About Us

VISION STATEMENT

Contributing to healthy, vibrant communities in Katarokwi / Kingston through celebration of arts and culture with social, racial, and environmental justice as our guide.

MISSION STATEMENT

SPAF is a grassroots community organization that engages in collective care by fostering diverse cultural activities that are free, collaborative and accessible to all. We create opportunities for making art and being creative together. SPAF supports a sense of enjoyment and civic belonging for diverse communities in Katarokwi / Kingston, with a particular focus on the Skeleton Park neighbourhood.

VALUES STATEMENTS

Collective Care: SPAF values the power of the arts to contribute to the health, well-being and expression of our community members. We strive toward empowerment and compassionate respect in our interactions with others. We prioritize group collaboration in decision-making and art making.

Accessibility: SPAF is committed to free musical and cultural programming that is accessible to all regardless of income and other barriers.

Creativity and Joy: We believe in the power of making art and being creative together, solely for fun and enjoyment.

Environmentalism: We are each care-takers of Skeleton Park, our neighbourhood, Katarokwi/Kingston and the planet. SPAF is committed to practices of waste-free and leave-no-trace.

Anti-oppression and Equity: SPAF is committed to an ongoing process of naming, challenging and transforming unequal power relations. This includes paying artists appropriately for their work.

Anti-racism: SPAF acknowledges racism and white supremacy have dire impacts on people in our community. We are committed to challenging racism and white supremacy in the organization and beyond.

Indigenization: We are committed to meaningful transformation of our practices that return power to Indigenous peoples and prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing and being. SPAF is committed to reconciliation and challenging cultural appropriation.

Accountability: We are committed to open, accessible communication between community members, artists, and the organization. We recognize the importance of feedback, evaluation, transparency, and relationship building as key components of accountability.

Agreed upon by consensus by the SPAF Board of Directors and the Artistic Director on June 24 and 28, 2021.

Skeleton Park Arts Festival and year-round events take place on traditional Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee territory. We are grateful to be able to be live and celebrate art on these lands. The Kingston Indigenous community continues to reflect the area’s Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee roots.


Board of Directors

Jill Glatt (she/her). Board President and Volunteer Coordinator. Jill  is an illustrator, printmaker, arts educator, and French immersion art teacher with the LDSB.

 

 

 

 

 

Sebastian De Line (they/he). Director. Sebastian is an artist, scholar, and Associate Curator, Care & Relations at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre.

Marney McDiairmid (she/her), Past President ExOfficio Director. Marney is a ceramic artist and longtime resident of the Skeleton Park neighbourhood with an ongoing interest in community engaged art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kamryn Marsh (they/them). Secretary. Kamryn is a facilitator, trainer, consultant, leader, and activist. They work as a Settlement Worker at KEYS, serving LGBTQI+ newcomers. They are committed to integrating anti-oppression, equity, accessibility, intersectionality, and liberation for all marginalized communities into community-engaged arts.

Kristin Moriah, Director. Kristin is an award-winning scholar, educator, and Assistant Professor of African American Literary Studies at Queen’s University. She is passionate about Black art and performance. In addition to her volunteer work with the Skeleton Park Arts Festival, her public scholarship includes collaborations with Archives Ontario and the City of Toronto, and presentations for the Ontario Black Historical Society, the Delaware Historical Society, and the Amherstburg Freedom Museum.

 

Carol Ann Budd, Treasurer. She is co-chair of the Aboriginal Council of Queen’s University and sits on the Board of Directors of the Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest.
Carol is the Principal Advisor and Founder of Woodland Wealth, an Indigenous-owned financial planning and investment management firm.
Shes is a proud member of Sagamok Anishnawbek First Nation, part of the Robinson Huron Treaty area.
Mother of 4 and a proud Nokomis/Grandmother of 1 noshenh/grandson.

Staff

Greg Tilson (he/him), Artistic Director.
Greg is a community organizer specializing in arts programming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sol Castañeda (She/ Her). Community Outreach Coordinator (temporary contract).
Sol is a Cultural Manager who has created  initiatives and has developed cultural programming for museums, galleries and independent organizations in Mexico.

SPAF Policy Documents

Guidelines for SPAF Curation of Artists

Guidelines for Selecting Vendors for the Annual Skeleton Park Arts Festival

Guidelines for Retaining Contractors

SPAF Anti-Harassment Policy

 

SPAF Vision, Mission and Values Statements

SPAF was incorporated as a not-for-profit in 2015 and received charitable status from the CRA in 2017.

Annual Reports and Annual General Meeting Information

SPAF Annual Report 2023

SPAF Annual Report 2021

SPAF Annual Report 2020

SPAF AGM Agenda - 8pm Wed Dec 16, 2020

SPAF Annual Report 2019 

SPAF AGM Dec. 1 2019 Minutes

SPAF Membership Application

SPAF Membership Renewal

Sponsors

A big thanks to all of the organizations and businesses in Kingston and beyond that support SPAF:

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