Gatherings in Arts Leadership: Creating Meaningful Connections

Meaningful exchanges don’t often happen by accident. It requires time, space, and intentionality to step away from daily demands. Engaging in deep conversations fosters learning, broadens perspectives, and sparks new ideas. Unfortunately, many arts leaders find it almost impossible to create that space.

To address this challenge, the Rozsa Foundation is proud to introduce Gatherings in Arts Leadership. This initiative, in partnership with the Flanagan Foundation and in collaboration with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, provides opportunities for reflection and connection. It aims to inspire deeper thinking about the future of the arts sector.

Gatherings: Retreat

Retreat offers a unique opportunity for leaders managing business operations within Alberta-based arts organizations. This includes Executive & Managing Directors, General Managers, and Senior Directors. It is designed as a week-long convening at the stunning Banff Centre. The retreat will take place from September 7th to 14th, 2025.

Comprehensive costs for the retreat, including travel, accommodation, meals, and activities, will be covered for all participants. Arts leaders face significant and complex challenges every day. Burnout is a constant reality, and it’s difficult to keep up with increasing job demands. Often, finding time to plan for the future, reflect on the bigger picture, or dream about possibilities is hard.

Addressing the Challenges of Arts Leadership

Retreat aims to tackle these challenges head-on. It brings together a diverse group of leaders from various artistic disciplines and organization sizes. This unique opportunity allows them to connect, learn, and rejuvenate over the course of nine days at the Banff Centre.

The programming is intentionally light. It consists of short daily gatherings, where the content is informed by participant input ahead of time. Mealtimes offer avenues for casual conversation, fostering connections among participants. Open workspaces will be available, allowing for flexible engagement with colleagues. Optional artistic encounters and social activities may also enrich the experience.

This retreat provides participants the freedom to use their time as they wish. They can engage with outdoor activities, focus on long-term challenges, or work on projects that have been set aside. There are no expected outcomes other than those participants set for themselves.

Central to this initiative is the idea of a retreat—a time to recharge in whatever way best suits each individual leader’s needs. The only requests of participants include joining the daily shared gatherings and providing feedback through an end-of-retreat evaluation. This feedback will help shape future iterations of the retreat.

Gatherings: Nourish

Nourish is an informal supper gathering and group coaching opportunity. Here, experienced arts leaders come together to break bread and discuss the challenges facing the arts sector today. In this cohort-based setting, participants share insights, experiences, and knowledge. The focus is on cultivating practice and building capacity around complex questions.

Jennifer DeDominicis, Organizational Strategy Advisor and Certified Organizational Coach, will lead Nourish sessions. There may also be additional featured speakers invited to share their insights and resources. Valuable resources for learning and professional development will be made available to enhance ongoing growth.

Nourish will occur four times in the next year: September 29, 2025, November 17, 2025, January 19, 2026, and March 16, 2026. Participants must commit to attending all dates to ensure continuity and a deeper exploration of shared challenges.

Application Process

Arts leaders interested in participating in either Gatherings in Arts Leadership offerings can express their interest by completing a short form at the link below by Friday, June 27, 2025.

Given that we anticipate more interest than we can accommodate, cohorts will be crafted by mid-July. This will be based on desired session themes and the perceived benefit of Gatherings to participating arts leaders. For any questions, reach out to Simon Mallett, Executive Director of the Rozsa Foundation, at simon@rozsafoundation.com.

Apply now