Silencing in the Arts 🤫

Approach & Research Methodology


Silencing in the Arts’ research approach includes collecting both qualitative and quantitative information to determine the extent and impact(s) of the misuse of NDAs on the Canadian arts sector. 

The project began in October 2023 with a series of consultation sessions with Julie Macfarlane, a legal researcher who co-founded the Can’t Buy My Silence movement which advocates for the abolition of NDA misuse across Canada and the UK. The sessions helped refine the project’s research objectives and structure the Silencing in the Arts online resource for artists and arts workers to better understand their rights when it comes to NDAs.

Between January and June 2024, we held confidential interviews with six selected artists, curators, and cultural workers across Canada who had been issued an NDA from an arts institution, which includes museums, artist-run centres, festivals, arts publications, and university galleries. Each interview was led by Martha Rans, a Vancouver-based lawyer with expertise in labour employment and human rights, legal needs of non-profits and charities, and intellectual property.
The interviewees' stories provided insights into their unique experiences while allowing us to note common themes and instances where they were not adequately informed or empowered in their situation. Interviewees were compensated for their participation, and offered up to three free sessions with psychotherapist Lanie Chalmers, who specializes in workplace anxiety, PTSD, and trauma. The information collected from the six interviews helped inform the Silencing in the Arts online resource, which launched in January 2026.

Between January and May 2026, we collected both quantitative and qualitative data about NDAs in the Canadian arts sector through an anonymous national survey. 46 people from across Canada responded.
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.

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.