As part of the Indigenous Creative Spaces Project, a series of conversations around the Legacy Stories of Indigenous creative spaces in Ontario took place from September 2020 to January 2022.

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Guided by an Indigenous Advisory Circle and supported by ArtsBuild Ontario (ABO), the project aims to build a knowledge base for Indigenous artists, communities, and the Ontario arts sector on what is needed to foster the development of Indigenous creative spaces. 

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Legacy Stories were an opportunity for Indigenous arts organizations and community members to come together in circle and tell the story of their creative and cultural spaces. The Indigenous Advisory Circle and ABO collaboratively developed questions to more broadly support the breadth of each space’s story. Questions were based around the following areas:

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Where have you come from? This question provided an opportunity for the storytellers to share the history of how their organization and creative space came to be, from visioning to creation of the space.

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Where were you going? This question inspired discussion centred around the vision and needs that inspired the development of the organization and/or space, as well as the risks and barriers to the space in its early years.

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Where are you now? This question prompted each Legacy Story Circle to speak to how the space operates today. Discussion also touched on the current needs of the space, challenges faced, and what the space offers to communities today.

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Where are you going? Each Legacy Story shared the needs and goals for the future of each creative space. Legacy Story Circles explored methods to increase the sustainability and longevity of their spaces.