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	devonostrom
	Devon


Title and Organization:		Curator / coordinator / founder, them.ca / bcbf alliance
Location:		Toronto, Ontario
Country of Residence:		Canada
Country of Birth:		Canada



Website:		http://bcbf.them.ca
Instant Messaging:		To protect the privacy of members, Instant Messaging information is only available to logged in members of TakingITGlobal. Login or Sign up now, it's free!

About Me

One of my proudest achievements as an arts administrator involved the installation of a thirty-seven by four (WxH) metre mural in the psychiatric building located in Kingston Maximum Security Penitentiary. The project began in 2002, with my idea receiving approval from prison officials, and went on to last for more than a year. Using a democratic design process, I proceeded to survey patient-inmates and staff, gauging their needs and their reactions to artists' portfolios. This helped me to oversee the development of several concept designs. These were then distributed to some 120 inmates and staff, who voted on their favourite designs and provided suggested revisions. Shortly after the mural's installation, I conducted surveys, monitored the location, and held focus groups with patient-inmates and staff, all of which indicated a significant improvement in the patient-inmates' quality of life.

This project was made possible thanks to an interdisciplinary foundation rooted in years of work experience and formal education. My training in arts administration goes back to the age of fourteen -- when I supervised a graffiti contest at the Central Canadian Exhibition in Ottawa. I have since gone on to coordinate a large number of group exhibitions, from three shows at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the City Halls of both Ottawa and Toronto, and even challenging locations such as two exhibitions at the World Electronic Music Festival. In my role as a key founder and curator of them.ca, a non-profit organization founded in 1997, I have also spearheaded several street, youth, and community-based projects, with an emphasis on mural art forms.

Working within the non-profit sector has helped me to establish community-oriented alliances, access diverse audiences and recognize the need for socially pragmatic projects. One example of a multi-organization project is the Beautiful City Billboard Fee. Accepted for public review in the next few months, this advocacy project will see a fee put on billboards with the funds going towards public art. This project included assembling an alliance of 29 organizations along with commissioning public opinion polls and extensive communication work. Accordingly, I have developed a capacity for fundraising, having received grants from agencies including the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and Human Resources and Development Canada. I have also completed a certificate in Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.

A critical skill of mine is human resources management. At them.ca, a decentralized resource/directory for artists and clients, I have sought out and secured meaningful employment for some 29 artists. In 2004, I completed a certificate program in Human Resources Management at Ryerson University.

My administrative judgment is also informed by a lifelong passion for culture and the social sciences, travels throughout 27 countries, and some 13 years of education in the visual arts, including one year of a liberal arts education at Ryerson University and completion of the Ontario College of Art and Design's (OCAD) Introduction to Visual Arts Certificate. My knowledge of carpentry and design, derived from my three years as a stage, set, and prop designer, has enabled me to oversee installations and events effectively and to develop productive relations with gallery technicians.

In September 2006, I completed a MA in Curating at Goldsmiths College, University of London UK. Key aspects of my study focused on normative ethics and institutions. Additionally, intercultural knowledge flows versus dominant histories. Within a constant underlying schema of using visual art for the purposes of education, I also worked to help develop communities of practice though distributed cognition systems. Currently, my objective is to secure a position within a hub institution devoted to arts and education. This will allow me to learn how a wider cross-section of organizations and practices function.

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