WHY
Canada is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, yet due to systemic racism few of our cultural institutions reflect our diversity.
As a result, Canadians today and potential future generations are not experiencing the creative potential that Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) could bring to arts organizations, museums and libraries as leaders; moreover BIPOC professionals are marginalized from leadership, often leaving the field and even the country to pursue opportunities elsewhere.
Imagine how much more vital our cultural sector will be when its leadership reflects diverse new voices and new perspectives!
WHAT
In 2020 Karen Carter co-founder of Black Artists’ Networks in Dialogue and Gail Lord, President of Lord Cultural Resources met to envision that inclusive future—and the idea of “The BIPOC Fellowship” was born.
The concept of the BIPOC Fellowship is twofold: to help fund leadership positions for BIPOC professionals in the Gallery, Library, Arts and Museum (GLAM) sectors; and to provide an effective mentorship program for both the fellows and their employer institutions as together they chart new ground.
Thanks to the generous support of Jeffrey Latimer Entertainment, the BIPOC Fellowship will launch with 7 pilot fellowships in these great cultural institutions: Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto Public Library, City of Toronto Museums, the Power Plant Gallery, the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, and Contemporary Calgary. Business /Arts will provide structural support and their Chair, Robert Foster, will serve on the board with Jeffrey Latimer, Karen Carter, Gail Lord, and Janis Monture.
The Founding Advisory Board
Vickery Bowles, Director, Toronto Public Library; Bonnie Devine, artist, Founding Chair, Indigenous Visual Cultural Programme, OCADUniversity; Janis Monture, Executive Director, Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford; Deepali Dewan, PhD Dan Mishra Senior Curator of South Asian Art & Culture, Royal Ontario Museum; John Hampton, Executive Director & CEO, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina; Tim Johnson, Artistic Director, Landscape of Nations and Indigenous Advisor, Lord Cultural Resources; John McKellar, Senior Lawyer, WeirFoulds LLP; Gaëtane Verna, Director, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery.
Our founding partners
