About us
Labour in the Arts is an artsworker collective that attempts to observe and demystify the Canadian arts industry through experimentation and with creative projects.
We want to empower our community by creating pathways to knowledge, so that anyone can critically navigate the industry — and challenge the conditioned notion that institutionalized education is a prerequisite to succeed in the arts.
We want to shift industry discussions around cultural policy and institutional practices from the boardroom to the workroom.
Our collective was created in 2020, and is currently grassroots and volunteer run. Our work is evolving and in very slow progress. This website is one of the first projects in our strategic vision.
We have not written this strategic vision yet.
our collective
This is the team who are working on this website, whenever we have time. We invite labour on a needs and case-by-case basis. If you are interesting in working with us in any capacity, you can reach all of us at admin@labourinthearts.com
Jason Li (he/him) holds a MEd in Curriculum & Pedagogy at OISE University of Toronto and a BA (Hons.) in Arts Management, Music & Culture, and Sociology at University of Toronto Scarborough. His independent research focuses on critically assessing arts labour reports and the history of precarity in the arts.
He looks forward to the infinite conversations that can arise from this website.
Emily (she/her) is an artist and artsworker working in Toronto with a focus on the nonprofit arts sector.
She has been working in cultural organizations such as The Theatre Centre, Toronto International Festival of Authors and Theatre Passe Muraille with a keen interest in Canadian cultural policy, nonprofit labour advocacy and community centric fundraising.
Wing is an emerging artist and arts worker who graduated from the University of Toronto Scarborough (HBA) in Arts Management, Studio Art and Curatorial Studies.
She has worked in art groups and organizations such as InsideOut Film Festival, ARTSIDEOUT 2020, Toronto Outdoor Art Fair and ‘Spread Arts: The Pandemic Auction!’
Navigating a career path as an arts labourer is allowing her to experience & observe issues that are seldom discussed/ taught in the classroom nor within the sector. She believes that through a creative practice of learning, researching and decoding, more peers like herself can better understand and get involved in important conversations that can impact us in many different ways.
Amanda Lin 林美智 (she/her) is a queer Taiwanese-Canadian playwright, director, producer, and performer. She is interested in using art and storytelling to cultivate compassionate and dynamic communities. Currently, she can be found producing the Performance and XR conference and leading emerging artist programs at Nightwood Theatre, as well as collaborating with the Labour in the Arts Collective on free community events for artsworkers.
Her first full-length play, Between a Wok and a Hot Pot premiered with Cahoots Theatre in January 2023 and received 6 Dora nominations in the Independent category, including Outstanding Performance for Amanda and Outstanding Production.
Amanda enjoys lying on the floor.
Connect with us
You can reach all of us at admin@labourinthearts.com or follow us on Instagram @labourinthearts