Ian Garrett

B/A Speaker Series: Greening the Arts Sector

You want your arts organization or project to be green, but you don’t know how to go about it? A great place to start is by tuning in to the Business / Arts Speaker Series next Thursday, May 26 for an introduction to the Creative Green Tools Canada with Devon Hardy.

Join us on Thursday, May 26th, 2022 for a conversation on greening the arts sector!

In this session with Devon Hardy, Program Director of Creative Green Tools Canada, we will explore strategies for improving the sustainability of our cultural institutions. Together, we will learn about the Creative Green Tools Canada (“CG Tools”), a free set of carbon calculation and reporting tools that allow organizations in the arts and culture sector to record, measure and understand the impacts of their venues, offices, tours, productions, festivals and more. During our discussion, we will consider the benefits of integrating these tools into our cultural facilities and programs as well as demonstrate how they can be put into practice.

REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2316527134504/WN_algNGiLGRQ2CxI7okHhxaw

Work with the CSPA: Program Officer – CG Tools Canada

Location: Remote

Program summary: 

The Creative Green Tools are a comprehensive set of carbon calculation and reporting tools, created specifically for the arts and culture sector. The Tools will be launched across Canada in early 2022 and made available to organizations and practitioners in the sector, along with training, user support, educational resources and other opportunities for learning and collaboration. 

Main role responsibilities:

  • Train users to use the Creative Green Tools
  • Provide one-on-one technical support via email, phone or video call
  • Create user guides and other instructional materials for the Creative Green Tools
  • Create educational materials relating to environmental stewardship and climate action
  • Review elements of the Creative Green Tools platform and test their functionality
  • Correspond with program partners to schedule meetings, update them on program activities and get feedback

Ideal experience and qualifications:

  • Knowledge of environmental impacts and carbon footprinting principles
  • Experience using carbon footprinting tools or doing calculations based on emission factors
  • Knowledge of the arts and culture sector
  • Ability to solve problems independently
  • Attention to detail
  • Bilingual in English and French (an asset)
  • Ability to write clearly and summarize complex information into simple text
  • Interpersonal communication skills
  • Time management skills and the ability to work autonomously

Desired start date: Mid-January 2022

Length of contract: 1 year, with possibility of extension

Salary: $48,500 per year + health and dental allowance

The CSPA represents and gives voice to people who identify diversely across the spectrums of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, and ability. The Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in its workforce, encouraging applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage applications from members of equity seeking groups, including but not limited to: persons with disabilities, BIPOC communities, gender fluid, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, newcomers to Canada and from all groups who experience marginalization. We encourage applicants to self-identify in their email if they are comfortable doing so.

ABOUT THE CSPA

The Centre for the Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA) provides research, training, and consultancy services related to sustainable development, in particular ecological responsibility, in the arts and culture sector. This includes environmental footprinting and support for theatres, museums, galleries, and other cultural organizations and arts presenters/producers. We publish, electronically and in print, associated research in this field and organize conferences and convening on this topic for the purpose of professional and research networking, education, and professional development.

The CSPA views sustainability as the intersection of environmental balance, social equity, economic stability and a strengthened cultural infrastructure. Seeing itself as evolved out of the principles of the 1987 Brundtland Report and 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the CSPA aligns itself with the policies of Agenda 21 for Culture as a resource to artists and art organizations.

The CSPA’s activities include research and initiatives positioning arts and culture as a driver of a sustainable society.

Our activities include:

  • Publication of the CSPA Quarterly periodical and Special Reports
  • Engaging in research initiatives with strategic partners
  • Distributing & re-distributing information online and through social networks.
  • Creating and sharing tools for sustainable arts practices.
  • Convening and conducting convergences and workshops on sustainable arts practices.

Send CV and cover letter to hr@sustainablepractice.org

Photo by Soheb Zaidi on Unsplash

Rising: Climate in Crisis Residencies at A Studio in the Woods

Rising: Climate in Crisis Residencies at A Studio in the Woods invite artists to face the severity of the climate crisis and be agents of change to guide our collective understanding, response, and vision as we shape our shared future. 

Applications due March 10, 2022. Rising Residencies provide artists with a $3000 stipend, $2000 materials budget, 6 weeks in residence, and staff support to foster critical thinking and creation of new works. Open to artists of all disciplines.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

New Orleans and the inhabitants of our region are frequently invoked as some of the most vulnerable to the effects of environmental degradation. While sea levels, temperatures and emotions are rising, our highly manipulated landscape can be seen as a microcosm of the global environment, manifesting both the reckoning and hope which are required in the ways humans interact with shifting urban and natural ecosystems. As the climate crisis permeates the collective understanding of the future, the challenges faced by Southern Louisiana resonate exponentially. We look to artists to ignite our imaginations, illuminate our challenges, and offer new ways to examine the world.

Rising Residencies will provide artists with time, space, scholarship and staff support to foster critical thinking and creation of new works. The call is open to artists of all disciplines who have demonstrated an established dialogue with environmental and culturally related issues and a commitment to seeking and plumbing new depths. We ask artists to describe in detail how the region will affect their work, to propose a public component to their residency and to suggest ways in which they will engage with the local community.

Ecoscenography Reading Group for November

The Ecoscenography Reading Group welcomes all who are interested in a broader discussion on ecological design, primarily in live performance

Welcome back to our third and final Ecoscenography Reading Group of 2021!

Our upcoming session will be held virtually on November 22nd at 7:30pm Toronto time (GMT-4) / November 23rd at 10:30 am Brisbane time (AEST) through our Zoom Webinar platform hosted by The Queensland University of Technology. Upon registering with our Eventbrite link, you will receive access to the selected plays that will be explored in this session. We encourage you to have a read of these plays beforehand to engage in our Q&A with our panel and attendees. Our November Reading Group will be working with three texts selected from the Climate Change Theatre Action’s (CCTA) 2021 call-out that addresses the central themes of Growth and Reflection. We will be joined by guest live performance designer panellists, Ian Garrett (Toronto, CAD), Bronwyn Pringle (Melbourne, Australia) and Tony Brumpton (Brisbane, AUS). Our discussion will explore ecoscenographic responses to the plays, particularly how spatial, lighting and sound designers can create sustainable, unique and provocative experiences that forefront ecological issues.

To learn more, please visit: Ecoscenography Reading Group

Our selected CCTA plays for the November Ecoscenography Reading Group are:

Whistler by Giancarlo Abraham (Philippines)

Envisioning a Global Green New Deal through the history of an ever-changing landscape. Communication and misunderstanding with human displacement.

Molong by Damon Chua(US/Singapore)

Connection to the land and the spiritual tie that beats the scientific statistics. Indigenous peoples make up about 6% of the world population but inhabit more than a quarter of our planet’s land area. Harnessing their knowledge and philosophies on sustainability is vital to the future of biodiversity and humankind.

Mizhakwad (The Sky Is Clear) by Dylan Thomas Elwood (US)

Portraying of deep-seated anxiety for climate change. An urgency to embrace our connection with the land.

Learn more about our guest panellists for our November edition:

Ian Garrett (Canada) is a designer, producer, educator, and researcher in the field of sustainability in arts and culture. He is Associate Professor of Ecological Design for Performance at York University. He is the director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts and Producer for Toasterlab, a mixed reality performance collective. He maintains a design practice focused on ecology, accessible technologies and scenography

Bronwyn Pringle (Australia) is a Lighting Designer and Theatre Maker who has worked in a plethora of performance spaces including, a London Nightclub, a warehouse in Buenos Aires, the Federation Square air-conditioning ducts and a wool-shed. Bronwyn has received multiple Green Room Awards including the 2020 Award for Technical Achievement and holds a Masters in Design for Performance from the University of Melbourne.

Tony Brumpton (Australia) is an Australian based artist and academic working in the field of Aural Scenography. He likes the sound of birds more than planes.

Calling all Stage Designers: Climate Change Theatre Action EcoDesign Charrette

The Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts (CSPA) and Triga Creative (Triga) invites you to our second Eco-Design Charrette taking place between September 19th and December 18th, 2021.  This year we will be hosting our events online, as part of the Climate Change Theatre Action Festival (Climate Change Theatre Action). The Eco-Design Charrette aims to fuel each participant with the knowledge and inspiration needed to design with an ecological consciousness. Through rapid design seeding and idea exchange we will expand how we imagine scenography and its power to change our world. 

This online Eco-Design Charrette is centred on the creation of concepts for each of the fifty Climate Change Theatre Action Plays (Playwrights). Over the span of the Charrette each participating designer will create a seed concept for at least one of the short plays. Our intention is not to ask designers for fully fleshed out designs, but to begin a design concept with ecological thinking at the centre of the creative process. In order to support this work and create a context for the cross pollination of ideas, Triga Creative will host a series of short play readings, design conversations and eco-scenography workshops.

The Eco-Design Charrette period will be an opportunity to develop your eco-scenographic practice alongside other designers and generate concepts for publication and exhibition with an international reach. All designs generated during the Eco-Design Charrette will be published in a two-part volume by the Centre for Sustainable Practices in the Arts (Books). The designs will also be exhibited at World Stage Design in Calgary in 2022 (WSD2022 Exhibition). The charrette will culminate the global participatory CCTA festival with an online closing celebration during which we will share the work created with our international community.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Send Triga Creative a statement of interest in the Eco-Design Charrette to hello@trigacreative.com with the subject line “Charrette Application” before midnight on September 6th, 2021. Please include an overview of your previous design experience, your interest in eco-scenography, and your availability to participate in up to two sessions of programming per week between September 19th and December 18th, 2021.

We will be creating the schedule with consideration of everyone’s availability and with the intention of making our programming as accessible as possible across all time zones. Please be specific about which time zone your availability is relative to. Note that availability for all of the programming is not required for participation.

We will review all of the submitted letters and be in touch with everyone before September 19th, 2021. If you have any questions please write to Alexandra Lord, Shannon Lea Doyle and Michelle Tracey at hello@trigacreative.com. We would be happy to hear from you!

Featured Image: Seed Concept for Nibi (Water) Protectors By Corey Payette, Designed by Kim Sue Bartnik for the 2019 CCTA EcoDesign Charrette

Climate Anxiety to Climate Action with and through the Arts – Webinars with CSPA Director Ian Garrett

Tuesdays June 30th and July 7th 7:00-8:30 pm Mountain – log on at 6:45 pm

Presented by the Boulder County Arts Alliance in collaboration with EcoArts Connections and the Arbor Institute.

For more information and registration for webinar links:

https://www.bouldercountyarts.org/workshops/business-of-arts

Webinar information:

Tuesday, June 30th, 7:00-8:30 pm – Sustainability and the Arts for the Uninitiated

For arts makers, administrators, curators, producers, presenters, funders, policy makers, and others, this webinar will provide a forum for recognizing the individual realities of cultural workers and help to dispel myths, assuage fears, and contextualize how to start thinking about eco-positive change across all aspects of the arts.

Read more https://www.bouldercountyarts.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=202

Tuesday, July 7th, 7:00-8:30 pm – Building a Critical Community of Sustainable Arts Practitioners

For cultural workers and others interested in gaining a broad view of sustainable initiatives in the cultural sector internationally through the lens of the Boulder community. It will begin to establish our shared value system, as well as connect you to available tools, resources, and ways to build the networks of support we need to integrate the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and other principles into our work, together.

Read more: https://www.bouldercountyarts.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=203

Read more about Ian Garrett

Please Support Black Lives Matter Toronto

We’re taking a pause from our scheduled feed of projects, opportunities, and ideas about the intersection of sustainability and arts practice to direct your attention elsewhere on this Blackout Tuesday.

We don’t have a long statement. We don’t want to hold your attention while black lives are in true crisis.

We, instead, would like to encourage you to support Black Lives Matter in whatever way you can. We’re linking to BLM Toronto specifically for a host of reasons, but will just share this quote from a leader in that organizations:

” The root of my activism is to make changes to ensure an intersectional sustainable future, which means showing up for the communities that are the most vulnerable.”

You can donate here: https://blacklivesmatter.ca/donate/

Open Call: THE WALL 2020 | Trestle Gallery

Trestle Gallery is pleased to announce a new open call opportunity for site-specific projects for The Wall. Trestle Gallery will select 4 artists (or artistic collaborators/collectives) for the 2020 calendar year to execute a site-specific drawing, painting, or installation on our 8 x 10.25 foot entrance wall at our 850 3rd Avenue location. These projects will remain on view for approximately 2 months, with an opening reception that coincides with our other gallery programming. Applications are open to all artists (NY-based or otherwise) but selected artists must be available to install and deinstall their own projects. Trestle will provide a modest stipend to help cover expenses related to the production of the work. Selected artists will be notified in the Fall of 2019. 

Trestle is committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive environment for all participants. Artists of all genders, communities, abilities, and cultures help us fulfill our mission to hold a space promoting excellence for all.

Dates for The Wall 2020:

January 17 – March 8 | March 20 – May 10 | July 2 – August 30 | September 11 – November 1

Submission Guidelines:  

  • You may submit up to 5 images of your current work to provide some context for your proposal. If you have previously executed a site-specific wall work, please include it with your images.
  • Please make your proposal as detailed as possible. You may also submit up to 3 images to further illustrate/supplement your proposal.
  • Acceptable media include drawing, painting, sculpture, fiber art, ceramics, photography, and/or mixed media. Installations may extend up to 24 inches from the wall. Unfortunately we cannot accept proposals which include video, sound, or any other electronic components.
  • Images must be in .JPG or .JPEG format, 1000 pixels on longest side, titledLastnameFirstname_Title.jpg
  • CV, Statement, and Bio must be submitted in PDF form, titled: LastnameFirstName_CV.pdf; LastnameFirstName_Statement.pdf; LastnameFirstName_Bio.pdf; 
  • National and international artists are welcome to apply, but selected artists must be available to install and deinstall their own projects

[Click here to access photos, floor plans, and sketch up models of The Wall at Trestle]

Creative Climate Cities Profiles

Every city needs culture to animate action on the environment and rehearse new ways of co-existing. So we are delighted to launch a new report produced with World Cities Culture Forum titled Tackling Climate Change Through Culture. We highlight 14 cities across the world that are becoming smarter and more sustainable with creative climate initiatives explored across four thematic areas: policy and strategy; resource and support; partnerships and innovation; and creative programmes and campaigns. The full report and each of the individual city profiles are available to download below.

To launch these cities profiles, Lucy Latham took presented in a panel session duringLondon Climate Action Week, and has shared her reflections in this blogpost on Smart and Sustainable Cities.
Check out: The Creative Climate Cities Profiles

Music Declares Emergency

Julie’s Bicycle has joined forces with the Music Industry to declare a climate and ecological emergency. In the last week we’ve received more than 1,000 signatures on the declaration, from those who represent a broad spectrum of the UK music community, including institutions such as:

Abbey Road Studios, AIM, the Association of Independent Festivals, Beggars Group, Believe, The BRIT School, Festival Republic, Kambe Events, Music Venue Trust, Powerful Thinking, Sony Music UK, United Talent Agency, Universal Music UK, Village Underground, Warner Music UK, Warner Chappell Music UK

plus artists such as: 
Bernard Butler, Beth Orton, Bonobo, Caribou, Carleen Anderson, Ezra Furman, Fay Milton (Savages), Floating Points, Foals, Geoff Barrow, Hot Chip, IDLES, Imelda May, Jon Hopkins, Kathleen Hanna, Maribou State, Mick Hucknall, Nadine Shah, Nitin Sawhney, Pretenders, Radiohead, Sam Fender, The Cinematic Orchestra, This Is The Kit, Tom Odell, plus hundreds of other artists and businesses.Music professionals can sign up below or you canfollow it all on social media:#MusicDeclaresEmergency.JB is also a signatory to Culture Declares Emergency, representing the broader performing and visual arts community – sign up to Culture Declares here.
Join: Music Declares Emergency