Rozsa Foundation presents Gatherings in Arts Leadership

Meaningful exchange doesn’t often happen by accident. It takes time, space, and intentionality to step away from the demands of day-to-day work and engage in deep conversation — the kind that fosters learning, broadens perspectives, and sparks new ideas. Yet for many arts leaders, creating that space can feel nearly impossible.

Recognizing this challenge, the Rozsa Foundation is launching Gatherings in Arts Leadership, presented in partnership with the Flanagan Foundation and in collaboration with Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, to provide opportunities for reflection and connection that foster deeper thinking about the future of the sector. Gatherings has two streams of engagement: Retreat, a week-long convening at the Banff Centre, and Nourish, a quarterly dinner series designed to foster ongoing dialogue among peers. 

Gatherings: Retreat 

Retreat provides an opportunity for leaders tasked with the management of business operations for Alberta-based arts organizations (Executive & Managing Directors, General Managers, Senior Directors, etc.) to convene, converse, learn, reflect, and rejuvenate at a eight-day retreat that prioritizes their individual needs and takes place amidst the restorative and replenishing backdrop of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Retreat will take place from September 7th to 14th, 2025. All costs for the retreat, including travel, accommodation, meals, and activities, are covered for all participants.Arts leaders are facing immense and complex challenges. Burnout is a constant reality, and leaders struggle to keep up with the ever-increasing demands of the job, never mind finding time to contemplate the bigger picture, plan for the future, or dream about what could be. Space for personal reflection and rejuvenation is rare. 

Retreat is an attempt to begin addressing these challenges by bringing together a cohort of leaders of Alberta arts organizations of various disciplines and organization sizes to the Banff Centre for 9 days that will provide convening and learning opportunities, as well as time and space to undertake personal reflection and rejuvenation. 

The formal programming of the retreat will be minimal, consisting of short daily convenings, the content of which will be informed by the participants’ input ahead of the retreat. Mealtimes will be shared, providing opportunities for casual conversation between participants, and open workspaces will be available throughout the rest of the day. In addition, optional artistic encounters and social activities will be made available to participants.

Beyond this light agenda, time at the retreat will belong to the participants to use as they see fit. They may choose to rest or engage in outdoor activities, focus on longer-term challenges within their organizations, or embark on a project that has been sitting on the back burner. There are no expected outcomes for participants beyond those they set for themselves. 

Central to this initiative is the notion of this being a retreat, one that fuels these arts leaders in whatever way suits their needs. The only requests of the participants will be that they participate in the daily shared convenings and provide feedback through an end-of-retreat evaluation, which will inform the iteration of the retreat for future years.   

Gatherings: Nourish 

Nourish is an informal supper gathering and group coaching opportunity where experienced arts leaders break bread and connect to collectively break down the challenges of the moment. In this cohort-based offering, participants will be invited to share insights, experiences and knowledge with the aim of cultivating practice and capacity around complex questions. 

Jennifer DeDominicis, Organizational Strategy Advisor and Certified Organizational Coach, will lead the sessions and where possible, other featured speakers may be invited to participate as additional resources. Resources for learning and professional development will be shared to support learning and ongoing development.

 Nourish will occur four times in the next year:  September 29, 2025, November 17, 2025, January 19, 2026 and March 16, 2026, and participants must be available to attend all dates.  

To Apply

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

We expect there to be more interest than we can accommodate - cohorts will be crafted by mid-July based on alignment of desired session themes and the perceived benefit of the Gatherings to the participating arts leaders. If you have any questions, please reach out to Rozsa Foundation Executive Director Simon Mallett at simon@rozsafoundation.com .

Apply now