FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 18, 2014
Kingston, ON - On September 24th, the Canadian Network for Arts & Learning (CNAL) will welcome members and guests for the launch of its first Networking Hub at Queen’s University in Kingston, with a professional development and networking event hosted by the UNESCO Chair in Arts & Learning.
The event will gather artists, arts organizations, educators, funders, researchers and academics for a free arts-based professional development workshop, a research roundtable focused on the creation of a handbook to evaluate the benefits of arts education in many settings, and an open networking session allowing participants to share work and discover inspiring new ways the benefits of arts-based learning are being applied across many areas of society.
“We are thrilled to launch the first CNAL Networking Hub in Kingston. The Hub will provide a much-needed venue for the sector. For many years we have seen an increasing demand for a central gathering place where arts education professionals, representing all disciplines within the community can meet, share work, put research into action, create collaborative opportunities and activate change,” stated Larry O’Farrell, CNAL Board Chair, Professor Emeritus, Queen’s University and holder of the UNESCO Chair in Arts and Learning.
The event, generously supported through $148,600 in funding received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in April of this year, will mark the launch of a series of CNAL networking opportunities scheduled to take place in Ontario throughout 2014-15. This substantial gift will support a range of arts education activities that will include a vital research project, as well as expanded social media and community engagement initiatives. CNAL invites those in the community interested in learning more about arts education to participate in this event. Space is limited and more information can be found on the CNAL website: www.eduarts.ca
“I’m thrilled that Kingston will be home to one of the two regional hubs that will help facilitate learning through the arts and collaboration among the arts community. The arts are such an integral part of our lives, fostering individual creativity and enriching and inspiring our communities. This program will help bring the arts to more people, leading to more fully realized, fulfilled and complete lives." - Sophie Kiwala, MPP for Kingston and the Islands.
As the united, national voice for arts and learning in Canada, CNAL is delighted to be launching this significant and critical initiative in its hometown of Kingston.
To learn more about CNAL, CNAL membership and how to participate in the Networking Event, please visit http://eduarts.ca/.
The Canadian Network for Arts & Learning (CNAL) was established as a direct response to the first UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education in Lisbon, Portugal in 2006. Canadian delegates identified the need for a broader national voice for arts and learning and in 2008 the evolving group passed a Framework for Action at its symposium in Kingston, Ontario. In 2009 the Canadian Network for Arts and Learning was formally established. CNAL is a dynamic non-profit organization that strongly believes that the arts are the gateway to creativity and are fundamental to the education of the fully realized individual. We are dedicated to building a world where the arts are integral to the learning process, not only in school but throughout life.
A leading grant-maker in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investment in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities.
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Contact: Katie Bergin, Executive Director
Email: cnalrcaa@queensu.ca