Black-and-white photo of a Black performer singing onstage.

Finding Underrepresented Artists

Do you want to improve representation in your project or production? Are you an equity-seeking artist looking for gigs or networking opportunities? Check out the resources below to connect with a diverse array of artists – and the people looking to hire them.

If you’re seeking new musical works or composers from systemically-excluded communities, please check out this resource as well.

A Deaf Black man wearing glasses looks neutrally at the camera while holding a hand lettered sign declaring “NOTHING about us without US.” The man wears denim overalls and has a black and white beard, septum piercing, and hair pulled back with a bandana. The background features a vibrant mural of a Black woman looking down.
A Deaf Black man holds a sign reading, “Nothing about us without us.” Credit: Disabled and Here

Arts and Activism Directory

The Arts and Activism Directory (AAD) profiles artists who are exploring activism and social, cultural and political resistance in their practice – including Disability art, d/Deaf art, Mad art, aging and e/Elder art, fat art, and Indigenous art.

Initiative by: Bodies in Translation & Tangled Art + Disability

VISIT THE DIRECTORY
Red graphic with typewriter style text reading, Asian Canadian Artists Alliance
Red graphic with typewriter-style text reading, Asian Canadian Artists Alliance.

Asian Canadian Artists Alliance

The Asian Canadian Artists Alliance is a Facebook group for Asian Canadian creators (including actors, composers, dancers, directors, producers, singers, writers). It’s a place where artists can share their accomplishments, and engagers can offer opportunities to Asian Canadian creatives.

Initiative by: Asian Canadian Artists Alliance

VISIT THE GROUP
Against a maroon background, white text reads The Big List, surrounded by six images of women throughout history against a colourful floral background.
A maroon graphic reads The Big List, with six collage images of women through history.

The BIG LIST of Women Composers

The BIG LIST of Women Composers is an ever-expanding list featuring more than 5,000 women composers, searchable by country, century and music genre.

Initiative by: Donne, Women in Music

VISIT THE BIG LIST
Red BIPOC Arts logo with white text
BIPOC Arts logo with red background and white text.

BIPOC Arts

BIPOC Arts features a database of arts workers and artists who are Black, Indigenous and People of Colour.

Initiative by: BIPOC Arts

VISIT BIPOC ARTS
A Black non-binary person in a black and pink power wheelchair has their eyes closed and is smiling while being hugged from behind by a Black femme wearing compression gloves.
A Black non-binary wheelchair user and a Black femme smile and hug. Credit: Disabled and Here

Black Disabled Creatives

Black Disabled Creatives features profiles of creatives from a wide variety of arts and culture sectors, from film to performing arts to visual arts and design, and beyond.

Initiative by: BIPOC Arts

VISIT THE DIRECTORY
Blue-tinted image of music headphones
Moody blue-tinted image of music headphones on a table.

The Composer Database

The Composer Database is a searchable directory containing the profiles of composers from historically-excluded groups.

Initiative by: The Institute for Composer Diversity

VISIT THE DATABASE
Artwork of a white person with purple hair, glasses, a plaid skirt and a black top with a print reading The Future Is Accessible. The person is seated in a wheelchair and holds a crutch.
Art of a white wheelchair user with purple hair ad glasses, wearing a shirt reading The Future Is Accessible.

Creative Connector

Creative Connector is a digital service aimed at bringing together artists and arts leaders to collaborate on disability-centred projects. It includes a free directory of artists and creatives with disabilities.

Initiative by: Creative Users Projects and community partners

VISIT CREATIVE CONNECTOR
Graphic featuring a globe covered in push pins, with black text reading Clean Air Club Artist Connect
Graphic of a globe covered in push pins, with text reading Clean Air Club Artist Connect.

Clean Air Club Artist Connect

Clean Air Club Artist Connect is a networking hub for Covid-safer, immuno-inclusive arts practitioners. Artists can share the health and safety measures they regularly take, as well as the precautions they’re willing to take in order to work with collaborators.

Initiative by: Clean Air Club (CAC)

VISIT CAC ARTIST CONNECT
CultureBrew.Art logo in orange and turquoise, featuring a stylized orange bird flying around a green tree. A slogan reads, Intercultural artists influencing change.
CultureBrew.Art logo with an orange bird and green tree, and the slogan Intercultural artists influencing change.

CultureBrew.Art

CultureBrew.Art (CBA) features a national, searchable database of Indigenous and racialized performing, literary, and media arts professionals in Canada. CBA is searchable by artistic discipline, gender, racial/ethnic heritage and more.

Initiative by: Visceral Visions Society

VISIT CULTUREBREW.ART
Closeup of hands holding a black and white filming clapboard
Hands holding a black and white filming clapboard.

Disabled and Visibly Different Talent

This talent list from the agency Kello Inclusive features disabled and visibly different performers across Canada. The database is sortable by location, type of disability, age, and keywords.

Initiative by: Kello Inclusive

VISIT THE LIST
Painting of two clasped hands covered in graffiti, one in black-and-white and one in vibrant colours, with words such as hope, strength, and love.
Painting of two clasped hands covered in graffiti with words like hope, strength, and love.

The Disabled Singers Alliance

The Disabled Singers Alliance is a group for singers with disabilities, including neurodivergence and chronic illness. The group’s purpose is to unite artists in supporting each other, and discuss ways to make the performing arts more accessible to all.

Initiative by: The Disabled Singers Alliance

VISIT THE GROUP
An Asian person wearing a black t-shirt is signing in ASL
An East Asian person wearing a black t-shirt is signing in ASL.

Deaf Arts Directory

The Deaf Arts Directory features artists who is Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled and Hard of Hearing, as well as Disability-led businesses and organizations that serve and support Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled and Hard of Hearing artists and their work.

Initiative maintained by: Deaf Spotlight

VISIT THE DIRECTORY
Black and white closeup of sheet music
Closeup of sheet music.

Indigenous Music Artists Directory

The Indigenous Music Artists Directory showcases Indigenous soloists, musical groups and duos, session players, and songwriters based in what is colonially known as Manitoba.

Initiative by: Indigenous Music Development Program, Manitoba Music

VISIT THE DIRECTORY
sheet music lying over a piano keyboard
Closeup of sheet music lying on a piano keyboard.

Japanese Canadian Artists Directory

The Japanese Canadian Artists Directory showcases a wide range of artists from opera singers to musicians to actors to dancers and beyond.

Initiative by: a Partnership Team including Susanne Tabata (National Association of Japanese Canadians), Emiko Morita (Powell Street Festival Society), Bryce Kanbara and John Ota (Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre).

VISIT THE DIRECTORY
Light aqua graphic reads, Locked Out of the Arts with a padlock and masked key. By occasionally.original and lani.bos
Aqua graphic with a padlock and masked key reads, Locked Out of the Arts. By occasionally.original and lani.bos

Locked Out (of the Arts)

Locked Out (of the Arts) showcases the work of disabled, immunocompromised, chronically ill and otherwise COVID-safer artists who have been shut out of many performing arts settings due to failures to implement COVID precautions.

Initiative by: Occasionally Original & Lani Boschulte

VISIT THE PAGE

Last updated October 13, 2026
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