The Orillia & District Arts Council
23 Mississaga St W L3V 3A5

Workshop #2 and 4 more coming!

Congratulations to Mary Ann Tully, winner of Sustainable Orillia's first art contest! Her work entitled Hope and Irony expressed the theme of "renewal". Tully will receive a cheque for $75.

Have your say on the future vision for public art in #Orillia. The City's Art in Public Places Committee and the Orillia Museum of Art & History invites residen...ts to provide their comments to help inform a plan for public art in Orillia through an online survey. The survey is available until 4 p.m. on June 7, 2021. Details: http://ow.ly/8Bpt50EJUqn See more

IT'S OFFICIALLY ONLINE! Click the video below to see ODAC's Tribute to Moms. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USjsnR5bwkg

Alert to Artists regarding CERB/CRB Repayments ODAC is a member of CARFAC Ontario and received this update for our creatives. On December 17th, CARFACjoined by twenty representatives of artist and cultural worker associations from across the country, including ACTRA, the Canadian Federa-tion of Musicians, and Canadian Actors Equity Association, collectively representing over 75,000 artists and cultural workersmet with MP Julie Dabrusin (Toronto-Danforth), Parliamentary Secr...etary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and policy advisors from the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Department of National Revenue. Our associations had requested clarity and a change of policy regarding CERB eligibility expressed in the Eligibility Letter. While the meeting did not result in a commitment from the government to change policy or a clarifying public statement, there were several clarifications that the government was able to provide during the meeting: Canadians should know that the CRA letter is not a determination of eligibility, rather it was an early warning sign that the government did not yet have enough information to confirm their eligibility for CERB. The government always said that recipients’ eligibility would be verified after the program’s conclusion. CRA is at the beginning of this process, which will unfold over the coming months. Recipients who received the CRA letter may be eligible for the CERB, and in fact 2020 tax return information will help determine eligibility in many cases, but the CRA has not yet received that information. The CRA issued the letters to allow recipients an opportunity to return amounts in case they find themselves ineligible for one or more CERB periods for which they received the benefit. The timing of the letter and the December 31, 2020, target for returning funds were chosen to prevent impacts on 2020 tax returns and on other benefits such as the Child Care Benefit or GST/HST tax credit. It is not a repayment deadline. There will be no interest or penalties assessed as a result of a CERB recipient not repaying ineligible amounts by December 31, 2020.

ODAC is pleased to share good news with Orillia Youth Centre. Read more about ODAC's donation of a one-year Masterclass subscription to the OYC in the SUNonline/Orillia link below. According to Kevin Gangloff of the OYC, the courses will be set up in the Valis Sound Studio, which is already fitted with a number of tech resources for youth. https://sunonlinemedia.ca//this-week-in-art-culture-enter/ #youth, #donation, #learning, #orillia, #community

ODAC and Lakehead University are pleased to announce a video contest for the holiday season, open to all secondary and post-secondary students. Submit a 30-60 second video inspired by the holiday season, along with $5 entry fee by December 21 for your chance to win $100 Best Buy Gift Card. Winne to be announced December 24. #student #contest #holiday #win

Thanks for the great coverage of this year's Orillia Regional Arts & Heritage Awards. SUNonline/Orillia

Tune into to this year's 2020 Orillia Regional Arts & Heritage Awards Presentation from the comfort of your livingroom. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtOXan2nIkjWI9myVMJt-w "Follow" us inside the Stephen Leacock Museum National Historic Site as we celebrate the valuable contribution that educators, historians, and event organizers and supporters make to the vibrancy of our communities. ... The ORAH Awards are proudly supported by the City of Orillia and generously sponsored by Accutrac Capital Solutions Orillia Museum of Art & History City of Orillia - Municipality

Sarah Pickard and the Sawbones Society are featured in today's Spotlight Series for the ORAH Awards. Check them out November 25 at 7pm Orillia Museum of Art & History

Orillia Fine Arts Association presents the second annual Postcard Project on December 4th and 5th at Hibernation Arts.

From the Government of Canada New funding announced for live performance sector Cultural and recreation industries, which employ hundreds of thousands of Canadians, have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, being among the first to shut down and likely among the last to return to regular activities. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the near complete suspension of live events and arts presentations, affecting thousands of self-employed and freelance artists and e...vent workers across the country. Supporting the live events and arts sectors is expected to benefit a broad diversity of artists and freelance cultural workers, such as performing artists and live event workers, including those from Indigenous, deaf and disability and official language minority communities. This new funding will aim to support arts and culture workers and projects across the country. The arts and live events sector is roughly gender-balanced and has a high proportion of low-income earners. The median individual income of Canadian artists is $24,300, or 44 per cent less than all Canadian workers. To support the planning and presentation of COVID-19-safe events and the arts including both live and digital and to provide work opportunities in these sectors, the government will provide $181.5 million in 2021-22 to the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Council for the Arts to expand their funding programs. This includes a one-year renewal of funding provided in Budget 2019 for the Building Communities through Arts and Heritage program, the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Canada Music Fund.

Spotlighting The Essential Concert Series, nominated for this year's Event in the Arts, Culture and Heritage Award.

Marta Solek is spotlighted here as a nominee for the Emerging Artist Award. Be sure to watch the Awards Presentation Nov 25 at 7pm on Orillia Museum of Art & History's Youtube channel.

Carolyn Leclair of Elite Printing is nominated in the Heritage Restoration, Renovation and Publication Award category. Be sure to congratulate her and all of our nominees for their contribution to the sector.

The spotlight is on MaryJo Pollack, a nominee for this year's nominees Emerging Artist Award. Congratulations MJ on your nomination.

Dave Town, local historian and author, is spotlighted here for his nomination for this year's Heritage Restoration, Renovation and Publication Award.

Introducing Will McGarvey, an artist, entrepreneur, event planner and all around supporter of the arts. Will has been nominated for the Qennefer Browne Achievement Award.