THE COMMONS
Welcome to “The Commons,” your one-stop hub for everything related to arts and climate change response.
Explore this repository of resources from around the globe, including tools, case studies, and essential links that empower you to harness the creative power of the arts in tackling our planet’s most pressing challenges – this space updates on a regular basis, come back often.
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Green Orchestras Guide & Charter for Canada
Orchestras Canada, in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle, has released two essential resources designed to support environmental sustainability within the Canadian orchestral sector: the Environmental Sustainability Guide for Canadian Orchestras: Practical Action...
SAGE – Sustainable Arts & Green Ecosystems
A how-to guide for reducing waste and environmental impacts of the staged environments in the museum, gallery and theatre sectors.
Greening the Screen
This guide is a practical, shareable and actionable resource for producers and other leaders in the motion picture industry. It has been written by independent producers working with sustainability professionals and has been designed to apply equally across genres, company sizes and budget levels.
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Artist-in-Residence Programme — Applications Now Open
The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Science, in partnership with the Department of Visual Arts (Faculty of Arts), has launched a new Artist-in-Residence Programme designed to bring artists and scientists into deep, collaborative research. This cross-faculty initiative supports artists exploring scientific ideas through creative practice while offering access to laboratory environments, Visual Arts studios, and mentorship from leading researchers.
DOC Society Climate Story Fund now open for applications
Deadline to apply: February 7
Information webinar: January 19
Sferik Award: Art in Nature
Deadline to apply: November 17th, 2023
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Crossing Boundaries Symposium
What Happened When Artists and Scientists Shared a Working Table The Crossing Boundaries Symposium brought together artists, scientists, researchers, and community partners for a full day of shared inquiry at the University of Ottawa’s Innova Space. What unfolded was...
Imagination Infrastructure: Artist-Led Just Transition Pilot (Wood Buffalo, 2025–2027)
A community-rooted, artist-led project supporting just-transition conversations in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Through residencies, workshops, public art, and digital storytelling, the project nurtures local leadership in imagining futures beyond oil sands dependency.
c\a\n\a\d\a’s Arts and Culture Sector Mobilises for Climate Action
SCALE is proud to announce the launch of a bold, 18-month initiative that positions c\a\n\a\d\a’s arts and culture sector as an active contributor to climate solutions. Supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and delivered in collaboration with national partners CARFAC, IMAA, ARCA, and PACT, the initiative will build the tools, knowledge, and partnerships needed to embed climate action across the sector.
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Climate Justice: Through the Creative Lens of the Performing Arts
Climate Justice: Through the Creative Lens of the Performing Arts
Decolonial Toolkit for Climate Artists
The Decolonial Toolkit for Climate Artists is a straightforward document that addresses the intersection of colonialism, climate change and the arts.
You can now watch our Climate Justice Webinar on Vimeo!
We were honoured to host Julius Lindsay and Syrus Marcus Ware for the launch of our Art & Climate Conversations with a fascinating and timely discussion on the topic of climate justice. Among many things, Julius and Syrus talked about...
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August 2023: Hope through Action
As I write this, devastating wildfires continue to rage: the city of Yellowknife, as well as the neighbouring Dene communities of Ndilo and Dettah are being evacuated. as well as the neighbouring Dene communities of Ndilǫ and Dettah are being evacuated, the town of...
July 2023 : Growth, degrowth, postgrowth
Thanks to everyone who has already responded to our Network Intake Form. We are excited by your enthusiastic responses so far, and truly amazed by the abundance of knowledge, diverse experiences, insightful perspectives, and creative spirit present within this...
June 2023: A networked sector is a resilient sector
Last Thursday, we held our much-anticipated webinar Reorienting Practice: The role of artists in the climate adaptation emergency with Jen Rae. In her talk, Jen addressed the importance of building resilience in the sector by actively engaging with future scenarios....