2026-2027 Session Descriptions & Learning Outcomes

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November 6, 2026 ~Welcome & Introduction to Change

This 3-hour, virtual session will set participants up for success by both introducing them to the program in more detail and offering a level-set of understandings around adaptive change.

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November 26, 2026 ~ Authentic Leadership in Times of Complexity

Facilitator: David Irvine

 

Description

Today’s unprecedented complexity gives arts leaders an important opportunity to pause, reflect, and renew how they lead. In a time of disruption and constant change, this session invites participants to explore new ways of connecting with themselves and their teams in positive, productive, and engaging ways. We all have the capacity to inspire and empower others, but that begins with a commitment to our own growth and development as leaders.

 

This session establishes a foundation for understanding leadership as presence rather than position. It is built on the premise that who you are as a person is your most valuable contribution. Through reflection and practice, participants will deepen self-awareness, experience the transformative power of authenticity, embrace change, and sustain the personal wellness necessary to lead meaningfully and powerfully in the arts community.

 

Together, we will focus on:

• Authenticity: Discover the true source of leadership power – your authentic self – and how to amplify your ability to connect with, and influence, others

• Renewed Leadership: Learn key leadership strategies that ensure a renewed sense of trust, engagement, and accountability

• Embracing Change: Discover tools and strategies for getting through disruption and chaos in a way that builds strength and support throughout your organization

• Personal Wellness: Leave with practical insights and strategies to stay strong mentally so you can support those who depend on you

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will have:

• Fresh insight, renewed clarity, and concrete tools to lead with greater presence, confidence, and impact
• A deeper connection to your authentic self - the foundation of leadership in the arts community
• Skills for leading through the human complexity of change
• A reminder of the importance of personal wellness as a leader, and strategies for making yourself a priority to best serve others

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November 27, 2026 ~ Cultural Awareness as Leadership Practice

Facilitator: Toyin Oladele

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Description

​This session is a capacity building experience for arts leaders who want to lead with clarity, courage, and cultural intelligence in a rapidly shifting sector. It explores how culture shapes leadership, communication, conflict, and organizational behaviour, and equips leaders with practical tools to build resilient, inclusive, and adaptive teams.

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The session works across two interconnected lenses:

Organizational Lens

How culture functions as invisible infrastructure inside arts organizations, shaping hiring, communication, decision‑making, resource allocation, and institutional norms.

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Interpersonal Lens

How cultural dynamics appear in team relationships, communication styles, conflict patterns, and leadership behaviour.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Navigate conflict in teams and communities with increased confidence and capacity
• Apply frameworks for institutional leadership using a harm reduction mindset
• Embed cultural awareness strategies into long term leadership practice
• Understand how culture shapes communication, conflict, and decision making
• Lead with cultural humility, curiosity, and relational intelligence
• Build team environments that support psychological safety, creativity, and resilience

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January 14, 2027 ~ Leading Through Change: The People Side

Facilitator: Jeanne LeSage, LeSage Arts Management

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Description

In the midst of responding to the complexity and relentless uncertainty of our time, how can leaders look at and balance managing the HR and People systems in their organizations? While leaders are asked to juggle ever-shifting strategic and operational goals, they are also holding space for all the PEOPLE in the system - from new work models to a new ’social contract’ of communication and expectations with staff. This session will explore how to navigate these challenges and create the systems to support organizational needs while empowering teams; and how leaders can find ways to care for themselves, modelling resiliency and balance to others.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the session, you will learn, discuss and workshop:

• In the midst of uncertainty/change/crisis, how do I as a leader look at and BALANCE managing 1) The Organization, 2) The Team, 3) Myself

  • The Organization - how to manage juggling ever-changing external forces with asking our team to deliver on organizational results.  How do we translate the organization’s needs into the work of the team in a constant climate of change?

  • The Team - What systems can help support both those org needs, as well as empowering the team - organizational structure, decision making structures, organizational culture, productive conflict, and more.  How to manage alignment of expectations, resiliency and needs of the team

  • Myself - how to do all this while ‘managing’ yourself, modelling resiliency and balance to others

• And how do we pull all of that together in a reasonable and practical way with tangible steps to take back to our organizations?

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January 15, 2027 ~ Complex Communications in Leadership

Facilitator: Alex Middleton, Champion Communications

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Description

It’s been said that all problems are communications problems. This is only amplified in today’s 24/7 news and social media landscape, where a single post, a poorly worded statement, a viral video filmed at your event, or a slow response can quickly spiral into a days-long crisis that causes lasting reputational damage for your organization.

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At a time when organizations are under more scrutiny that ever, we'll discuss how best to lead through sticky scenarios. Using recent real-life examples, as well as workshopping the potential crisis scenarios that keep you up at night, together we'll work through how to lead through complex communications. 
 
This session will offer insights and tools around strategic communications in times of complexity, with a focus on media relations, crisis communications and reputation management. Led by former journalist turned comms pro Alex Middleton of Champion Communications & PR, this interactive session offers participants practical strategies and practice for navigating their organization through tough times.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Develop and deliver clear, authentic key messages and narrative framing across internal channels and external communications including media interviews, public panels, and speaking engagements

• Gain hands-on experience handling real-world communications scenarios, from friendly rooms to high-stakes crises, while staying in-control of your message

• Explore how to communicate effectively and authentically with boards, staff, and community stakeholders during difficult times and learn practical tools for building trust and maintaining credibility

• Develop strategies for addressing sensitive socio-political issues with clarity, empathy, and purpose

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March 11, 2027~Leading Strategic Revenue Generation

Facilitator: Jeni Piepgrass, Bespoke Social Profit Solutions

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Description

Revenue generation is always a team sport, and leaders who are informed and prepared will be best equipped to play their part and drive success. This session will offer best practice insights into setting priorities, providing a framework and supporting your team in achieving the organization’s goals.

 

Are you looking to implement a strategic revenue generating program that is abundant and resilient? This session will help you gauge which kinds of fundraising are best suited to your mission and your resources and develop a revenue program plan tailored to your organization. A full-day workshop that covers organizational readiness, the various ways to raise revenue and the associated risks and opportunities, staffing models, setting budgets & revenue targets, and much more.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Articulate the full spectrum of revenue streams available to arts non-profits — earned income, individual and major giving, corporate and foundation support, government funding, and blended models

• Conduct an honest assessment of their organization's current revenue mix, identifying over-reliance, untapped assets, and strategic gaps

• Apply a practical framework for evaluating revenue diversification opportunities against mission alignment, organizational capacity, and risk tolerance

• Identify and map internal assets — relationships, talent, space, programming, intellectual property — as potential revenue levers

• Leave with a draft organizational revenue diversification roadmap or priority action plan relevant to their specific context

• Build shared language and peer accountability within the cohort around financial sustainability

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March 12, 2027~Leading Collaboration (Working Title)

Facilitator: Gideon Arthurs, Soulpepper Theatre

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Description

In today’s uncertain and complex landscape, arts leaders and organizations must grow beyond transactional relationships to build strategic partnerships that foster shared purpose and organizational resilience. An exploration of the opportunities, benefits and challenges of creating collaborations beyond your discipline or sector to build a whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts.

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April 22 & 23, 2027 ~ Shaping the Shift: Designing Change in the Arts

Facilitators: Jennifer DeDominicis, Distill Consulting; Brian Loevner, BLVE Consulting; Simon Mallett, Rozsa Foundation

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Description

As arts organizations, we recognize the urgent need for transformation. Traditional business models and ways of working no longer align with the rapidly evolving world around us. The social, political, and economic landscapes have shifted dramatically, and without meaningful change, organizations risk becoming disconnected from the communities and supporters we serve. Yet, the idea of organizational change can feel daunting. Where do we begin? How do we clearly identify the challenges we face and design effective strategies to address them?

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Shaping the Shift is designed to meet this moment. The session will offer practical tools, frameworks, and insights to empower arts leaders to lead change with confidence. By synthesizing key learnings from the broader Horizons program, it will help leaders chart realistic, actionable paths forward—ensuring their organizations are not only resilient but also relevant and thriving in today’s dynamic environment.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Analyze current organizational challenges through an adaptive lens to identify underlying systemic issues

• Reframe complex situations as opportunities for growth and transformation

• Develop strategies to foster a culture of agility and learning within your ecology

• Apply practical frameworks and tools for leading change within your organization

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June 3, 2027 ~ Relational Leadership in Action

Facilitator: Shannon Litzenberger

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Description

In a time of accelerating complexity, volatility, and change, leadership demands more than expertise and control—it calls for attunement, adaptability, and a capacity to respond from our deepest values while understanding our interconnectedness within larger systems. Relational Leadership in Action will explore an expanded repertoire of leadership through embodied, relational practice that recognizes how our actions ripple through networks, organizations, and communities.

Together, we'll examine the habitual patterns that shape our perception, decisions, and actions—often unconsciously—and learn to interrupt those scripts in service of more conscious, values-aligned leadership. Through sensory awareness, relational attunement, and playful experimentation, we'll cultivate the embodied presence needed to lead with greater flexibility, resilience, and creativity while developing our capacity to see and work with interconnected webs of relationships.

We will practice navigating complexity not by tightening control, but by deepening connection—within ourselves, with others, and with the living systems we are part of. We'll explore sharing agency, working across differences, and bridging boundaries between sectors and perspectives to co-create possibilities that support both local and systemic thriving.

This session is both a personal and systems inquiry—an invitation to lead in ways that serve our interconnected world's emergent needs.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Recognize how embodied awareness and habitual patterns influence perceptions, decisions, and leadership behaviors

• Practice relational attunement skills that deepen presence, foster trust, and expand their capacity for flexible, resilient, and creative leadership

• Apply embodied practices to interrupt unconscious scripts, align choices with core values, and navigate complexity by deepening connection over control

• Explore how to share agency, work across differences, and bridge boundaries between sectors and perspectives to co-create systemic possibilities

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June 4, 2027 ~ Shaping the Shift: Exploring Small Experiments

Facilitators: Jennifer DeDominicis, Distill Consulting; Simon Mallett, Rozsa Foundation​​

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Description

A final day to wrap up design of small experiments working in your innovation teams, with an opportunity for you to shareback where you're at.

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