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Land Acknowledgement

This land acknowledgment is an intentional work in progress as it reflects our learning journey, both as individuals and as an organization.

Business / Arts was founded in 1974 with a mission to champion business investment in the arts. As we reflect on our history, we acknowledge the colonial structures and institutions that have shaped our legacy, and we commit to doing better as an organization in our pursuit of a just, dignified, inclusive, and equitable society.

Our headquarters are based in Tkaronto (Toronto), which for thousands of years has been the traditional gathering place of many nations, specifically the Anishinaabe, Wendat, Haudenosaunee and the Mississaugas of the Credit, and is now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. Settlers were invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect, and we have a duty to uphold these values.

We are also a national organization, with staff, board members, artists, and volunteers spread out across this country. While we serve a diverse and wide range of arts and culture organizations through our programs, we recognize that our team members occupy various lands that are traditional and unceded Indigenous territories. 

As an organization, we are committed to doing our part to advance decolonization, amplify diverse voices, and create space for those who have been historically and systemically marginalized. Acknowledging the land on which we live and work is just the first step in this process. We believe that arts and culture must be inclusive and accessible to all, and as such we continue to evaluate our programs, services, and models to ensure that they reflect the same cultural richness and diversity as the communities that we strive to serve. 

We are committed to elevating Indigenous voices, culture, history, knowledge, and organizations through our programs. We are committed to advancing more equitable access to our programs and ensuring that our services can reach those who have been historically under-served.  We are committed, as individuals and as an organization, to spend more time learning and reflecting on our own relationship with the land, and the journeys that brought us here.

Some resources that we are using for learning include: