FAQs About CultureBrew.Art | CultureBrew.Art

WHY JOIN? ARTISTS - Members ENGAGERS - Subscribers OPPORTUNITIES FEATURE PRIVACY + SECURITY

WHY JOIN?

Who Should Join?

As an initiative created by racialized artists for BIPOC artists, CultureBrew.Art (CBA) welcomes all Indigenous and racialized artists resident in Canada working in every artistic discipline – spanning the literary, media, performing, and visual arts – as well as any person or organization who wishes to find and collaborate with BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour) artists.

Do I have to be a member of a Union or Guild to join?

No. Recognizing that systemic biases and colonial structures limit opportunities for Indigenous and racialized artists, with negative impacts on the ability or even the desire for BIPOC artists to join unions or guilds, CultureBrew.Art refuses to act as yet another gatekeeper in that regard. So as long as you identify as an Indigenous or racialized artist working in the arts, we welcome you to become a member!

How does CultureBrew.Art define “Indigenous”?

There are Indigenous peoples on every continent and island the world over. As a Canadian initiative, CultureBrew.Art allows Indigenous artists to self-identify as First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and/or Mixed Ethnicity, with the ability to add details about your specific nation or territory.

We also welcome Indigenous artists who hail from beyond Turtle Island (North America) – as long as you reside in Canada. The ability to add tags or provide details in your bio allows you to be as specific as you want (e.g. Maori, Samoan, Sámi, Hmong, Maasai, Yucatec, Berber, etc.)

How does CultureBrew.Art define “racialized”?

Language is always evolving. We have chosen “racialized” to describe people who have been historically and continue to be marginalized or discriminated against because of their skin colour. Racialized therefore includes people who are members of the African, East/Southeast Asian, Latinx (Latin American), South Asian, and SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) diasporas, as well as those whose mixed ethnicity includes one or more of these racial or ethnic heritages. We also use the terms IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, People of Colour), POC (People of Colour), and BIPOC, which is the most commonly found term on the internet; check out this thoughtful article about the debate.

What if I’m someone who lives and identifies as a white person?

Then we encourage you to be a part of the CultureBrew.Art community by subscribing as an Engager, giving you access to the hundreds of BIPOC artists who are looking forward to collaborating with you on your projects! Whether you’re looking for crew for your film; arts educators to teach classes or workshops at your school, community centre, or social service agency; experts to sit on panels, advisories, or assessment juries; consultants on issues of cultural knowledge, customs, and history; or collaborators for every kind of artistic or cultural project, CBA is the place to find BIPOC artists!

I’m a member of a religious or spiritual practice which suffers from overt discrimination or that has a minority status. Can I register?

As long as you self-identify as Indigenous or racialized, and practice at least one artistic discipline, CultureBrew.Art welcomes you regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, disability, language, or religion.

Does it cost anything to join?

There is a one-time membership fee of only $25. CultureBrew.Art is committed to being as accessible as possible, so if this is a barrier for you, please apply to our Jean Yoon Bursary Fund for a bursary to cover the membership fee. The online form is short and easy to submit!

Subscriptions for Engagers – individuals and organizations who wish to collaborate with and hire BIPOC artists – are offered by tiered monthly or annual rates, which are determined according to your budget (annual, departmental, or project). Annual subscribers save the cost of two months over month-to-month subscriptions, and registered non-profits and charities receive an additional 15% discount.

I have feedback.

We love hearing from our CultureBrew.Art community, because we know that there’s always room for improvement!

For technical feedback, including bugs or navigation issues, please contact us at Technical Support.

For feedback about privacy or security issues, please contact the Privacy Officer.

For everything else – the good, the bad, and the ugly! – contact us.

ARTISTS - Members

How does CultureBrew.Art define an “Artist”?

In order to make CultureBrew.Art as inclusive as possible in the Canadian arts and cultural sector, “artist” includes all Indigenous and racialized persons who engage in one or more artistic practices, whether the literary, media, performing, and/or visual arts, as well as cultural industry workers, such as film production crew (e.g. members of IATSE), producers, hair and make-up artists, arts administrators, editors, stage managers, cultural consultants (e.g. Indigenous Elders), and diversity/decolonization consultants.

What is a Member?

Artist Memberships are restricted to Indigenous and racialized artists who have paid the one-time $25 membership fee or received a bursary.

Why do I have to pay?

We believe that BIPOC artists deserve a safe digital space that respects your personal and private information, and provides digital tools that support your artistic practice. Frankly, it takes money to properly maintain technology, to ensure that security updates are regularly and properly applied, and to prevent hackers from disrupting our systems. Since we refuse to monetize your data by selling it to third parties, we hope that you will agree that a one-time fee of $25 for a lifetime membership represents great value!

That said, if you are not able to manage $25 at this time, bursaries are available through our Jean Yoon Bursary Fund.

I have a promo code. Why do I have to provide my credit card information if I don’t have to pay the fee?

The sad reality is that the internet is full of hackers, trolls, and other unsavoury folks who often target people of colour, particularly Indigenous and Black women. Requesting credit card information is one way to discourage these people from signing up in the first place, and could help us track down anyone who contravenes CultureBrew.Art’s Code of Conduct and/or Terms of Service.

I want to join, but I don’t have a credit card. What can I do?

We recognize that not everyone has access to a credit card. If you are an Indigenous or racialized artist, please apply for a credit card exemption via our Jean Yoon Bursary Fund submission form, as we are doing our best to be as inclusive as possible.

How do I know that the people contacting me are legit?

People who contact you directly through CultureBrew.Art will either be other Artist Members (i.e. BIPOC artists who have completed their profiles and paid the member fee or equivalent), or Engager Subscribers who have paid a subscription fee to access artist profiles. Like you, each person has agreed to our Code of Conduct and Terms of Service.

That said, we encourage you to practice safe internet engagement. Look up a company’s website if you’re not familiar with them (you should be doing that anyway as basic research), and/or ask other BIPOC artists if they know anything about the Engager. Check out the Canadian government’s Get Cyber Safe Blog for 5 Practical Ways to Make Yourself Cybersafe, and other tips to improve your digital literacy. And of course, if you believe that someone has contravened either our Code of Conduct or Terms of Service, please report that person to us immediately.

Why can’t I upload my resume?

We had initially designed CultureBrew.Art to allow artists to upload resumes, but discovered that some Members were including private personal information that increased the risk of identity theft or harassment, such as date of birth, home address, social insurance numbers, and other sensitive information. (If your current resume includes this type of info, protect yourself and remove it NOW.)

Instead, we provide space in your profile for your bio and/or artist statement, and encourage you to make the most of that space to talk about your artistic practice, and the kinds of lived experiences that make your work unique and culturally distinct. In anticipation of Engagers finding you on CultureBrew.Art and requesting your resume directly, check out Consumer Protection BC for tips on reducing your risk of identity theft.

I'M READY TO REGISTER. WHERE DO I START?

Create an Artist Portal account:

Click here to access CBA’s registration page.
Select ARTIST or PARENT OF ARTIST, enter your professional name and email address, confirm you’re not a robot, then click CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT.
Check your email inbox for the confirmation that your email address was entered correctly. (If you don’t see anything in your inbox, check your junk/spam mailbox.) Click the link in the email to continue the registration process.
On the confirmation webpage, click LOG IN: a new window will open, advising you to check your email inbox for the 2-Factor Authentication code.
Copy the emailed code into the new window (from Step 4 above) and click VERIFY.
Enter a new and secure password, using a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols, at least 8 characters long. Click SUBMIT.

Create your artist profile:

Step 1: click EDIT at the top right corner to open the profile basics module. You must provide your city + province; upload a profile picture (headshot); and agree to our Terms of Service and Code of Conduct in order to complete your registration. You also have the option of specifying your pronouns, as well as providing a bio or artistic statement, links to websites and social media channels, and representation info. Click SAVE & CONTINUE to close the profile basics module.

Who I Am

Below the profile basics are modules to specify your racial/ethnic identity (which is mandatory to complete your profile), as well as options to identify gender, sexual orientation, Deafness, and disabilities.

What I Do

Choosing at least one artistic discipline is mandatory to complete your registration. There are options to also specify languages and marketable skills, as well as the ability to create tags to add special skills or more details. You can update and edit your profile at any time. With CBA’s keyword search capability for engagers, the more information you provide, the more you will turn up in engager searches!

My Portfolio

CultureBrew.Art allows you to showcase your talents and skills with the ability to upload images, video demos, and audio clips, which are interactively displayed in a media carousel. You can also indicate your membership in industry and professional associations.

Step 2: click NEXT: PAY MEMBERSHIP FEE to open the Billing Information module. Enter your address and credit card information. Click NEXT STEP, review payment details, then click COMPLETE PAYMENT to finish your registration. If the $25 one-time membership fee or lack of access to a credit card is a barrier to your participation, you may apply for a credit card exemption and/or a bursary.

And you’re done! You can now VIEW PROFILE to check how your profile appears to engagers and other CBA artists, browse other artist profiles through the SEARCH function, and start connecting with the CBA BIPOC community.

ENGAGER SUBSCRIPTIONS

HOW DO I USE CULTUREBREW.ART TO FIND INDIGENOUS AND RACIALIZED ARTISTS?

Create an account through CBA’s Engager Portal! Available to both individuals and organizations, our very affordable subscription rates allow subscribers to access and directly search our Canada-wide database of BIPOC artists, using our robust search and filtering capabilities – keyword, racial/ethnic identity, artistic discipline, location, special skills, and more! Subscribers can also directly message artists – a proven recruitment strategy – as well as post an unlimited number of opportunities through CBA’s opportunity feature throughout the duration of their subscription.

Those who aren’t ready yet to subscribe may post opportunities for a fee of $30 per posting.

How do you define “Engager”?

For CultureBrew.Art, an Engager includes any individual or organization who wishes to collaborate with and employ Indigenous and racialized artists, including:

ad agencies
artist collectives
community and social service agencies seeking artists to work with refugees, newcomers, LGBTQ2S+ youth, and other marginalized groups
dance companies
digital and new media producers (animation, gaming, AR, VR, XR)
film/TV production, including casting directors
government agencies filling advisories and peer assessment juries
independent producers and directors
media outlets seeking diverse perspectives, experts, spokespersons, and panelists
music and other arts/cultural festivals
opera companies
post-secondary performing arts training institutions seeking guest artists and faculty
public/private schools seeking artists to work with students
theatre companies
plus Indigenous and racialized artists seeking like-minded artists with whom to collaborate

What is an Engager Subscriber?

Engager subscribers have paid a monthly or annual fee, determined on a sliding scale depending on their annual, departmental, or project budget, whether an individual or organization. Subscribers have access to our national searchable database of BIPOC artists with the ability to message individual artists directly – a very effective recruitment strategy. Subscribers also have the ability to post unlimited opportunities to our Opportunities Feature throughout the duration of an active monthly or annual subscription.

HOW DO I SIGN UP AS AN ENGAGER SUBSCRIBER?

Create your Engager Portal account:

Click here to access CBA’s registration page.
Select ENGAGER OR OPPORTUNITY MAKER, enter your personal name and email address (you can add a company name and job title later, if applicable), confirm you’re not a robot, then click CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT.
Check your email inbox for confirmation that your email address was entered correctly in CultureBrew,Art. (If you don’t see anything in your inbox, check your junk/spam mailbox.) Click the link in the email to continue the registration process.
On the confirmation webpage, click LOG IN: a new window will open, advising you to check your email inbox for the 2-Factor Authentication code.
Copy the emailed code into the new window (from Step 4 above) and click VERIFY.
Enter a new and secure password, using a mix of numbers, letters, and symbols, at least 8 characters long. Click SUBMIT.

Create your profile:

Step 1: click EDIT YOUR PROFILE to open the profile basics module. Your personal name, profile headshot or company logo, and city + province are mandatory requirements to complete your registration, as well as agreeing to our Terms of Service and Code of Conduct. You have the option of adding your pronouns, multiple job titles and company names, links to websites and social media, and information about the company’s mission or yourself. Click SAVE & CONTINUE to go to Step 2.

Step 2: click "STEP 2: PAY" button to open the Billing Information module. Enter your address and credit card information. You may enter a promotional code on this page, but please note that you cannot claim both the 15% charity discount and a promotional code. Select the category of organization that best describes your organization, and the size of your budget (annual, departmental, or project), which determines your subscription rate. Then choose your payment option (monthly or annually), and click CONTINUE.

On the payment confirmation page, review your subscription details and payment amount to ensure accuracy before clicking CONFIRM PAYMENT. And you’re done! You now have the option to download your payment receipt, immediately start searching the database, or post an opportunity.

WHAT IF MY COMPANY NEEDS MORE THAN ONE ACCOUNT? CAN MY COLLEAGUES AND I SHARE AN ACCOUNT?

As part of our commitment to prioritize privacy and security, CultureBrew.Art invested in 2-factor authentication (2FA), which has become a standard feature of cybersecurity protection, and makes sharing accounts impractical.

However, as part of our commitment to also be as accessible as possible, we suggest creating multiple accounts at a lower subscription tier that collectively would approximate the value of the tier at which you might normally subscribe. Examples:

a) Your annual, project, or departmental budget is between $50,000 - $99,999, and you would like two people in your organization to have access. You could elect to purchase two accounts at $6/month instead of one account at $12/month.

b) Your budget exceeds $500,000, and you need four people to have access. You could elect to purchase three accounts at $120/year instead of one account at $350/year, and add a fourth account at the lowest rate for $60/year.

Don’t forget that if your company is a registered non-profit or charity, you are also entitled to a 15% discount off both monthly and annual subscriptions.

We encourage all potential subscribers to keep in mind that CultureBrew.Art is maintained by a small BIPOC-led arts company, and are therefore reliant on the generosity and support of the wider arts and culture community to keep CBA a self-sustaining initiative. If you would like multiple accounts, but are not sure how best to set these up for your organization, our Community Builder would be happy to assist!

CULTUREBREW.ART OPPORTUNITIES FEATURE

I have filled out the form and have submitted my opportunity. What happens next?

Thank you for submitting an opportunity to CultureBrew.Art! You can learn more about next steps at Opportunities Postings - "Next Steps".

Ongoing postings - no submission deadline

Opportunity postings with no submission deadline (ongoing postings) will be listed for one full year following posting approval – even if your subscription is only for a month! If you subscribe for less than a full year, we suggest marking the expiry date in your calendar to remind yourself to re-submit your ongoing opportunity next year!

I’M LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR BOARD. CAN I POST THIS OPPORTUNITY ON CULTUREBREW.ART?

CultureBrew.Art is dedicated to promoting equity for BIPOC artists, which includes advocating for fair compensation for their time, expertise, and artistic and/or cultural contributions. We therefore have a policy of not posting calls for artists or job positions that do not offer minimum industry standard rates, which obviously excludes volunteer positions. We note that as arts companies seek to diversify their boards, some are offering honorariums to BIPOC artists as board advisors; such advisory positions would be welcome on CultureBrew.Art, if the hourly rate of compensation were in line with the local living wage.

PRIVACY + SECURITY

Do You Have A Privacy Policy?

CultureBrew.Art has had a privacy policy since its initial release in 2019, and is updated according to regulatory compliance and ongoing improvements to the site.

What Security Features Does Culturebrew.Art Have In Place?

Providing a safer and more secure digital space for the CBA community is one of our top priorities. As part of our ongoing commitment to enhance CBA’s security and better protect you and your private data, in January 2023, CBA added 2-factor authentication (2FA), which requires all Members and Subscribers to input a code sent to your account email to verify your identity. 2FA protects you and your account by verifying that you are, in fact, you!

We also encourage members and subscribers to create strong passwords in accordance with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s recommended guidelines. CBA’s password protocols require a minimum of 8 characters, with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols that do not, as a whole, indicate an identifiable word or pattern, such as “Sup3rm@n”, which hackers (and now artificial intelligence) can easily crack. We strongly recommend making passwords at least 12 characters long per Canadian Centre for Cyber Security guidelines.

For a more complete list of CultureBrew.Art’s privacy and security protocols, please check out our Artist Member Benefits and Engager Subscriber Benefits.