CRISPiE is currently undergoing an organizational restructuring. Our previous leadership team (the two Artistic Directors and our primary administrator) have all resigned or stepped away from the organization for various reasons. If you require more information or have questions or comments about this shift please email the board directly at cripsieboard@gmail.com, fill out our anonymous form https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6GM3Q3K or join us at our members meeting in the coming weeks. In the coming months, we will be creating, in collaboration with the Artistic Associates, a code of conduct for our artists and board members, developing policies to ensure the respect, dignity, equity, inclusion and safety of all individuals involved in the organization, and re-evaluating our core values. For the interim, CRIPSiE will be exploring ways on how it will function within a collective leadership model. For example, the current Artistic Associates will collectively make all artistic decisions about programs and activities the organization carries out. CRIPSiE will be looking to hire an administrative staff member to take on our administrative tasks this season and to liaise/skillshare with our AA’s who would like to take on more administrative responsibilities. We have made sure that our budget reflects that all artists and individuals are paid for all of their administrative and artistic work.
We will be hosting a meeting for our membership in the coming weeks to answer any questions people might have about CRIPSiE moving forward and our current season. We will be embarking on our bi-annual production in October 2020. In this production, we will be showcasing local choreographers as well as a new commissioned piece by Peggy Baker. The Peggy Baker project will be an open call meaning it is open to all CRIPSiE artists, past, present and new. Our community classes started up on September 15th, and run Sundays, 11am-1pm at Fringe Theatre Adventures until December 1st. All are welcome and we are happy to provide access support for anyone who would like to attend with advance notice to cripsieartisticassociates@gmail.com. Finally, we are currently accepting applications for new Artistic Associates and board members. If you are interested in joining CRIPSiE please email info@cripsie.ca for more information. Please keep posted on social media for details on meetings, classes and open call submissions. At this time we would like to express our grief and sadness to be losing these three individuals. They have built CRIPSiE into what it is today with countless volunteer hours and a labour of love. They are all outstanding individuals with so much to offer and they will be greatly missed. We are so grateful for the work and heart that they have put into this organization. CRIPSiE would not be what it is today without them. We can’t thank them enough for what they have contributed to this organization and we can not express how deeply troubled and remorseful we are that this breakdown has caused them each so much hurt. We wish them nothing but success moving forward and we hope to engage with them again in the future.
This has been a time for all in CRIPSiE to re-evaluate and seek information from the leadership, Artistic Associates, artists and our community as to the core values, desires for projects, and what the future for our community should include. We are all learning, and appreciate your time and patience. We are striving to use the data collected in the surveys to transition towards an organization structure and leadership model that will reflect the changes our community wishes to see. We hope to support this new structure through updated codes of conduct and policies, all while respecting the team who has founded CRIPSiE.