EC3 Bulletin: Chelsea Day and Marcela Moreno join the EC3 Staff. Gabe Pollock says goodbye!

May 12, 2026

Photo Credit: Chelsea Day
Image Description: Standing in front of a brick wall, a young woman with long dark wavy hair and bangs looks toward the camera with a soft smile. They are wearing a light coloured fuzzy sweater and layered necklaces.

EC3 is honoured to welcome Chelsea Day as our Director of Granting. A costume designer and stylist living in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong, she has been involved in the theatre community working with 4th Line Theatre, Electric City Players and The Peterborough Theatre Guild.

Chelsea holds a degree in English Literature from Trent University as well as a Diploma in Library Technology. Her sensitivity to artists’ needs, excellent communication skills, and strong ability to manage systems make her an excellent fit for this position.

Chelsea is a familiar face to many after having worked in customer service for downtown businesses and restaurants for over 20 years. She is passionate about the Peterborough arts and culture community and is looking forward to working to sustain and continue to grow this community through her work with EC3.

Photo Credit: Marcela Moreno
Image Description: A young woman with her dark curly hair pulled back smiles brightly at the camera. They are wearing hoop earrings and a light beige top, posing in front of a softly lit neutral background.

EC3 is honoured to welcome Marcela Moreno as our Operations and Administration Manager. A communications professional based in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong, originally from El Salvador. She moved to Peterborough three years ago and quickly developed a strong connection to the city’s arts and culture community, finding a sense of belonging through its galleries, events, and creative spaces. Marcela holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Trent University, specializing in Marketing and Consumer Culture.

Marcela brings experience across nonprofit, educational, and private-sector environments, supporting organizational operations, communications, and community engagement initiatives. Her knowledge of systems and data management are a true asset to our work at EC3.

Creativity has always been central to Marcela’s life. From a young age, she has been drawn to creative expression and now uses marketing and communications as an extension of that creativity to support the organizations where she works. Marcela is passionate about the role arts and culture play in building community and is excited to contribute to strengthening and supporting the local cultural sector through her work with EC3.

EC3 is grateful to our funders who made it possible to hire such qualified individuals, and we know you will enjoy working with them.

Photo Credit: Gabe Pollock
Image Description: A young man with dark hair, glasses, and a short beard gestures with one hand while speaking into a microphone. He is wearing a blue plaid shirt layered under a dark hoodie, standing in front of a softly lit neutral background.

Gabe Pollock has served EC3 and the arts community as our Director of Granting more than once. He always brought his outstanding knowledge of the local arts community to the position, along with exceptional organizational and administrative skills. Gabe contributed his considerable critical thinking capacity to policy and program development at EC3, demonstrated great sensitivity communicating with artists, supported juries impeccably and brought humour and diplomatic flare to all his work. His contributions to the GFIA, Artsweek, Poet Laureate, Bierk Art Bursary, Peterborough Arts Awards and COVID grant programs were remarkable.

Gabe left EC3 in January to pursue his passion for writing and journalism at Peterborough Currents. We miss him, are so very grateful for his steadfast, outstanding work and wish him the very best always. Cheers to Gabe!

Read the full bulletin here!

EC3 is Hiring a Multimedia Archivist

April 29, 2026

JOB POSTING
MULTIMEDIA ARCHIVIST
Electric City Culture Council (EC3)

Posting date: April 28, 2026
Deadline for applications: June 5, 2026
Compensation: $21 per hour, 35 hours per week
Term: This is an 8-week position starting July 6 (flexible) –
Location: This is primarily a remote work from home position with occasional meetings at the EC3 offices.
Age qualification: The position is funded through Canada Summer Jobs for anyone aged 30 or under.

ABOUT EC3
A municipal arts council, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) is a not-for-profit arts service organization supporting the development of individual artists and arts and culture organizations in Peterborough and Peterborough County. Our programs and services provide opportunities for artists to create, produce, and present work, and for audiences to experience and appreciate the arts.

DEI: EC3 is committed to diversity and inclusiveness. We encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

OVERVIEW
After ten years of delivering successful programming and services, EC3 is creating a digital platform called EC3 Backdrop for our web site documenting our history and development, consolidating and rationalizing the video, audio, photographic and text documentation of our workshops, festivals, radio programs, special events and reports on granting and other programs. EC3 is anxious to capture and clearly identify all our essential landmarks and map a landscape that makes them accessible to researchers, professionals developing policy, artists and the general public.

JOB DUTIES
Reporting to the Executive Director, the multimedia archivist will join a team working together on EC3 Backdrop, the EC3 Fifteenth Anniversary Archiving and Cataloguing Project. Duties will include:

 Reviewing and cataloguing our photography archives – particularly Artsweek and Arts Awards
 Mapping the web site and creating a visual “connections tree”
 Cataloguing social media content from the past 5 years
 Cataloguing EC3’s You Tube channels content
 Locating and identifying content of other photos, video recordings and audio recordings in the EC3 archives
 Interviewing key stakeholders, including former board, staff and volunteers regarding event details as required
 Organize and review an EC3 Backdrop beta model
 Correct for accessibility etc.
 Plan the design and digital management of all archival material on an ongoing basis
 Plan and deliver launch of EC3 Backdrop as a practical and accessible ongoing archival system that works for a variety of potential users

QUALIFICATIONS
 Excellent organizational, written and oral communications skills.
 Demonstrated ability to set and meet goals, objectives and deadlines.
 Ability to work on a team and independently.
 Familiarity with computer programs including Office Suite, social media platforms, and web site construction and maintenance (Word Press).
 Knowledge of archiving tools and database management is an asset.
 Knowledge of the arts and the local arts sector is an asset.

HOW TO APPLY
Email a resume and letter that expresses why you would like to do this job and how your experience makes you a good candidate.

Send to canadasummerjobs@gmail.com with the subject heading Multimedia Archivist.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 5 AT 5PM.

EC3 Bulletin: Canadian Arts Coalition

March 26, 2026

EC3 advocates for the arts at all levels of government. Our work has included supporting the status of the artist through direct funding, basic income programs, stronger copyright laws, and increased investment in the government programs that support arts organizations and DEI initiatives in the arts. While we continue to advocate at the municipal and provincial levels at the City of Peterborough, the OAC and the provincial Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, we wanted to draw attention to the advocacy work of Canadian Coalition for the Arts, working at the federal level, by sharing their recent newsletter.

EC3 also had an opportunity to meet briefly with MP Emma Harrison to discuss the mission and mandate of the arts council, and the value and importance of funding programs at Canadian
Heritage. Our MP suggested that arts organizations advise her office when they do make an application to the federal government for funding. We look forward to future conversations.

Emma Harrison, Member of Parliament representing Peterborough, Ontario

Picture description: A woman with brunette hair in a tan coloured pea-coat is looking directly at the camera and smiling. She is standing in a snowy field with trees in the background.

Working to strengthen Canadian arts and culture through policies, investment, sustainable practices, and public appreciation.

NEWS IN THE ARTS

Canada Council for the Arts Strategic Planning

Thank you to everyone who attended the most recent all-members meeting on February 9. We discussed the upcoming Canada Council for the Arts strategic planning, inviting input on how the Canadian Arts Coalition could represent its members and communicate their thoughts and recommendations to the Council. The top two recommendations received were to

Submit on the questionnaire on behalf of members
Provide consensus points for members’ submission

We will be moving forward on these two action points in the coming weeks, ensuring our members’ voices are heard in these discussions. We are also looking into the possibility of submitting a brief that outlines all of the concerns and feedback from our members, so please submit your feedback to info@canadianartscoalition.ca.

MORE FOR THIS MONTH

ADVOCACY & POLICY

Provincial budgets are rolling out over the coming weeks, and they will set the tone for arts and culture funding, policy, and priorities across the country. Please take a moment to check when your province or territory will table its budget, and keep an eye on what is proposed for arts, culture, heritage, and related files, including any new investments, freezes, cuts, or shifts in program design. If you spot something with implications for the sector, share it with your networks and with the Coalition.

TAKE ACTION & GET INVOLVED

One of the policy pieces that the Coalition will be focusing on in the next few months, as determined by a member’s survey, is the social safety net for artists and arts workers. Research has been done on this topic in recent years, and we are starting to find and collate the existing work. This is where we would love your assistance!

Please send us any resources, statistics, articles or other information you have encountered around Employment Insurance reform, Universal Basic Income, and other social safety net subjects to info@canadianartscoalition.ca.

FROM THE COALITION

We’ll soon be moving our member communications to our new membership platform. This includes emails, notices about membership meetings, and other important updates.

To continue receiving these messages in March and beyond, you must be listed as a contact in the new platform. If you don’t currently have an account, it’s likely because you’re not one of the designated contacts for your organization.

If that’s the case, please either:

Ask your organization’s main contact to add you as a Delegate in their membership profile, or
Email membership@canadianartscoalition.com, and we’ll be happy to get you set up.

If you’re unsure whether you’re listed, just send us a quick email and we’ll check for you. We want to make sure you continue to receive all our updates!

Read the full bulletin here!

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2025 Grants for Individual Artists!!

EC3’s GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS fueled 17 new projects by talented local artists, creating a diverse bounty of new writing, theatre, circus arts, visual arts, dance, music and more for Peterborough audiences.

The Electric City Culture Council (EC3) is proud to announce the 17 local artists who have been awarded a total of $35,250 through the 2025 Grants for Individual Artists program. This multidisciplinary program is funded jointly by the City of Peterborough and EC3, and is designed, delivered, and administered by EC3. This year, 50 artists applied for grants ranging from between $1,500 and $3,500.00. Grants are adjudicated and awarded by a five-person peer assessment jury.The Grants for Individual Artists (GFIA) program is divided into two components.

Component One: Mini Development Grants for Individual Professional Artists provides up to $1,500 to an artist for research, development, workshopping etc. of original new works and ongoing projects, as well as for professional training and mentorship opportunities to advance their practice. Funding provides a contribution to support artists’ work in writing, rehearsing, scripting, test filming, arranging scores, retraining, workshopping, etc.
Nine artists were awarded grants in Component One (total $12,750) in 2025.

Component Two: Project Creation, Production and Presentation Grants for Individual Professional Artists, provides up to $3,500 for the creation, production, and presentation to audiences of specific projects. Grants support costs such as artist fees, production materials, venue rentals, technical equipment, costumes, printing, etc.
Eight artists were awarded grants in Component Two (total $22,500) in 2025.

In total, the program’s open call received 45 eligible applications, and a five-member peer assessment jury awarded grants to 17 artists (total value of grants awarded: $35,250). Artists working in every discipline, genre and medium were eligible, including those who work in multi-disciplinary or community-based arts practice, and in traditional or contemporary forms. A complete list of grant recipients and their projects can be found below.

“We are particularly grateful to the City of Peterborough for their $25,000 support of this vital program in 2025, and to all of our funders for their ground-breaking contributions to the development of local talent and works of art. These investments in the efforts of our very talented and hardworking artists means more artists can realize their visions, contribute to our cultural, economic, community and social well-being, and make Peterborough a more vital and exciting place to live for all of us. New books, poetry, concerts, plays, exhibitions, albums, and performances of all kinds will touch our hearts, minds, and imaginations.”
–Su Ditta (Executive Director, EC3)

GRANTS FOR INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS 2025 GRANT RECIPIENTS

Component One: Mini Development Grants for Individual Professional Artists

Tia Cavanagh – Indian Jones vs. The Vatican
Research and creation of an alter ego persona – “Indian Jones”, an Indigenized concept inspired by Indiana Jones, for a planned future performance piece about the theft of cultural artifacts.

Marta Chudolinska – Babcia: a papercut graphic novel
Artist fees to continue writing, drawing, and making papercut art for a graphic novel and to present a public artists talk about the artist’s process.

Michael C Duguay – Here I Go Into The Wobbly Yonder
Support for a period of research and experimentation focused on the intersection of music and “processional” art in the contexts of composition, performance and documentation.

Laurie D Graham – What Elements
Completion of a draft of a poetic nonfiction manuscript exploring what “land and home” could mean for the settler subject.

Nicole Malbeuf – Drafting Art/Children’s Book: A Hen Called Freedom
Writing/editing, book design planning and researching self-publishing for art book/children’s book hybrid, based on an original circus arts performance.

Kasonde Mutale – Black Radical Existentialism: an exploration
Research, creation and artist fee for visual and written storytelling exploring Black radical existentialism through African traditional art, revitalizing Black identity, dignity and pride.

Kate Story – Strangeness on Earth (working title)
Paying sensitivity readers, youth readers, and an artist fee for work on a new young adult historical fantasy novel set in 1817 Newfoundland and Orkney.

Lynda Todd – Migration #3: Land, Air & Sea
Purchasing materials to complete a series of tactile portraits of polar bears, penguins, and whales accompanied by braille descriptions, inviting all to experience their journeys.

Gillian Turnham – Indelible Architecture: From The Rubble; Ruined Not
Researching visual records of destroyed Islamic heritage sites in the Eastern Mediterranean, to inform a series of traditional miniature paintings memorializing architecture lost in conflict.

Component Two: Project Production and Development Grants for Individual Artists

Brad Brackenridge – Pinocchio
Creation of an original, family-friendly adaptation of Pinocchio involving puppetry, dance, and mask for a short run of workshop performances at the Market Hall.

Brooklin Holbrough – “Art-Work” (Working title)
Artist fees towards a zine that aims to demystify art and illustration as a career path for emerging creatives.

Thamer Linklater – The Place I Called Home
Editorial costs ( including copy and content editing) and graphic design to submit manuscript for publishing, either traditionally or self-published.

Kayla Mahomed – Kay Silver Debut Album Recording
Recording an album of original material with diverse influences in the pop-rock tradition with local collaborators in the Peterborough region.

Ell Parker – Heartbreakers | Dream Makers Volume 3: Servin’ [C*ntry]
Artist fees and venue costs to mount a multidisciplinary, country themed drag concert at Sadleir House. Featuring local artists, drag queens, and projectionists, the event seeks to deconstruct the heteronormative ideologies of country music, and provide a fun and inclusive space for queer individuals.

Benj Rowland – new peasant marching band
Artist fees and production costs for a marching band offering lively, themed performances at community events to engage audiences and celebrate local culture.

Esther Vincent – Are We Sleeping, A one-act play
Artist fees, venue rental, and actor fees to present a staged reading of a one-act script about a family facing dementia.

Ziysah von Bieberstein – Before the Tymbals Sound
Editorial and artist fees to prepare manuscript for submission to traditional publishers.

Read the full bulletin here!

Chet Singh joins the EC3 Board of Directors

February 21st, 2026

EC3 is honoured to welcome artist, educator and cultural activist Chet Singh to the EC3 Board of Directors. An accomplished artist and educator, Chet brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our work as a municipal arts council in Peterborough. His deep community connections, capacity to work in institutional and grassroots environments, and passion for the arts and artists will provide an enormous asset to our organization and our work for the arts in Peterborough.

Chet Singh

Dub poet, educator and social activist Chet Singh emerged with the first wave of Caribbean dub poets in the early 1980’s. He fronted the punk, reggae band One Mind, comprised of Trent students. After returning to Nogojiwanong two decades later, he’s released 6 albums. A founding member of Canada’s Dub Poets Collective, he also served on the board of the Ontario Arts Council. His work advancing diversity, equity, decolonizing and critical education has been recognized with awards for teaching excellence and educational leadership.

Read the full bulletin here!

EC3 Bulletin: Black History Month

February 18th, 2026

February is Black History Month and EC3 wants to recognize and celebrate the many great events happening in our community, and the people who make them happen.

Each February, people across Canada participate in Black History Month events and celebrations that honour the legacy and contributions of Black people all across Canada, and in their particular local communities.

The 2026 theme for Black History Month is: “30 Years of Black History Month: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations — From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.”

This month is an important opportunity to learn about and acknowledge these people and their often hidden histories and stories.

We invite all Canadians to learn more about Black Canadian communities, and how they continue to contribute to and help shape Canada.

Along with the celebrations, Black History Month is a call to recognize the things that have been lost, the stories that have been suppressed and the racism that has haunted many of these people and the communities that they live in. Much of the programming outlined below provides us with the unique opportunity to learn more, to experience more and to build our capacity as anti-racist allies. It’s a chance to read great books, learn new dances, listen to fabulous music, enjoy the artists and their work and learn more about our friends and neighbours.

Read the full bulletin here!

Arts, Culture, and Heritage Roundup: July 11 to 24, 2020

July 24th, 2020

John Boyle, RL207, 1982, serigraph in baked porcelain on steel, Gift of the artist, 2003. Collection of the Art Gallery of Peterborough. Featured in the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour, which returns this fall.

In case you missed it, here is a roundup of some of what the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has been sharing online in the past two weeks.

Be sure to follow EC3’s Facebook page, @ECThreePtbo on Twitter, and @ec3ptbo on Instagram, where we’re posting updates every day.

From the Electric City Culture Council

Join the conversation on Peterborough Arts Alive on SLACK, a digital space where artists can meet to discuss and share ideas and resources. In the past two weeks, conversations have included Ann Jaeger on how artists can reclaim autonomy after COVID, and Elizabeth Jenkins with a powerful poem on feeling unsafe during ‘safe at home.’

Registration is now full for EC3’s Digital Uplift program of digital consultations for artists and arts organizations. We would like to thank all the participants, and Sofie Andreou of 123DigitalPower for her hard work!

Donate today to the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund, a fundraising effort to provide grants for local arts organizations.

On July 6, the newly formed Alliance of Arts Councils of Ontario, co-chaired by EC3’s Executive Director Su Ditta submitted a presentation to the Ontario Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs in response to the provincial government’s COVID 19 Economic Update. Read the delegation, and feel free to get in touch with your feedback, or contact our local MPP Dave Smith to let him know that the arts are important to you.

Local Spotlight

The Canadian Canoe Museum is reopening its doors, starting Saturday, July 25. Read their announcement here.

The First Friday Art Crawl may not be crawling right now, but they currently have a call for proposals for a mural for the Commerce’s Building’s alley.

A hotly anticipated annual event, the Kawartha Autumn Studio Tour is happening this year, albeit in a modified term. Check out the website to find out more.

Artspace held their first exhibition since the pandemic earlier this month. Company Town explores the complex legacy of General Electric in Peterborough. The exhibition is still up online for your perusal. And read more about it in The Peterborough Examiner.

Trent students: if you’re interested in getting involved in campus media in September, Trent Radio and Arthur Newspaper are holding a weekly Zoom gathering every Thursday at 2pm. Chat, meet the staff, find out about opportunities.

Local musician Evangeline Gentle released a video for their beautiful song “Sundays,” off their self-titled debut album, produced by Jim Bryson:

https://www.facebook.com/sonicunyonrecords/videos/1416231481909117/

News and Information

The Government of Ontario has announced that Peterborough, and most of the province, has officially entered Stage 3 of reopening. Most businesses are now permitted to open, and gathering sizes have increased to 50 for indoor gatherings and 100 for outdoor gatherings.

75,000 artists across Canada, including the Electric City Culture Council, have signed A Public Letter from the Arts Community for a Basic Income Guarantee. There will be an upcoming webinar about the letter on July 29 at 2pm – register here.

The Ontario Arts Council has released initial results from their Audience Outlook Monitor survey, exploring the attitudes of Ontarians about returning to the arts.

The Government of Canada released details of Phase 2 of their plan to distribute $500 million to the culture, heritage, and sport sector. This includes funding for independent media and radio, live music, and other sectors not covered by Phase 1 funding.

Voices of Today is an online poetry competition happening August 11 to 15. Check out the events online, or sign up to be a volunteer!

Posted in ACH Roundup

75,000 Canadian artists unite: It’s time for a basic income

July 17th, 2020

Today, artists, writers, technicians and performers are calling on Prime Minister Trudeau to create a permanent basic income guarantee.

Link to: “A Public Letter from the Arts Community for a Basic Income Guarantee”

The pandemic’s wrath on lives has been swift. Millions are still out of work, venues shuttered, and livelihoods lost. In this new precarious reality, poverty can become a reality for all of us, abruptly, without warning.

“As stakeholders of the arts and culture sector, we ask you to give Canadians the chance not only to survive, but to live.”

“A Basic Income Guarantee would build on existing programs, including CERB, and provide financial security to meet people’s basic needs, regardless of their work status.”

This public letter, signed and endorsed by many of the largest arts and culture organizations in Canada and many prominent talents [link to list], calls on the government to think outside the box and implement a “basic income program that guarantees an income floor to anyone in need.”

In the pandemic’s wake, Canada can rise from the disease, hardships, and ruptures in social behavior with a basic income. “The opportunity for change is here and now,” write the letter’s co-authors: Craig Berggold, Zainub Verjee and Clayton Windatt.

“It’s time for a basic income,” say Canadian talent from coast to coast to coast: from the North’s Gwaandak Theatre; the Acadian artists in New Brunswick; the Conseil québécois du théâtre; Toronto’s South Asian Visual Arts Centre; Alberta’s celebrated Kehewin Native Dance Theatre; I.A.T.S.E. stage and film technicians; the Canadian Federation of Musicians, the visual artists of CARFAC; the francophone Fédération culturelle canadienne-française; the Canadian Actors’ Equity; to opera singer Adrianne Pieczonka, O.C., writer Judy Rebick, filmmaker John Greyson, and many more…

George Elliot Clarke, the 7thParliamentary/Canadian Poet Laureate composed On Basic Income for our campaign. The poem’s opening lines provide a dark glimpse of the solitude and unexpected hardship, through no fault of their own, felt by many Canadians: [link to poem]

“The economy’s an abyss whose bottom is a grave,

And each tightrope walker wobbles as a mere wage-slave.

And those who freefall, screaming, screeching, as they go,

Clutching for handholds or toeholds, only hope to slow, …”

Join the co-authors of the public letter at the webinar The Case for Basic Income for the Arts, on July 29th, at 2pm EST, hosted by Basic Income Calgary and Ontario Basic Income Network.

For more information visit: www.obin.ca/the_case_for_basic_income_for_the_arts

– 30 –

For media enquiries and to arrange interviews please contact:

Craig Berggold, m: 647-328-9383 e: craigberggold@gmail.com

Posted in Media Release

EC3 COVID-19 BULLETIN: Keep the Arts Alive! Now is the Time to Speak Up

July 15th, 2020

We are facing a critical time for the arts, culture, and heritage (ACH) sector. As the pandemic creates global economic instability, governments at all levels are facing significant deficits in the current fiscal year, and are starting to look at their budgets for 2021.

As municipal deficits climb, municipalities across Canada have been lobbying federal and provincial governments for COVID-19 relief and recovery funds. All across the country, arts councils and other advocacy organizations are fighting to ensure that funding for the ACH sector will be forthcoming, both for recovery aid, and to ensure that ongoing operating funding remains stable and is not on the chopping block for the upcoming fiscal year.

The Electric City Culture Council’s (EC3) Executive Director Su Ditta is currently Co-Chair of the newly formed Alliance of Arts Councils of Ontario and served on the task force that developed a presentation to The Ontario Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, in response to the provincial government’s COVID-19 Economic Update. This was a written delegation submitted to Queen’s Park on July 6, 2020.

Read a copy of the delegation HERE (PDF).

Please feel free to get in touch with your feedback and to contact our local MPP Dave Smith if you support the recommendations included in the delegation. The ACH sector, frequently cited as “lifeline” of community recovery has also been identified as the “first to close and the last to open” during the pandemic. Strategic support from the provincial government is essential to a successful recovery and successful relaunch.

For more information on presentations and delegations from other ACH organizations in the province, check out this link.

Please stay well and let us know how we can help.
TRACK THE IMPACT.

As always, keep checking the EC3 Facebook page, @ECThreePtbo on Twitter, @ec3ptbo on Instagram, and the COVID-19 Updates page on EC3’s website, where we are providing daily updates on programs and services available for ACH workers and organizations.

Su Ditta and the EC3 Board and staff

Contact
Su Ditta
Executive Director
Electric City Culture Council (EC3)
electriccitycc@gmail.com
www.ecthree.org
705 749 9101

Posted in COVID-19, Bulletin, EC3 Announcement

EC3 in the News: The Peterborough Examiner

July 4th, 2020

“Premier Doug Ford praises Peterborough drive-thru testing” (EC3 at bottom) by Joelle Kovach, The Peterborough Examiner.

Posted in Media Coverage

EC3 in the News: The Peterborough Examiner

June 21st, 2020

“Town Ward: If you pedal to work or school in Peterborough, B!KE wants to hear from you” (EC3 discussed at bottom) by Naomi Stock, The Peterborough Examiner.

Posted in Media Coverage

EC3 in the News: CHEX/Global

June 18th, 2020

“Electric City Culture Council assisting arts groups dealing with COVID-19” by Steve Guthrie, CHEX/Global.

Posted in Media Coverage

EC3 in the News: The Peterborough Examiner

June 18th, 2020

“A potpourri of topics for a sunny June day in Peterborough” by Rosemary Ganley, The Peterborough Examiner.

Posted in Media Coverage

EC3 COVID-19 Bulletin #14: Announcing Peterborough Arts Alive on SLACK & Digital Uplift

June 17th, 2020

A Message from EC3

Hello friends,

As the COVID 19 situation around the world continues to develop, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) has been speaking to arts, culture, and heritage (ACH) workers and organizations, artists, and other stakeholders about how best to serve our community.

Through these discussions, EC3 continues to roll out Peterborough Arts Alive, our suite of COVID-19 response and recovery programs and services. Earlier this month, we announced the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund for Strategic Recovery and Resilience Grants for organizations (read more here).

Today, EC3 is excited to announce two more initiatives: Peterborough Arts Alive on SLACK is a new, artist-led, artist-focused digital space for peer to peer discussion on the social messaging platform SLACK, and Digital Uplift provides free consultation sessions about all things digital (technical skills development and advancing on-line presence) or local artists arts, culture and heritage organizations.

Read on for more information about both initiatives.

Peterborough Arts Alive on SLACK

During this crisis, EC3 has heard from artists who sometimes feel they are not being consulted properly or enough when it comes to relief and recovery programs. Others have said they are still trying to figure out exactly what their needs are at this time and what support they need. Others have expressed a basic and urgent desire to reach out and connect with others who are going through similar things as they are as professional artists, citizens and human beings.

Peterborough Arts Alive on SLACK is a new digital space where artists can have these kinds of conversations: speaking about their challenges and opportunities during this strange time, sharing resources and ideas, and helping each other out. This space, which EC3 will be hosting on the social messaging platform SLACK, will be artist-focused and artist-led.

Local artist Christy Haldane will curate and moderate the SLACK discussion workplace. In addition to freeform conversation, every week Christy will post a topical question. EC3 has also commissioned artists Annie Jaegar, Victoria Ward and Esther Vincent to produce micro-essays, to help stimulate conversation and get the ball rolling, and we hope many of you will join in as well.

Join the Conversation: Click this link and sign up for a SLACK account. It’s free to use, and you can access it through your browser, or through the SLACK iOS or Android mobile apps.

Digital Uplift

[Update July 23, 2020: Please note that registration for Digital Uplift is now full. Thanks to all the participants!]

Right now, many artists and arts and culture organizations are recognizing the need to get online in a more robust way and improve their digital capacity. Through EC3’s new Digital Uplift program, individuals and ACH organizations can sign up for free, minimum, one-hour consultation sessions with digital marketing specialist Sofie Andreou of 123DigitalPower. Some of you have already worked with Sofie as part of the DBIA’s very successful Digital Main St. program.

These one-on-one sessions, which will take place over Google Meet, Zoom, or by phone, will be tailored to the specific needs of the particular individual or organization, whether that’s establishing or improving an online presence, selling products online, improving digital workflow, or whatever else the participants need. Andreou will assist participants with defining their specific digital needs, and will offer strategies, solutions, services, and products to help them achieve them.

Here are some of the areas where Digital Uplift can provide advice and assistance:

Digital strategy
Putting products/activities online
Putting menus online
Google my business
Selling online
Video or photo techniques
Simple websites
Virtual social media help
Virtual social media training
Virtual team meetings steps
Setting up virtual services
Online scheduling tools
Online gift certificates
Online contests

Sign Up for This Free Program Consultation: To sign up, click this link and book a free session. Appointments are available until July 30, 2020.

Please stay well and let us know how we can help.
TRACK THE IMPACT.

It’s a tough time for sure. Everyone is feeling the pressure. Hope these tools help along the way. Be safe, stay healthy, and please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Su Ditta and the EC3 Board and staff

Contact
Su Ditta
Executive Director
Electric City Culture Council (EC3)
electriccitycc@gmail.com
www.ecthree.org
705 749 9101

Posted in COVID-19, Bulletin, EC3 Announcement

EC3 COVID-19 Bulletin #13: Door Open? Guides and Advice for Reopening Arts and Culture Organizations

June 16th, 2020

Guides and Advice for Reopening Arts and Culture Organizations

A Message from EC3

Hello friends,

It’s official: our region of Ontario has now entered Stage Two of the Reopening Ontario program. Many businesses and organizations have reopened or are in the process of reopening, and more are getting set to reopen as soon as they’re able to. It’s a strange time and our hearts are heavy to see that so many festivals and theatre companies have had to cancel their seasons while others hover nervously on standby.

In the arts, culture, and heritage (ACH) world, some art galleries and museums in the country have already opened their doors, and there are even some concerts happening south of the border. However, opening safely, cost effectively and with artistic integrity intact, is a huge challenge for most local arts groups and this is being felt and experienced all across the country.

While the dates for safely reopening may feel far off for many ACH organizations, the time to start planning for what exactly reopening might look like is NOW. Reopening may require significant adaptations to ensure the health and safety of employees, artists, and audiences alike.

This Bulletin collects resources and guides to best practices for reopening, as well as some examples of the policies and procedures some arts and culture organizations have already put in place. If you are still assessing impact and running recovery scenarios, there are some good tools here too.

EC3 will host a series of webinars on reopening issues in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned. Let us know what is on your mind: questions, concerns, possibilities.

In the meantime, here are two of the best tools we have come across:

Impact Assessment and Scenario Planning: Accounting firm BDO provides a very helpful tool COVID-19 Crisis Management Questions Checklist for Not-For-Profits.

Reopening: Arts and culutre charitable organization Business/Arts hosted a webinar on the topic “What will it take for people to return to the arts?,” which is now available to watch on their blog, and read the NANOS report it was based on.

General Resources

The Ontario government has set up a page with Resources to prevent COVID-19 in the workplace, including industry-specific best-practices guides for reopening.

The Canadian government’s extensive article Risk-informed decision-making for mass gatherings during COVID-19 pandemic provides useful guidance for anyone planning an event or gathering.

The World Health Organization’s document Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19 (PDF) is full of useful advice, including a section on running events and meetings.

Accounting firm BDO provides a very helpful tool COVID-19 Crisis Management Questions Checklist for Not-For-Profits.

The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce has set up the Peterborough PPE Retail Hub, a list of local businesses selling personal protective equipment (PPE), including masks, gloves, plexiglass shields, and other supplies necessary for making your space COVID-compliant.

Audience Research

The Canadian Association for the Performing Arts (CAPACOA) has published an excellent review of recent audience surveys and research, What will make audiences feel safe to return to live performances?, as well as a template for audience surveys, particularly for performing arts organizations.

IMPACTS Research & Development has some fascinating research on how the pandemic is influencing perceptions and intentions to visit cultural entities. See for instance their post If You Reopen, Will They Come? Four Factors Driving Attendance.

Arts and culutre charitable organization Business/Arts hosted a webinar on the topic “What will it take for people to return to the arts?,” which is now available to watch on their blog, and read the NANOS report it was based on.

Resources for Museums and Galleries

Canadian Art’s article Art Galleries and Museums Start to Reopen, Where Permitted provides some interesting real-world examples of how galleries and museums in Canada, including the Winnipeg Art Gallery, are managing reopening.

The Canadian Museums Association is collecting reopening best-practices guides for museums from around the world

Resources for the Performing Arts

The Event Safety Alliance has published an extensive Reopening Guide covering everything event and venue professionals need to consider.

The Performing Arts Center Consortium has published an extensive Guide to Reopening Theatrical Venues (PDF).

ActSafe, a BC public safety organization for the arts and entertainment industry, has an excellent resource list for the performing arts, including an Industry Relaunch Framework.

The Canadian Association for the Performing Arts (CAPACOA) held a webinar (now available as a recording) titled A Clean Slate for Reopening about public safety and reopening.

Chorus Connections has an excellent article What Community Chorus Leaders Should be Doing Right Now, which also includes a link to download their document, A Season Planning Guide Amidst COVID-19. Lots of useful advice for anyone planning their upcoming performance season.

Take a look at the Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Pandemic Plan, which the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres has made available online for free.

Other Discipline-Specific Resources

Photography: Professional Photographers of Canada (PDF) and Professional Photographers of America have both released guides for safe photography during COVID-19.

Film and television: Workplace Safety & Prevention Services has released Guidance on Health and Safety for Television Hosts, Technical Crews and other TV and Film Employees during COVID-19 (PDF).

Please stay well and let us know how we can help.
TRACK THE IMPACT.

It’s a tough time for sure. Everyone is feeling the pressure. Hope these tools help along the way. Be safe, stay healthy, and please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Su Ditta and the EC3 Board and staff

Contact
Su Ditta
Executive Director
Electric City Culture Council (EC3)
electriccitycc@gmail.com
www.ecthree.org
705 749 9101

Posted in COVID-19, Bulletin

EC3 in the News: KawarthaNOW

June 5th, 2020

“Peterborough Arts Alive Fund will provide $10,000 COVID-19 relief grants to local arts organizations,” KawarthaNOW.

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