Call for Board Members

Call for Volunteer Board Members:  Common Ground Arts Society

big news from your favourite tiny but mighty arts org getting it done on passion and grit

We’re recruiting Volunteer Board Members for our Board of Directors!

To apply, please e-mail
Deadline to apply: ongoing

Common Ground Arts Society (CGAS) believes in creating safe(r) spaces that allow for creative risk. We commit to sustaining a safe(r) space by respecting, and even boldly loving, everyone who contributes to it. We acknowledge that in order to truly fulfill that commitment, we must work with community and for community.

If you’re interested in working hard, playing hard, serving community, supporting great art, and developing a healthy forward-thinking board that reflects and supports Edmonton’s diverse arts communities, please reach out. We want to hear from you.

We’re whole-heartedly committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, accessible board with directors varying in age, ability, experience, identity, and gender.

Common Ground Arts Society (CGAS) is a registered charitable organization. We radically invite artists of all disciplines at all stages of their career to wildly experiment with process and craft. We believe in people and process over product: come as you are; create from where you’re at; learn, fail, try again, fail better; tend to your whole self; share art, share kindness, share in community. Mentorship and learning is at the core of everything we do: we’re still learning, we’ll never stop learning, and we want to share in those lessons with you.

CGAS flexes these values through two major annual programs alongside various special projects along the way:

• Found Festival celebrates art in unexpected places for four incredible days every July. This multidisciplinary festival supports artists in developing works for parks, storefronts, back alleys, anywhere you can dream of placing big stories and bigger ideas.
• RISER Edmonton supports at least four artists/companies per year with a year of workshops, project mentorship, and resources towards the premiere or workshop of a new large-scale production every February.

Alongside these two main programs, CGAS invests year-round in artists looking to upgrade their skills, practices, and projects.

Active Development of our Board of Directors

We are developing an inclusive board that represents our local community. By 2025, we aim to shift our board makeup to welcome 35% or more members who are Indigenous, Black or People of Colour, and 50% or more members who are women and non-binary people. We welcome individuals who live with disability, people in different age groups, folks who are queer as all heck, and those with an array of lived experiences.

CGAS’s Board of Directors is a vibrant team who work in tandem with contract staff in a variety of areas including but not limited to fundraising, governance, policy, sponsorship and community building. Directors are elected by CGAS membership at the Annual General Meeting each year. We aim to create a Board of Directors to help CGAS dream big, make waves, and smash goals.

Expectations

The Board Member: 

• Should have a passion for arts of any and all disciplines;
• Will attend monthly Board meetings; 
• Serve at least a two-year term;
• Is a volunteer and therefore does not receive compensation, but may be reimbursed for reasonable and authorized expenses while undertaking duties of CGAS;
• Will volunteer with Found Festival;
• Will support all other CGAS events including but not limited to shows, workshops, fundraising events, and silent auctions; and
• Will work with at least one (or more!) Committee(s). 

Skills:

• Policy, accessibility, governance, or finance experience are assets (but not mandatory);
• Enthusiasm to learn more about or experience in board governance;
• Interest in cultivating community and connection.

If you are interested or would like more information, please e-mail  

Deadline to apply: ongoing.