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 In the midst of working in the municipal setting, where legislative mandated issues like roads, building development, and public safety dominate the agenda, it’s easy for practitioners in cultural services to become despondent – especially when budget cuts are necessary. But without hope, vision cannot be developed and without vision a community cannot expect to aspire to its potential. Likely 2008 was a tough year for arts organizations in your community and the prospects in 2009 are not bright. A dangerous gloomy attitude is poised to permeate the sector. Maintaining hope in challenging times is difficult but crucial. How can we do it?
For many in Canada and around the world, the month of December marks a season of hope – as stories of hope are re-told. The holidays provide an opportunity for many from all walks of life to reflect and celebrate with loved ones and share goodwill. Radio stations team up to raise money for charity, holiday lights brighten the winter days, and the celebration of the New Year affords an excuse to wipe the slate clean and begin again with a new attitude.
I hope that all of our readers will take special advantage of this holiday season to feel refreshed and renewed. May you go back to work in January with a new optimism.
From the CCNC family of Kelsey, Katherine and myself - all the best for a wonderful holiday season!
Elizabeth Keurvorst, Executive Director
Photo: The Nutcracker performed by The Moscow Classical Ballet, Ballet BC Website
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Minister Moore announces new Director of National Gallery of Canada
“The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today [Dec 9] announced the appointment of Marc Mayer as Director of the National Gallery of Canada. "I am convinced that Mr. Mayer's appointment will be invaluable to the Gallery in the coming years," said Minister Moore. "This organization will greatly benefit from his impressive experience, his knowledge of visual arts, and his proven leadership skills”.
News Release, Canadian Heritage, December 9, 2008 | weblink
For more information: www.gallery.ca
The Canada Council Art Bank announces purchase of artworks
“The Canada Council Art Bank today [Dec 1] launched a request for submissions of artworks by Canadian artists of African, Asian, Middle Eastern, Latin American or mixed racial heritage to enhance its collection of original contemporary Canadian art. The primary objectives of this purchase are to increase the awareness of culturally diverse artists about the programs offered by the Canada Council; complement the Art Bank's collection; and respond to the increasing cultural diversity of Canada's population. This initiative, developed in collaboration with Council's Equity Office, is in alignment with the Canada Council's strategic plan directions in support of individual artists and equity.”
Media Release, Canada Council for the Arts, December 1, 2008 | weblink
For more information: www.artbank.ca
Ottawa: Looking long-term – Redefining the playing field for arts and culture
“All week, Ottawa's citizens and arts professionals have been making their case to city hall in reaction to the proposed budgetary cuts to festivals, arts, culture and heritage. For the second time in four years there has been an impressive outpouring of public support, with over three days of presenters solidly booked before city council. Such abundant, vocal and resilient support, so soon after the last round of cuts were threatened, indicates the weight of critical mass in support of arts in Ottawa.”
By Kwende Kefentse, The Ottawa X Press, December 4, 2008 | weblink
Province [of BC] provides $1.7 million to celebrate heritage
“In honour of BC150, the Province is providing $1.7 million to celebrate and recognize the significant role that heritage plays in the provincial economy, Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett announced today [Dec 3]”.
News Release, British Columbia, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, December 3, 2008 | weblink
Ballet BC hopes to crack funding problem with Nutcracker ticket sales
“It's not out of the woods yet, but Ballet BC says its financial situation is improving as people snap up tickets for a traditional Christmas favourite. The Vancouver-based dance company announced last week it had laid off more than 30 staff and dancers after it failed to attract large-enough audiences for its first two productions of the season. Since the announcement, president Graeme Barrit said things have improved, and the ballet company has sold thousands of tickets to the upcoming production it is sponsoring of The Nutcracker by the Moscow Classical Ballet.”
CBC News, December 2, 2008 | weblink
See also: ‘Ballet B.C. ticket sales picking up’, The Georgia Straight, December 1, 2008 | weblink
St. Catharines: Stage set for downtown revival – City approves $101-million arts centre
“The curtain is rising on downtown St. Catharines' cultural revival. A packed house in city council chambers clapped and cheered Monday night [Dec 8] as city councillors unanimously approved a new $101-million development that will include Brock University's Marilyn I. Walker school of fine and performing arts and a new Niagara Centre for the Arts in downtown St. Catharines.”
By Marlene Bergsma, The Standard, December 9, 2008 | weblink
See also: 'Consultants give proposed $101-million arts centre thumbs-up’, December 8, 2008 | weblink
Yellowknife: Northern Arts and Cultural Centre in the national spotlight
“For the past month, staff at the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (NACC) have fielded a steady stream of phone calls from agents and performers interested in booking shows in the NWT. Increased attention from Canada's performing arts community is something the staff will have to get used to. The Canadian Arts Presenting Association (CAPA) named NACC the presenter of the year during a conference in Ottawa on Nov. 9. The distinction recognizes the centre's success touring performers throughout the North, quality programming and commitment to community outreach.”
By Daron Letts, Northern News Services, December 8, 2008 | weblink
Calgary to get half a million dollars worth of new public art
“Just in time for the holidays, the Torode Group of Companies has announced a gift of two new public artworks for Calgary, which will occupy busy locations in and near downtown. The announcement made Friday [Dec 5] at Hotel Arts is a bit of good news that bodes well for the Calgary economy in a worsening economic climate in North America, and will help to draw people to the city. “I think Calgary has so much going for it,” says John Torode, “but on the tourism side it’s not a very interesting city in many ways. I think public art really contributes to making it an interesting city and makes people say Let’s go to Calgary for the weekend.”
By Nancy Tousley, The Calgary Herald, December 5, 2008 | weblink
Toronto's Young Centre moves beyond theatre
"Toronto's Young Centre for the Performing Arts announced a new programming initiative that will transform it into a multidisciplinary centre for the arts. The initiative, centred on emerging artists, will bring a variety of music, dance, theatre and spoken word to the centre beginning in 2009, according to general director Albert Schultz…"These artists are the face of the Young Centre," Schultz said, after introducing them. "They will be the visionaries behind the creation of new programs." He said their role is not performing, but taking part in a collaborative programming process that brings in dozens of new works and emerging artists from around Toronto.”
CBC News, December 8, 2008 | weblink
Montreal: Arts Council’s programs have “arts and business” focus
The Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM) is developing a number of initiatives aimed at fostering long-lasting relationships between the business people and artists. To this end, the funding organization offers various programs, in addition to its “Prix Arts-Affaires” awarded annually in collaboration with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. Notably, a business volunteering program, a fiscal sponsorship program as well as specific measures to strengthen the capacities of cultural and arts organizations’ board of directors. More recently, it launched an internship program intended for graduates of arts programs, while in January it plans to introduce young entrepreneurs to new artistic expressions.
"Le Conseil des arts mise sur les liens arts-affaires", cyberpresse.ca, December 3, 2008 | weblink
Quebec: Four years to implement the province’s commitments in culture
A budget increase to the SODEC (Société de développement des entreprises culturelles), abolition of Quebec’s sales tax (QST) on cultural products as well as tax incentives awarded to motion picture productions filmed in Quebec; these are the principal arts-related promises made by Quebec’s premier, Jean Charest, during the most recent provincial election campaign. According to outgoing Culture Minister, Christine Saint-Pierre, these will be implemented gradually over the course of the government’s next mandate.
"Engagements en culture : les libéraux se donnent quatre ans pour tenir promesse", cyberpresse.ca, December 10, 2008 | weblink
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Experts, public out of sync on ideas that could help economy
“It is very important that we not freeze in the headlights of the current crisis and lose our resolve to take proactive steps to ensure Canada's long-term economic success in the global economy. Things are rocky right now, but this should not deter us from making the changes and investing the dollars that will give Canada the competitive edge it will need to take advantage of the opportunities that are just over the global economic horizon… [S]ome of the more cutting-edge ideas for improving Canada's ability to compete in the global economy raise the public's collective eyebrow. While there is support for investing more in post-secondary education, research and development, and science and technology, the public is yet to adopt the view that arts and culture is an area of strategic economic investment. Only one-quarter of western Canadians rate funding for arts and culture as a high priority.”
By Robert Roach, The Financial Post, December 8, 2008 | weblink
Quebec City has potential to become a cultural incubator
Theatre artist, Robert Lepage says that culture could easily become a pole of economic development in Quebec City. Inspired by various European models such as those of Edinburgh, in Scotland, Avignon, in France and Salzburg in Austria, Robert Lepage suggests all festivals in the region could be grouped to create a unique and large summer event, in the hope it would contribute to making Quebec City a cultural incubator. He admits it won’t be easy: “In Quebec, the cultural sector is constantly competing with sports”, adding struggles over budget allocations and investments with the sports sector must stop. Sounds familiar?
"La culture, un pôle de développement économique selon Robert Lepage", La Presse Canadienne/ cyberpresse.ca, December 10, 2008 | weblink
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FCM’s fall issue of Crossroads includes a focus article on culture in Sri Lanka
This issue of Crossroads includes the article, “Culture Thriving in the Wake of the Tsunami” by Tim Lougheed. “The City of Matara, Sri Lanka, has placed an emphasis on cultural activities to help its citizens recover from the devastation of the tsunami.” The Creative City Network of Canada’s Executive Director, Elizabeth Keurvorst, travelled to Matara with FCM as a volunteer to help “restore and celebrate cultural cohesion” in the the southern Sri Lankan city. “The undertaking culminated in a three-day arts fair at the end of August 2008, an unprecedented event that drew hundreds of people from the city and beyond, and raised expectations for next year’s edition”. Read this article to see “how the demands of disaster enabled local culture to blossom”.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Crossroads, Volume 8, Issue 2, Fall 2008 | weblink to PDF
Crossroads is available here: weblink
Birmingham: Be creative this Christmas – It could be one to remember
“You may be wondering how to celebrate Christmas in a time of economic austerity. And if you are, you are not alone. With the country in the grip of post-war rationing, George Orwell pondered on whether it was appropriate to indulge in the habitual excesses of the festive season and concluded that “a deliberately austere Christmas would be an absurdity”. So how will you make your Christmas a day of “fierce pleasures” (as Orwell has it) when all around us the prevailing messages are of economic gloom and doom rather than peace and goodwill? My suggestion to tackle the current economic climate and the imperative to celebrate Christmas is simple: buy your presents from your local creative economy.”
By Helga Henry, The Birmingham Post, December 7, 2008 | weblink
Nigeria: Use creativity for employment creation
“The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode has called on the Creative Sector industries to use their creativity as a catalyst for creating employment and promoting national cohesion… The Minister said the sector has discovered the importance of forming creative partnership between the culture sector and other sectors such as Information Communication Technology, Research, Tourism and the Civil society which would reinforce the social and economic impact of investment on culture and
creativity in our nation.”
IFACCA, December 9, 2008 | weblink
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Heritage funding sources now available online
“The Heritage Canada Foundation (HCF) is pleased to announce that over 600 links to Canadian heritage and cultural funding sources are now available online. The resources are divided into three categories: National, Provincial, and Regional and Community Heritage Funding. Each section includes direct links to funding bodies that are offering grants and subsidies for projects ranging from conservation work on heritage properties to research and development and employment opportunities. Funding sources listed are directed primarily at not-for-profit registered charitable organizations.” Visit HCF’s website to access this funding resource tool.
Government expenditures on culture /
Museums and art galleries / Performing arts organizations
Hill Strategies Research Inc., Arts Research Monitor, Volume 7, no 7, December 2008 | weblink to PDF
This issue includes five recent reports that examine data on Canada’s cultural sector, including government spending on culture, the financial situation of museums and art galleries, as well as the financial health of performing arts organizations. In addition to a summary of the published reports, new data analysis by Hill Strategies Research is included in this issue of the Arts Research Monitor.
Montreal: A new arts and business portal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in collaboration with TP1 Internet 360, launched its new Web site. The portal aims to create bridges and promote partnerships between cultural organizations, artists and business people in the greater metropolitan area. Members of the artistic and business communities will find links to private funding sources, training programs and volunteers, while business people will also learn about tax benefits available to them. To learn more, consult: www.montrealartsandbusiness.org/en
Press release, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, December 2, 2008 | weblink
as reported by Les Arts et la Ville, le réseau, December 2008 issue
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Acknowledgments: Americans for the Arts – Cultural Policy Listserv, ArtsJournal, CivicInfo BC, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Hills Strategies Research Inc., IFACCA, Les Arts et la ville, Cyberpresse.
Copyright 2008, Creative City Network of Canada. All Rights Reserved. Plase post and/or distribute. When reprinting Creative City News, please give appropriate credit.
All content provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Information contained in this newsletter has been provided by external sources. Links are provided for convenience purposes only. The Creative City Network is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of the information supplied.
Creative City News is published by the Creative City Network of Canada. The Creative City Network connects municipal cultural staff across Canada, enabling this community of practice to share information and expertise, to support one another, and to be more effective in nurturing the cultural development of our communities.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the British Columbia Arts Council, and all member municipalities.
Executive Director: Elizabeth Keurvorst
Editors: Kelsey Johnson and Célyne Gagnon
Translations: Célyne Gagnon
Manager – Member Services: Katherine Clark
For more information and list of our Board of Directors: http://creativecity.ca
Send comments, questions, press releases and news items to news (at) creativecity.ca or use our online contact form
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ISSN 1710-1824
Next issue: January 2009
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