Toronto's arts and culture scene to get $6 million boost

>> by Jacqueline Hansen 

Toronto’s City Council has voted unanimously in favour of increasing funding for the arts by $6 million. The money comes from a billboard tax, unique to Toronto, that the city approved in 2009; however, outdoor advertisers launched a legal challenge to protest paying it, which delayed its implementation until the city won an appeal in the case. City Council had previously discussed directing proceeds of the billboard tax to arts initiatives, but hadn’t made the decision final until now. Four million dollars of the new funding will go to the Toronto Arts Council’s (TAC) grants program, which will reach $14.3 million in 2013. A TAC-issued press release states that the increase will allow the funder to "begin to address funding inequities amongst currently funded organizations while also providing new support for culturally diverse arts organizations, youth, artists working in the inner suburbs and community engaged arts projects." The remaining $2 million will go toward other cultural programs. The municipal financial target for arts support is $25 per capita by 2016. Mayor Rob Ford has referred to the arts funding in the city’s latest budget as a tool “to make Toronto an even more attractive place to live and to invest and create jobs.” 

BC Arts Council receives record-high budget

>> by Cynthia Brett
The BC government surprised the arts community last month when it announced a $24 million budget for the British Columbia Arts Council (BCAC) in 2013/14, a record high. $5.25 million of this funding will flow from the recently announced BC Creative Futures strategy, a government initiative developed to stimulate growth in the creative sector. Geared toward younger generations, the plan invests in many of the BCAC's youth and education programs. Other funding comes from the ongoing Arts and Sports Legacy fund, a three-year initiative rolled out in 2010 that gives $10 million annually to arts and culture. Mirna Zagar, executive director of The Dance Centre in Vancouver, commented to The Dance Current, "Of course any funding increase is always welcome. However, this is not so much an increase as what seems to be an effort to restore funding and most likely can be viewed as a pre-election booster ... This does not appear to really be new money – it's more about how the existing funds are now being allocated. A good move is the fact that most of it now appears to be flowing back to the community through the BC Arts Council." With funding not yet fully restored, and another $2 million still unallocated, the BC arts community will just have to wait and see what happens next.

Government cuts close the doors on the CCA

>> by Brittany Duggan
After sixty-seven years of service, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) announced the end of its operations on October 30th, 2012. The decision comes a year and a half after news broke that the government was not intending to continue its funding to the nation’s largest member-based arts advocacy agency. National Director Alain Pineau commented in a press release, “This was not the way I was hoping to end my time with the CCA, but I leave knowing that all of us at the Secretariat have given everything we had to make this transition a success. I can only hope that someone else will pick up the challenge. The Canadian cultural sector needs and deserves a CCA if it is to be effective and thrive.” The advocacy group recently put together a five-year business plan and requested two years of transitional funding from the government. Denied this funding in the spring of 2012, the CCA continued with support from Canadian Heritage and from its membership. However, it was not enough to re-invent the CCA under a new business model and the group is now left in a state of suspension, maintaining charitable status so as not to lose the accumulation of advocacy throughout the years and to leave the door open for new leadership. CCA was founded in 1945, even before the Canada Council for the Arts, and has been a voice for all disciplines in arts, culture and heritage. Their disappearance prompts the question: what next? Who will lead policy development at the federal level and advocate for Canadian artists and art in Canada?

Update on arts funding

>> by Naomi Brand
In its 2012 budget, the Toronto City Council restored arts grants and community grants to 2011 levels. The grants had been at risk of being cut in the months leading up to the budget, but the reversal is due in part to hundreds of citizens who contacted their councillors and signed the Friends of the Arts petition. However, a new study released by Hill Strategies reports that Toronto has fallen far behind other major Canadian cities in its municipal investment in the arts. The study compared funding to the arts in Canada's five largest cities and found the following per capita figures: Montreal $55, Vancouver $47, Calgary $42, Ottawa $28 and Toronto $19. In BC, the government announced a three-year freeze to arts and culture funding in its latest budget despite overall increases in other sectors. "Overall, a disappointing budget for the arts, cultural and heritage sectors" says Alliance for Arts and Culture executive director Rob Gloor. After so much work by so many in the arts community in recent years to raise public and political awareness of the importance of a healthy cultural sector, we had hoped for better." Vancouver's Josh Beamish cites his frustration with the lack of sustainable arts funding in BC as one of the main reasons that he will be leaving Vancouver to set up his company in New York City. The twenty-four-year-old director of Move: the company, has had remarkable success despite only minimal funding from the BC Arts Council. In a January 31st article about his planned relocation, Beamish told the Vancouver Sun, “If our arts funding is going to keep getting cut, what’s the value of artists staying in this community?” One of the most recent effects of arts funding woes in BC, was the closing of the nearly fifty-year-old Vancouver Playhouse.

NAC Foundation announces CEO's National Fund

>> by Samantha Mehra
The National Arts Centre Foundation recently announced the creation of the CEO's National Fund, which will support national performing arts and education programs. The fund honours Peter Herrndorf, president and CEO of the National Arts Centre since 1999, whom the foundation acknowledged for strengthening the centre's national character, setting high artistic standards and prioritizing education. Made possible by contributions from donors across Canada, the CEO's National Fund stands at $1.2 million, and aims to support the NAC's creation and sustenance of country-wide programming, such as national tours by the NAC orchestra, attracting artists from across Canada to take part in NAC-supported national showcases, and engaging Canadians via live NAC webcasts and podcasts.The National Arts Centre also announced the extension of Herrndorf's contract until 2013.
www.nac.cna.ca/foundation

Canadian government invests in Yukon

>> by Naomi Brand
The Government of Canada announced that it will be investing in arts, culture and official languages in the Yukon territory. The announcement was made in July at the Yukon Arts Centre by Paul Calandra, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The total funding of $1,939,590 will support nine projects in the Yukon under three programs of the Department of Canadian Heritage: the Canada Arts Presentation Fund, the Exchanges Canada program, and the Community Life component of the Development of Official-Language Communities program. Organizations to receive funding include The Yukon Arts Centre, the Adäka Cultural Festival and Breakdancing Yukon Society, among others. "Our support for these organizations ensures that youth and families in Yukon can experience diverse artistic performances and cultural activities," said Parliamentary Secretary Calandra.

Margie Gillis object of on-air bullying

>> by Amy Bowring
Montréal-based dance icon Margie Gillis was the object of on-air bullying when she appeared as a guest on SunTV's "Canada Live" on June 1st. The controversial news station, known for its sensational coverage and aggressive interviewing style, had contacted Gillis' office shortly after she received the Governor General's Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Performing Arts. Gillis told The Dance Current that staff at the news channel had been persistent in their requests for her to appear on the network and were repeatedly flattering in those requests. She says she was aware of the station's conservative approach to news coverage, but agreed to be interviewed and was told the topic would be arts funding in Canada. Gillis, who has had a thirty-nine-year career as a dance artist, did further research on arts funding to prepare herself for the session. Interviewer Krista Erickson introduced Gillis as a Governor General's Award winner and congratulated her on the award but then proceeded to verbally attack the dancer-choreographer, asking her why she deserved the $1.2 million in funding that she and the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation have received since 1998. Erickson exacerbated the situation by repeatedly talking over Gillis so her answers could not be heard properly. Throughout the interview, Erickson continually dismissed the value of tax-payer support for the arts. Gillis described being "shocked" by the attack, telling The Dance Current, "I was sitting in a small room with no one else there ... no one to dialogue with." She says, "What I found most disturbing was that [Erickson] thought part of it was amusing ... but her audience does not think what she says is amusing." Gillis added that she has received an overwhelming response from the dance community. Reflecting on the current times, she continued, "We need to face the future bravely. We cannot cower and be timid ... we have to stand up." On June 9th, Gillis posted a message on Facebook to thank people for their support and to discourage the spread of hateful messages. Rather, she encourages people to take action by writing to the CRTC, the Prime Minister and MPs. In her coverage, Erickson neglected to mention the grants and subsidies provided to many other economic sectors, including farming, manufacturing and media, of which SunTV's parent company, Quebecor, has been a past recipient. Globe and Mail TV reporter John Doyle pointed out in a June 9th article that SunTV's prime-time viewership is approximately 7000.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/margie-gillis/hatred-is-not-the-answer/10150202531471501
http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/louis-laberge-c%C3%B4t%C3%A9/in-response-to-the-sun-news-network-interview-with-margie-gillis/232349496782489

Canada Council appointments

>> by Amy Bowring
The Canada Council for the Arts has made two appointments that will be important to the dance community. Anne Valois, former head of the Dance Section, has been named director of Arts Disciplines Division, and Caroline Lussier, departing administrative director of the Festival TransAmériques (FTA), has been appointed head of the Dance Section. Both women bring extensive knowledge of the Canadian dance community to their new roles. Valois’ early career included administrative work with Montréal companies Le Groupe de la Place Royale and La La La Human Steps; she was also executive director of the Festival international de nouvelle danse. She acted as a consultant with the arts councils of both Québec and Ontario. Her first role at the Canada Council was as dance and theatre officer for the Touring Office in 1986. She was made head of the Touring Office in 1990 and of the Strategic Initiatives Unit in 1991. She became head of the Dance Section in 1997 and in her capacity there has worked with the section’s officers to evolve granting programs to reflect changes in the dance scene itself. Like Valois, Lussier has also worked for La La La Human Steps; she then became assistant director of Diagramme gestion culturelle, which provides administrative services to dance artists and companies in Montréal. She has also worked as a program officer for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, as administrative director of Compagnie Marie Chouinard, and has been with FTA since 2007.

ArtsSmarts funding awarded

>> by Jacqueline Hansen
In September 2010, The Dance Current took a look at dance in Canadian public schools. Newfoundland and Labrador, which received a D+ from the magazine for its lack of dance in the public school curriculum, was recently awarded $150,001 in grants through the ArtsSmarts program for the 2010/11 school year. ArtsSmarts funding is used to integrate art into non-arts subjects with the help of professional artists in the classroom. Thirty-seven projects will be run in Newfoundland and Labrador schools, making this year the peak for number of projects since 1998 when ArtsSmarts funding in the province began. In total, ArtsSmarts has awarded $1,266,336 to schools throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Arts update from BC

>> by Naomi Brand
After British Columbia's cabinet shuffle in October, BC's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts is no longer. It has been replaced by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development headed by rookie minister Stephanie Cadieux. The change makes British Columbia the only Canadian province or territory without a culture ministry. The new name has made many BC artists concerned about the future of arts funding. Additionally, the BC Association for Charitable Gaming (BCACG) is mounting a campaign in response to the Provincial Gaming cuts that have taken place over the past year. In 1999, the province, the Union of BC Municipalities and the BCACG signed an agreement for a permanent revenue sharing formula for the three parties that allocated 33.3% of net gambling revenues to BC charities. While gambling revenues have grown significantly in the past ten years, in 2010 charitable organizations received only 10.43% of proceeds. The BCACG is urging the province to honour their 1999 agreement. Jim Smith, past president of the Canadian Dance Assembly and producer of Eponymous says of the challenging situation in BC, "None of these developments leaves the arts community feeling any confidence in the future." In related news, BC Premier Gordon Campbell announced his resignation on November 3rd.

To support these efforts, there are petitions available to sign at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/VCBS2010/petition.html
http://www.petitiononline.com/bcacg99/petition.html

Ontario announces $27 million Arts Investment Fund

>> by Cynthia Brett

Not-for-profit arts organizations receiving operating grants from the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) will soon also benefit from a new $27 million Arts Investment Fund announced by the Government of Ontario. The fund will be paid out over three years: $11 million in 2010/11, $10 million in 2011/12 and $6 million in 2012/13. The OAC will complement this with $1.1 million over three years for English and French language book and magazine publishers, which are not eligible for the new fund.

TUDS: Toronto Urban Dance Symposium

ShoTyme and Dancers / Photo by Anige Choi
>> by Jacqueline Hansen
Apolonia Velasquez and Ofilio Sinbadinho Portillo, directors of urban dance company Gadfly, presented the first “TUDS: Toronto Urban Dance Symposium” on September 12th in Toronto. Velasquez described its purpose: “We wanted to raise the standards for urban dancers. It’s a community that’s not very aware of all the resources available; we wanted to share how we can improve the quality of our life and of our career.” Representatives from several dance service organizations as well as the DaCosta Talent Agency and professional dancers and choreographers were invited to join discussions, panels and workshops. Velasquez said many of the participants, nearly 100 dancers aged sixteen to thirty, had never before considered seeking help from arts organizations. Also discussed was how to further the professional image of street dancing. When addressing the stereotypes of street dance, Velasquez insisted that “there is art [in street dance], there is technique, there is history; people should respect it as much as any other dance, it has the same value.” But she thinks the lack of recognition is half the fault of street dancers: “Street dancers aren’t taking the next step, they aren’t applying, they aren’t trying to get that support … they have to be active, and work for it.”

Ballet BC's matching pledge campaign reaches $300,000 goal

>> by Cynthia Brett

Dr. Kevin B. Leslie, chair of the board of directors of Ballet BC, recently announced that the company's matching pledge campaign reached its $300,000 goal. The campaign, which ran from January to April 2010, puts the company in a secure financial position for the 2010/11 season. In a press release, Executive Director Jay Rankin expressed his gratitude to "the contributors who represent wide support for the new direction of the company under Artistic Director Emily Molnar."

http://www.balletbc.com/

BC Arts Council releases strategic plan

>> by Cynthia Brett
The BC Arts Council released its 2009-2013 Strategic Plan in December 2009, three months after the provincial government announced that ninety-two percent of arts and culture funding will be cut by 2011. The plan includes four over-arching goals designed for the Council's mission to, " ... engage British Columbians in a healthy arts community that is recognized for excellence ..." said Council Chair Jane Danzo, in a press release. The goals include:

• fostering artistic excellence
• strengthening community engagement
• supporting the unique role of Aboriginal artists and communities
• enhancing financial and other services

Kevin Krueger, BC's Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, commented in a press release that, "The province is committed to the long-term health of BC's arts sector and recognizes the key social and economic roles that heritage, arts and culture play in our society ... " The Council is currently developing the plan's implementation schedule.
www.bcartscouncil.ca

Nova Scotia arts organizations attend APAP

>> by Cynthia Brett
For the first time, Nova Scotia representatives were among fifteen Canadian delegates supported by the Canada Council for the Arts to attend the 2010 Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) in New York City. Mocean Dance, Strategic Arts Management, Music Nova Scotia, 2B Theatre and Cultural Affairs Consulting & Promotion attended the performing arts networking conference from January 8th through 11th where they participated in professional development workshops while networking with colleagues and promoting Canadian performing arts. Their travel was funded by Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture & Heritage with support from the Canada Council in terms of mentorship and registration fees.
www.canadacouncil.ca
www.artspresenters.org

Five Ontario communties to receive artsVest grants

>> by Cynthia Brett

London, Chatham-Kent, Stratford/Perth County, Brantford and Dysart/Haliburton will benefit from artsVest funding in early 2010. Nichole Anderson, president of Business for the Arts, announced the first five of fifteen Ontario communities that will receive the artsVest matching grant opportunity over the next four years. The artsVest program provides cultural organizations with an opportunity to foster relationships with businesses as well as engage municipalities to make culture a part of city planning; over three years it has seen 370 businesses partner with 130 arts organizations in eleven different communities while raising $1.46 million for arts and culture. Thanks to funding from business members of Business for the Arts, as well as the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ontario Ministry of Culture, the artsVest program is able to launch in these communities.

battery opera charges $267.67 per ticket

>> by Samantha Mehra

As a response to British Columbia's recent arts budget cuts, Vancouver's battery opera will charge $267.67 per ticket for its remount of -LIVES WERE AROUND ME-, a guided tour taking place November 7th and 24th, and December 1st, 8th and 15th. The high ticket price is intended to reflect the actual costs of creating a production, and to comment on the function of public funding for the arts. If patrons cannot afford tickets, the company will accept donations on a first-come first-served basis. (http://www.batteryopera.com/works/lives-were-around-me/).

Canadian artists protest BC culture cuts

>> by Cynthia Brett
In November, artists from Vancouver and across Canada continued with protests against the BC government's decision to cut 90% of cultural funding, making it the only jurisdiction in Canada not to invest in culture. Artists dressed in grey formed squares outside a Billy Bragg concert and at a Wrecking Ball event. The Wrecking Ball is a creative and satirical evening of political theatre that began in Toronto but went national during the 2008 federal election, helping to change public opinion about the Harper government's planned culture cuts. In related news, participation in BC's budget consultation last month led the Finance Committee to recommend that the government, "Make funding of the arts a high priority in the 2010/11 budget by returning to overall actual funding levels of 2008/09."

Contemporary circus artists eligible for Canada Council funding

>> by Naomi Brand
Professional artists and arts organizations practicing contemporary circus arts are now eligible to apply for funding from the Canada Council for the Arts. While no new funds have been allocated to this art form, support is available through grant programs offered by the Council’s Inter-Arts Office. Grant applications will be assessed by a range of integrated arts professionals including artists working in contemporary circus art. Learn more: www.canadacouncil.ca/interarts.

MOTUS O receives $310,000 grant

>> by Cynthia Brett
MOTUS O dance theatre announced that they have been awarded a $310,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Located in Stouffville ON, the company will use the five-year partnership grant to foster the arts community in the York region by incorporating a variety of artists and local groups into its productions of Perspectives and A Christmas Carol. MOTUS O is an international touring company that has been fusing dance, theatre, film and music to create works of pathos and comedy since its inception in 1990.