The deadline to submit your stories is July 16!

There is no doubt that the pandemic has been very difficult for many artists and cultural workers. Abundant evidence of this has come from surveys (such as the National Arts and Culture Impact Survey) and broad employment and economic indicators (analyzed by CAPACOA).

However, in the midst of these harsh realities, there have been powerful stories of innovation and resilience from artists and cultural organizations.

A new research-action initiative aims to discover dynamic examples of cultural innovation and to amplify these success stories. Cultural Resilience: Using Innovation to Stabilize in Times of Crisis is a multi-year project of The Creative City Network of Canada in partnership with the Cultural Human Resources Council and Les Arts et la Ville.

Hill Strategies is leading the research for the first phase of this project, while its second phase involves professional development to transmit key learnings to other cultural organizations and artists, with the goal of building resilience within the arts and heritage sector.

The research team is seeking stories of innovation (whether digital or analog) that are expected to have a lasting impact on the organization or artist. Of particular interest are stories from which other organizations or artists could learn.

Do you have a compelling story of cultural resilience to share? Stories submitted at www.culturalresilience.ca will be listed and amplified for at least one year (from August 2021 to August 2022). Some stories will be investigated further, profiled online, and featured in subsequent training programs, all of which will help create a community of learning. Submit your story today!

Thanks go out to the funders and partners who have made this important work possible: Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.