Cultural Pluralism in the Arts (CPA), formerly known as Arts in a Pluralist Society, is an initiative within Arts Management and the Department of Humanities at the University of Toronto Scarborough. CPA’s goal is to advance knowledge and skills in the area of the arts and cultural pluralism. CPA and Arts Management at UTSC share an interest in developing artistic and cultural pluralism within UTSC and the wider Toronto community. Through course work and collaboration with the city's many diverse communities and artists, CPA contributes to educating future arts managers, and supports the development of critical thinking about issues related to equity in the sector. Through University courses, a bursary program for student internships, and public programming, CPA functions as a unique partnership between the University and the broader community.
Since 1995, the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) has sponsored the CPA initiative, which is funded in part through the proceeds of a grant from the Department of Canadian Heritage. This initiative has several components:
The CPA Lectureship offers two courses (VPAB07 - Equity & Diversity in Arts Organizations and VPAD07 – Agency & Pluralism in Social & Cultural Transformation) in Arts Management. The first course, Equity & Diversity in Arts Organizations, is mandatory for students in UTSC’s Arts Management programs. Both courses are available as electives to the broad spectrum of students at UTSC.
Charles C. Smith is the current CPA lecturer. His biography is available here. Charles can be reached at csmith@utsc.utoronto.ca.
The bursary program is for selected 3rd and 4th year Arts Management students who are engaged in work placements within an arts organization that is involved in developing and/or implementing initiatives that support pluralism in the arts.
Throughout their undergraduate studies, Arts Management students enquire into programming, advocacy, volunteer management, research, marketing, development, policy, and day-to-day administration. The bursary program provides them with an opportunity to utilize their skills and knowledge in arts management while also working effectively on issues of equity and cultural pluralism in Canadian arts organizations.
For more information on the bursary program, please contact Charles C. Smith at csmith@utsc.utoronto.ca or Sherri Helwig at helwig@utsc.utoronto.ca.
The CPA Essay Prize aims at engaging students and encouraging their academic interest in practical and/or scholarly approaches to pluralism in the arts. Each year, a number of papers are recommended by the CPA Lecturer to a subcommittee of the CPA Advisory Committee. This subcommittee reviews these papers and makes a recommendation on an award winner.
Students wishing to submit papers are required to have a brief endorsement from a faculty member supporting their paper, and all papers must be submitted by the last date of the fall term. The CPA subcommittee meets in the winter term to recommend a prize winner for the award, to be given as part of the following fall’s Academic Awards ceremony. In addition to the prize monies, the awarded paper as well as those that place second and third will be posted on the CPA web pages.
Community Outreach and Collaboration
CPA seeks partnerships with diverse organizations and agencies on and off the UTSC campus, and supports performances, symposia, workshops and other similar events which investigate and promote cultural pluralism in the arts, both for a student and a public audience.
Please visit www.aeplive.ca for information on upcoming CPA-sponsored events. Below is a listing of selected past events:
March 15, 2012: FILM IN TORONTO
An informative panel discussion featuring Scott Miller Berry (Images Festival), Heather Keung (Reel Asian Int'l Film Festival), Sinara Rozo (aluCine), Gina Badger (FUSE Magazine), and Jason Ryle (imagineNATIVE Film & Media Arts Festival).
February 7, 2012: ARTSCAPES OF MUSLIM AFRICANS
Zulfikar Hirji, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at York University talks about his recent book and conference held from May 20-21, 2011 at the Textile Museum of Canada.
November 2, 2011: SOUTH ASIANS IN THE ARTS
An informative panel discussion with four award winning South Asian artists, writers, performers, educators, administrators and practitioners who provided an insider’s view on the connections between community, arts practice and administration, and alliances with Aboriginal and other racialized artists and communities in Toronto and beyond.
Featured panelists:
March 23, 2011: VALUES AND BENEFITS PANEL
Cultural Pluralism in Performing Arts Movement Ontario (CPPAMO) & Cultural Pluralism in the Arts presented a panel discussion, "Values and Benefits,” about the intrinsic values of the arts, and what arts managers need to know in order to build audiences from diverse communities.
Featured panelists:
October 25, 2010: TIFF & THE CITY
A Question & Answer (Q&A) event with Toronto International Film Festival Co-Director Cameron Bailey, who spoke on his role in guiding the overall vision of the Festival programming, as well as creating and maintaining relationships with the international film industry.
October 4, 2010: ANTI-RACISM IN EDUCATION BOOK LAUNCH
A 1-day conference with several panel discussions organized and presented by Arts & Events Programming and the Cultural Pluralism in the Arts program to celebrate the launch of Professor Charles C. Smith's new book, Anti-Racism in Education: Missing in Action.
The ad hoc CPA Advisory Committee advises and supports the Department of Humanities in developing the CPA initiative, with particular attention to the engagement of the Scarborough arts community. For more information, please read the CPA Advisory Terms of Reference (PDF).