Revisioning Culture for Cultural Policy III: "Whose agenda is it anyway?"

NACDI is hosting a series of three open mic sessions to expand the conversation on cultural policy and contribute to the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022. We will discuss issues that are at the heart of the concerns for people working close to the cultural sector. The sessions will take place online via zoom, and will have a short opening by a guest who then will allow for a wide open conversation with whoever wants to share any concern in relation to culture and cultural policies.

We invite you to join us to express your concerns, questions, interests, and suggestions regarding cultural policies and the agenda established for UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2022. Open to the public, anyone is welcome to share in the conversation by providing comments and concerns with respect to culture and cultural policies. You can also add your thoughts to the online twitter conversation by including our handle @nacdiplomacyi in your tweet.

 

Kelly Langgard, Director of Granting, Ontario Arts Council

Kelly has more than 20 years of experience in cultural policy and diplomacy, international exchange, partner and stakeholder engagement and event management. Her career has mostly focused on public arts funding, where she has led various programs and initiatives aimed at supporting more opportunities for artists and arts professionals.

Kelly began her career at Calgary’s Herland Feminist Film Festival before becoming Executive Director of Images Festival in Toronto, during which time she served on the boards of the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre and the Independent Media Arts Alliance. From there, she spent a year as Associate Visual and Media Arts Officer at OAC before moving to the Canada Council for the Arts where she held a number of positions: Media Arts Officer, Head of Audience and Market Development, Head of Partnership and International Coordination and Manager of Strategic Research Initiatives. Other positions she has held include Senior Advisor for Cultural Diplomacy at Global Affairs Canada, and Program Manager at the Canadian Commission for UNESCO.

 

Ben Schnitzer, PhD candidate, Cultural Studies, Queen’s University; Senior Policy and Research Analyst at the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat (Government of Canada)

Ben was awarded a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support his research on Canadian cultural diplomacy and cultural policy. He is currently Senior Policy and Research Analyst at the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat (Government of Canada), and contributed to Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (2022), which charts a path to advance rights and equality for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQI+) people in Canada. Before joining the Secretariat, Ben contributed to federal initiatives impacting the cultural sector as a Senior Policy Analyst at Canadian Heritage. Ben is also a musician. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Manitoba and pursued further studies and performance opportunities in Canada and abroad.

 

This event is hosted by NACDI, in partnership with International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), the Tijuana Cultural Center (CECUT), the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), and the Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico).