EXPERIENCE
Throughout her career Lindy has built a reputation for fostering artistic production and engagement initiatives and working with artists and presenters on tour development concluding in festival, event and theatre presentations.
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Lindy Sisson's 35-year career in arts and culture spans all artistic disciplines with extensive experience in dance, theatre, world music, contemporary circus, performing arts for young audiences and BC Film. Lindy is recognized by her peers as a strong advocate for arts and culture in all aspects of life and as a dynamic and collaborative partner.
Lindy has a wide-ranging base of experience and knowledge in the field, demonstrating significant joy-based leadership, recognized business excellence in management, grant writing, strategic planning, policy, board and personnel development plus award-winning artistic programming and effective community engagement.
Her management style is team-based and she is known for empowering and developing staff capabilities and encouraging excellence in employee performance and communication, along with successful grant applications, fundraising and sponsorship development. A passionate and dedicated arts professional, she is an adept problem solver who has consistently demonstrated her ability to make difficult decisions in challenging and changing situations. A big picture thinker who knows how to bring the artistic vision and ideas of her organizations and others (artists, staff or community) to life!
Before joining Nanaimo’s Port Theatre for as Interim General Manager in 2017, Lindy was the Executive and Artistic Director of the ACT Arts Centre in Maple Ridge for eight years and Artistic Director for nine, where she was known for excellence in multidisciplinary performance programming and developing community engagement initiatives with youth, First Nations, Cultural and Community organizations and garnered provincial and national presenting awards.
She was Executive and Artistic Director of the Vancouver International Children’s Festival for ten years developing strong community connections, international tours and commissioning new work, plus promoting the importance of arts and culture to our youth, in schools and society. She has also held management, touring and artistic positions in Vancouver with The ARC (Tri-City) Arts Council, Playwrights Theatre Centre, and Judith Marcuse Dance Company, and in Edmonton for the University of Alberta Student’s Union Theatre and Performance Lounge, and was the Director of Festivals and Theatre for Young Audiences at the Citadel Theatre where she produced the International Children’s Festival and the Teen Festival of the Arts and was director of the Theatre School.
EDUCATION:
UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA
BACHELOR OF ARTS: THEATRE, ANTHROPOLOGY 1978 - 1981
CULTURAL ADMINISTRATION 1984
GRANT MACEWAN COLLEGE: PERFORMING ARTS DANCE PROGRAM
EDMONTON, ALBERTA, 1981 – 1982
AWARDS
2017 Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Business Leader of the Year
2014 Canadian Presenter of the Year, presented at the CAPACOA conference Halifax 2015
2013 BC Touring Council Presenter of the Year, presented at Pacific Contact April 2014
2011 Arts BC / BCAC Arts and Culture Week Award as an Outstanding Champion for the Arts in British
Columbia schools and communities, presented at Assembly of BC Arts Council’s annual conference
2010 Maple Ridge Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues Award “for demonstrating the promotion of inclusion for people with Disabilities” for the commissioning of Rick: The Rick Hansen Story by Manitoba Theatre for Young Audiences during the Paralympics
AWARDS
2017 Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Business Leader of the Year
2014 Canadian Presenter of the Year, presented at the CAPACOA conference Halifax 2015
2013 BC Touring Council Presenter of the Year, presented at Pacific Contact April 2014
2011 Arts BC / BCAC Arts and Culture Week Award as an Outstanding Champion for the Arts in British
Columbia schools and communities, presented at Assembly of BC Arts Council’s annual conference
2010 Maple Ridge Advisory Committee on Accessibility Issues Award “for demonstrating the promotion of inclusion for people with Disabilities” for the commissioning of Rick: The Rick Hansen Story by Manitoba Theatre for Young Audiences during the Paralympics
BOARD AND OTHER EXPERIENCE
Dusty Flower Pot Cabaret, Facility Committee 2019
University of Alberta Mentorship Program, Arts Mentor 2019/20
Magnetic North Theatre Festival (Canadian Theatre Festival Society) 2019-20
Royal City Musical Theatre Society, 2018-2019
Western Arts Alliance: Jury and Host Committee for Vancouver Conference Sept 2015
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture 2010 – 2016
Bridge Society Board 2016 - 2017
Dancing on the Edge, Fundraising Chair 2010, President 2011 – 2016
Canada Council Inter-Arts Advisory Committee 2009 – 2010
National Festivals Association, BC representative 2008 - 2010
Playwrights Theatre Centre 1992-1996
Alberta Dance Alliance, Chair 1989-1991
FOUNDING MEMBER
Asian Pacific Presenters Network, Canadian Representative 2000 – 2010
Canadian Children’s Festival Association, 1990-1991, Secretary and Chair 2000-2010
Dancers for Life Gala 1995-1998
Performing Arts Publicists Association / Edmonton Sterling Awards 1985-1989
BOARD EXPERIENCE
Magnetic North Theatre Festival (Canadian Theatre Festival Society) 2019
Dusty Flower Pot Cabaret, Facility Committee 2019
Royal City Musical Theatre Society, Marketing Chair 2018
Western Arts Alliance: Jury and Host Committee for Vancouver Conference Sept 2015
BC Alliance for Arts and Culture 2010 – 2016
Bridge Society Board 2016 - 2017
Dancing on the Edge, Fundraising Chair 2010, President 2011 – 2016
Canada Council Inter-Arts Advisory Committee 2009 – 2010
National Festivals Association, BC representative 2008 - 2010
Playwrights Theatre Centre 1992-1996
Alberta Dance Alliance, Chair 1989-1991
FOUNDING MEMBER
Asian Pacific Presenters Network, Canadian Representative 2000 – 2010
Canadian Children’s Festival Association, 1990-1991, Secretary and Chair 2000-2010
Dancers for Life Gala 1995-1998
Performing Arts Publicists Association / Edmonton Sterling Awards 1985-1989