For Black History Month, LAC worked with Silence Genti, Writer-in-Residence, to develop a series of honest, thoughtful, and inspiring stories highlighting the experiences and perspectives of black artists in our community. Throughout the month of February, we will be publishing one story each week on our Cultivating Allyship webpage. Silence Genti Silence Genti is a former Zimbabwean journalist now living in London. Silence has written for publications such as Toronto Star, The Beat and NOW and also co-founded The Insider, a now-defunct community newspaper. A father of two, he is an avid community builder dedicated to building a better world for his children. He can be reached via iamsilence.ca. Shohwera! I dreaded that word when I was young in my native Zimbabwe. You see, my mom (and most mothers) always told the story of the boy who got a shohwera, (an inflamed swelling or boil) on the edge of his eyelid because he looked at something he wasn’t supposed to. Discouraging this behaviour was the motivation behind this rather incredulous story. Our children learn from stories as we do. Stories are all around us, helping us make sense of the world and its wonders. They teach us right from wrong, guide, and enrich our lives. Most importantly, they help create a shared understanding of our world. In fact, most traditional cultures have a special role for storytellers. Since the 13th century, griots have been custodians and orators of the history of their communities in West Africa. Dastangoi, in Urdu, is another form and tradition of storytelling as is Rakugo, in Japan. Because stories are so powerful, they can also be dangerous. Often, we rely on single stories to define people, communities, cultures or just things we know nothing about. What causes a restaurant host to assume that when a man and woman walk into a restaurant, the male will pick up the cheque? Why do some look with unasked-for pity when they hear where one was born? Single stories do a disservice to all of us. They reduce our friends, neighbours and fellow human beings to single, monotonous stereotypes. The beauty, and complexity, of humanity can only be captured in the multiple facets and stories of all that we are—happy, sad, joyful, hopeful etc. “One feather does not describe the whole pigeon,” my mother always said. A pigeon has multiple types of feathers—from hair, contour to wing and tail feathers—and thousands of feathers. Each individual is a complex being with so many feathers or layers. Each of us have a myriad of changing stories that explain who we are. The idea that a single story could adequately define anyone or anything is ludicrous at best and damaging at worst, yet we do this every day without missing a beat. Even how we talk to people we meet can limit our ability to get to know them. Within the first few seconds of a conversation, one’s job comes up. "So, what do you do?", we ask. If the other person looks or sounds different from us, we might even start with, "Where were you born?". Questions are a great way of learning—about people and everything around us. They often lead to stories. The type of questions we ask though, may limit how much we learn. Why assume that my job is the most important thing to me? "What brings you joy?" is one of the most stirring questions I have been asked. Such a question allows me to talk about what I care about. It could be my children. It could also be my garden. As we emerge from a COVID reset, our community needs to recuperate our connections to a world that was shaken to its roots by the pandemic, to each other, and build anew. Stories are a way of understanding and getting to really know each other. Stories delve into more of who each of us is, and peel back past the first layer.

Submissions for this program are now closed. The London Arts Council (LAC) invites visual artists and creators residing in London, Ontario, surrounding First Nations (the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, the Oneida Nation of the Thames, and the Munsee-Delaware Nation) to apply for a paid opportunity to participate in LAC’s new community-focused arts program, Belong – Inclusive Arts Experiences for Children and Youth asArtist-Educator Mentors (5 mentors) or Artist-Educator Mentees (10 mentees). Applications will be accepted through the online application only, until Friday, January 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm. Program Overview: Belong – Inclusive Arts Experiences for Children and Youth Belong is a new community-focused inclusive arts program that will include weekly arts activities at 5 different neighbourhood resource centres. This program will provide: children and youth with high-quality, inclusive arts education experiences that promote creativity, self-exploration/expression, and a sense of belonging emerging artists/creators with authentic and enriched apprenticeship/mentorship opportunities through co-development/delivery of arts sessions and mentorship sessions professional artistic programming for neighbourhood resource centres that serve newcomer and low-income populations, thus furthering their mission for their community Artist-Educator Mentors will take part in Belong for 2 terms (14 months). This will involve orientation and training, concept development, co-creating lesson plans with mentees, monthly one-on-one mentorship sessions, and delivery of 40 (3 hour weekly) arts sessions, including time for setup and cleanup. Mentors will be compensated at a rate of $50 per hour for delivering programs and $25 per hour for orientation, training, mentorship sessions, development, planning, and preparation. Note: The time commitment is estimated to encompass approximately one day a week (*one day and a half for a 2-month period) and total payment that goes directly to each artist-educator mentor will be $11,500.00 Artist-Educator Mentees will take part in Belong for 1 term (8 months). This will include orientation, training, co-creating lesson plans with a mentor and a fellow mentee, monthly one-on-one mentorship sessions, and delivery of 22 (3 hour weekly) arts sessions, including time for setup and cleanup. Mentees will be paid $30 an hour for program delivery and $20 per hour for orientation, training, mentorship session, development, planning, and preparation. Note: The time commitment is estimated to encompass approximately five hours a week and will pay a total of $3,300.00 Online Submission Artists/creators wishing to be considered MUST read the application package thoroughly prior to filling out the online application form and complete all application requirements. Please complete all required fields of the online application form and submit the required application documents. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Applications submitted through other means, such as fax, mail, and email will not be accepted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is submitted by the deadline - Friday, January 20, 2023 at 4:00 pm. Artist-Educator Mentors: Artist-Educator Mentees: For any questions about this project please contact info@londonarts.ca For any Call to Artists updates please check the website at www.londonarts.ca *The Belong program is supported through the City of London's London Community Recovery Network (LCRN)*

Veronica Antipolo joined the London Arts Council team as Administrator, Cultivating Allyship in 2022. She brought with her 20+ years of administrative experience, as well as extensive experience in writing, storytelling, and event production, with an emphasis on amplifying the voices of equity-deserving communities. With LAC’s Writer-in-Residence, Silence Genti, Veronica co-curated the Cultivating Allyship Storytelling Series, and has facilitated listening sessions with IBPOC communities focused on building meaningful connection and developing equitable and accessible programming and practices. Veronica will be starting at TAP Centre for Creativity as Outreach Coordinator, and will spend more time on her storytelling and event production passions. While we’re sad to see Veronica go, we’re excited for her and wish her the best on the next leg of her artistic journey! Thank you for bringing so much enthusiasm and passion to our team, Veronica! ❤ - The LAC team

ATTENTION local Non-Profit Arts Organizations! Applications for 2023 CAIP funding are now open! Spread the word, and make sure to get those applications in by FEBRUARY 10, 2023, 4:30PM.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) To celebrate and promote the UNESCO City of Music designation, the London Arts Council (LAC) invites artists and creators residing in London, Ontario, surrounding First Nations (the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, the Oneida Nation of the Thames, and the Munsee-Delaware Nation) to submit expressions of interest (EOI) with a preliminary design proposal to be considered for the UNESCO City of Music Mural Project. For this highly prestigious opportunity to create a prominent mural at RBC Place London representing the unique and momentous designation, the artwork should be themed on the ‘City of Music’. A jury, encompassing members of the arts community will select four artists/creators (4) in total - three finalists (3) for the award of $500.00 and a winner (1) for the award of the commission, and the winner will complete the design proposal by working with LAC and the City. Submissions for this project are now closed. UNESCO City of Music Mural Project Description On November 8, 2021, the City of London was recognized as Canada’s first UNESCO City of Music, joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). UCCN strives to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. To celebrate and promote this unique and momentous designation, LAC will administer the creation of a large-scale mural project (approx. 40 ft wide by 4 ft tall) on behalf of the City of London Culture Services as part of the City of London Public Art and Monument program. The selected artist/creator for the commission will complete the design proposal by working with LAC and create a mural on five wooden panels (each panel is about 8 ft wide by 4 ft tall) specially constructed and primed by a professional carpenter for this project. The mural will be painted in an artist studio or, if available, in a designated space within the RBC Place London facility. After painting the mural, the artist/creator MUST apply a water-based sealant to protect it. When the mural is finished, the artist/creator MUST deliver each panel to RBC Place London safely for installation. For the installation, the LAC's professional installer will mount the panels to the bulkhead. The panels can be moved together or separately to a variety of locations. As a result, the artist/creator should consider different panel configurations for the mural design, such as horizontal, vertical, separately, together, or in groups. The mural design may be modular, with each panel able to be displayed together in various configurations or separately. [Mural location: Inside of RBC Place London, Main Lobby, Bulkhead] Timeline and Process (Project Duration: November 2022 – March 2023) The selected artist/creator will be expected to comply with the project’s general timeline dates, as listed below: Budget Please note: the artist/creator is NOT responsible for development of wooden panels, as well as the installation process and associated costs. **You MUST read the full information pacakage about this opportunity prior to filling out the online application.** This information package includes important information including jury criteria and the design proposal. To view this information package, please download the following file: Online Submission Artists/creators wishing to be considered must complete all application requirements. Please complete all required fields of the online application form and submit the required application documents. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Applications submitted through other means, such as fax, mail, and email will not be accepted. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the application is submitted by the deadline. For any questions about this project please contact info@londonarts.ca For any Call to Artists updates please check the website at www.londonarts.ca

Each year, the London Arts Council invites nominations for the Mayor’s New Year’s Honour List for an honouree in the Arts category. Eligible nominees are professional artists and active volunteers whose artistic excellence or outstanding contribution of service deserves recognition. Through a juried process, a recipient is then recommended to the City. This year, Karen Schindler has been named to the Mayor’s New Year’s Honour List in the Arts category. Congratulations Karen!! A much deserved distinction for many years of passionate creation and support of the literary arts sector in London! Karen is a regular CAIP (Community Arts Investment Program) recipient for her professional, community-focused work with Baseline Press, which she started 12 years ago. Baseline Press is a micro-press based in London, through which Karen publishes work by Canadian poets (including many from London) in beautiful chapbooks that she binds with lots of heart, and completely by hand! She volunteered as the Director of the Antler River Poetry Reading Series for 10 years, and actively supports numerous literary events and initiatives in the city, is an inspiring mentor to emerging presses and writers within the community, and has been integral in developing London’s literary scene as a welcoming and thriving environment. You can find more information about Karen’s amazing contributions to the community, as well as those of the other recipients on this year’s list, by visiting: https://london.ca/mayors-new-years-honour-list

Veronica brings 20 years+ of administration experience and a commitment to amplify and provide access for diversity. Meet Veronica Antipolo Veronica brings 20 years+ of administration experience and a commitment to amplify and provide access for diversity. As a storyteller, she shares stories (sometimes through comedy) and helps others share theirs by telling them, writing them, and, producing events and shows. She co-founded MOSAIC Untold Lives – a storytelling platform for Women of Colour. She was the 2020 and 2021 livestream event producer for CineFam Film Festival which showcases films by creators of colour. Her stories and comedy have been featured in CBC’s The Doc Project, Reader’s Digest, Stories We Don’t Tell, and the award-winning RICE Asian comedy podcast. Ask Me Anything - with Veronica Antipolo Who is someone you admire, and why? There are two people. My son and my daughter. My son is funny, kind and selfless. My daughter is confident, strong, sure of what she wants. I make an effort to grow to be more like them. What do you want to make sure you do before you die? Live…like, really live – for the moments, for what I care about, for the laughter. I try to DO life as opportunities come up and make my own opportunities. A ‘before I die’ checklist would be forgotten at home like the grocery list. What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job? I bring 20+ years of senior administrative experience. I understand how the granular makes up the bigger picture and vice versa. I like people - talking with, listening to, and observing them. As a storyteller who is second generation Canadian of Southeast Asian heritage, I’m passionate about amplifying, representing, and sharing diverse narratives.

Language is considered by UNESCO to be “a vehicle of intangible cultural heritage.” London Arts Council (LAC) acknowledges the undeniable link between a culture’s language and the expression of unique perspectives and beliefs that are conveyed through storytelling and the creation of culturally distinct and diverse artforms. As such, LAC and City of London, Culture Services support Indigenous language revitalization efforts by working with Indigenous community members to provide translations of written descriptions associated with the Indigenous artworks created through the City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program. “Intangible cultural heritage, transmitted from generation to generation, is constantly recreated by communities and groups in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history, and provides them with a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity.” Consequently, a loss of language results in the stripping away of cultural expression, creativity, and identity. As a result of the Residential School System that existed in Canada until 1996 which took Indigenous children away from their families and communities, and worked to strip Indigenous peoples of their cultural identity and memory, many Indigenous languages can be found listed in UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger as severely endangered (the language is spoken exclusively by grandparents and older generations) or critically endangered (the language is spoken exclusively by grandparents and older generations, partially and infrequently.) “Indigenous-languages experts know that if we are to reverse the trend of language loss, then the goal is to create more fluent speakers, and support immersion programs” writes Mohawk activist, Ellen Gabriel, in her paper “Indigenous Languages: A Fundamental Right to Defend.” In the case of endangered Indigenous languages, “first-language speakers are the Indigenous-language experts, and must be at the forefront of solutions…It is evident that in order for a language to survive, the youth and children must be speaking it, as they are the future.” For the We Are Still Here mural project, we worked with Ojibwe Language Teacher, Eli Baxter, to translate each panel description into the Ojibwe language. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work with community members such as Eli Baxter, as they work to educate younger generations and keep Indigenous culture and language alive. *This language revitalization initiative is supported by the City of London, Culture Services* You can download a pdf of the translated panel descriptions here:

Michael is a graduate of Fanshawe College in Business Accounting, and brings 17 years of accounting experience to the London Arts Council. Meet Michael Trudgen Michael is a graduate of Fanshawe College in Business Accounting, and brings 17 years of accounting experience to the London Arts Council. When he is not counting beans, you may find him performing around London as a solo guitarist or along side Leanne Mayer. Michael was chosen as the Forest City London Music Award for Fan Favourite 2021, 98.1Free FM’s Made in London 2017 for his then band With A Fox, and has been a part of the London Arts Live program since 2015. Ask Me Anything - with Michael Trudgen What is your artistic background? My artistic background is music writing and production. I started learning piano at age six and moved onto guitar in my early teens. I would spend countless hours exploring musical ideas and writing my own melodies ever since I was a child. I have produced two full length albums, most recent is “All the Pretty Things,” a collection of instrumental acoustic songs; I also have co-produced 2 EP’s for my late band “With a Fox,” which received a 98.1FM “Made in London” award in 2017. I’ve produced a total of 40 recordings, in multiple genres and projects over the years since 2013; and I am looking to do more recording, always. What are you happiest doing, when you’re not working? I have to say I am happiest producing and recording my artwork and/or being with my two dogs. You haven’t lived until you’ve play wrestled with a Newfoundlander pup!

- Nominations Closed - Deadline September 16th, 2022 at 4:30pm. When first awarded in 1976, the annual Honour List recognized only contributions to the arts. Several additional categories were added in 1989, and the Honour List now recognizes Londoners' professional and philanthropic work in nine diverse fields. ​ Each year, the London Arts Council invites nominations for the honouree in the Arts category. Eligible nominees are professional artists and active volunteers whose artistic excellence or outstanding contribution of service deserves recognition.

Image: Residential School Survivors work on "We Are Still Here" mural panel together The City of London, N’Amerind Friendship Centre and the London Arts Council have been working together to develop “We Are Still Here” – a two-story, seven-panel Indigenous mural at N’Amerind Friendship Centre to honour the legacy of Residential School Survivors and the children who were lost through Canada’s Residential School System. Ojibwe educator and visual artist Mike Cywink has been working with Indigenous youth artists and Residential School Survivors to create the mural to be placed on the exterior wall of N’Amerind Friendship Centre. This mural will increase public awareness and knowledge of the history of Canada’s Residential School System; honour Residential School Survivors and the children who were lost through the system; and celebrate Indigenous arts, culture, knowledge, and histories. Residential School Survivors have contributed to the creation of the mural through consultation sessions, providing them with a meaningful voice and commemorating their resilience and their lives throughout the development of the project. The purpose of these consultation sessions was to better understand what the Residential School Survivors and the local First Nation and Indigenous communities would like the mural to focus on, to honour their memory and bring understanding and healing. This project is funded through the City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program. Image: Artist Mike Cywink and youth artist, Sir Frederick Nicholas, in front of a mural panel that they worked on with two other youth artists The mural will be formally unveiled at N’Amerind Friendship Centre on September 30, 2022, during National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. On this date, N’Amerind Friendship Centre will hold a ceremony to honour the lives of Residential School Survivors and children who were lost through the Residential School System. About the artist Mike Cywink is an Ojibwe educator and visual artist from Whitefish River First Nation near Manitoulin Island. Cywink has a very longstanding and deeply significant relationship with N’Amerind Friendship Centre, including its constituents, staff and leaders. He is a valued member of the community and a mentor to many Indigenous youth. Image: Lead artist Mike Cywink in front of "We Are Still Here" mural panel About N’Amerind Friendship Centre N’Amerind Friendship Centre plays a significant role in the urban Indigenous community in London. In addition to hosting a variety of culturally appropriate programming for urban Indigenous residents of London, it serves as a centre for education, culture and overall community development. About the Public Art and Monument Program The City of London’s Public Art and Monument Program facilitates the creation of public art in London, which bolsters civic pride, provides focal points for community celebration, creates meaningful employment for artists and attracts tourism and investment. Through this program, the City of London’s Culture Services division and the London Arts Council have been supporting the creation of the “We Are Still Here” mural. Project rationale Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action report, London City Council asked City staff to “report back to the Strategic Priorities and Policy Committee on developing a prominent memorial in London, acknowledging the history of Canada’s Residential School System and its former students”. Following this resolution, the City of London’s Culture Services division and the London Arts Council partnered for the administration of this directive and sought guidance from Indigenous community Survivors, Elders, Traditional Knowledge Keepers and leadership from various organizations and the local First Nations communities. From these sessions, a project Working Group was created that consists of representation from the City of London, London Arts Council, Indigenous Community consultants and researchers, Indigenous Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers to develop the seven-panel mural. For more information, please contact Jo Ann Johnston, manager of media relations at the City of London at jojohnst@london.ca or 226-973-4291.

Johnny Fansher became a member of the London Arts Council board in December 2017. After serving more than 4 years on the LAC board, Johnny is ready to begin his next chapter! Johnny Fansher became a member of the London Arts Council board in December 2017. He brought with him a great deal of experience in finance, strong support for community-led initiatives, and a love for the arts. Born and raised in London, Johnny’s earliest exposure to the arts involved playing clarinet in elementary and secondary school music programs. Johnny bought his first piece of fine art at a charity auction in Vancouver in 1999 and has been an avid collector ever since. Before joining the LAC board, he served in volunteer roles with Western’s McIntosh Gallery and the former Orchestra London. After serving more than 4 years on the LAC board, Johnny is ready to begin his next chapter! Thank you for your service, Johnny! Your years of guidance and support are greatly appreciated and your impact will not be forgotten ❤. - The LAC team