Cultural Management

The Alphabet Soup of Cultural Management

"In the know": Definitions of common terms

You may find it hard to understand the some of the language and terms used in the cultural sector. Here is an explanation of some of the common terms:

AD
Artistic Director

ASO
Arts Service Organization

CEO
Chief Executive Officer

CMP
Creative Management Project

Cultural Management
The art of planning, organizing, leading, supervising and monitoring activities within the not-for-profit and for-profit arts, cultural sector. These activities include management and administration.

Development
Creating and undertaking long-term activities that provide new and ongoing revenue to an organization.

ED
Executive Director

Fundraising
All activities related to raising financial resources for a cause or an organization, whether proposal writing, direct mail, special events or other longer-term activities.

GM
General Manager

HR
Human Resources

NASO
National arts service organization

Not-for-profit
Organizations with Boards that return all revenues to the organization, not to individual owners/shareholders.

IT
Information technology

PR
Public Relations

Umbrella group
An organization that supports – and often, in matters of public policy, represents – other individual cultural organizations.

"Is that your group or mine?": Untangling the acronyms

With so many arts, cultural and heritage groups in Canada, organizations are often referred to by their initials. If you head spins when you hear another group called by an alphabet soup of letters, you may find the organization name in the list below:

ACE
Association of Cultural Executives

ACP
Association of Canadian Publishers

ACTRA
Alliance of Canadian Cinema Television and Radio Artists

AFM
American Federation of Musicians

ANDPVA
Association for Native Development in the Performing and Visual Arts

ANEL
Association nationale des éditeurs de livres

APASQ
Association des professionnels des arts de la scène du Québec

APFTQ
Association des producteurs de films et de télévision du Québec

ATFC
Association des théâtres francophones du Canada

BPC
Book and Periodical Council

CAAAE
Canadian Association of Arts Administration Educators

CAB
Canadian Association of Broadcasters

CADA
Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists

CAEA
Canadian Actors Equity Association (Equity)

CANSCAIP
Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers

CAPACOA
Canadian Arts Presenting Association

CAPC
Canadian Association of Professional Conservators

CAPPRT
Canadian Artists and Producers Professional Relations Tribunal

CARAS
Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences

CARFAC
Canadian Artists Representation

CBA
Canadian Booksellers Association

CCA
Canadian Conference of the Arts

CCCO
Cultural Careers Council Ontario

CCM
Centre for Cultural Management, University of Waterloo

CDA
Canadian Dance Assembly

CFTPA
Canadian Film and Television Production Association

CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network

CHRC
Cultural Human Resources Council

CLA
Canadian Library Association

CMA
Canadian Museums Association

CMC
Canadian Music Centre

CMPA
Canadian Magazine Publishers Association

CQAM
Conseil québécois des arts médiatiques

CQRHC
Conseil québécois des ressources humaines en culture

DTRC
Dancer Transition Resource Centre

AEC
Editors Association of Canada

IATSE
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

IC
Interpretation Canada

IMAT
Interactive Multimedia Arts & Technologies Association

IPAA
Indigenous Performing Arts Alliance

PACT
Professional Association of Canadian Theatres

RAAV
Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec

RCAAQ
Regroupement des centres d’artistes autogérés du Québec

RQD
Regroupement québécois de la danse

SAT
Société des arts technologiques

SMQ
Société des musées québécois

SPACQ
Société professionnelle des auteurs compositeurs du Québec

TWUC
The Writers Union of Canada

UdA
Union des Artistes

WIFT
Women in Film and Television