Maintaining
Creativity 8

Annual Conference Returns October 30 - November 3 

2023 Participants Announced

The Canadian Artists Network, the voice of Canada's experienced professional artists, is happy to announce the participants for the annual virtual conference Maintaining Creativity 8 from October 30-November 3, 2023. The esteemed panelists, in three chapters on the theme Artists as Agents of Change, will include Jennifer Baichwal, Karl Beveridge, Nikita Carter, Anne-Marie DesRoches, Ferne Downey, Suzy Lake, Joy Loewen, Lorraine Segato, and Tonya Williams.

The Maintaining Creativity 8 conference will explore a different aspect of Artists as Agents of Change in each two-hour chapter with previously announced moderators Laurie Brown, Steven Loft, and Garry Neil. This annual conference is an online gathering place for professional artists of all disciplines in Canada to come together to examine new ideas for innovation, support, and craft.

Maintaining Creativity 8 is presented free of charge, with registration now open at https://www.csarn.ca/conference/. 

Chapter One
Women Warriors for Change

Monday, October 30th at 1pm Eastern time
Chapter One will kick things off with a discussion moderated by broadcaster Laurie Brown with documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal, Parachute Club lead singer Lorraine Segato, and Reelworld founder Tonya Williams. The women in this conversation will examine the question of what being a warrior means to them as artists, and how this chosen role has made their work more meaningful for them and for their audiences.

Chapter Two
Inclusion: Where Are We?
Wednesday, November 1st at 1pm Eastern time

Chapter Two will feature a discussion with moderator Steven Loft, Vice-President of Indigenous Ways and Decolonization at the National Gallery of Canada, with visual artist and advocate for gender and aging issues Suzy Lake, musician, author, and trans artist Nikita Carter, and Executive Director of the National Screen Institute Joy Loewen. Canadian artists from diverse communities have been at the forefront of issues involving equity, representation, and inclusion. This chapter will discuss where are we when it comes to social justice in the arts and beyond. Questions will include “What are the most effective ways to be an ally? What is the role of artists and arts institutions?” 

Chapter Three
The Original Gig Workers: Strategies Towards Economic Stability
Friday, November 3rd at 1pm Eastern time

Chapter Three will be moderated by cultural policy expert and CAN Board Chair Garry Neil, with visual artist and trade union activist Karl Beveridge; Quebec cultural policy expert Anne-Marie DesRoches; and actor and former International Federation of Actors President Ferne Downey. Artists are fundamental to society, but they are the original gig workers. The median income of professional artists is 44 per cent lower than that of all workers; many earn less than the poverty line. Thirty years after the Status of the Artist Act was adopted, have we made any progress? What more needs to be done? 

For more information visit: www.csarn.ca/conference.

The Canadian Artists Network (CAN, formerly CSARN) is the voice of Canada's elder professional artists across all disciplines. CAN offers programs and services that enable artists to remain relevant, connected, informed, and motivated. Artists don't retire. Their creativity and skills do not diminish with age. Creativity Lives Forever. The Canadian Artists Network is committed to raising awareness of the value of these artists as resources for the future and role models for emerging talent. CAN is dedicated to supporting, celebrating, and inspiring these senior artistic voices through its advocacy work and programs.