Margo Charlton Research & Evaluation Internship All Toronto Arts Foundation initiatives are made possible by the support from our wonderful donors. Our initiatives offer critical arts programs in various areas, including not only awards and free art events, but also professional development opportunities designed for our Toronto arts community. One such example is the Toronto Arts Foundation Margo Charlton Research & Evaluation Internship. Established in 2023 with the support of The Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation, the Internship supports graduate students in advancing research and evaluation skills and interests, broadening knowledge of the cultural sector and connecting to a national network of arts funders, charities and researchers. The Intern receives an honorarium of $2,500. The Internship was created to honour Margo Charlton, Toronto Arts Foundation’s first Research & Impact Manager, and her contributions to research and evaluation in the arts, and to support the next generation of arts researchers, evaluators and advocates. During her internship with us, Deanne Kearney, a Ph.D. Candidate in Dance Studies at York University, created an annotated bibliography of academic literature on program evaluation. As the Research & Impact team develop a long-term evaluation strategy and build a cyclical program evaluation process, Deanne’s work is integral to fostering an internal culture of evaluative thinking. Her contributions will help to ensure that the Foundation’s evaluation processes are rigorous and advance greater understanding of the vital role of the arts in society. Deanne will also be co-authoring a book chapter on evaluation and impact assessment in the forthcoming De Gruyter Handbook of Creative Industries with the Foundation’s Senior Manager, Research & Impact, Dr. Shawn Newman, and Evaluation Manager, Kadija Da Paula. About her experience, Deanne commented: “I want to sincerely thank Dr. Newman, Kadija, the staff at Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Foundation, The Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation, and Margo Charlton for this opportunity. This internship was an incredible experience that provided me with hands-on learning about Canadian arts funding approaches. The mentorship I received from TAC and the Foundation was fantastic and supportive, furthering my academic and professional goals in the arts funding landscape as I wish to continue working in Canada’s cultural sector past the completion of my Ph.D.” It has been a pleasure having Deanne as our intern, and we also would like to thank The Zita and Mark Bernstein Family Foundation for their incredible support. Our donor community’s commitment to advancing and supporting the arts sector is truly inspiring and helps us maximize the transformative benefits of the arts through our innovative, responsive and strategic initiatives. Deanne Kearney is a Ph.D. Candidate in Dance Studies at York University, where her research focuses on the impact of different funding models on the Canadian dance sector, with a particular emphasis on federal funding and the Canada Council for the Arts. As a dance writer, researcher, and critic, she has contributed to notable publications such as Dance Magazine, The Dance Current Magazine, and Dance International, and currently reviews dance on her websites, The Dance Debrief (DanceDebrief.ca) and DeanneKearney.com.
Azadeh Pirazimian, former recipient of the Newcomer Art Award May 1, 2022 Moving to Canada from Iran, some of the challenges that Azadeh Pirazimian faced were the same that thousands of newcomers’ face. As an artist, Azadeh identifies “lack of accessibility to resources, professional art programs and networks” as being the most frustrating ones. In 2015, at the age of 36, Azadeh moved to Canada, leaving behind not just an established artistic practice, but also her social network, cultural connections, families and friends. A multidisciplinary artist who works in illustration, painting and acting, Azadeh taught visual arts in arts schools and universities in Tehran before she moved to Toronto. Shortly after her move she came across a grant writing info session for newcomer artists organized by our Neighbourhood Arts Network (NAN). “As a newcomer artist, I didn’t know what were some of the resources available for artists before I came across this session,” she said. Since her initial engagement, her relationship with NAN has only strengthened. In 2016, she received NAN’s Newcomer Arts Award (previously called the RBC Art Access Fund) which supports newcomer artists looking to jump-start their art projects, and in 2021 she was a recipient of the Newcomer Space Award. The award, she said, helped her overcome some of the barriers that she faces in Toronto’s arts scene as a newcomer artist. “The most influential [impact] is the recognition I’ve gained through this award from the art community. Additionally, it provided me with a space to work on a series that I had already started during the pandemic,” she said. As part of NAN’s effort to further help newcomer artists establish industry connections in Toronto, we formed a partnership with Toronto Arts Council to help identify mentors for newcomer artists seeking to apply to TAC’s Newcomer and Refugee Artist Mentorship funding program. Through this mentor matching program, Azadeh was able to connect with Alize Zorlutuna, an interdisciplinary artist, writer and educator. They received the grant in 2021. “One aspect that my mentor is helping me is with the language barrier; helping me write about my work in a manner that my artwork is not misunderstood or ignored,” she said. Since moving to Canada, Azadeh has had considerable success as an artist, with her work being exhibited at Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, City Hall, Mekic Gallery in Montreal and several others. “One good thing about NAN programming is that they are designed based on the lived experiences of newcomers and refugee artists,” she said. “These programs play an important role in helping the artists get back the resources and the community that they deserve…The different programs that NAN offers, workshops, chats, gatherings, etc. have given me a sense of community and belonging as a newcomer artist.”