The Canadian Network for Arts & Learning will embark on a three-year project to promote equitable access and engagement in arts and learning thanks to a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts’ Digital Strategy Fund. For the past three years, The Network has been constructing a national digital map, which now features more than 8500 arts and learning organizations, schools and practitioners. Through this new project, The Network will work with key partners and consult the sector on how to best leverage existing digital infrastructure while also sourcing and testing new technologies to integrate into the strategy.
“With our proven digital capabilities and expertise in engaging the sector, The Network is ideally positioned to lead the creation of a digital strategy for arts and learning,” said Larry O’Farrell, Chair of The Canadian Network for Arts & Learning. “We are grateful for the support of the Canada Council for the Arts which will help us connect on a deeper level with arts and learning communities while we work towards our mission of cultivating a more creative, innovative and prosperous Canada.”
The project will officially launch at The Network’s biennial international conference taking place in Winnipeg from October 24 – 26, 2019. This year’s conference, called Creative Convergence, will weave together the themes of digital innovation and communications with social justice and reconciliation, as well as health and well-being. Creative Convergence will provide an opportunity to begin the assessment of the digital needs of the community while sharing and gathering information on new and existing platforms.
Throughout the three years of the project, The Network will host an in-person event in each of Canada’s provinces and territories to gather feedback and foster discussion on the unique needs of the country’s diverse communities. There will also be a series of online events and webinars to engage a broader cross-section of arts and learning practitioners.
The Network will facilitate research in new and emerging digital platforms at technology conferences and events, as well as through partnerships with key industry leaders. The final strategy will inform the sector on the adoption and deployment of technological solutions and will launch at the October 2021 conference called Arts and Learning in the Digital Age.
For more information on The Canadian Network for Arts & Learning, Creative Convergence Winnipeg and Canada’s Map of Arts & Learning, please visit www.eduarts.ca.