The ArtBridges Team
ArtBridges/ToileDesArts has an exceptionally large network of support. We have been able to engage amazingly talented people through the generous support of our funders.
ArtBridges is a project of Tides Canada.
As a registered Canadian operating charity, Tides Canada has full fiduciary and governance responsibility for Project: ArtBridges/ToileDesArts, and as such receives all donations and provides charitable tax receipts for gifts to the ArtBridges/ToileDesArts Project. Tides Canada provides a shared administrative platform for a number of self-financing projects to further its mission of social justice and environmental sustainability.
Our 2018 Volunteer Advisory Committee:
- Kate Austin, Artist & Designer
- Catherine Lamaison, PhD. University Lecturer
- Chris Little, Treasurer for ArtBridges; Senior Manager, Finance & Strategy, Scotiabank
- Ruth Mandel, Philanthropist and Artist
- Rosemary Masemann, Lawyer
- Stephanie Whitehouse, Active Transportation Coordinator, City of Winnipeg and Designer
Project Founders
Seanna Connell & Kate Austin met in March 2008 for a breakfast and during 5 hours of bottomless coffee, the idea for ArtBridges was germinated.
2018 Staff, Consultants & Volunteers
Just about everyone at ArtBridges works or volunteers part-time, some as little as 1.5 hours/wk and some on short-term contracts. But each person contributes unique and diverse skills, experience and expertise, which combined helps to shape the development and growth of the ArtBridges/ToileDesArts project.
Co-Founder & Project Director (f/t), Seanna Connell
Seanna Connell is Co-Founder & Project Director of ArtBridges/ToileDesArts: Project of Tides Canada (2008 - present). Founder of A Home for Creative Opportunity/ ArtHeart Community Art Centre (1991-present). Community-engaged artist & visual arts project & program coordinator for numerous inner-city Toronto drop-ins for children, youth and adults (1988-2000); Artist with: Artist's Environment Forum (Toronto), Amazon Awareness Expedition (Ecuador & Puru), San Juan Bosco orphanage (Honduras), Pambazuko & Majengo orphanages (Tanzania). Boards: ArtHeart Community Art Centre; Children's Own Museum, Majengo Canada, Majengo Children's Foundation.
Co-Founder & Creative Partner (Volunteer), Kate Austin
Textile designer, artist and knitting/art entrepreneur. www.kateaustindesigns.com and www.theknitcafetoronto.com/
Social Media & Content Coordinator & Resource Developer (p/t), Lisa Tran
Lisa Tran studied English Literature and French Studies at York University (Glendon). In 2008, Lisa audited the York University course, “Community Art for Social Change,” where she and Seanna Connell worked on a community art project together. During this project, they bonded over the importance of arts in under-served communities and research methods. Lisa has worked with ArtBridges since April 2009, when she began as a Community Arts Research Assistant, working on its initial research phase. After returning from a school year abroad in Norway, she returned to ArtBridges in June 2010 and is currently working as ArtBridges’ Social Media & Content Coordinator. Her interests are in photography, creative writing, juggling different languages and trying to keep up with all things community arts.
Indigenous Community Arts Outreach Coordinator & Programs Assistant (p/t), Megan Feheley
Megan Feheley is an interdisciplinary artist living and working out of Toronto, Ontario. She is currently working towards her BFA in Indigenous Visual Culture at OCAD University. Invested in nurturing the voice of community, her work celebrates identity, resurgence and resilience.
Membership Developer (p/t), Tiffany Nyklickova
For over ten years, Tiffany has worked in the non-profit sector. She specializes in building memberships where people can share information and resources and watch their ideas develop and take shape. Her motivation is for an effective, sustainable civil society which is built upon partnership and collaboration. Currently, she is working with ArtBridges to build a strong membership of art-based organizations who want this, too.
French-English Translator, Jacinthe Laforte (consultant)
Note: Many people from across Canada have contributed French texts or translations in French over the past few years to ArtBridges. ArtBridges/ToileDesArts has not had this original material revised.
Development Officer, Patty Porretta (consultant)
Patty Porretta has worked in the fundraising profession for over 20 years for numerous community-based organizations at the grassroots level. Since 1997, she has worked on a freelance basis. Patty has raised funds for many worthy causes including homelessness, international development, refugees and immigrants, poverty, children and youth, mental health, HIV/AIDS, prenatal care, violence prevention, human rights, seniors, crime prevention, social justice, and the arts. Over the course of her career, she has helped to raise over $20,000,000 and assisted numerous organizations to enhance their fundraising capabilities.
Rihkee Strap, Outreach & Communications (consultant)
Rihkee Strapp is a two-spirit Metis of the Wolverine Clan and was born in the small Northwestern community of Red Lake, Ontario. They are a multi-disicplinary artist and consultant for ArtBridges, currently based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Rihkee loves connecting with people across Turtle Island through social technology for the purposes of community development, and co-creating experiential art.
Website Developer, ViUU Inc. (consultant)
ViUU Media Group is providing custom solutions to clients in various industries. You certainly understand it takes more than stellar designs and code to deliver a truly great web solution. Just to name a few, they are in-depth business understanding, careful planning, integration with marketing strategy, quality control and project management. Because a company relies on its people, we have mixed the best talent in town and in France to achieve our goal... improving each and every website we work for.
viuu.ca
Graphic Artist/Illustrator, Courtney Wotherspoon (consultant)
Courtney Wotherspoon is an award-winning artist, illustrator and designer based in Toronto. www.spoonstudio.com
Evaluator, Radha Nayar (consultant)
Nayar Consulting is a sole proprietorship that has been offering services to the non-profit sector for the last nine years. The principal of Nayar Consulting is Radha Nayar. Building on 21 years of experience in the non-profit sector, Radha is a results-oriented consulting professional that consistently exceeds her deliverables and supports her clients to maximize their impact. Radha’s exemplary abilities to build strong relationships with clients, support the right balance between process and outcomes and bring anti-oppression principles to life in her work enable her to excel as a specialist in strategic planning and evaluation. She has supported organizations to develop their evaluation capacity, and has conducted numerous evaluations of direct service programs and special multi-stakeholder initiatives, including SmartSaver, an project of the Omega Foundation. Radha is a member of the Canadian Evaluation Society.
Videographer, Andrea Dorfman (consultant)
Andrea Dorfman is a filmmaker, animator and artist who has made numerous experimental and dramatic short films, music videos, documentary and animated films. She has also directed three feature fims - Parsley Days (2000) and Love That Boy (2003) and Heartbeat (2014). Her video, How to Be Alone, in collaboration with poet, Tanya Davis, turned into a viral YouTube sensation and was turned into a book published by HarperCollins with painted illustrations by Dorfman.
Strategic Plan Facilitator, Michelle Smith (consultant)
Previous Student Involvement, Staff & Volunteers
Past Student Volunteers
- The Strategic Foresight and Innovation Masters Programme at Ontario College of Art and Design University – (ArtBridges/ToileDesArts case study)
- George Brown College Faculty of Business, Arts & Design third-year marketing students – ArtBridges Case Study (2012)
- Students from Centennial College New Media and University of Toronto/Centennial College Joint New Media programs used ArtBridges/ToileDesArts for their client projects (2011)
- Humber College, Post Graduate Certificate, International Development (internship hours): Raisa Kassam
Past Staff/Consultants
- Catherine Lamaison, p/t Coordonnatrice francophone en art communautaire
- Catherine Turcotte, p/t Coordonnatrice francophone des communications et engagements en art communautaire
- Cora-Rae Silk, p/t Indigenous Community Arts Coordinator & Communications Assistant
- Skye Louis, p/t Info Resource Developer
- Sonya Young, p/t Outreach Coordinator
- Kleva Gruda, Management Advisory Services (MAS) (consultant)
- Maxine Sidran, ArtBridging Ontario Researcher (consultant)
- Tara McMurtry, Evaluator (consultant)
- Robin Cory, Partner, Colbeck Strategic Advisors (Innoweave consultant)
- Margot Smart, Partner, Colbeck Strategic Advisors (Innoweave consultant)
- Simon Constam, Sponsorship Director (consultant)
- Susan Ward, Sponsorship Developer (consultant)
- Dawn Comber, Web Copy Writer (consultant)
- Alexa Macaulay de Repentigny, p/t Assistante de Recherche Francophone (2009-2012)
- Alli Melanson, p/t Assistante de Recherche Francophone (2012)
- Ania Stypulkowski, p/t ArtBridging Ontario Coordinator (2009-10, 2011-12)
- Virgil Kpodar, p/t Assistant de Recherche Francophone (2010)
Past Volunteers
- Susan Koch, ArtBridges Researcher (2013)
- Gillian McQuade, ArtBridges Logo Contest Winner (2012)
- Aurelia Bizouard, p/t Assistante de Recherche Francophone (2010)
- Kim Snell: Writing and Editing (2010)
- Dr. Christina Halliday, Advisory (2008-2015)
- Lola Rasminsky, Advisory (2008-2010)
- Bridget Goldsmith, Founding Advisory Committee Chair (2008-2016)
- Ted Snell, Web Developer (2008-2017)
