Paige Goodmans journey to QMU started just one year ago in Toronto, after learning about the MA Arts, Festival and Cultural Management programme from her Canadian professor who was undertaking a PhD through the university.
Its been a whirlwind experience, upping sticks from Canada to begin her one-year course in Scotland, a country shed never visited before. Here, Paige tells us about her experience of QMU, life in Edinburgh, and the career path shes carving out for herself within the film festival community.
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Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - on the prairies - but I moved here from Toronto. I was living there for about three-and-a-half years.泭Where I grew up was quite isolated. The closest big city was about a two-and-a-half to three hour drive away.
It was a very insular, small city life and I did my undergrad in Saskatoon at泭the University of Saskatchewan, where泭I majored in theatre. So that was what I thought was going to be my career, but five years ago I felt acting wasnt for me and I thought journalism would be a good route, as I like writing.
So I moved to Toronto to go to Ryerson University, but that also泭wasnt for me. It was a really big life decision and a lot of changes all at once. I started the Master of Journalism programme but felt it wasnt what I was meant to do.
After I dropped out, I was working in Toronto doing different jobs and I ended up getting a job at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) working in their exhibition on their annual art-meets-technology childrens exhibit called泭digiPlaySpace. A friend of mine was working for their exhibitions team at the time, and so I ended up getting a facilitator job in the gallery. Getting to know TIFF, the people who work there, and see what the organisation does, really showed me that arts management was the area that I wanted to go in.
I ended up getting an internship there that summer, working for the festival, and that was what really started my course towards the Masters in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management at 17勛圖厙.
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Why did you choose QMU/Scotland?
After my internship with TIFF, in the summer of 2014, I decided that I needed to go back to school if I wanted to focus on this career.泭
I ended up doing an arts and cultural management diploma through MacEwan University which is in Edmonton, Canada, and I was thinking of moving there as Id been there a few times when I was growing up (its about a six hour drive from Saskatoon). In the end, though, I decided Toronto was where I really wanted to be.泭Luckily the programme was offered online so I ended up doing the first year from home to save some money, and then moved back to Toronto and did the second year from there.
My professor, Annetta Latham, was doing her PhD through QMU, and she told me about an articulation泭programme that she and David Stevenson [QMUs Head of Division of Media, Communication and Performing Arts] set up especially for MacEwan graduates.
It was only this time last year in December that I started the application process, and its been a whirlwind from hearing about the programme to being like Yes, this is what I want to do, I want to move to Scotland.
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Had you ever been to Scotland before?
Id never been to Scotland. I did a theatre studies programme in London泭eleven years ago, and I attended a music festival in泭Reykjavik泭in泭2014, but that had been the extent of my European adventures.泭
It is interesting because I know some of my heritage is Scottish my grandmother was a MacNaughton but I dont know much about her side of the family. So it has been interesting to come here knowing some of my ancestors were from here.泭
We did a day trip to Glasgow for one of our classes, which was really nice, but one of my goals after the Christmas chaos is to do more trips within the country and get to see more of Scotland.泭I'm going to stay with a family in Galloway over Christmas as part of the Host Programme for international students and were taking a small class trip to the highlands in April for a few days to tour some arts organisations up there, so Im really looking forward to that.
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Scotland has a reputation for being hospitable and welcoming to visitors. Did you receive a good Scottish welcome? How did you find the Scots people in general?
So far, everyone I've met here has been top-notch. My Scottish classmates are the best - we recently had a group Christmas dinner at a little vegetarian restaurant in town and it was lovely to spend time with them泭outside of class.
One of my Scottish friends is going to organise an outing for us in January to attend a ceilidh. Although I worked in a Scottish pub in Saskatoon for six summers, and one of my best friends was a competitive泭Highland dancer, I've never been to a real ceilidh!泭
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And what drew you to this course?
I think a lot of the things that were talking about, the content and ideas, are very similar to what Id already done in my diploma - its just having the opportunity to take it a step further in terms of critical analysis, thinking about cultural policy and looking at things from a global perspective.
Its really enriching when you have that experience to take back to your own country, having knowledge of how other countries are structured, although Canada is very similar to the UK in terms of their cultural policy and how arts are set up.
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Most interesting part of the course?
The arts management in practice class has been really interesting, even though Im not actually in it! Anthony [Schrag], our programme leader, was nice enough to invite me to come on all泭of their field trips. The whole class is about visiting arts organisations in Edinburgh泭and we get opportunities to talk with泭people who are working in the field there. Sometimes theyll do a presentation, other times were just observing.泭So even though Im not doing the assignments for that class, its interesting to get out and see the arts and cultural organisations and what theyre doing.
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How have your lecturers supported you?
I think Anthony is kind of the ideal person to be leading this type of programme. Arts and cultural management is a relatively new profession within the last few decades, and Anthony approaches it as a practising artist, which is an interesting perspective. The kind of research he does is so fascinating and I wish there was an entire class on action and participation research! Hes been nice to get to know.泭
David, of course, is a brilliant thinker in the arts and cultural field, and its always good to have someone there to challenge you and push you in terms of your critical thinking.泭
In our cultural policy class, led by Rachel Blanche, we have the best debates and I think thats down to how she structures the class. We have a lecture for the first hour and a half, then we split into two groups and have smaller seminars, and thats our time to discuss these ideas with her. I really enjoyed how that was structured.
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Are there any challenges youve come up against, either through the course itself, or life as a student in Scotland?
I think, when youre living away from home, the challenge is to build your own support network, because you dont have your friends and family around. Its been really nice to meet a lot of different people in my programme, who are in the same situation.
Also, my living situation has worked out really well. My flatmate is from Pakistan and泭goes to University of Edinburgh, so it's always interesting to compare our international student泭experiences over dinner.泭Thats the challenge how to make yourself at home in a different country.
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Have you got any advice for students thinking about doing this particular course?
Dont underestimate the workload of a masters programme! Theres a lot more expected of you than is expected of an undergraduate, and you need to step up your game in terms of your writing and your thinking. But its a really good opportunity to challenge yourself as an academic and hopefully, challenge your assumptions of the arts sector.
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Have you been a part of any societies or groups alongside your studies at QMU?
Im泭a class representative, so thats been an extra thing I thought I could do since I dont have as many classes as others. Next semester I only have one class, so I thought itd be a nice way to stay connected and involved. Im really glad I decided to do that. It basically involves going to meetings and collecting feedback from classmates, and funnelling that back to the programme leader. Its been really interesting getting to know people a bit better in terms of what theyre struggling with and where things could be improved.
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Your study here in Scotland was made possible, in part, due to the Saltire Scholarship. Can you tell me a little bit about how the Saltire Scholarship has benefited your studies here in Scotland?
I was in Vancouver when I got the email saying that I had been selected for the Saltire Scholarship. I randomly woke up at 6am and checked my phone - needless to say, I wasn't going back to sleep after that!
The scholarship has taken a financial weight off my shoulders and I'll have more freedom to travel next semester, not only to see more of Scotland but other parts of Europe and Asia too. I've already booked a trip to Spain in March and I'm really hoping to visit Pakistan with my flatmate, who grew up in Lahore.
One of the best experiences I've had in Scotland so far is attending a Saltire Scholar event back in October. There I met other international Masters students who are studying at universities all over the country. I now have friends to visit in Glasgow, St Andrews and泭Aberdeen, so泭aside from financial support,泭the Saltire Scholarship has given me a network of like-minded students who are in the same boat as me.泭
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What would you say has been the most valuable lesson youve learned here at QMU?
Probably to have more confidence in my ideas and my understanding of the field. Ive pushed myself to take on leadership roles within the class, to make myself feel comfortable in that area. I think this will help me when I go back [to Toronto] in terms of how I sell myself in order to get another job, and then how I assert myself within that organisation.
I have a much better understanding of arts management in terms of a holistic approach, whereas I felt like when I was working before I left for Scotland, I was very myopic in terms of my role and my department. Its nice to have a much broader view of how things are run in an arts organisation.
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Plans for after graduation?
I think Ill continue to pursue work within film festivals. After my internship when I moved back to Toronto, I did a few contracts with TIFF, and last January I got a full-time job working with Hot Docs, which is a documentary film festival in Toronto. I was working in development there as the Stewardship Coordinator, and that was a really great experience for me
Itll be interesting to go back after this life-changing experience in Scotland. It might take a while to land a role, I know its always difficult, but I think the decision to come here was a good one and itll stand me well in the years to come in terms of building my career.
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Published 2018-19
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"[The MA Arts, Festival and Cultural Management course] is a really good opportunity to challenge yourself as an academic and, hopefully, challenge your assumptions of the arts sector."