Planning Your Trip to Symposium 2026
Below you will find some information that we hope will help you plan your trip to Unearthing SPARCs of Creativity - the 2026 SPARC Symposium in Sudbury from May 21 to May 24.
Image description: a black background with the following logos at the bottom: SPARC, Canada, Ontario, Ontario Arts Council. A text box in the centre is circled by a light beam with a star at either end and reads: UNEARTHING SPARCS OF CREATIVITY
Thursday May 21 - Opening Reception - Sudbury Theatre Centre
Join us from 7-8:30pm at the Sudbury Theatre Centre for our Opening Reception. Veronica Johnny will lead our Welcome and there will be speeches from the Minister of Rural Affairs, the Mayor of Sudbury, the Ontario Arts Council and our own Sandy Irvin (Chair, Board of Directors for SPARC).
Music will be provided by Emma McDaniel and Jamie Dupuis.
There will be a cash bar and light food will be available (a shawarma bar!).
Friday May 22 - First Full Day! - Collège Boréal
We’ll start the day with Morning Movement with Jillian Peever, then participants can attend 2 of 5 workshops in the morning. The afternoon will focus on group sessions including a funders panel and a strategic planning workshop.
Friday’s workshops are (click here for more info on the workshops and presenters):
Creative Intelligence: Unearthing AI’s Role in Arts Administration - Diane Davy & Stephanie Draker - Work in Culture
Meet the Exquisite Corpse: A Surrealist Introduction to Creative Collaborations - Lisa Poushinsky - Kemptville Street Piano & Voyageur Art & Music School
Are you building Switzerland? How to Run a Performing Arts Venue in a Growing Rural Community - Eric Goudie - Fergus Grand Theatre, Community Presenters’ Network, & Grinder Productions
Building Success Through Strong RURAL Partnerships - Susanne Larner
Press Ready: Writing Effective Press Releases for Rural and Small-Town Media - Patrick Raftis
Funders Panel - representatives from Canadian Arts Presentation Fund, Ontario Arts Council, Canada Council for the Arts, Northern Ontario Heritage Fund, and the Sudbury Community Foundation. Sandy Irvin will facilitate this panel.
Note - both the OAC and the Canada Council will be setting up short, one-to-one sessions throughout Friday to meet with participants and have private conversations about funding!
The Funder’s panel will be followed by Strategic Arts Planning in Rural and Remote Communities: From Policy to Practice with Cultural Strategist, Bridget MacIntosh.
New this year - Indigenous Arts Panel - this panel will take a look at Indigenous Arts in Ontario today and will be comprised of Terri Brennan (LodgePole Arts Alliance), Veronica Johnny and Shawn McLaren. Jason Manitowabi will facitllaite this panel.
Peer to Peer sessions - there will be one facilitated peer-to-peer session on Friday.
Entertainment - there will be a performance by InterComplementary Journeys before dinner.
Meals - coffee and tea with fruit, muffins & croissants available in the morning, lunch and dinner provided.
Saturday May 23 - Second day!!
We’ll be at Collège Boréal until 2:30pm.
We’ll start the day with a facilitated peer-to-peer session. After this there will be a chance to attend another workshop, the 2028 Symposium announcement, and the CAPACOA Knowledge Cafe! All of this before you head out on one (or more) of the amazing excursions we have arranged for you.
Saturday’s workshops are (click here for more info on the workshops and presenters):
Slowing Down - Erin Ball & Maxime Beauregard - InterComplementary Journeys
RAPP BNGO: Making Room For Play - DJ Seith
Accessibility as Everyday Practice for Presenters - Lindsay Fisher & Rachel Marks - Creative Connector
CAPACOA Knowledge Cafe - after the workshops, we’ll grab our boxed lunches and begin the Knowledge Cafe! Each table will host a different topic (is there a topic you feel you want to lead? Let Rachel or Daniel know!), stay at one or flow between as many as you’d like. We’ll get into the nitty gritty with 2×30 minute sessions to discuss and share your knowledge!
Excursions!
From 2:30-5:30 you can attend any of the following excursions:
Rainbow Routes Walk - Participants are invited to step just beyond the city's paved pathways and into Sudbury's urban trail network through a guided walk led by Rainbow Routes Association. This local not-for-profit is dedicated to building, maintaining, and promoting non-motorized trails across the region, helping residents and visitors connect more deeply with the landscape.
This one-hour excursion will take a small group (20–25 participants) along select urban hiking trails, offering insight into the natural and cultural features that shape Sudbury's outdoor spaces. Expect a mix of forested paths, rugged terrain, and moments of quiet reflection, all within city limits.
Participants will gather at a designated meeting point between 3:00 and 3:15 PM before setting out. This guided experience offers a unique opportunity to engage with Sudbury's natural environment in a more intimate and grounded way.
Downtown Venue Tour and Reading -This guided tour offers participants an opportunity to experience Greater Sudbury's downtown arts infrastructure, beginning at Refettorio (at 2:30pm), a distinctive open-air performance space that reflects the city's commitment to accessible, community-centered arts programming.
From there, the group will move through a selection of nearby cultural venues, gaining insight into the organizations, spaces, and creative activity that animate Sudbury's core. The tour will conclude at Sudbury Theatre Centre, one of Northern Ontario's leading professional theatre companies, where participants will attend a live script reading.
This excursion offers a layered look at the city's performing arts ecosystem—from informal outdoor gathering spaces to established theatrical institutions—highlighting the range and vitality of Sudbury's cultural landscape.
Play Contest Readings -Want to attend the readings but the venues tour isn’t for you? Then join us at the Sudbury Theatre Centre at 4pm for the readings of the three winning playwriting contest scripts! You can sit back and listen, or you can volunteer to be a reader!
Mural Tour in Association with Up Here - In partnership with UP Here, participants are invited to explore Greater Sudbury's vibrant public art scene through a guided mural tour. For over a decade, UP Here has helped transform the city's downtown core through its annual urban arts festival, commissioning large-scale murals and its "Power Up" box program, which brings creative expression to everyday infrastructure.
This guided experience will highlight a selection of these works, offering insight into the artists behind them, the stories they tell, and the evolving identity of Sudbury's urban landscape. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how public art has contributed to placemaking and cultural dialogue within the city.
This walking tour provides an engaging and accessible way to experience Sudbury's creative energy while connecting with the people and ideas shaping its visual culture.
People of the Watershed: Photographs by John Macfie - Join us for this private tour of the Art Gallery of Sudbury’s exhibit of the photographs of John Macfie. People of the Watershed: Photographs by John Macfie includes more than 100 photographs taken by John Macfie (1925–2018), a settler trapline manager who worked in Northern Ontario in the 1950s and 1960s. Macfie travelled with a camera, recording life in Anishinaabe, Cree, and Anisininew communities during a period of intense and rapid change. The people and places of Attawapiskat, Sandy Lake, Mattagami, and other communities across the Hudson's Bay watershed are revealed through his lens in ways that emphasize the warmth and continuity of community life. Curated by nîpisîhkopâwiyiniw (Willow Cree) curator, writer, journalist, cultural advocate, and commentator Paul Seesequasis, the exhibition centers the lives and resiliency of the Indigenous people represented, many of whom have been identified by Macfie and Seesequasis.
Self-Guided Exploration at Science North & Dynamic Earth
Throughout the day on Saturday, May 23, Symposium participants are invited to explore Science North and/or Dynamic Earth at their own pace, with 50% discounted admission included as part of their pass (show your SPARC button!). One of Northern Ontario's most celebrated attractions, Science North offers an engaging blend of interactive exhibits, immersive environments, and hands-on learning experiences.
Located on the shores of Ramsey Lake, the site features expansive green space and a scenic lakeside boardwalk, offering opportunities to step outside and take in the surrounding landscape between exhibits. Inside, visitors can explore galleries focused on regional ecology, freshwater systems, innovation, space, and human perception.
Whether attending a live demonstration, wandering through exhibits, or enjoying the natural setting, this flexible excursion offers an accessible and enriching way to experience Sudbury's spirit of curiosity and connection.
Closing Dinner, Showcase and Dance Party at Science North!
It’s our last full day, so we thought we’d end on a high note! Dinner will begin with cocktails (cash bar) and move to a full meal followed by showcases of local Sudbury performers (curated by Daniel!) and then ending with an epic dance party under the rocks of Sudbury with music provided by DJ Groovy Betty!
Peer to Peer sessions - there will be one peer-to-peer facilitated session on Saturday.
Entertainment - Showcases by local performers and a dance party!
Meals - coffee and tea with fruit, muffins & croissants available in the morning, bagged/boxed lunch and dinner provided.
Sunday May 24 - Sudbury Indie Cinema
It’s the second biennial Redefining Rural and Remote - the SPARC Short Film Festival! Join us at 10:30am at the Sudbury Indie Cinema for the screening of 10 amazing rural and remote short films from across the country and from Canadian filmmakers working outside of the country. What a way to end our Symposium!
After the screenings and prizes have been handed out, we will say our goodbyes until the next time we see each other.
