170 members (85% artists, 15% arts administrators, educators, curators, art related participants), we closely follow and comment upon the development of cultural policies that affect artists' lives at a local, provincial and national level. As we work to become more sustainable, we improve the quality of our services and work to outreach a greater membership and public.
Heather Webb Heather Webb is the Director of Open Studio, an artist-run printmaking centre in Toronto where she has worked for the past 5 years—Associate Director (2000-2003), Director (2003 – to present). Prior to that she was the Director at Artspace, Peterborough, ON, (1998-2000) and worked at the National Gallery of Canada (1992-1997). Heather has an M.A. in Art History from Concordia University. As an artist-run centre, Open Studio is dedicated to the production, preservation and promotion of contemporary original fine art prints.
Facilitator Gary Hall Gary Hall has been the Director of Gallery TPW since its formation in 1980. Hall is also an artist who has played an active role in the arts community within local, provincial and national arts organizations. He is a long-time member of CARFAC Ontario and was a founding member of the CARFAC Copyright Collective. He was the National Spokesperson for ANNPAC/RACA, the former national association of artist-run centres, and is the former President of ARCCO.
Gallery TPW is a leading artist-run centre that presents the best in Canadian and international photo-based art. For over 25 years, Gallery TPW has played a significant role in supporting professional artists and developing audiences through the presentation and critical investigation of contemporary photography and photo-based art. Gallery TPW exhibitions, events and publications support and promote artists who embrace innovative technologies and explore the continuing influence of photography on visual culture. Gallery TPW presents a minimum of seven innovative and challenging exhibitions a year – either solo or curated exhibitions – featuring local, national and international artists in all stages of their careers. A commissioned essay that is distributed in the gallery and published online accompanies each exhibition. Gallery TPW maintains an informative website which supports both outreach and education. Scans— TPW’s online newsletter— is a comprehensive guide to photo-based exhibitions and events in Toronto and beyond. Presentations including artists’ talks and panel discussions provide further opportunities for public appreciation and understanding of contemporary art practice. Photorama, our annual fundraising sale, is a popular community event that benefits artists and encourages new collectors.
WORKSHOP LEADERS Janis A. Barlow Principle of Janis A. Barlow & Associates, Janis Barlow established a consulting practice in Ontario in 1981 after a decade of work in Ontario theatres. Throughout the 1980s, she was best known as the Ontario Government's project manager for the $30 million rehabilitation of the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto. From 1989 to the present, she has undertaken feasibility studies, needs assessments and management plans for dozens of projects throughout the United States and Canada. She was one of the first arts consultants in Canada to adapt successful corporate strategic planning workshop methods to the distinctive needs of non-profit art organisations. She has facilitated over 100 strategic planning workshops for artist-run organisations, emerging community arts boards, arts councils, professional theatres and associations. Barlow holds degrees in drama and sociology from the University of Guelph, studied architecture at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute and currently teaches arts administration at Brock University. For more information on her consulting practice, projects, articles and references, please refer to her web-site.
Nancy L. Hushion President of N.L. Hushion and Associates, a consulting firm specializing in strategic planning and project development for the cultural sector, Nancy Hushion has held senior management positions at both the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario Arts Council during her more than 30 years in the museum and public art gallery field. In both instances, she was responsible for introducing programs in support of curatorial excellence, community outreach and audience development. Since the formation of her consulting firm in February 1989, Hushion has undertaken community consultations, strategic plans, feasibility studies for galleries across the country, as well as research and policy papers for the Department of Canadian Heritage.
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