MEDIA RELEASE

October 27, 2022

Katarokwi/Kingston, Ontario - In August 2021, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre was delighted to be the recipient of a $23,000 Community Building Fund – Operating grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). This grant allowed Modern Fuel to continue to expand its staff capacity, as well as purchase two new computers for the office space in order to deliver high- quality virtual programming.

“Modern Fuel meets the professional development needs of local, national, and international artists. I am pleased that the Ontario Trillium Fund is supporting its work, which will, in turn, continue to develop our region's cultural scene.” said Ted Hsu, MPP for Kingston and the Islands.

The OTF funding enabled Modern Fuel to dedicate a staff member to creating and delivering virtual programming such as workshops, artist talks, peer critiques, and virtual make-fests. This funding had a tremendous impact on Modern Fuel's internal capacity, helping to reduce staff burnout and maintain engagement with the community despite pandemic restrictions. By upgrading the technology in the office space, Modern Fuel has been able to provide its staff with work computers, enabling remote work throughout lockdowns. In addition, Modern Fuel has been able to boost its design and video production by having computers that are better equipped to handle these applications.

“We’re so grateful to finally be able to upgrade the technology in the office space!” said Kelsey Newman Reed, current Assistant Director. “We were previously working on early 2010s iMacs that were bogged down by years of use, or even just opting to bring in our personal computers to use instead. Now we don’t have to!” Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre is a non-profit organization facilitating the presentation, interpretation, and production of contemporary visual, time-based and interdisciplinary arts. We aim to meet the professional development needs of emerging and mid-career local, national and international artists from diverse cultural communities through exhibition, discussion, and mentorship opportunities. Modern Fuel supports innovation and experimentation and is committed to the education of interested publics and the diversification of its audiences.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) mission is to build healthy and vibrant communities across Ontario. As an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations, last year, OTF invested nearly $209M into 2,042 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund. Since 2020, OTF has supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

Media Contact: Kait Allen, Executive Director, Modern Fuel Artist-Run Centre

director@modernfuel.org | 613-548-4883

www.modernfuel.org