From April 16 to 18, 2023, Business / Arts hosted the Canadian Arts Summit, an annual national conference for executive leadership in the arts sector. This long-awaited reunion in Toronto served as a catalyst for envisioning vibrant and resilient futures in the arts. It provided a platform to come together, reflect on the evolving needs and practices of the arts sector and explore ways to nurture a vibrant and collaborative workforce.

The 2023 Summary Report provides an overview of the 2023 Canadian Arts Summit program, with high-level synthesis of the conversations and content of the various panels, workshops and sessions. It is our aim to communicate the main takeaways and highlights of the various conversations throughout the Summit to enable further discussion and inform future programming. The report was prepared by Art + Public UnLtd, Programming Lead for the Canadian Arts Summit. Thanks to David Maggs, Metcalf Fellow on Arts and Society; Christine Loewen, Executive Director, Opera Association of Canada; and Jagroop Mehta, Program Manager Mass Culture for contributing their notes from the sessions.

Keynote conversation between Ken Lum and Elamin Abdelmahmoud

Opening remarks from Monica Esteves & Maya Choldin

Mervon Mehta, Dr. Peter Simon, Aubrey Reeves, Robert J. Foster

Onstage performance by The Ostara Project

Canadian Arts Summit

Panel Discussion: Sustainability & Shifting Landscape

Canadian Arts Summit

Shannon Bowler, Executive Director, Culture Days & Aubrey Reeves, President & CEO, Business / Arts

Canadian Arts Summit

Panel Discussion: Advocacy & Messaging

Visioning Breakout Sessions

Visioning Breakout Sessions

Panel Discussion: Engagement & Representation

Honorable Minister Rodriguez

Visioning Breakout Sessions

Panel Discussion: Success, Impact & The Future

Members of the CAS Steering Committee

 

 

The conference took place across three venues in downtown Toronto, with the opening night events hosted at the Royal Conservatory of Music, two Summit days hosted at the Art Gallery of Ontario, and closing with a tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto. Delegates attended from 9 provinces as well as the United States. In total, there were 176 delegates in attendance, 131 of whom attended all three days of programming. Of the total attendees, 84 had not previously attended a Canadian Arts Summit.

Throughout the Summit, speakers considered how to centre artist voices within our institutions while also keeping audience needs at our core. As we considered the path to the future, there was reflection among the delegation about how to leverage the power, influence and resources of the largest institutions to support the recovery and vitality of the arts and culture sector as a whole.

See the full photo album from the 2023 Summit here.
Photos by Philip Maglieri.

See you in Banff – March 21-23, 2024

In partnership with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, we are thrilled to announce that the 2024 Canadian Arts Summit will be held at the Banff Centre between Thursday, March 21 and Saturday, March 23, 2024.

Save our dates and stay tuned for more updates as we finalize the event schedule. Add the 2024 Canadian Arts Summit to your calendar.

Thank you to our 2023 partners and sponsors for your ongoing support!