Arowana provides immersive, customized training and mentorship to emerging, youth and/or newcomer artists. A unique platform for leadership, learning and artistic development, Arowana aims to increase equity in the arts sector and support future leaders from all backgrounds.

Arowana captures the simple but powerful notion of the well-known adage, “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day… teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” (Lao-tse). Through Arowana, Art Starts will train the next generation of community arts leaders by providing them with customized mentorship and training using Art Starts’ principles and best practices toolbox. As a pioneer community arts organization with a unique facilitation model, it is important that we transfer knowledge by educating the next generation of leaders.

Arowana Training is offered to artists who have an interest in using the arts as a tool for building healthier communities. Artists already have a set of developed skills based on their art practice, but many lack formal job training and ‘real-life’ experience working within an organizational context and in community settings. Through Arowana, participants develop and strengthen their skills, knowledge and abilities while experiencing real-life scenarios and leading their own projects in the community of their choice.

Each participant will design, plan, implement and evaluate their own community art project. Each project is meant to engage with 10-15 or more community residents in 12 hours of community-building arts programming. Artists are coached throughout, by Special Special Projects Manager in every stage of project implementation: concept, planning, budgeting, securing space, developing partnerships, outreach & recruitment, workshop facilitation, etc.