History & Achievments

Community Arts Ontario is an arts service organization that currently represents a network of more than 180 arts organizations, agencies, institutions, and municipalities across Ontario and close to 40 individual artists and public supporters. Community Arts Ontario serves as the province's only multidisciplinary, cross-sectional arts network. We provide an effective voice for all individuals, groups and institutions that share our common vision for the arts. Together, we aim to achieve a standard of arts excellence within all regions of Ontario and beyond. As such, we offer unique programs and services to suit a broad range of arts and cultural professionals, community leaders and municipalities.

Established in 1990, CAO emerged as an umbrella organization for community arts councils and for its first four years operated solely as a volunteer organization. In 1995, a contract part-time Executive Director position was established and operated out of a home office in Ottawa. In summer 2000, CAO moved its headquarters from Ottawa to Toronto. A full-time ED and a part-time Communications Specialist were hired.

In 1999, CAO undertook a three-year strategic plan that would redefine its mandate, broaden its constitution to include new types of membership beyond community arts councils and examine new opportunities for expanding its programs and services.

In 2000, CAO changed its constitution to broaden the membership base to include other types of community arts organizations and community cultural development contributors. Recognizing the potential for new links being formed, CAO began expanding its membership outreach to organizations and individual artists involved in community arts practice and further develop programs and services that would address the needs of its growing constituency. In 2001, the board revisited its strategic plan and changed its mission to better reflect the current membership.

Two significant research studies were carried out in 2003 and 2004: The Cultural Mapping Project and Leading Community Arts into the Future. The former identified diverse community arts organizations and practitioners in the province, assessed their needs and made recommendations on how CAO can serve those needs. The latter study surveyed community arts practices nationally and internationally in order to identify options for the continued viability of arts councils.

In 2005 CAO began implementing the recommendations and strategic plan that emerged from these two projects.