Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation host Annual General Meeting

2020 Annual Reports Now Available

Toronto, June 17, 2021 - On June 16, 2021, Toronto Arts Council (TAC) and Toronto Arts Foundation hosted our Annual General Meeting (AGM) online for the second time in a row. Who would have thought last year that we would still be conducting most of our business from home one year later? 

Held annually, our AGM brings together all our board and staff members, as we review the year, say goodbye to departing board members and welcome incoming members. We are proud to announce that our boards broadly reflect the artistic and cultural diversity of our city. TAC's Board comprises over 50% artists and arts workers, joined by arts supporters and city leaders, as they champion the needs of the arts community. The Foundation Board is comprised of philanthropists, arts supporters, and civic leaders.

Claire Hopkinson, Director & CEO, Toronto Arts Foundation and Toronto Arts Council began the meeting by acknowledging the unique challenges presented by the past year. "It’s been quite the year which has taken a profound toll on our artists. I want to thank everyone, the board, all our staff members, for the incredible work they have done.”

“My personal highlight of the year was the Foundation’s Mayor’s Evening for the Arts, digitized and held on the Remo Platform,” said Kathleen Sharpe, Chair, Toronto Arts Foundation. Sharpe also lauded the Foundation’s fundraising efforts, through the TOArtist COVID-19 Response Fund and a $1M contribution from the Hal Jackman Foundation, which were key to helping avert the crises faced by many performing artists and small organizations during the initial days of the pandemic.

“Toronto Arts Council is responsible to the arts community for supporting the great, innovative and creative work being done and responsible to the public to make arts programming accessible in all areas of the city,” said Dina Graser, Toronto Arts Council’s Chair. Graser thanked the board and all the arts committee members for their contribution. In 2020 our committees hosted 71 days of virtual adjudication and assessed 3,644 applications. Our board recommended the largest number of grants in our history totaling $23,412,603, including the TOArtist COVID-19 Response Fund. Graser thanked the outgoing board President Gaëtane Verna for her work on equity and advocacy, also thanked outgoing members – Neera Chopra and Rob MacKinnon, and welcomed incoming President Jason Ryle. Neera Chopra and Gaëtane Verna also served on the Foundation’s board and were recognized by Sharpe for their service.

“It’s a bittersweet moment for me. I have a seven-year association with TAC and the last two years as Board President, not the easiest of the years." Verna said that she is proud of TAC’s ability and strength to have difficult conversations and transform. She expressed great enthusiasm for the new Black Arts grant program, soon to be launched, and is confident for its resounding success. 

TAC also welcomed Devyani Saltzman to its board. Saltzman is a Canadian writer, curator and arts leader with a deep practice in multidisciplinary programming at the intersection between art, ideas and social justice. She was most recently Director of Public Programming at the AGO. She is the Vice Chair of the Writers’ Trust of Canada, and sits on the Boards of Directors of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries and Nova Dance.

• Click here to access the bios of Toronto Arts Council's Board members.
• Click here to access the bios of Toronto Arts Foundation's Board members. 

ANNUAL REPORTS

We are happy to unveil the 2020 Annual Reports of Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation:

• Click here to access Toronto Arts Council's 2020 Annual Report.  
• Click here to access Toronto Arts Foundation's 2020 Annual Report.

The board, management and staff of Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation extend gratitude to the City, our donors, partners, supporters and most importantly, the artists and arts workers for their incredible work in strengthening the arts in Toronto, illustrating the diversity of this city and making our work relevant.

Toronto Arts Council
Toronto Arts Foundation

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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 $23 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. Visit torontoartscouncil.org for more information.

About Toronto Arts Foundation

Toronto Arts Foundation is a charitable organization that sparks creative connections, spotlights artistic excellence, and supports vibrant cultural growth throughout our diverse city, through private sector investment. To learn more or to make a donation, visit torontoartsfoundation.org.

Contact information:

For more information please contact: Haroon Khalid, Interim Communications Manager at haroon@torontoarts.org