About Niagara Artists Centre

Niagara Artists Company is a not-for-profit, charitably registered, collective formed by and dedicated to serving the working artists and community of Niagara.

NAC provides a forum for the development, exhibition and appreciation of contemporary art by providing facilities, equipment, professional expertise and a supportive atmosphere for arts research, advocacy and dissemination.

NAC believes that the arts and a critical dialogue on the arts are integral to a healthy community.

NAC is striving to educate and contribute to a community that gets excited about art, that supports and recognizes local artists and cultural institutions, and that understands an investment in the arts is an act of enlightened self-interest.

ARTIST RELATIONS

• Enhance cross-cultural relations
• Increase professional artist memberships
• Sustain satellite activities – film, literary, performing, and interdisciplinary arts
• Innovate publications, catalogues
• Increase member-driven programming
• Increase member career development
• Increase educational programming

AUDIENCE RELATIONS

• Increase audiences
• Maintain program continuity – three galleries
• Increase publications, catalogues
• Increase educational programming
• Increase public art initiatives

COMMUNITY RELATIONS

• Increase public recognition
• Increase human resources, volunteers
• Increase membership and donors
• Increase political advocacy for artists
• Add strategic business alliances, partners
• Assume leadership as an Artist-run Centre

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – HUMAN, FACILITY, EQUIPMENT, FINANCIAL

• Diversify revenue sources
• Create accessible digital archives
• Expand tool library for artists

General Program Guidelines

• Provide a platform for interdisciplinary contemporary art
• Provide a members’ gallery, main gallery and multi-purpose place of assembly
• Choose regional, national and international exhibits of special interest to the community
• Balance examples of regional practice with the work of artists from outside Niagara
• Maintain artist fees and project-related expenses above minimum CARFAC standard

Niagara Artists Centre offers a resource for the development of the contemporary arts in Niagara and a forum for the appreciation of contemporary arts in Niagara.

As a Resource to Member Artists, NAC provides:

• Exhibition space/members’ gallery
• Professional expertise
• A tool library
• Educational workshops and publications
• Communication network, bulletins, information
• A film library
• Promotion, referrals, and liaison to clients
• Advocacy for the rights of artists

As a Forum for the Appreciation of Contemporary Arts in the community, NAC provides:

• Juried exhibitions in its Main Exhibition Space
• Publications
• Educational workshops/screenings
• Referrals and liaison with artists
• Information and a library
• Film collection

Operating Guidelines

NAC . . .

• Provides a platform for interdisciplinary contemporary art
• Provides a members’ gallery, main gallery and multi-purpose place of assembly
• Chooses regional, national and international exhibits of special interest to the community
• Balances examples of regional practice with the work of artists from outside Niagara
• Maintains artist fees and project-related expenses above minimum CARFAC rates
• Offers a resource for the development of the contemporary arts in Niagara
• Is a forum for the appreciation of contemporary arts in Niagara

We welcome you to this statement of the Niagara Artists Centre’s (NAC) vision and understanding of Equity. We hope this document will clarify our understanding and commitment to relationality and social justice, both to ourselves and to the wider communities with which we are associated and engaged. We have taken instruction from the model developed by the Edmonton Community Foundation and Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English (ACCUTE) who define equity as: “an approach whereby all people – including those who bear the burden of historic and contemporary forms of marginalization, whether intentional or unintentional – have equal access to opportunities to define and achieve goals. Equity is more than an outcome; it is an on-going process that seeks to correct systemic barriers and create a more just and fair society for all. […] Equity acknowledges unequal starting places and addresses unequal needs, conditions, and positions of people and communities that are created by institutional and structural barriers.”

As a group of artists and creators, the Niagara Artists Centre includes many groups who experience oppression and marginalization by societal structures, and who often experience a history of social and financial disadvantages as a result of systems of oppression including (but not limited to) racism, sexism, colonialism, heterosexism, and ableism. The members of the Niagara Artists Centre bear essential knowledge and are full of creativity, vibrancy, and resiliency. At the same time, many of their insights, knowledge, and practices are not fully realized because of inequality. Solving these problems requires shifting the status quo and creating a better future for all of our members.

The Board of Directors at the Niagara Artists Centre strives to be strategic and responsive to the changing needs of all its members. We recognize that even small organizations such as NAC have access to forms of power, such as capital, networks, and influence. As such, it is important for us to be explicit in our commitment to equity, representation, and dialogue. We hope this statement will:

• be a tool for change;
• inspire conversations about equity;
• keep our organization accountable; and
• invite others to consider their own equity processes.

While NAC has a history of addressing inequality, we also recognize there is more to do within our organization. We are a learning organization and this is a living document. We invite you to share your thoughts, feedback, concerns, and questions about our journey to equity and your own. Please contact us with any comments.

This Equity Statement is meant to reflect the collective values and vision of all members of the Niagara Artists Centre, recognizing that the Board of Directors has a special responsibility within that community to ensure that the values and ideals of this statement are upheld, advanced, and communicated clearly to all members. NAC will be responsive to the changing needs of our members and to the many people and socio-cultural communities that define the vibrancy and resiliency of our discipline. We acknowledge that systemic barriers to equity exist. As Equity has no terminal point, it can only be achieved insomuch as it is actively pursued as an ongoing goal and ongoing process.

• NAC will strive to support and create an inclusive and equitable community.
• NAC will strive to remove the barriers that limit equitable access to participation for members of historically underrepresented groups.
• NAC will value diversity and inclusion and commit to helping achieve equity.
• NAC will recognize that prioritizing some groups is a necessary step in equity.
• NAC will recognize that such prioritizing might create discomfort, but acknowledges and accepts that change is rarely comfortable.
• NAC will continue to review policies and processes (formal and informal) through an equity lens and will review processes to identify unconscious bias
• NAC will continue to honour and ensure engagement with and between diverse people and communities. We seek to establish and recognize shared goals, while engaging diverse voices to ensure that all communities within NAC see themselves reflected in the work of the organization.
• We see committing to making meaningful space for diverse communities as a key way we can help achieve equity. We want to ensure that people can thrive and reach their full potential by amplifying community voice and opportunity.

The NAC Board shall regularly report back and communicate the successes and challenges in our equity journey.

Action 1: NAC will continue to make space available in our events and publications for a wide range of community purposes, to be able to respond to needs as they emerge. We will consider how we can best address systemic barriers.

Action 2: NAC will provide or promote equity-training opportunities for members through such venues as workshops, webinars, panels, and resources. We will seek ways to remove barriers and provide additional support to communities that will benefit from experience with professionalization processes in the contemporary visual and media arts. We will commit resources to supporting equity and accessibility as a process and outcome.

Action 3: NAC will prioritize programming from historically under-represented communities and will determine whether to take additional action to reach these communities or prioritize these submissions. We will encourage people of all backgrounds to submit proposals and apply for other opportunities at all levels in our work and operations.

Action 4: NAC will actively recruit so that our board, staff, and volunteers are broadly reflective of the community, and will strive to engage similarly diverse participants in our events and publications. Working with equity-deserving communities, we will together consider whether to establish new programs or support new professional opportunities that situate the decision-making power within those communities. We will review and adapt our communication processes to ensure equitable and accessible promotion of our programs, opportunities, and events and to engage diverse voices in telling our shared stories.

Action 5: The NAC Board of Directors will seek community feedback on the equity statement and release a yearly update on our progress prior to our Annual General Meeting towards increasing equity.