Mission and Statement of Values
mission statement
We are building a support network with shared resources for freelance Production Managers, Technical Directors, and related Arts Workers.
We advocate for a safe, equitable, and supportive work culture rooted in creating the conditions for workers to thrive in the gig economy.
We engage in research, dialogue, outreach, and education to:
Promote a values-based approach to production
Address barriers to working in the field
Provide professional development and mentorship opportunities
Develop standards and guidelines for our work
Advocate for individual well-being and equitable pay
statement of values
We are independent arts workers
We are a collective of freelance production leadership staff working in live performances and events in Canada. We are Production Managers, Technical Directors and related arts workers. As Production Leadership staff, we are not currently represented by an existing professional association or union, and the work that we are doing falls outside of the jurisdiction of those organizations.
Our workplace culture
We cultivate an environment of mutual respect. We seek collaborative modes of working that redefine leadership, challenge habitual practices, and dismantle oppressive structures. We embrace a radical and critical understanding of who is an artist and what is valued as creative practice or cultural work. We share a responsibility to use our work to support our communities and build meaningful relationships beyond those communities. We support one another by sharing resources and expertise, advocating for our community and individual well-being, and working in a spirit of mutual aid and community support.
We work in a spirit of generosity. We reject a philosophy of scarcity. We celebrate our differences and draw collective strength from our individual practices.
We are a community
We live and work in and around Tkaronto, on the traditional territories of many Indigenous peoples - including the Anishnaabe, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit.This territory is subject to the Dish with One Spoon wampum belt, which binds us to care for the land and waterways of the Great Lakes, and to share its resources peacefully. We honour and thank the caretakers of these lands and waterways.
We stand together as arts workers in solidarity with those who have fought and struggled for the rights and freedoms we protect today. We acknowledge and continue the work of other advocates who strive for equity, safety, sustainability, and agency in negotiations and industry conversations.
Our work as leaders and facilitators allows us to build connections - within and between communities of artists, administrators, craftspeople, and cultural workers. We move within many intersecting communities and carry many intersecting identities. We are collaborators, not competitors. We commit to lifting one another up - to sharing information and resources, to mentorship and mutual aid, to transparent and accountable processes, and to collective leadership.
Our wages and working conditions
We observe that inadequate compensation for labour represents a considerable barrier to participation in artistic practice and that this barrier disproportionately affects marginalized communities. We stand for providing a reasonable and equitable fee to all contributors. These fees must take into account both physical and administrative labour, including time spent being available to a project. These fees must respond to the rising cost of living, and acknowledge incurred costs including transportation and caregiving. In addition to equitable fees for production leadership, production budgets must also consider the hiring of sufficient production staff to ensure a manageable workload.
We work in environments that are nonstandard, intimate, and demand creative solutions. We observe that collaborative and artistic work encourages vulnerability, and requires resources that address its physical, mental, and emotional risks. Resources must be provided by the producer to respond to the needs of the individuals engaged on the project, and should not be limited to considerations of staffing and fees.
Our work towards anti-oppression and inclusivity
We acknowledge that systems of oppression - such as Colonization, Patriarchy, Anti-Blackness, Anti-Indigeneity, Homophobia, Transphobia, Racism, Ableism, Fatphobia - have been intrinsic in the creation and operations of our workplaces, industries and institutions. We acknowledge that this list is not exhaustive. We name these structures so that we can begin to dismantle them. We commit to unlearning our inherited cultural biases. We commit to supporting the struggles of marginalized groups through a continuous process of community and individual development. We are actively learning how to reduce harm and create change. We commit to working towards safer and more inclusive spaces that are shaped by informed, enthusiastic, and meaningful consent.