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Thursday April 31, 2009
Dear VAO Members
As you are probably aware, Visual Arts Ontario has been undergoing a comprehensive strategic planning process.
Culminating in a summit in Toronto at the end of January, our goal was to determine whether we were meeting the needs
of our members and fostering the careers of artists in Ontario in the most effective way possible. Many of you either
attended our regional consultations or gave us informal feedback as to whether our services were meeting the needs of
today's artist in Ontario.
This Report details a very exciting strategic shift in service delivery for Visual Arts Ontario. What you told us
throughout this planning process is that artists need a place to collaborate and connect throughout a career often practiced
in isolation. In contrast to our current model of delivering publications and workshops, artists need to both give and receive
feedback, support and advice. An artist in Tobermory no longer needs someone from Toronto to send her a print booklet on
how to photograph art. That resource is easily found online. What is lacking is a wide net that connects her quickly and
inexpensively, to a photographer, a supplier, a confidant, a mentor, a distant gallery with a proposal call that closes
in a few days, a piece of sound career advice, or perhaps just to another artist who happens to live around the corner.
That net is the new VAO.
The Board's vision for the future of VAO is of an open, collaborative online hub for Ontario artists: a vibrant destination
for artists and art-interested people to connect, build a tribe, and foster a resource-rich community. While foraging for
that perfect morsel of advice or support, members can also plug into other networks based on geographic area,
media or career aspirations.
There is much work to be done for VAO to take this leap forward, including nurturing relationships with current and new funders
who will support our new business model. We will continue to provide you with service, increasing the availability of some
services while preparing the organization for the strategic move to a more substantive online presence.
Over the next six months, you will notice the following:
- All publications will be put online, free of charge, for all members.
- Most of the currently scheduled workshops will be honoured through the Spring, although no new workshops
are being offered through the Summer or Fall.
- All phone and email queries will be answered as soon as possible.
- VAO's Personal Consultation service will continue to run for members at an hourly rate of $40.
- E-genda, an electronic newsletter, will become VAO's single communications piece apart from its website, consolidating
the information currently found in the monthly enewsletter, Agenda and Hidden Agenda.
- VAO member discounts will still be honoured and in most cases members will be able to connect to discount product
suppliers and service providers directly through the VAO website.
Changes in strategic direction, particularly in small organizations, are often followed by changes in human resources,
and VAO is no exception. Our Executive Director,Kim McBrien, is now pursuing other avenues for her talents as a manager
and administrator. The Board of Directors is extraordinarily grateful for Kim's gracious and calm leadership over what
has been a tumultuous 18 months. Our recently hired Membership Coordinator, Tiffany Joy Villahermosa, will be
leaving the organization to pursue other opportunities. We thank them both for their service to artists in Ontario and
wish them the best in their own artistic and professional endeavours.
Avril Loreti, VAO's Marketing & Communications Manager and Webmaster, will continue to manage relationships with
our members during this transition period and operationalize the Board strategy.
This is a time of great adventure for Visual Arts Ontario and we thank you for your ongoing support.
Click Here to view VAO's Strategic Report.
We look forward to keeping you up to date of the changes to our organization over the next few months.
If you have any questions or feedback for the Board, please do not hesitate to call.
Yours sincerely,
Nelson French
Chair, Board of Directors
Visual Arts Ontario
215 Spadina Ave, Suite 225
Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C7
www.vao.org
info@vao.org
416.591.8883
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Mission Statement - Help for Artists
Visual Arts Ontario (VAO) empowers artists at every career level by providing professional development opportunities and by cultivating an appreciation of their work in communities across Ontario.
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