Dearest Reader,
WELCOME! We’re so glad to have you here. This zine was created for the Organisational Change Cohort (OCC) shareback event on November 3, to share our journey towards operating as more just and equitable arts organisations. But what is the OCC?
As with many in early 2020, things came to a breaking point for Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre. They paused most operations to embark on a multi-year process of restructuring and reimagination to shift away from oppressive structures and working models.
In 2022, SaB reached out to Chromatic Theatre, Downstage, and Inside Out Theatre, all organizations we had reciprocal relationships with, based on years of informal knowledge and resource sharing and who have each also been engaged in their own processes of organizational transformation. However, we’ve largely all been working in our own silos. Gathering as a cohort would give us dedicated space and time to deepen our relationships with each other, share our respective journeys and start building towards broader sectoral change.
We would be remiss not to mention our coach, Nikki Shaffeeullah - an artist, facilitator and cultural innovator based in Tkaronto, who was instrumental in guiding us to think through an abolitionist lens. With our new learnings, each org engaged in a “small experiment with radical intent” with $5,000 to test a new approach to equitable work.
Our cohort became a beautiful wellspring of collaboration, and just like that, two years went by. We’re now wrapping up our official time as the OCC, but the work is not done... and it includes YOU. Yes! YOU, reader! Our liberation as an arts sector includes YOUR liberation as artists, arts workers, arts funders, you who have complex, multi-hyphenate roles in the arts.
The OCC served as just the baby beginning steps of us relating to each other in gentle, carefilled, reciprocal ways, so that we can strengthen our connections over time, demand better for each other and transform our arts ecology into something we all feel a part of. In this work, we all have something to offer! No action, no “small experiment”, is too small to have radical impact. We put this zine together so that the reflections, learnings and resources that we found helpful is available to you too!
As you flip through this zine, you’ll find a community agreement for being together at the shareback event, some suggested conversation-starters, and some of our OCC reflections. We hope you’ll fill your journal pages with big dreams for our future in the arts!
Warmly,
The OCC (Chromatic, Downstage, Inside Out, Swallow-a-Bicycle)
Table of Contents
Page 4: Suggested Community Agreement + How can we be curious about each other?
Page 5: Agenda for Shareback Event
Page 6, 7: ACTIVITY - Who is part of my community?
Page 8, 9: ACTIVITY - What does my dream arts ecology look like?
Page 10: What is Abolition?
Page 11: Growth areas identified by each OCC Org
Page 12, 13: Chromatic Theatre Reflections
Page 14, 15: Downstage Reflections
Page 16, 17: Inside Out Theatre Reflections
Page 18, 19: Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre Reflections
Page 20: Journal Prompt 1 and 2
Page 21: Journal Prompt 3
Page 22, 23: Blank pages for note taking
it I => Community
Agreement :
While everyone is arriving in the space, we encourage you to talk about your life outside of work There will be plenty of facilitated time later in the programming to do so.
If you often rely on work to get a conversation started, and you’re feeling nervous about this, we’ve offered some work-alternative questions on the second half of this page to get you started!
We encourage you to use these offered prompts to talk to someone new! Of course, say hi to your friends, but give room to the spaciousness needed to meet new people, whatever that looks like to you. Give your friends the spaciousness to do the same! Heck, introduce your new friend to your less-new friends!
Practice active listening. What does that mean? It’s just a fancy way of saying, listen with the intention of being present and deeply understanding each other! Vs simply waiting for your turn to speak.
If you disagree with someone or don’t understand, we encourage you to be curious instead of defensive. Ask questions with the intention to learn more about the context of someone with a different lived experience than yours, instead of trying to debate or “win” an argument.
We encourage you to listen to your body, and to notice any needs that come up or how your body responds to the conversations that come up.
What’s something you’ve done while spending time alone that felt really good?
What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not working? What do you love about this activity?
What’s a favourite meal you’ve had in the last month? Describe it!
What’s a book / movie / TV series / music album that you’ve turned to repeatedly? How does it make you feel? What keeps you coming back to it?
What’s your favourite way to spend time with friends? How do you keep in touch with your best long distance friendships?
What have your energy levels been like in the last 3 months? What’s been contributing to that?
What are your favourite neighbourhood spots to hit up? What do you love about these places?
O
(3rd November 2024)
4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Arriving, settling down, welcome activities
4:30 - 4:45 p.m. Welcome address
4:45 - 5:00 p.m. Introducing the Organizational Change Cohort
5:00 - 5:40 p.m. Shareback from Chromatic Theatre, Downstage, Inside Out Theatre and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre
5:40 - 5:50 p.m. Short Q&A
5:50 - 6:10 p.m. Discussion in pairs
6:10 - 6:45 p.m. Public Introductions - introduce yourself, or your org, or EDIA initiatives you’d like to share to everyone! Prompts will be provided so there’s no on the spot pressure. 2-3 mins each!
6:45 - 7:00p.m. Wrapping up
· · . my community ? :
NEW FRIEND1
Name :
Birthday :
Astrology sign(s) :
Far colour :
Far snack : where were you born ?
NEW FRIEND ACTIVITY: Approach someone you don’t know, and ask them to exchange zines so you can fill out each other’s new friend questionnaire this spread of pages. What do you have in common? What was surprising to you? Is this awkward to engage in? Giggle about the awkwardness together!
childhood memory of yourself that best represents who you are as a person now :
NEW FRIEND #2
Name :
Birthday :
Astrology sign(s) :
Far colour :
Far snack : where were you born ?
childhood memory of yourself that best represents who you are as a person now :
NEW FRIEND #3
Name :
Birthday :
Astrology sign(s) :
Far colour :
Far snack : where were you born ?
childhood memory of yourself that best represents who you are as a person now :
NEW FRIEND #4
Name :
Birthday :
Astrology sign(s) :
Far colour :
Far snack : where were you born ?
childhood memory of yourself that best represents who you are as a person now :
Atdoesyour
Fantasize about what your ideal arts ecology in Mohkinstsis looks like, free of any of its logistical and bureaucratic constraints, and draw or doodle it. Don’t worry about “drawing well” or “drawing or imagining realistically”. This is a playful space of imagination. Use the whole spread! The more fantastical, the better! Pair up with someone and show this to them, and take them through what you were imagining, and why. There’s no right or wrong here!
arts ecology look like
What is Abolition ? nee
Prison Industrial Complex ABOLITION is a political vision with the goal of eliminating imprisonment policing and surveillance and creating lasting alternatives to punishment and imprisonment.An abolitionist vision means that we must build models today that can represent how we want to live in the future It means developing practical strategies for taking small steps that more us toward making our dreams real and that lead us all to believe that things really could be different It means living this vision in our daily lives -critical resistance cry
curated by Niteri
Remote
GROWTH AREAS IDENTIFIED BY
EACH OCC ORG
INSIDE OUT
-practicing & prioritizing rest -
- Brainstorming dreams fora - strategically timing work priorities new location
- prioritizing and making accessibility
- strengthen current community a part of our process S
-Getting back to a place to just be
- switch from scarcity mindset to abundance mindset - Larger YYC community .
> we have enough for now We don't need to keep hoarding resources
-Showing up as an organization or worry about going under thatcan provide vs alwaysbe is
- Asking for help dividing labour
- Kodie doesn't have to & in fact SHOULDN'T do it all
- Remembering we're going to be fire
-WALLOW-A-BICYCLE
- Our headiness
Y rooted in being in the theoretical + Macro
> tred, to perfectionism
OUNSTAGE.
- Abundance Processes
X creating ways & spaces - Our positioning for saying yes/being responsive - ongoing learning - Embracing + Sharingjoyful - patience experiences (dance parties + - branching out in how we show celebrations) up in community .
- sharing our learnings -shared responses with > humility
Our debut as a company led by community + helping increase shared leadership the standards of employment & artist care - Anti-Racism
I identifying concrete and ongoingopen source documentssteps to build towards a culture - Honouring our limitations - continue our policy + frameworks capacity) building
- Disability Justice
-makingspaceforopportunitie aa - knowledge Building for artists
Hello there ! We're Kris Mark & Mpoe We're saB's Co-artistic directors! Thanks for being here !
Driven by our Art Manifesto and particularly by the increased spotlight on state-sanctioned violence against Black and Indigenous peoples, Swallow-a-Bicycle embarked on a process of organizational restructuring in 2020, reimagining the possibilities of a safer, more welcoming and vibrant space for equity-seeking artists and communities. We wanted to share what some of our internal EDIA related struggles were before we began this journey:
LE rackoffs :
- our board was almost all white , all mark's pass nopathwaya hold someone - we "looked diverse" but accountable when harm all racialized staff were happened.Fast and demanding reporting to one white man. system didn't allow - Lack of work structure us time to tend didn't allow for real to conflict when it learning or advocating came up . for self-
TOKENIZING OUR -RACE RACIALIZED
STAFF raises -low payandeplace to - Racialized staffonly of got creative opportunities -no po during their respective carefortherea↑ "heritage months" passiona in - This often intersected with the unspoken hierarchy leader shop aofT and between "creative" & -budget , processionain "arts admin" roles
L PAULPASS
-addressed implicitWe acknowledged we & explicit hierarchies needed help ! Many of our -
onroles racegendeaes trust operate in non- hierarchical ways to announce our shared · - In Oct 2023 we decided leadershipSCA tonurtureagena meetings SaB- tension-
EXTRACTIVE
: Wor OF MARM
TOKENIZING OUR PRACTICE So RACIALIZED STAFF
NOW WHAT A
i .... THERE ISWe · - we stopped asking gave all our HUDE TUM staff a raise & our racialized staff $18-15/hrz 25/hr-135/hr perfect, but we to create solely for have lots of "heritage months" wea thoughts & - we gave our learnings We'd staff love to share ! racalizede residencies to hang #ALK To US whatever clock our exacthours ABOUT! to exploreThis is they wanted With no trustBotedhar,a But the important expectations of " thing we want creating a "product ofgood-will & to leave you with NEVER A 11 You can GOOD TIME I/ FOR GIVING
info@swallowabicycle.com
kris@swallowabicycle.com
mark@swallowabicycle.com
mpoe@swallowabicycle.com
swallowabicycle.com
Write a letter to your emerging artist self / when you were just beginning your artist career. What would you want to tell yourself? What would you want to address re: the dreams, aspirations, expectations you had for yourself? What encouragement would you give if you were talking to yourself back then? How would you encourage yourself to start taking care?
Journal Prompt 2 :
Daydream with us! If there were no financial, logistical, time limits, brain dump a list of EDIA related changes you would want for your org! There are no wrong answers, we hope you can engage the “daydreamy” parts of your brain!
What are some things you need in order to support your EDIA growth within your org or independent creative processes? What are some ways you can support yourself to get these things? How can the orgs you work for/with support you in getting these things?
