Last week, The Arts Advocate Report provided subscribers with a round up where arts policy fit into Ontario municipal mayoralty elections in major regional cities. To keep you up to date, here are the mayors elected in cities looked at last week, and whether their public position speaks to arts and culture.
On face value, it looks like Windsor will be out ahead.
Kitchener Carl Zehr: No specific platform, but does speak to importance of arts and culture
London Joe Fontana: No reference to arts and culture
Ottawa Jim Watson: No specific platform, but covers culture in tourism policy
Sudbury Marianne Matichuk: No specifics, but believes private money should pay for new performing arts centre
Toronto Rob Ford: No specific platform on arts and culture
Windsor Eddie Francis: Speaks specifically to role of arts and culture in Windsor, and the place of the cultural plan.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Connecting the dots of government investment and public support for the arts
At last week’s open board meeting of the Canada Council for the Arts, Chair Joseph Rotman, Vice Chair Simon Brault and Director Robert Sirman reinforced two key points to the overflow crowd in Toronto:
* The board of the Council enjoys the confidence of the Government of Canada, a result, in its view, of the alignment of Council’s activities and priorities of the Government.
* The current $182 million allocation to Canada’s arts sector, through the Council, is significant and very much appreciated, especially in this time of fiscal restraint.
The Council acknowledges that, on a constant dollar per capita basis, its funding is smaller than in 1990; but it does not see itself in a growth phase at this time. Pointing to the realities of the competing spending priorities faced by Ottawa (and evidenced by the sheer number of witnesses participating at the House of Commons Finance Committee pre-budget hearings underway), the Canada Council board is carefully acknowledging the ‘potential for growth’ without making the ask at this time.
When queried as to why the board of the Canada Council for the Arts was not more aggressively championing a funding increase for the arts, Chair Joseph Rotman delivered a spirited response that pointed to reality of governing at this time. He reinforced again the confidence of government enjoyed by the Council, and stressed the need for everyone to be sensitive to the tenor of our times. (Not sure everyone agreed with him!)
The link to the recent Environics survey on the attitudes of Ontarians to arts and the quality of life (completed for the Ontario Arts Council) becomes salient here: 81% of Ontarians agree that government should spend dollars to support the arts. Dig a little deeper though, and the numbers show that 38% of respondents ‘strongly agree’ with this statement, while 43% are in the ‘somewhat agree’ category.
In this period of shrinking dollars and belt tightening, it’s going to be important for all of us to move people from the ‘somewhat agree’ group to the ‘strongly agree’ group.
From that observation, it’s back to the Canada Council’s new strategic plan and their enhanced focus on ‘public engagement’. I’ll connect those dots another time!
* The board of the Council enjoys the confidence of the Government of Canada, a result, in its view, of the alignment of Council’s activities and priorities of the Government.
* The current $182 million allocation to Canada’s arts sector, through the Council, is significant and very much appreciated, especially in this time of fiscal restraint.
The Council acknowledges that, on a constant dollar per capita basis, its funding is smaller than in 1990; but it does not see itself in a growth phase at this time. Pointing to the realities of the competing spending priorities faced by Ottawa (and evidenced by the sheer number of witnesses participating at the House of Commons Finance Committee pre-budget hearings underway), the Canada Council board is carefully acknowledging the ‘potential for growth’ without making the ask at this time.
When queried as to why the board of the Canada Council for the Arts was not more aggressively championing a funding increase for the arts, Chair Joseph Rotman delivered a spirited response that pointed to reality of governing at this time. He reinforced again the confidence of government enjoyed by the Council, and stressed the need for everyone to be sensitive to the tenor of our times. (Not sure everyone agreed with him!)
The link to the recent Environics survey on the attitudes of Ontarians to arts and the quality of life (completed for the Ontario Arts Council) becomes salient here: 81% of Ontarians agree that government should spend dollars to support the arts. Dig a little deeper though, and the numbers show that 38% of respondents ‘strongly agree’ with this statement, while 43% are in the ‘somewhat agree’ category.
In this period of shrinking dollars and belt tightening, it’s going to be important for all of us to move people from the ‘somewhat agree’ group to the ‘strongly agree’ group.
From that observation, it’s back to the Canada Council’s new strategic plan and their enhanced focus on ‘public engagement’. I’ll connect those dots another time!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Cultural issues on the municipal election agenda -- it's happening
With Thanksgiving behind us, Ontarians will now turn their attention to the municipal elections in earnest. This year, the cultural sector is a force that candidates are paying heed to, like never before. The politicization of arts issues in the last federal election is ricocheting across the political landscape, and candidates and parties recognize the risk, media wise at least, of being seen as offside.
In Toronto, the largest cultural centre in the country, ArtsVote and the film industry both elevated the importance of cultural contributions. At the Toronto Mayoralty Arts Debate held late September, the crowd was beyond capacity with people even turned away at the overflow spaces. Film Ontario, centred in Toronto, hosted a debate earlier in the month where the leading mayoralty candidates demonstrated their understanding of this rapidly evolving industry, looking to demonstrate how they see it fitting into Toronto.
Outside Toronto, arts issues are also on the agenda. Last night, there was an arts debate in Kingston, also reportedly with overflow crowds. Similarly in Windsor and Ottawa, the arts sector has come together to canvas candidates on their positions about the arts. Information on candidates’ views about the arts is readily available.
Individually, each of these initiatives may not command much attention beyond their immediate target audience. Together, they demonstrate that the cultural sector is taking arts advocacy more seriously, and having more impact than perhaps thought possible in the past. Aided by initiatives like Culture Days, it’s clear that Ontario citizens do embrace, participate in and value arts and cultural opportunities.
Arts and cultural issues don’t dominate the municipal election agenda this fall. But candidates also know that to ignore them, or attack them, is folly.
In Toronto, the largest cultural centre in the country, ArtsVote and the film industry both elevated the importance of cultural contributions. At the Toronto Mayoralty Arts Debate held late September, the crowd was beyond capacity with people even turned away at the overflow spaces. Film Ontario, centred in Toronto, hosted a debate earlier in the month where the leading mayoralty candidates demonstrated their understanding of this rapidly evolving industry, looking to demonstrate how they see it fitting into Toronto.
Outside Toronto, arts issues are also on the agenda. Last night, there was an arts debate in Kingston, also reportedly with overflow crowds. Similarly in Windsor and Ottawa, the arts sector has come together to canvas candidates on their positions about the arts. Information on candidates’ views about the arts is readily available.
Individually, each of these initiatives may not command much attention beyond their immediate target audience. Together, they demonstrate that the cultural sector is taking arts advocacy more seriously, and having more impact than perhaps thought possible in the past. Aided by initiatives like Culture Days, it’s clear that Ontario citizens do embrace, participate in and value arts and cultural opportunities.
Arts and cultural issues don’t dominate the municipal election agenda this fall. But candidates also know that to ignore them, or attack them, is folly.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Brault's No Culture No Future -- Taking up the invitation to discuss how we put culture on the public policy agenda
Happily, this summer I completed Simon Brault’s No Culture, No Future.
An enjoyable read, it reinforced, once again, the challenge of putting culture on the mainstream public policy agenda. For those of us engaged in the cultural sector, the arguments and imperatives of robust cultural policies and programs at every level of government are clear and obvious. We forget though that in many ways, we are speaking only to ourselves with little regard to the importance that others attribute to cultural activity. The realization that the participation rate of Canadians in cultural activities is remaining stable at less than 5% is a sobering figure indeed. (Canadian Index of Wellbeing, Report Highlights, Leisure and Culture, June 2010).
If Canadians don’t see themselves engaging in cultural activity, which many don’t, it’s hard for policy makers to make arts and culture policy a priority.
Brault makes clear that “we must address without delay the issue of attendance at arts events and participation in the arts” if we want arts and culture to move to the forefront of policy discussion. With attendance remaining, at best, stable, we have a distance to go.
More and more money is invested in culture from all sectors, including government, a point acknowledged by Brault in his book. As we look towards an increasingly challenging fiscal environment in the years ahead, it will be imperative to demonstrate to government that Canadians are engaged in the rich array of arts and cultural opportunities and activities offered across the province and country. Culture Days, happening next month, is a great step in the right direction.
Simon Brault is clear that he would like his book to enrich public discussion on cultural policy. He has already gone some distance to achieving that, recognizing that most cultural policy watchers I know have the book on their ‘must read’ summer list. The impending municipal election season in Ontario, together with the reality that Ontario and federal elections will soon follow, provide us all with a great opportunity to sustain the conversation.
Note: The Toronto Mayoral Arts Debate happens Wednesday 29 September, 7 pm at the AGO. Watch for more news on this, and other major arts related municipal election events, in the blog and on our twitter feed.
An enjoyable read, it reinforced, once again, the challenge of putting culture on the mainstream public policy agenda. For those of us engaged in the cultural sector, the arguments and imperatives of robust cultural policies and programs at every level of government are clear and obvious. We forget though that in many ways, we are speaking only to ourselves with little regard to the importance that others attribute to cultural activity. The realization that the participation rate of Canadians in cultural activities is remaining stable at less than 5% is a sobering figure indeed. (Canadian Index of Wellbeing, Report Highlights, Leisure and Culture, June 2010).
If Canadians don’t see themselves engaging in cultural activity, which many don’t, it’s hard for policy makers to make arts and culture policy a priority.
Brault makes clear that “we must address without delay the issue of attendance at arts events and participation in the arts” if we want arts and culture to move to the forefront of policy discussion. With attendance remaining, at best, stable, we have a distance to go.
More and more money is invested in culture from all sectors, including government, a point acknowledged by Brault in his book. As we look towards an increasingly challenging fiscal environment in the years ahead, it will be imperative to demonstrate to government that Canadians are engaged in the rich array of arts and cultural opportunities and activities offered across the province and country. Culture Days, happening next month, is a great step in the right direction.
Simon Brault is clear that he would like his book to enrich public discussion on cultural policy. He has already gone some distance to achieving that, recognizing that most cultural policy watchers I know have the book on their ‘must read’ summer list. The impending municipal election season in Ontario, together with the reality that Ontario and federal elections will soon follow, provide us all with a great opportunity to sustain the conversation.
Note: The Toronto Mayoral Arts Debate happens Wednesday 29 September, 7 pm at the AGO. Watch for more news on this, and other major arts related municipal election events, in the blog and on our twitter feed.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Fostering creativity: arts education is a better place to start than Play-Doh for adults
Today’s Globe and Mail features an article on fostering creativity for business and government types. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/work/battle-of-the-brainstorms-should-you-be-all-business-or-be-creative/article1603948/) Citing a new book by author Alexander Hiam, Business Innovation for Dummies, it suggests you exercise your creative muscles though tactile activities like Play-Doh or building blocks, obviously the mainstay of the pre-school set.
An alternative option, with far-lasting impact and benefits, would be for the key leaders in our society to ensure arts education has a meaningful place in our educations system. Often seen as a frill, experience and study demonstrate that effective and sustained arts education programs throughout a student’s career lead to enhanced creativity, imagination and effectiveness.
So rather than investing in Play-Doh for execs, perhaps we should consider the policies and actions necessary to put in place some meaningful arts education for all students.
An alternative option, with far-lasting impact and benefits, would be for the key leaders in our society to ensure arts education has a meaningful place in our educations system. Often seen as a frill, experience and study demonstrate that effective and sustained arts education programs throughout a student’s career lead to enhanced creativity, imagination and effectiveness.
So rather than investing in Play-Doh for execs, perhaps we should consider the policies and actions necessary to put in place some meaningful arts education for all students.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Creating a marketplace framework for Canada’s digital content advantage
The Government of Canada is asking Canadians our views on how to improve our country’s digital advantage. Arguing that Canada is only in the ‘middle of the pack’ in terms of adopting and exploiting the value of digital technology, the federal government states that “we need to do better”; hence, the launch of the digital economy strategy, first announced in the March 2010 Throne Speech and Budget. At the Canada 3.0 conference in Stratford Ontario earlier this week, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement released a consultation paper to solicit Canadians’ views. He also promised key stakeholder roundtables, though details aren’t yet available.
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore is playing a key part in the development of this strategy from the perspective of digital content and creation. Acknowledging the innovation of Canadian creators, the consultation paper states that “With the right framework, digital media entrepreneurs have the ability to create Canada’s digital content advantage with vision and boldness to unleash the potential of content to capitalize on our investments … and drive more innovation”.
For Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, the framework focuses on the marketplace. The chapter on Canada’s Digital Content Advantage emphasizes the responsibility of the government to ensure the right polices and measures are in place for digital entrepreneurs to succeed: “The Government of Canada’s role is to put in place a marketplace framework in which our creators, inventors and entrepreneurs have the incentives to innovate, the confidence to take risks and the tools to succeed.”
The paper does not discuss the role of digital media of sharing Canada’s diverse cultural voices with each other, or bringing the Canadian cultural perspective to the world, although Minister Clement’s speech did make reference to this.
The consultation is open until 9 July 2010. For more information, go to http://de-en.gc.ca/home/
Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore is playing a key part in the development of this strategy from the perspective of digital content and creation. Acknowledging the innovation of Canadian creators, the consultation paper states that “With the right framework, digital media entrepreneurs have the ability to create Canada’s digital content advantage with vision and boldness to unleash the potential of content to capitalize on our investments … and drive more innovation”.
For Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore, the framework focuses on the marketplace. The chapter on Canada’s Digital Content Advantage emphasizes the responsibility of the government to ensure the right polices and measures are in place for digital entrepreneurs to succeed: “The Government of Canada’s role is to put in place a marketplace framework in which our creators, inventors and entrepreneurs have the incentives to innovate, the confidence to take risks and the tools to succeed.”
The paper does not discuss the role of digital media of sharing Canada’s diverse cultural voices with each other, or bringing the Canadian cultural perspective to the world, although Minister Clement’s speech did make reference to this.
The consultation is open until 9 July 2010. For more information, go to http://de-en.gc.ca/home/
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Canada Prize in Arts and Creativity -- now it's time to contribute to good public policy
In the January issue of The Arts Advocate Report, MP Gary Schellenberger, Chair of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, noted how slowly the wheels of government turn. This became readily apparent this week with news from Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore that the Canada Prize for Arts and Creativity will be administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, its parameters yet to be worked out though. Regardless, the Minister was emphatic in stating that he expects the first prizes to be awarded next year, 2011.
Originally announced in the 2009 federal budget, it became evident that the Government did not have clear plans and objectives for the Canada Prize. Moreover, the rumoured roll out of it, centred in Toronto, became divisive within the cultural community. This presented the feds with significant problems particularly in Quebec. With speculation running rampant as to the genesis of the prize, the Canada Prize was a good example of how public policy should not be developed.
Recognizing the firestorm that developed around the Canada Prize, it makes sense to go back to first principles to see that the new prize becomes sought out by all artists, and is respected throughout Canada and around the world. With this week’s announcement, Minister Moore re-asserted ownership of the Prize. The appointment of an advisory panel to “generate a series of recommendations and options regarding the parameters of the Canada Prizes” will provide everyone with an opportunity to have their views heard. Chaired by Canada Council Chair Joseph Rotman and including Vice Chair Simon Brault, the 5-member panel will make recommendations on how to “recognize outstanding Canadian artistic achievements and will help brand Canada as a centre of excellence”.
Notwithstanding the controversy that has dogged the Canada Prize for Arts and Creativity, its proponents should be credited for convincing the Government of Canada to recognize excellence in the arts, something this government, and minister in particular, have not been identified with: The ‘i-pod minister’s focus has seen to be on consumer demand and access -- important factors in artistic decisions, but not in isolation from excellence.
Now it behooves Canadians, particularly those in the cultural sector, to give the advisory panel good and creative ideas on how to make the Canada Prize for Arts and Creativity work for all Canadians.
To make your views known, go to http://survey.pch.gc.ca/perseus/se.ashx?s=0B880FDE0B712106&c=en-US. You only have until 21 May 2010.
Originally announced in the 2009 federal budget, it became evident that the Government did not have clear plans and objectives for the Canada Prize. Moreover, the rumoured roll out of it, centred in Toronto, became divisive within the cultural community. This presented the feds with significant problems particularly in Quebec. With speculation running rampant as to the genesis of the prize, the Canada Prize was a good example of how public policy should not be developed.
Recognizing the firestorm that developed around the Canada Prize, it makes sense to go back to first principles to see that the new prize becomes sought out by all artists, and is respected throughout Canada and around the world. With this week’s announcement, Minister Moore re-asserted ownership of the Prize. The appointment of an advisory panel to “generate a series of recommendations and options regarding the parameters of the Canada Prizes” will provide everyone with an opportunity to have their views heard. Chaired by Canada Council Chair Joseph Rotman and including Vice Chair Simon Brault, the 5-member panel will make recommendations on how to “recognize outstanding Canadian artistic achievements and will help brand Canada as a centre of excellence”.
Notwithstanding the controversy that has dogged the Canada Prize for Arts and Creativity, its proponents should be credited for convincing the Government of Canada to recognize excellence in the arts, something this government, and minister in particular, have not been identified with: The ‘i-pod minister’s focus has seen to be on consumer demand and access -- important factors in artistic decisions, but not in isolation from excellence.
Now it behooves Canadians, particularly those in the cultural sector, to give the advisory panel good and creative ideas on how to make the Canada Prize for Arts and Creativity work for all Canadians.
To make your views known, go to http://survey.pch.gc.ca/perseus/se.ashx?s=0B880FDE0B712106&c=en-US. You only have until 21 May 2010.
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