COVID-19 June 17 Update
TORONTO, June 17, 2020 - Toronto Arts Council is committed to providing accurate and up to date information for the arts community throughout the COVID-19 emergency response period. See here for updated COVID-19 web pages and all prior TAC releases and assembled resources.
Arts Information Sessions and Updates
Webinar: Updates from Toronto Public Health with EDC, TAPA and TAC on June 24
Please join a conversation with Pat Tobin (Director Arts and Culture Services), Claire Hopkinson (Director and CEO, Toronto Arts Council), Kevin Ormsby & Jacoba Knappen (TAPA), David Absalom (Toronto Public Health) and Chris Gibbs (Ryerson University) on Wednesday June 24, from 1:30-2:30pm. The intent of this session is to provide updates on regulations and requirements for artists and arts organizations considering live programming options and venue operations during the pandemic period.
Please note: this webinar will be limited to 500 participants. To that end, we request that arts organizations limit their participation to one or two people. To secure your spot, please register here.
We also invite you to share in advance questions that you want to see addressed. There is a field in the registration form, linked above, for you to submit a question. Additional questions may be sent to Rachel Kennedy at rachel@torontoartscouncil.org. We will address as many submitted questions as we can in the time available, with an emphasis on the most common questions.
Arts Surveys and Data
Arts in the Parks Survey
As part of ongoing efforts to understand communities, Toronto Arts Foundation has created a survey to learn more about Torontonians' current opinions regarding participating in arts and cultural activities taking place in outdoor public spaces in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey is the first in a series taking place over the next several months in order to track changes in behaviour/comfort.
Please pass on to your networks. Input will help Toronto Arts Foundation, the City of Toronto and various community groups plan for arts activities and events happening in 2020 and 2021. Toronto Arts Foundation will make the results of the survey public. Deadline for completion is July 6, 2020, at 11:59 PM EST.
Arts Data: Has Your Arts Organization Joined??
Artsdata.ca was created to assist every arts organization in Canada. Did you know there is little to no machine-readable metadata in the arts sector? Artsdata.ca is a way for arts organizations to have agency, access and authority over its own metadata, the basic building block for discoverability. With the onset of COVID and the transition to more digital production, Artsdata has become even more important. Click here for a video to see how it works. Artsdata.ca is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund, and since inception has been led in partnership by Sherrie Johnson and Culture Creates. For more information contact: info@culturecreates.com.
Arts Programming Streaming and Online
Arts in the Park Anyplace is proceeding for the summer of 2020. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on large gatherings, Arts in the Parks remains committed to bringing great arts programming to Torontonians for free. With this new feature, called Arts in the Parks Anyplace, audiences will experience content from artists and program partners, including videos and workshops, from home. Many arts programs will maintain relationships with their park community offering preferred access to programming for local audiences and friends of the park. See here for full press release.
For more online art events and offerings, please view our COVID-19 Arts Activations page.
Emergency Funding Support
CERB: Canada Emergency Response Benefit - Announced yesterday, the program has been extended for 8 additional weeks
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS)
The Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA)
Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (OCECRA)
Creative Co-Location Facilities Property Tax Subclass Designation
Cultural Festivals Recovery Program
Contact TAC: Please note that TAC staff will remain available to answer your questions and provide updated information throughout the outbreak. Please contact us any time.
About Toronto Arts Council
Toronto Arts Council (TAC) is the City of Toronto’s funding body for artists and arts organizations. Since 1974, TAC has played a major role in the city’s cultural industries by supporting a very broad range of artistic activity. From the emerging artist to the most established, from celebrated institutions to arts that challenge convention, TAC is typically the first funder to offer support. Today, TAC grants lead to exhibitions, performances, readings and workshops seen annually by over 5 million people. Through its ongoing funding of over $18 million annually, TAC cultivates a rich engagement between artists and audiences. It is proud to reflect Toronto’s vibrancy through the diversity of the artists, arts communities and audiences that it serves. For more about Toronto Arts Council, visit www.torontoartscouncil.org
Contact Information
For information, please contact Susan Wright, Deputy Director: 416-392-6802 x 211 | susan@torontoartscouncil.org