Carissa Ainslie Email and Phone Number

In my role of executive director, I have the pleasure of developing strategic partnerships and creating opportunities for artists to showcase their work.

The Meadows is an artist residency and retreat space in Pictou County Nova Scotia. Located on the Trans Canada Trail on the northern part of the province, The Meadows is the perfect destination for quiet calm reflection and for working on your art practice.

Antigonight: Art After Dark Festival is a free arts festival that aims to be inclusive and accessible to all persons.

Antigonight: Art After Dark Festival is a free arts festival that aims to be inclusive and accessible to all persons. Successfully coordinated the shut down of part of Main Street Antigonish for the main festival eveningFacilitated key partnerships and sponsorships that helped make the festival happenWorked with the art director to ensure artists needs were met for their projects/installations Oversaw a small team of summer students

Provided tech support to facilitators and clients via Zoom, WebEx and Teams for virtual workshopsActed as a liaison for key stakeholders to ensure client satisfactionUsed Indesign and Word to continuously update workshop manuals, marketing materials and other documentsPrepared materials for public and internal workshopsManaged the implementation of LearnDash, a learning management system

Founded the Made by Feminists makers market which first took place during the 2015 conference. FAC has partnered with the Gladstone Hotel for two holiday marketsMaintained and updated the FAC website (factoronto.org)Organized meetings between FAC and other community organizations Communicated with artists and workshop leaders regarding FAC 2015As an OCAD Alumni, I used my insight to help conference planningAssisted with FAC's first artist residency at Artscape Gibraltar Point

Feminist Art Festival March 2020Exhibition/Film Night/Conference/MarketOversaw the various committee's (curation, programming, marketing) and provided updates to the group as a wholeCollaborated with over 30 volunteers to ensure each element of the festival ran smoothlyConnected with community partners to present the film night, keynote performance and exhibition highlight

Was instrumental in creating the Connections Gallery brand, a photography gallery in Toronto's east end. The gallery provided space for new and emerging artists to showcase and speak about their work.The most thrilling element was fostering partnerships with other spaces and creatives to bring pop up exhibitions to various Canadian and US cities (Montreal, Vancouver, New Orleans, Washington DC, Brooklyn)Further highlights:Built a network of photographers, gallery's and curators Cross-pollination events - Hosted designer pop ups for the Offsite Design Fest and community events for Culture DaysSocial Media, Blog and Constant Contact Frame assembly Outreach and communicationsCurated group and community exhibitions (George Brown College's 50x50 Exhibition 2018, Through a Lens: Our Female Gaze 2018)Moderated panel discussions (The Preparator and the Printer: A Conversation on Photography, Glare Festival Photography Panel, Connect Photo Weekend: Preparing yourself and your work for a gallery & The business of photography)

Event and admin assistantPerformed outreach Social mediaUploaded content to website and app

Assisted OCADU faculty Natalie Waldburger in writing the SSHRC grant for FAC 2015 - Sent proposal call for submissions out to Canadian art community- Managed submissions, keeping track via an excel sheet- Researched budget aspect of grant

Developed leads for articles and presented them to writers.Kept in constant contact with writers, copy editors and editor-in-chiefUploaded web content to website as well as Facebook.Managed the art section email address

Greeted and welcomed clients into the clinic.Handled cash and major credit cards as well as client insurance formsAnswered up to 5 phone lines.Educated clients on food, medication and treatments.Filled prescriptionsWorked with a team of Veterinarians, Technicians and other Receptionists to ensure an excellent customer experience.