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Mandate

Eastern Edge, established in 1984, is Newfoundland and Labrador’s first artist-run centre for visual arts.Eastern Edge is committed to exhibiting contemporary Canadian and international art, as well as encouraging dedicated and rigorous activity locally. In providing an alternative venue where artists have greater control over how their work is represented, Eastern Edge facilitates critical dialogue concerning issues in contemporary art and society, actively encouraging emerging and established artists whose work speaks to feminist, multicultural, queer, and other diverse perspectives. Eastern Edge aims to provide a supportive space to develop skills, share information and resources, foster community and create a meaningful context for artistic activity. EE operations include: two art galleries, a large studio space for up to 4 resident artists concurrently,  city arts centre, active educator, artist resource, public library, and social cultural space. EE supports contemporary artists and increases public awareness, understanding, and access to contemporary art. 

ACCESSIBILITY & TRANSPARENCY are key pillars that support and inform all programming facilitated by EE, and we ensure a professional standard, focusing on accessibility and equitable opportunities. We strive to create a framework that ensures our centre is a safe space for all artists and audiences through ongoing development and implementation of our Code of Conduct, which outlines the ways in which EE is actively working to dismantle internalized systems of oppression and barriers to access throughout our centre.

In order to ‘hold fast’ to its core mandate, EE needs to be both focussed and transparent. In its ‘Code of Conduct’ EE recently affirmed its commitment to anti-oppression in its practices and operations, and more specifically, in its work to collaborate towards a safer and more caring space. In particular, EE has made a public commitment to ‘not tolerate any instance of discrimination or violence acts, which include but are not limited to: racism, white supremacy, sexism, heterosexism, cissexism/transmisogyny, ableism, ageism, sizeism, sexualized and all acts of violence and harassment. In addition, EE ‘believes and prioritizes survivors and victims of sexualized violence.’

EE’s code of conduct points to the wide and heightened concerns of its members as they attempt to approach and engage an anti-racist culture. Arts organizations within the city, are certainly at the forefront of this work but this does not render them immune from the dominant socio-political forces which continue to disqualify, marginalize and erase.