Arts and Culture

Tackle the financial side of participation—ideas, challenges, and solutions around pricing, funding, and making arts affordable for all.

Share uplifting, surprising, or funny stories about accidental inclusion, spontaneous accessibility, or the arts reaching new audiences in unusual ways.

A space for artists and creators to share personal barriers faced, successes, and ideas for further change.

How do audience members and advocates make choices about where to participate, donate, or support based on inclusion?

Address digital barriers to online arts participation, from internet access to digital literacy and accessible online content.

Conversations about tackling stigma, expanding the definition of art, and encouraging a culture of true belonging.

Stories and strategies for working with people with disabilities, Indigenous artists, racialized communities, and other groups facing barriers.

Discuss public/private funding, grants, and investments needed for renovations, technology, staff training, and outreach.

Strategies and stories about improving physical access to arts venues, studios, and events (ramps, ASL, sensory-friendly design).

Explore how to increase representation of different cultures, languages, abilities, and identities on stage, screen, and canvas.

Share bright spots—programs, partnerships, or practices that have improved accessibility and inclusion in your community.

A lighter space for sharing funny moments, unexpected creative sparks, and lessons learned from arts education mishaps.

Identify and tackle obstacles such as cost, transportation, stereotypes, and inequitable access faced by youth in arts education.

Showcase public exhibits, open mics, performances, and local festivals that put young talent in the spotlight.

Highlight successful collaborations between schools, non-profits, libraries, and artists that expand youth access to the arts.

Exchange tips and experiences about online arts classes, digital tools, and virtual creative opportunities for young people.

Share ways to ensure arts curricula and programs reflect a broad range of cultures, languages, and lived experiences.

Discuss funding challenges, policy advocacy, and strategies for securing stable support for arts programs in schools and communities.

Stories about professional mentorship, peer support, and youth-driven projects that empower the next generation of creators.

Invite youth and their families to share their arts experiences, inspirations, and ideas for making programs better.

A space for educators to share lesson plans, classroom strategies, and resource recommendations for inspiring creativity.

Explore the benefits of arts education—creativity, confidence, social learning, and its impact on academics and careers.

Explore the relationship between art, activism, and censorship—especially the risks and power of protest art.

A lighter space to discuss famous cases of banned art, unexpected censorship stories, and works that sparked big debates (or laughs).

Share perspectives on drawing the line with hate speech, explicit material, or historical works with offensive content.

Explore different ways art is censored—including bans, denied funding, access restrictions, and self-censorship due to fear or backlash.

Debate the importance of free artistic expression, innovation, and social critique in a democratic society.

Examine the roles of governments, schools, museums, funders, and digital platforms in restricting or promoting access to art.

Tips and discussion on building media literacy—helping audiences engage critically with difficult, controversial, or provocative works.

Discuss the balance between artistic freedom and respecting diverse beliefs, community standards, and public sensitivities.

Discuss how social media and online platforms shape what art is seen, suppressed, or removed, often through non-transparent algorithms.

Discuss who decides what voices and stories are heard, and the impacts on marginalized or dissenting perspectives.

Resource-sharing, legal, and community support for artists and creators who face threats or censorship.

Share experiences and insights on how censorship affects artistic risk-taking, creativity, and public dialogue.

Invite stories about unforgettable shows, favourite roles, or what audiences want to see more of.

Analyze trends in how people watch, attend, and support film, TV, and the performing arts in a digital age.

Share experiences with local festivals, co-ops, school performances, and community-based productions keeping arts vibrant at the grassroots.

A lighter space for sharing funny, surprising, or behind-the-scenes stories from the worlds of film, TV, and live performance.

Conversations about whose stories are told, barriers to inclusion, and celebrating diverse creators and narratives.

Discuss funding challenges, access inequities, and creative solutions for supporting artists and audiences across all regions.

Discuss the growth of livestreamed theatre, online festivals, interactive and boundary-pushing performance art.

Spotlight films, performances, and initiatives from Indigenous and other historically excluded groups.

Exchange ideas about the effects of streaming, virtual reality, and digital platforms on creation, distribution, and audience engagement.

Opportunities, challenges, and stories about connecting emerging artists with mentors and educational programs.

Ideas and debates about building resilient funding models, policies, and practices for a thriving, inclusive sector.

Explore the cultural, social, and economic impact of film, TV, and live performance in Canada.

Identify obstacles such as lack of resources, infrastructure, and generational divides, and brainstorm solutions.

Share experiences, perspectives, and strategies for ensuring traditions are represented respectfully and authentically.

Spotlight initiatives led by elders, youth, or artists to record, revive, and celebrate unique heritage.

Exchange ideas about online archives, digital storytelling, and innovative platforms for preserving rare material.

Explore how media and performance capture, archive, and reimagine traditions for new audiences.

Share methods, successes, and challenges in passing traditions, stories, and practices between generations.

Discuss efforts to document, teach, and celebrate endangered languages as key vessels of culture.

A space for surprising stories, happy accidents, or unexpected revivals of nearly-lost songs, recipes, dances, or rituals.

Discuss the roles of grants, government programs, and cultural organizations in safeguarding Canada’s diverse heritage.

Conversations about evolving customs—how modern retellings, fusion, and adaptation keep traditions alive and relevant.

Discuss why preserving heritage matters for identity, belonging, and community resilience.

Share ideas for making public art open, welcoming, and barrier-free for all community members.

Spotlight examples and strategies for collaborative art-making—where residents and artists work side by side.

Analyze how public art drives tourism, supports artists, and helps revitalize neighborhoods.

Celebrate and share experiences from cultural festivals, art walks, and public performances that unite communities.

Discuss projects that bring together youth, elders, and diverse groups to create and share in public art.

Identify and tackle obstacles that prevent authentic engagement and diverse participation in public art projects.

A fun space to share memorable or surprising moments when art appeared where you least expected it.

Explore how gathering local memories, dreams, and challenges fuels meaningful community-based artworks.

Debate solutions for long-term care, funding, and protection of public art installations.

Discuss how murals, installations, and performances shape civic pride, identity, and neighborhood vitality.

Exchange stories and advice about hands-on events that invite public participation in art creation.

Discuss the role of social media algorithms and streaming platforms in shaping what art is seen and by whom.

Explore the impact of new tools for editing, remixing, and collaborative creation across disciplines and borders.

Debate issues around protecting, verifying, and monetizing digital art in an age of easy copying and rapid sharing.

A space for sharing digital art discoveries, happy accidents, and viral moments that surprised even their creators.

Debate the ethical, environmental, and inclusion-related challenges of digital creation, from AI authorship to NFT energy use.

Share stories of how digital platforms, social media, and self-publishing have enabled creators and connected global audiences.

Exchange insights about livestreamed performances, digital museums, and the interplay between digital and traditional art forms.

Share experiences and strategies for earning income, navigating streaming royalties, and protecting creator interests online.

Discuss digital painting, animation, AR/VR, AI-generated art, NFTs, and the expanding possibilities of technology in the arts.

Discuss methods, challenges, and best practices for safeguarding digital art and media for future generations.

Identify barriers and solutions for equitable access to digital tools, training, and the internet for artists and audiences.

Speculate and share big ideas about the future of art in an age of artificial intelligence, virtual realities, and ever-evolving tech.

Discuss how the arts sector creates jobs, drives tourism, and boosts local economies across Canada.

Explore how arts engagement benefits public health, schools, and civic life—beyond just economic metrics.

Debate and exchange ideas about ticket sales, merchandise, licensing, teaching, and new ways artists earn income.

Analyze disparities in funding and opportunities for smaller organizations, marginalized communities, and rural creators.

Spotlight crowdfunding, patron models, co-ops, shared spaces, and other creative approaches to financial sustainability.

A lighter space for sharing unexpected ways artists and organizations have sustained themselves, from quirky gigs to creative pivots.

Debate universal basic income for artists, tax incentives, and cross-sector partnerships as ways to strengthen the arts economy.

Share stories and solutions for addressing gig work, job instability, and the need for benefits in the arts sector.

Explore the role and impact of private donors, sponsors, and foundations on arts projects and organizations.

Share experiences, opportunities, and challenges in accessing municipal, provincial, and federal arts funding.

Discuss the impact of rising costs for rent, supplies, insurance, and other essentials on arts organizations and creators.

Discuss the risks and opportunities of digital platforms for artist income, including streaming royalties and online sales.

Tackle questions of who gets to participate, barriers faced, and ways to ensure everyone can shape and enjoy arts and culture.

Identify strategies for breaking down barriers to participation in the arts—cost, geography, or prejudice.

Explore how embedding creativity in health, education, and public space can benefit society beyond entertainment.

Discuss research and practices around the mental, physical, and social benefits of creative engagement.

Analyze the effects of shifting audience habits, global reach, and how to keep local traditions vibrant in a connected world.

Discuss the impact of emerging technologies—AI, AR/VR, virtual museums—on art creation, consumption, and participation.

Share ideas, challenges, and aspirations for making the next era of arts reflect the full spectrum of Canadian experiences.

A space for blue-sky thinking—bold visions, speculative projects, worries, and wildcards about what’s next for arts and culture.

Exchange solutions and stories about green production, climate-conscious creation, and the role of arts in climate action.

Discuss the evolving debates over artistic freedom, authenticity, deepfakes, remix culture, and who owns creative work.

Debate and explore crowdfunding, co-ops, direct-to-audience platforms, and new ways for artists to sustain their practice.

Share projects and ideas where artists, scientists, technologists, and activists join forces for innovation and social good.

A lighter space to share personal stories of how the arts have inspired, transformed, or surprised you or your community.

Share examples and stories of art driving social change, questioning norms, and inspiring new perspectives.

Debate the importance of protecting freedom of expression, embracing artistic risk, and sustaining diverse cultural voices.

Discuss the role of arts in encouraging critical thinking, public participation, and strengthening democracy.

Discuss how arts and culture help shape individual and collective identity, and connect generations through shared traditions.

Explore the power of art to foster understanding, empathy, and dialogue across cultures, communities, and divides.

Examine how arts and culture create jobs, stimulate local economies, boost tourism, and build civic pride.

Discuss the therapeutic benefits of arts participation for individuals and communities, especially in times of challenge.

Analyze the influence of creative thinking from the arts on science, technology, business, and society’s ability to adapt.

Discuss the roles of education, public investment, and strong institutions in supporting vibrant arts and culture for all.

Share stories and ideas about how arts shape public spaces, create safer communities, and foster civic engagement.