What does the future hold for EDI in the cultural sector?
Moderated by Julien Doris
In French and English | with simultaneous interpretation in both languages and LSQ
This two-day conference addresses questions of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the cultural sector with a particular focus on the role of cultural organizations. Several topics were explored, studied, and shared from different perspectives, and this session reflects on the future of EDI in the cultural sector. The panelists are invited to revisit some of the presentations and discussions that caught their attention during the conference or to share their perspectives, ideas, and hopes for the future of EDI in the cultural sector that will lead to strengthening equitable practices and creating a safer and welcoming environment for all.
Julien Doris (Moderator)
Julien Doris is a Ph.D. candidate and part-time Professor in Public Administration at the University of Ottawa. His doctoral dissertation is based on Diversity management processes in the federal public service, with a special regard to the employment equity act enforcement in several federal departments and agencies. He argues that the federal public service has progressively shifted from a single and reactive approach related to the concept of employment equity to a multidimensional and proactive approach dedicated to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). He reflects this evolution by documenting existing and emerging administrative processes among public administrations. His scope of research interests also includes diversity management in the cultural organizations and industries.
Vivek Venkatesh (Il/he/him) (Panelist)
Vivek Venkatesh is an internationally renowned researcher who focuses on building community resilience and tolerance to hate through a decidedly public educational approach. He is the co-chair of UNESCO’s Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism (UNESCO-PREV), the Chair of the UNESCO Chairs Network in Canada, and the Director of the Centre for the Study of Learning and Performance (CSLP) at Concordia University, where he is a Full Professor of Inclusive Visual Arts Practices in the Department of Art Education.
Rhonda Doxtator (Panelist)
Rhonda Doxtator is of the turtle clan of the Oneida Nation of the Thames. Her true name is Kawisaha, which means She is Carrying Ice, in the Oneida language. She is a hoop and jingle dress dancer, traditional singer, regalia maker and a Cultural Educator. It is her involvement within the pow wow circuit over the last 35 years that has brought her to a new and exciting role as a Pow Wow Emcee and Arena Director. Currently, Rhonda is the Cultural Coordinator at the First Peoples Innovation Centre in Gatineau, Quebec where tradition meets technology
Karla Etienne (Panelist)
Karla Etienne is the Executive Director of the Canadian Dance Association and guest curator of Mandoline Hybride. She is a dance artist who has worked with Zab Maboungou/Compagnie Danse Nyata Nyata for more than 20 years. Her commitment is recognized today, notably for the renewal of cultural policies concerning equity in the field of art, on all levels of practice, management and dissemination with the institutions and organizations that are responsible, including the Conseil des arts de Montréal. In 2021, she received the Nyata Nyata Stellar Award for service to the greater dance community.
Yusuf Saadi (Panelist)
Yusuf Saadi’s first collection Pluviophile (Nightwood Editions April 2020) was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. He previously won The Malahat Review‘s 2016 Far Horizons Award for Poetry and the 2016 Vallum Chapbook Award. He is also a reader for The Puritan and was an editor for Watch Your Head. Yusuf currently resides in Montreal.
