Interim cross-sectoral associate officers appointed
Amber Yared
Cross-Sectoral Associate Officer
Amber Yared is serving as cross-sectoral officer for one year, filling in for Myron Kozak, who is currently on leave with the Canada Council for the Arts’ Research, Measurement and Data Analytics Section.
Amber is an artist, arts educator and arts administrator with diverse experience within these fields. She has been an OAC program administrator since 2017, with responsibilities in the areas of visual arts, media arts, dance and professional development.
In her previous roles with arts organizations (including the Canadian Opera Company, the Textile Museum of Canada and the Ottawa Art Gallery), Amber coordinated and managed public programs for children, youth and adults. For many years, she was also a community arts artist educator at the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, as well as in classrooms and other settings.
Amber has been published and given public presentations in Canada and the United States – both as part of collectives (such as the Radical Education Research Collective) and as an independent researcher. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Art History and Studio Arts) from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (University of Toronto) and a Master’s of Arts in Art Education from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Carly Stasko
Cross-Sectoral Associate Officer
Carly Stasko has stepped into the role of cross-sectoral associate officer at OAC with 20 years of experience as an interdisciplinary community artist and 10 years as a coordinator and manager in the Integrated Learning and Community Engagement program of the University of Toronto’s Hart House.
She is a self-titled “imagitator” (who agitates imagination) for connection, wellness, equity, diversity and hopeful futures. Her interdisciplinary art practice includes political theater, visual and street art, rap, dance, film and bead working. Her work as a culture jammer is featured in several documentaries as well as Naomi Klein’s groundbreaking work NO LOGO.
Carly is also a former television producer with CBC Newsworld’s live debate show CounterSpin and continues to work as a radio freelancer. Her writing has been published in journals, magazines and books. Carly founded the Toronto Youth Media Literacy Project and mentored a team of student podcasters at Hart House in collaboration with First Nations House and the Centre for International Experience to create the Storyweaver podcast that centered on IBPOC and LGBTQIA+ stories and perspectives.
Carly’s short documentary Dancing in the Doctor’s Office won an Audience Choice Award at the 2023 Junction North International Documentary Film Festival in Sudbury. Her short film The Power of Dance won Best Short Doc and Best Short at the 2022 Centre for Indigenous Theatre Showcase.
Carly has a Master’s in Education focused on art, healing and social justice pedagogy and emphasized the power of art to engage citizens on issues that impact them.