Silencing in the Arts 🤫

About

Silencing in the Arts is a research project exploring the hidden impacts of confidentiality agreements in the arts. 

It stems from widespread concerns about artists and arts workers signing NDAs without clear understanding of their rights, organizations quietly dissolving without public accountability, and the growing culture of censorship in our industry. The project examines how these issues impact personal and professional wellbeing on an individual level, and reinforce power imbalances, limit transparency, and hinder growth in the sector more broadly. Through research and advocacy, we aim to shed light on these challenges and push for meaningful change.

For more information about the project, including our research methodology and key findings to date, visit the link below.

Learn more

Project Contributors

Project lead


Aisle 4

Aisle 4 is a curatorial collective based in Tkaronto/Toronto with extensive experience in the Canadian arts sector. With a focus on social practice and public engagement, their work includes exhibitions, public programs, research, and advocacy.

Legal research advisory


Julie Macfarlane

Julie Macfarlane is a Canadian law professor, Member of the Order of Canada, who has won many awards for her work advocating for access to justice. Together with her collaborator Zelda Perkins, she established and launched the Can’t Buy My Silence campaign to end the misuse of NDAs in Canada and the UK.

Legal services


Martha Rans

Martha Rans, KC, has been a lawyer for 30 years. Her Vancouver-based law practice specializes in the legal needs of nonprofits, charities and creatives. She has acted for human rights complainants and respondents in cases involving sexual harassment and misconduct. An advocate for public legal education and information, she founded lawfornonprofits.ca, a resource dedicated to the nonprofit sector.

Mental health advisory


Lanie Chalmers

Lanie Chalmers is an integrative psychodynamic psychotherapist with a former focus in visual art. Her approach is trauma-informed and relational, and she specializes in working with anxiety, depression, trauma, CPTSD, and diverse relationship dynamics.
Silencing in the Arts is a research project that traces the extent and impact of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) on the Canadian visual arts sector. The project aims to shed light on the culture of silence that permeates the artworld, and the cycles of abuse, professional misconduct, and censorship that are perpetuated as a result.
Have you signed, or been asked to sign, a legal agreement that prevents you from speaking about your experience working with a Canadian arts organization? Please consider contributing to vital research through this anonymous survey.

Take the Survey Now!  
A Project by Aisle 4

Funded by the Canada Council for the Arts Sector Innovation & Development Program

"Shhh" drawings by anonymous artists
Website Design & Development by Studio Whyte-Gray, 2025.