FIT-ART Policy Workshop – Fostering integration through the arts: Insights from practitioners
- Date
- June 06, 2024
- Time
- 9:30 AM EDT - 4:30 PM EDT
- Location
- Hybrid (In person at The Catalyst, The Creative School, 80 Gould Street (2nd floor), TMU, and via Zoom)
Join us for a policy workshop that will bring together art organizations, settlement agencies, immigrant artists and academics to discuss the role that the arts can have in migrant integration. There is growing recognition of the arts' potential in supporting immigrant integration. However, there is a noticeable lack of documentation concerning arts-based initiatives that are addressing the challenges faced by newcomers. Further, the lack of connections between the arts and settlement sectors is hindering knowledge exchange and collaboration.
This workshop is part of the FIT-ART project, which aims to derive insights from the experiences of the Toronto Arts Council’s program for newcomers and refugees.
This workshop aims to advance knowledge on how art can be more effectively leveraged to enhance the experience of newcomers in Toronto and other cities, and what policy is needed to support newcomer artists and communities.
The workshop will explore four key areas:
- economic and social integration of arts-based initiatives;
- artistic expression as a resilience tool;
- challenges to integrating into the creative economy for immigrant artists; and
- strategies to aid immigrant artists in their professional development and to cultivate a more inclusive cultural landscape.
| Program | |
| 9:30–10 AM | Welcome coffee |
| 10–10:30 AM | Opening remarks and introduction of the FIT-ART project
|
| 10:30–11:30 AM | Roundtable 1 – Art as a tool for social and economic integration Chair: Eva Hellreich, SKETCH working arts Numerous settlement organizations in Toronto utilize art as a medium to aid the settlement process. Artistic programs and initiatives offer newcomers the chance to engage in cultural activities, acquire new skills, and integrate with the local community. The roundtable will explore ways in which both settlement and art organizations can craft arts-based programs to ease newcomer labour market integration and bolster their sense of belonging.
|
| 11:30 AM–12:30 PM | Roundtable 2 – Refugee creativity and resilience Chair: Alka Kumar, Toronto Metropolitan University Art serves as a potent medium for refugees, enabling them to cultivate resilience, bond with others, raise awareness about their experiences, and counter prevailing stereotypes. This roundtable convenes organizations that run art projects with refugees and refugee artists themselves to discuss the healing power of artistic expression post-trauma, and the innovative ways refugees can narrate their stories, thereby reshaping migration narratives.
|
| 12:30–1:30 PM | Lunch break |
| 1:30–2:30 PM | Roundtable 3 – Newcomer artists’ professionalization challenges Chair: Rupal Shah, Toronto Arts Council Newcomer artists often grapple with numerous challenges in forging a career in the arts. Credentials and professional experiences from their countries of origin frequently go unrecognized or undervalued in the Canadian context, leading to a lack of opportunities and underemployment. Some face language barriers, cultural differences, and a lack of networks, hindering their navigation of the local creative economy and access to funding and resources. This roundtable aims to discuss these challenges, providing a platform for newcomer artists to voice their concerns and explore support mechanisms that could ease their integration into the creative economy.
|
| 2:30–3:30 PM | Roundtable 4 – Building inclusive art scenes Chair: Tomée Tzatzanis, Toronto Metropolitan University Various arts organizations in Toronto are committed to empowering immigrant artists. Through structured training and mentorship programs, they equip these artists with skills and knowledge of the art industry, simultaneously providing them with platforms to showcase their talents. The roundtable looks into how arts organizations can further bolster newcomer and refugee artists in overcoming barriers. It will also address strategies for ensuring Toronto’s arts scene effectively harnesses the potential of immigrant artists.
|
| 3:30 –4 PM | Coffee break |
| 4-4:30 PM | Conclusion: Key takeaways and future directions
|
Produced with the support of the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council
