At The Mic / Au micro – Details, episodes & analysis

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At The Mic / Au micro

Arts Consultants Canada

Arts

Business

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/69d. Total Eps: 17

Welcome to At The Mic, a podcast brought to you by Arts Consultants Canada, association des Consultants canadiens en arts. ACCA is Canada’s national association of professional consultants dedicated to supporting a vibrant and sustainable arts and culture scene. Nous vous souhaitons la bienvenue au balado Au Micro ACCA. Quelques épisodes seront en français et nous vous offrirons un service de traduction des transcriptions afin de ne rien manquer! At The Mic/ Au micro covers contemporary issues and ideas about our current arts and culture ecology. In every episode we will feature an ACCA member who specializes in one of those issues in conversation with a guest moderator. Featured topics will include everything from leadership coaching to governance, new business models and equity in the arts. There will be a new episode of 30 minutes or so over each of the next ten months and we encourage you to check out those of value to you and your organization. We are here to give you a hand as we all navigate the changing world in which you operate. ACCA acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for this podcast series. / L’ACCA remercie le Conseil des Arts du Canada pour son soutien à cette série de balados.

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https://artsconsultants.ca
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https://at-the-mic.castos.com/
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https://ecwpress.com/products/the-audacity-of-relevance
3 shares

https://twitter.com/consult_arts
5 shares
https://twitter.com/hillstrategies
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https://twitter.com/VictoriaSteele1
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Score global : 79%

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Revitalizing the Capital’s Nightlife Scene with Ottawa’s “Night Mayor”

Season 4 · Episode 16

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 • Duration 39:39

Join us in a conversation with Mathieu Grondin, Canada's first Nightlife Commissioner for the City of Ottawa. Learn about Mathieu's dynamic journey from Montreal's creative industries to shaping Ottawa's nighttime economy. Discover the initiatives like the Canada After Dark Summit, placemaking projects, and the creation of the Nightlife Council, aimed at transforming Ottawa's cultural and nightlife landscape. Learn about the challenges, successes, and future plans to make Ottawa a vibrant 24-hour city.

Chapters

(00:00:00) - Ottawa's First Nightlife Commissioner
(00:02:02) - Ottawa's Nightlife Commissioner
(00:03:47) - Ottawa's Nightlife Commissioner role
(00:06:57) - The role of nightlife in Ottawa's economic plan
(00:09:07) - The Nightlife Council in Ottawa
(00:15:04) - Ottawa's Place Making Initiatives
(00:21:26) - What are the Nightlife Ambassadors
(00:23:23) - Canada After Dark: A Nightlife Summit
(00:29:55) - The role of the councillor on nightlife
(00:34:22) - Canada After Dark: What we learned
(00:36:08) - Ottawa's Nightlife Action Plan
(00:38:32) - Podcast

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Inside the Confederation Centre's "Shared Voices" project with Steve Bellamy

Season 4 · Episode 15

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 • Duration 39:27

Join us for an engaging conversation with Steve Bellamy, CEO of the Confederation Centre of the Arts, as he discusses the largest rejuvenation project in the Centre's history. Learn about the Confederation Centre's role as Canada's national memorial, exciting upcoming initiatives such as the Arts Academy, Arts Innovation Hub, and Canadian Leadership Institute, and the importance of reconnecting the Centre with Canadians. Discover how this project addresses the needs of the arts and culture sector and what it means for the Centre's future.

The Confederation Centre's "Shared Voices" campaign: https://confederationcentre.com/sharedvoicescapitalcampaign/

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Financial Management in the Arts in Canada

Season 2 · Episode 14

Tuesday, December 10, 2024 • Duration 27:48

In this edition of At The Mic, we bring you Heather Young of Young Associates in conversation with the ACCA’s Jane Needles. Heather is an expert in Financial Management for the Arts and has just published two books on the subject which are something that should be on every consultant’s bookshelf and in every Arts Administration teacher’s required reading lists for their students.

ACCA recognizes the generous support of Unity Design Studio for sponsoring this podcast! — Unity Design Studio (https://www.unitydesignstudio.ca) is a high-ranked B Corp architecture firm with over 50 years experience designing many arts and culture venues, including the new Canadian Canoe Museum which you heard about in our last podcast!

Chapters:

00:00 - Introduction and Welcome
00:18 - Guest Introduction: Heather Young
01:05 - Heather's Expertise and Background
01:44 - Discussion on Heather's Books
03:17 - Impact of the Pandemic on the Arts
05:24 - Regional and Organizational Differences
10:30 - New Financial Models and Community Engagement
19:07 - Challenges in Arts Administration
26:29 - Conclusion and Farewell

Useful links from this episode:

Purchase “Finance for the Arts in Canada”: https://www.youngassociates.ca/finance-for-the-arts-in-canada
Young Associates' free glossary: https://www.youngassociates.ca/glossary/
Scale Collaborative: https://scalecollaborative.ca/programs-and-initiatives/
Thriving Nonprofits (one of Scale's programs): https://www.thrivingnonprofits.ca/

Unity Design Studio and The Canadian Canoe Museum

Season 2 · Episode 13

Friday, October 25, 2024 • Duration 45:58

In this edition of AT THE MIC, we bring you an exceptional example of how Canadian architects are putting contemporary values into action today.

Our guests are Bill Lett and Michael Gallant, registered architects with Unity Design Studio. Unity is a high-ranked B Corp architecture firm with over 50 years experience designing many arts and culture venues, including the new Canadian Canoe Museum.

The Canadian Canoe Museum, located on the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations in Peterborough, Ontario, has stewarded, for the last 27 years, the world's largest and most significant collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft. More than 600 in number, these watercraft and their stories have a pivotal role to play in understanding our past and our collective future.

Award-winning local architectural firm Unity Design Studio (formerly Lett Architects Inc.) assisted The Canadian Canoe Museum in realizing a creative vision for our waterfront home and campus.

Unity Design Studio’s dedicated professionals are passionate about creating connected, happier, and healthier communities. By blending architecture, design, strategy, and engagement, they collaborate to tackle today’s challenges and build resilience. They believe that lasting impact comes from working together, uniting diverse stakeholders around a shared vision to inspire meaningful, positive change.

Bill Lett has 25 years of experience and was inducted into the College of Fellows of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in 2018. He has led the design of major municipal, cultural, healthcare, and institutional projects across Ontario, working closely with diverse stakeholders, administrators, councils, and government agencies. Bill loves to seamlessly integrate buildings into their communities and is dedicated to transforming project delivery by embracing more collaborative design and construction models.

Alex Sarian on The Audacity of Relevance

Season 2 · Episode 12

Monday, September 9, 2024 • Duration 37:39

We are back with a new season of At the Mic / Au micro, ACCA’s podcast available now on our YouTube Channel and your favourite podcast platform. We are delighted to kick off this season with a very special guest, Alex Sarian, as he is about to launch his new book, ‘The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture. ‘

ACCA recognizes the generous support of Unity Design Studio for sponsoring this podcast! Unity Design Studio is a high-ranked B Corp architecture firm with over 50 years experience designing many arts and culture venues, including the new Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough. You’ll hear more about them in the next podcast!

In this timely and valuable conversation, our guest Alex Sarian shares some of his wisdom on making arts organizations relevant today gained from his personal experience and that of others. Alex joined Arts Commons as President & CEO in 2020 after seven years of leadership roles at Lincoln Center. In addition to overseeing this major facility in downtown Calgary, he also leads the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history, the Arts Commons Transformation. His new book, The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture to be released later this month is already being praised as a “manifesto for the arts in times of crises.”In this episode of At the Mic, Au Micro, presented by Arts Consultants Canada, we explore how arts and cultural organizations can stay relevant in today's rapidly changing landscape. Guest Alex Sarian, President and CEO of Arts Commons, shares his insights from leading major arts projects in Calgary and his experience with global arts institutions. We dive into Alex's book, 'The Audacity of Relevance,' and discuss critical conversations about the value proposition of the arts, community engagement, and new business models. Don't miss this inspiring talk about the future of the arts in a post-pandemic world.

Achieving successful arts organization partnerships (in French)

Season 1 · Episode 11

Wednesday, December 20, 2023 • Duration 37:45

Hosted by Victoria Steele with invited guest expert, Roger Gaudet: Arts organizations have always sought out partnerships to help them develop - to increase their dissemination and production opportunities, to reach new audiences or to share services and infrastructure. Your organization may be thinking of entering a partnership with a group in another sector - or considering a long-term collaboration with an organization that is quite different in structure or mandate. Roger Gaudet and Victoria Steele discuss a simple exercise that partners can do to get to know each other better, improve communication and smooth the way forward in partnering activities.

Animé par Victoria Steele avec l'expert invité Roger Gaudet: Les organismes artistiques ont toujours recherché des partenariats pour les aider à se développer - pour accroître leur diffusion, augmenter leurs opportunités de production, rejoindre de nouveaux publics ou partager des services et des infrastructures. Votre organisation envisage peut-être de conclure un partenariat avec une autre organisation dans un autre secteur - ou envisage une collaboration à long terme avec une organisation dont la structure ou le mandat est très différent. Victoria Steele et Roger Gaudet discutent d’un exercice simple que les partenaires peuvent faire pour mieux se connaître et faciliter la progression des activités de partenariat.

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Adaptation in the Arts: This Is Not Another Pandemic Conversation

Episode 10

Wednesday, November 15, 2023 • Duration 32:38

As we approach the end of 2023, how has the arts and culture industry adapted since the pandemic - or has it? Considering the current state of inflation and economic instability, what unique revenue generation challenges are arts organizations facing now? Tune in for a discussion with Sue Edworthy and Ben Dietschi as they talk about virtual events and online platforms, collaboration with other sectors, the preferences of younger audiences, and the ever-evolving financial and artistic landscape all without ever using the word pivot.

Ben Dietschi:

Ben Dietschi is a Senior Consultant with the DeVos Institute of Arts Management, supporting a diverse array of organizations to achieve short and long-term goals in the areas of strategic planning, artistic planning, marketing, fundraising, change management, and community engagement.

Since joining the Institute, Ben has led or assisted 50+ strategic planning processes, conducted regional arts ecology studies, and served as advisor to 30+ organizations. Recent clients include The Yale Schwarzman Center (New Haven), The Wexner Center for the Arts (Columbus), Step Afrika! (Washington, DC), Philharmonia Baroque (San Francisco), The Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music (New Orleans), and Kentucky Shakespeare (Louisville).

Prior to joining the Institute, Ben was executive director of Soundstreams, Canada’s leading contemporary music and opera producer. During his tenure, the organization expanded revenues by 67% to support more staged opera and immersive performances, launched an ambitious international touring program, and transformed its brand to reach new audiences. He spearheaded the launch of a guest curator program designed to address the fragmented talent pipeline for music curators in Canada and contribute to the organization’s artistic succession plan.

Ben has served on the boards of several cultural institutions, frequently speaks at industry forums and conferences, and has served on numerous award and grant assessment panels. He received a distinguished alumni award from Brandon University and completed the DeVos Institute Global Arts Management Fellowship from 2017–2019.

Navigating Community-Engaged Culture Planning And Strategy

Season 1 · Episode 9

Wednesday, September 13, 2023 • Duration 30:49

How are municipalities and other regional governments approaching culture planning and strategy? What trends are taking hold in how municipal and regional planners are approaching culture planning and culture service delivery? How have municipal cultural planning goals shifted?

In this episode of At The Mic, Peter Lyman and Mila Dechef-Tweddle from Nordicity discuss their observations of how culture planning has evolved over the past decade and what approaches their team use to ensure a successful, community-engaged planning process.

Peter Lyman is Senior Partner of Nordicity, which he co-founded in 1979. He guided Nordicity’s merger with PricewaterhouseCoopers in 1998 and was made national lead partner for the Information Communications and Entertainment/Media practice. He then led Nordicity’s re-emergence as a standalone firm in 2002. Over the decades, he has found new ways to drive the business and help companies, arts and heritage institutions, industry associations and government agencies transform themselves to the digital world.

Peter is a media commenter and frequent panelist or moderator at professional conferences. He is active in the arts and social justice community, as past chair of the board for the Inspirit Foundation, governance chair of Canadian Stage in Toronto, and currently a board member for Caribbean Tales Media. He is an adjunct professor at Schulich Business School at York University, where he teaches cultural policy to the MBA students in arts and media. He is fluently bilingual in English and French.

Mila Dechef-Tweddle is a Director based in Nordicity’s Toronto office. She is a skilled consultant and accomplished leader who works closely with clients and stakeholders to proactively respond to key issues and opportunities.

Building from her background in museums and heritage, Mila works primarily with clients in the arts, culture and heritage sectors. Her work ranges from policy analysis, evaluation, and development, to economic and social impact assessment, to strategy development at the organizational and sector level.

Challenging Consulting Norms and Hearing Communities’ Stories

Season 1 · Episode 8

Tuesday, July 25, 2023 • Duration 31:46

How do consultants work effectively with diverse and marginalized communities, especially those who may challenge consulting norms? How do they build meaningful relationships in order for authentic community voices and data to be gathered?

In this episode of At The Mic, consultants and ACCA members, Dr. Terri-Lynn Brennan and Annalee Adair discuss their approach to working with equity deserving groups and Indigenous communities. They emphasize the importance of trust, relationship building, and challenging norms in their work. They share their experiences in challenging systems and measuring change, particularly in engaging with diverse communities and giving voice to marginalized groups. They highlight the concept of story reporting, where they collect and present qualitative data that honours the authenticity of voices in the community.

Link to slides discussed in this episode:

ACCA:

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Making Space For Art And Culture, with Sabrina Richard and Christina Bagatavicius

Season 1 · Episode 7

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 • Duration 41:12

How do consultants and architects approach working with communities, arts organizations, and city builders to successfully develop or redevelop new cultural spaces? What are the true foundations of arts infrastructure and what’s next in the future of cultural planning?

In this edition of AT THE MIC, we bring you a conversation about some essential contemporary approaches to imagining and reimagining cultural spaces. Our guest Sabrina Richard and moderator Christina Bagatavicius will share some of their wisdom gleaned from twenty years of experience. They are the co-founders of the Bespoke Collective, a forward-looking creative consultancy that is committed to redefining how culture and civic life bring people together.

ACCA acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for this podcast series. / Nous remercions le Conseil des Arts du Canada pour son soutien à cette série de balados.

Sabrina Richard is the Director of Research and Planning at Bespoke Collective. An architect by training and a cultural planner by profession, Sabrina has led numerous large scale and complex architectural and cultural planning projects across Canada and internationally spanning needs assessments, feasibility studies, strategic planning, and community engagement. She is dedicated to the realization of thoughtful, dynamic, and meaningful cultural spaces enriched by innovative design, public engagement, community activation and inclusive consultation.

Sabrina is also a published author, designer and strategist focused on building a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient arts and culture ecosystem. Some of her recent projects include support for Indigenous Fashion Arts (IFA), the New Orleans Triennial of Art (Prospect), the Public Art Strategy for the Downsview Lands Development.

At The Mic / Au micro – Details, episodes & analysis

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At The Mic / Au micro – Details, episodes & analysis

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