PuSh Announces Departure of Associate Artistic Director Joyce Rosario

June 22, 2020

To Our PuSh Family, Friends and Supporters,

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised critical and unprecedented issues for arts organizations of all sizes – to which PuSh is not immune. Due to the far reaching impacts of the crisis, and to help maintain the financial health of the organization, the PuSh Festival has been forced to undergo an organizational restructure. This restructure included the elimination of the full-time Associate Artistic Director position held by Joyce Rosario.

“On behalf of the PuSh Festival, we are immensely grateful to Joyce for her leadership and contributions to the festival during her tenure,” said Franco Boni, Artistic and Executive Director. “Joyce had an impressive vision and worked tirelessly to create and contribute to numerous multi-disciplinary productions. I wish Joyce every success as she embarks on her next chapter. I have no doubt she will go on to do extraordinary things; certainly her legacy will be felt at PuSh for years to come.”

“We are in a time of unprecedented upheaval and change—all in the same storm, but not in the same boat. Arts organizations—and the individuals who govern, lead and work for them—have all had to make incredibly difficult decisions, both for organizational sustainability and personal wellbeing,” said Rosario. “May these decisions be made with care and intention so that the ground is fertile when the work of healing the arts community begins. This is not how I thought my time at PuSh would end. But these are times that defy expectations. We are navigating entirely new territory where only love will help find renewed meaning and purpose. It has been a great honour to be a part of PuSh for the past seven years, an organization that has been so close to my heart and that has fed, nurtured and sustained me as a human being and arts worker since its first edition in 2003. I want to express my deep gratitude to the extended PuSh community, past and present: colleagues, volunteers, donors—and most especially artists and audiences—for being a part of my journey.“

Joyce’s last day with PuSh was Friday, June 19, 2020.