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ARTS POLICY FOR BC?

On June 29, 2013, in Alliance for Arts and Culture , Art and Culture Funding , Arts , Cultural Policy , Sport and Cultural Development , Sports Policy , by Tom Durrie

WAIT A MINUTE, THERE IS ALREADY A SPORTS POLICY. WHY NOT AN ARTS POLICY?

One hundred or so people spent a Friday and Saturday (June 21-22) discussing  “A BC Cultural Policy Framework” at Arts Summit 2013 hosted by the Alliance for Arts and Culture. There were interesting speakers, and we think that people left with a sense that something had been accomplished. Little did we know until then that there is already a well-established sports policy. The paragraph below says a lot, and just follow the link to read the whole thing.

“As ‘public policy,’ British Columbia’s Policy on Sport and Physical Activity sets out the
provincial government’s course of action, priorities and values in respect to sport and
physical activity. The principles inherent in this public policy are resilient enough to align
with changing government and public priorities, but visionary and solid enough to endure
for the longer term.”

And for your further consideration, we point out that AABC proposed an arts policy in February of 2011 .
The question to ask is: How would an arts policy affect arts funding in BC?

/19KDz5S

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THE ECONOMIC ARGUMENT?

On June 29, 2013, in Arts , Arts funding , Economic argument , Fallacies , John Kay , by Tom Durrie

We are often tempted to argue that the arts generate all kinds of economic activity, but is this really the reason why we need the arts?

We found this article by economist John Kay to be very persuasive and important.

A good economist knows the true value of the arts

11 August 2010, Financial Times

Activities that are good in themselves are good for the economy, and activities that are bad in themselves are bad for the economy. The only intelligible meaning of “benefit to the economy” is the contribution – direct or indirect – the activity makes to the welfare of ordinary citizens.

Many people underestimate the contribution disease makes to the economy. In Britain, more than a million people are employed to diagnose and treat disease and care for the ill. Thousands of people build hospitals and surgeries, and many small and medium-size enterprises manufacture hospital supplies. Illness contributes about 10 per cent of the UK’s economy : the government does not do enough to promote disease.

Such reasoning is identical to that of studies sitting on my desk that purport to measure the economic contribution of sport, tourism and the arts . These studies point to the number of jobs created, and the ancillary activities needed to make the activities possible. They add up the incomes that result. Reporting the total with pride, the sponsors hope to persuade us not just that sport, tourism and the arts make life better, but that they contribute to something called “the economy”.

The analogy illustrates the obvious fallacy. What the exercises measure is not the benefits of the activities they applaud, but their cost; and the value of an activity is not what it costs, but the amount by which its benefit exceeds its costs. The economic contribution of sport is in the pleasure participants and spectators derive, and the resulting gains in health and longevity. That value is diminished, not increased, by the resources that need to be diverted from other purposes.

Similarly, the economic value of the arts is in the commercial and cultural value of the performance, not the costs of cleaning the theatre. The economic perspective does not differ from the commonsense perspective. Good economics here, as so often, is a matter of giving precision to our common sense. Bad economics here, as so often, involves inventing bogus numbers to answer badly formulated questions.

But good economics is often harder to do than bad economics. It is difficult to measure the value of a Shakespeare play: you can start with the box office receipts, but this is only the beginning of the story. Adding up the actors’ wages does not help. Changes in relative prices since the time of Verdi mean that grand opera is now very expensive to perform . The relevant economic questions are whether the cultural and commercial value of the performance offsets these costs and whether these benefits can be translated into a combination of box office receipts, sponsorship and public subsidy . The appropriate economic criterion, everywhere and always, is the value of the output.

But bad economics has been allowed to drive out good. I am sympathetic to the well-intentioned people who commission studies of economic benefit, though not to those who take money for carrying them out. They are responding to a climate in which philistine businessmen assert that the private sector company that manufactures pills is a wealth creator, but the public sector doctor who prescribes them is not. Extolling the virtues of manufacturing, they value the popcorn sold in the interval, but not the performance of the play, arguing that the vendor of consumer goods creates resources, which the subsidised theatre uses up. People who work in the theatre, hospitals or education are often forced to listen to this nonsense. It should be no surprise that so many of them despise business and the values such business espouses. If these values were truly the values of business they would be right to despise them.

The surveys on my desk are expensively commissioned because their sponsors perceive a language they detest and do not understand. We need to put out of our minds this widely held notion that there is such a thing as “the economy”, a monster outside the door that needs to be fed and propitiated and whose values conflict with things – such as sports, tourism and the arts – that make our lives agreeable and worthwhile. Activities that are good in themselves are good for the economy, and activities that are bad in themselves are bad for the economy. The only intelligible meaning of “benefit to the economy” is the contribution – direct or indirect – the activity makes to the welfare of ordinary citizens.

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SUBMISSION TO THE BUDGET COMMITTEE

On October 7, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Arts Advocacy , Arts and Culture Advisory Committee , BC Arts Council , BC Budget , BC MLA , British Columbias Legislative Assembly , Christy Clark , Cultural Policy , Election Platform , Provincial Budget , Select Standing Committee , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

AABC Board member David Stewart has sent us this submission to the Budget Committee. The deadline for submissions is October 18. You can add your voice by sending us your submission.

October 4, 2012
Submission to Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Service s

I am writing on behalf of the British Columbia Choral Federation whose 200 member choirs represent some 6000 choral musicians, both amateur and professional.   We were pleased that the British Columbia Government is again providing $16,831,000 to the BC Arts Council (BCAC) to support arts and culture in communities throughout the province during the 2012-13 fiscal year.

The BCAC grant to our organization totals $11,100 for the 2012-2013 fiscal year and we are assured of the same grant in 2013-2014. In addition we received $32,700 from gaming revenues.  Added together these grants account for just under 20 per cent of our annual budget of $238,000. The balance of our revenues come from membership dues, an annual raffle, generous donations from many of our board members, workshop fees, and our  flagship event, CHORFEST,  which is held in a different  BC community every year.  So it must be said that we are pulling our weight in terms of keeping the Federation on a firm financial foundation.

However, I note with some dismay that British Columbia still holds 13 th place among the provinces and territories in terms of per capita spending on Arts and Culture.  Our province has held this questionable position for the better part of the last decade and I have not seen any effort on the part of the Provincial Government to do anything about it.  British Columbia would have to double its per capita spending on arts and culture to come anywhere near the national average of $98 per person.

The arts are the foundation of a civil society.  Furthermore it is arts and culture that determine the success of a society. “Those communities that are richest in their artistic tradition are also those that are the most progressive in their economic performance and most resilient and secure in their economic structure.” ( Economist John Kenneth Galbraith.)

According to Statistics Canada, in 2003-4 (the last year for which comprehensive arts statistics have been published), with an investment of $7.7 billion from three levels of government, the arts and culture sector directly employed 600,000 people and generated $40 billion for the Canadian economy.  That’s a return on investment of more than 500%. Approximately 25% of this gain goes directly back to tax revenue—which is more than the initial investment.

Conversely: If imbalance is allowed to disturb harmony in the relationship between the economic, social, and cultural dimensions of a society, that society will find itself degraded and will rapidly become unjust. ( Creating a Policy for Arts and Culture in British Columbia – A Draft Proposal  by Arts Advocacy BC )

Art occupies in society the equivalent of one of those glands the size of a pea on which the proper functioning of the body depends, and whose removal is as easy as it is fatal. ( Cyril Connolly, The Condemned Playground)

Our  recommendations to the 2012 Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services are as follows.

1. Continue to generously support arts and Cultural organizations, including heritage and community-based organizations, with  arms-length public investment through the BC Arts Council; funding that is stable and sufficient to support the Council’s strategic plan.

2. Plan to double British Columbia’s per capita funding for arts and culture over the next two years to bring it up to at least the national average.

3. Provide support for training programs to develop the entrepreneurial and business skills in the arts and culture sector.

We strongly believe that arts and culture have a crucial part to play in the economic, social, environmental, health, and educational future of a British Columbia to ensure that it is, indeed, among the best places on earth.

David K. Stewart
President,  British Columbia Choral Federation

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BUDGET CONSULTATIONS. HAVE YOUR SAY!

On September 18, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Arts Advocacy , BC Budget , British Columbias Legislative Assembly , Budget Consultation , Cultural Policy , Cultural Tourism , Provincial Budget , Select Standing Committee , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

The central conservative truth is that culture, not politics, determines the success of a society.

The central liberal truth is that politics can change a culture and save it from itself. –Daniel Patrick Moynihan

These are important words to remember as you make your submission–in person, on line, by mail–to Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services . This is all happening RIGHT NOW, so don’t delay. Let them know that you want the funding to the arts to increase. AABC is asking that funding to the BC Arts Council be doubled during the next two years. We also want to emphasize the importance of cultural tourism, a great opportunty that government has not been supporting.

Don’t forget our DRAFT CULTURAL POLICY FOR BC . Ask that they consider this and include it in their report.

Make arts and election issue!

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AABC Writes to the new Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development

On September 7, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Arts Advocacy , BC Arts Council , Bill Bennett , British Columbias Legislative Assembly , Cultural Tourism , Ida Chong , Ministry of Community , Sport and Cultural Development , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

September 9, 2012

Sent by e-mail to [email protected]

Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development
East Annex
Parliament Buildings
Victoria, BC
V8V 1X4

Dear Minister:

Please accept our congratulations on your appointment as Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. As advocates for arts and culture and artists in British Columbia, we are very interested in your opinions on funding for the arts and how that is administered. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in revealing the disposition of some $3.2 million (part of the Sport and Arts Legacy Fund) that was used by Minister Chong as a “discretionary” fund for supporting organizations of the ministry’s choosing. To date, we have not seen a complete accounting of how this money was distributed. You can find other information, correspondence, etc. on our website www.artsadvocacybc.ca .

We maintain that all funding for arts and culture should be managed and distributed through the British Columbia Arts Council.

As you know, the government of British Columbia has not adopted a cultural policy setting out guiding principles and positions on how government relates to arts and culture. You can find our draft cultural policy, plus additional comments here: /a-cultural-policy-for-bc/

We also believe that cultural tourism is an important and substantial untapped resource in the province. Many studies have been done on cultural tourism, and many countries around the world are mining this resource, not only to the advantage of the usual tourist industries like hotels and restaurants but also to the increased benefits to artists of all disciplines. To be successful a vital cultural tourism industry would require substantial and stable funding for artists, arts organizations, and infrastructure throughout the province. This investment could reap substantial returns.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on these matters, and we hope to engage in an ongoing dialogue.

Sincerely yours,

(signed)

Tom Durrie, executive director
Arts Advocacy British Columbia

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THE OLYMPICS ARE OVER

On August 12, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Canadian artists , Canadian athletes , Commercial sponsorship , Jan Lisiecki , Jesse DeCoste , Olympic ceremonies , Olympic Games , Sport and Cultural Development , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

THE OLYMPICS ARE OVER

Now that the summer Olympic games in London are over, and the world has been astonished by athletic accomplishment and by the stunning opening and closing ceremonies, we can reflect on the staggering cost of this event, the parade of commercial sponsorships, and the array of competitive events now considered to be of Olympic status. We also acknowledge and appreciate the dedication and work that the young athletes have devoted to their proud participation in these events. The medal winners, now heading home, can go on to coaching, lucrative product endorsements, cash prizes from governments, and the nationalistic adulation of their public.

Now, we at AABC want to think about the artists—the young Canadian artists—who continue to speak to the world about the heart and soul of this country and of humanity in the largest sense. They do not compete for medals or Olympic glory, but they work as hard as any athlete to develop and maintain their talent and creativity. And this dedication must continue over a lifetime.

We have said: Train an athlete and you will have a few medals and a line of product endorsements; train an artist and you will have a lifetime of accomplishment. Who do we want to hold up as models for our young people?

Becoming an Olympic athlete requires an enormous amount of personal sacrifice as well as the support of family, government, and commercial interests. Becoming an artist requires a similar level of effort and practice, but Government and commercial support are hard to come by. Shouldn’t our artists receive the same support and public acknowledgement as our athletes?

Here are two examples:

Jan Lisiecki , now 17 years old, emerged as a pianistic genius at an early age. Growing up in Calgary, he had the great good fortune of having highly supportive parents, who, at the same time, did not push or force him to develop his talent. He was, and is, clearly driven by an intense love of music and of the piano. At his young age, he now has an international concert career and a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophone. Nevertheless, he remains a modest and intelligent young man still pursuing a university education in Calgary. His first CD with Deutsche Grammophone is of two Mozart piano concertos, Nos. 20 and 21. Highly recommended. And this is just the beginning. We estimate that his career will continue at this level for another 50 or 60 years.

Jesse DeCoste , 18, is an actor living in New Westminster, BC. He was recently accepted as one of the 28 (out of 4,000) applicants to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, giving him the opportunity to receive training at the most prestigious school of theatre in the English-speaking world. Here’s the catch, though: In order to attend for just the first year, Jesse will have to pay the international tuition fee of around $25,000 as well as even modest living expenses in London of around $15,000. To raise this money, he has to embark on the equivalent of a bake sale. He hopes to get student and bank loans for around half of the needed funds, but for the rest, he is appealing to us, to the public and to potential sponsors. No gold medals here, but we can look forward to 60 or more years of his future career. Please read more by following the link above and this one of a CBC interview .

The artistic talent in this country continues to astound and impress the world. Send us the stories of the young and promising artists that you know and want to celebrate.

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THE LATEST ON EDGEWATER CASINO

On July 29, 2012, in Arts Advocacy , Arts and Culture Advisory Committee , BC Place , Casino Development , City of Vancouver , Cultural Tourism , David Podmore , Gambling , OSM Concert Hall , Sport and Cultural Development , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

Led by various Vancouver arts organizations, Vancouver Not Vegas sparked the action to encourage Council to turn down Pavco’s bid to build a giant casino at BC Place. At the time Edgewater claimed that they would not continue at Plaza of Nations if they couldn’t expand. Is now the time to encourage Pavco to create a cultural facility on the BC Place site. Stay tuned.

Here’s some history from 1012 and here is the latest development:

From the Georgia Straight

Edgewater Casino reconsidering its Plaza of Nations lease

The CMP proposal for the Plaza of Nations involves 1.4 million square feet of residential space, 350,000 square feet for commercial use, and a community centre with 69 child-care spaces.

Thom Quine
By Carlito Pablo , July 25, 2012

The Edgewater Casino may continue taking bets at Vancouver’s Plaza of Nations beyond 2013.

Las Vegas–based operator Paragon Gaming is negotiating with property owner Canadian Metropolitan Properties for a lease extension.

“We are in contact with CMP,” Paragon spokesperson Tamara Hicks told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. This comes despite the fact that Paragon previously indicated it might close Edgewater if a proposal to relocate the casino to a site near B.C. Place was rejected by city council.

In a letter dated March 14, 2011, Paragon representative John Cahill told council that the casino’s future at the Plaza of Nations “beyond February, 2013 is uncertain”.

On April 19, 2011, council approved an application by the provincially owned B.C. Pavilion Corporation to rezone 777 Pacific Boulevard, adjacent to B.C. Place, for a mixed-use entertainment complex. That was to include two hotels and a casino.

The site, which is yet to be built, was intended to serve as the new home of Edgewater. However, council rejected the proposed expansion of the casino to 150 gaming tables and 1,500 slot machines. It currently has 65 tables and 493 slots.

CMP senior vice president Daisen Gee-Wing confirmed that talks are taking place between his company and Paragon. “They [Paragon] said they weren’t going to renew, but they’ve asked for one and we’re negotiating with them,” Gee-Wing told the Straight in a phone interview.

Although Edgewater may be able to stay at the Plaza of Nations a little longer, it will have to find another home in the next few years.

Last month, James K. M. Cheng Architects Inc. applied to the City of Vancouver on behalf of CMP for rezoning of the four-hectare-plus Plaza of Nations at 750 Pacific Boulevard. CMP wants to create a mixed-use development on the waterfront property that would include condo towers of up to 30 storeys. It plans to build a total of 2,000 residential units.

According to Gee-Wing, the development will provide plenty of public space, including a community centre. The company would also put in a hockey arena to be shared by the public and the Vancouver Canucks, who would use it for practices.

Unlike a number of large-scale rezoning applications that local neighbourhoods have opposed, the CMP application enjoys the support of the False Creek Residents Association. The group also backed a proposal by Aquilini Development and Construction to build three market-rental towers of 32, 28, and 24 storeys around Rogers Arena. Council approved the project on July 19.

FCRA cochair Patsy McMillan explained that her group has had numerous discussions with CMP and Aquilini about local amenities that would accompany their developments.

“Those are things that are really important to the community,” McMillan told the Straight in a phone interview. “We know that there is density coming.” She recalled that in October 2009, council endorsed the further development of Northeast False Creek. This included providing 1.8 million square feet of job space and four million square feet of residential floor space.

The CMP proposal for the Plaza of Nations involves 1.4 million square feet of residential space, 350,000 square feet for commercial use, and a community centre with 69 child-care spaces.

Although council approved a new casino location at B.C. Place, False Creek resident Sean Bickerton doubts that Paragon will be able to move there.

Bickerton, a former candidate for Vancouver city council, said the company may not have the funds to go ahead. He was referring to media reports in April of this year that the River Cree Resort and Casino in Alberta, which Paragon co-owns, could face bankruptcy after defaulting on a $111-million debt.

“I don’t think the company is solid enough financially to do the deal unless the [B.C.] Lottery Corporation gives them the money,” Bickerton told the Straight by phone.

Paragon’s Hicks countered that Bickerton has been “misinformed”.

But she also revealed that Paragon is looking at “various opportunities throughout Metro Vancouver”, and not just the B.C. Place site, saying: “Once we’re ready to announce that, we will let you know.”

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CITY OFFERS SPACE FOR STARVING ARTISTS

On June 15, 2012, in Art and Culture Funding , Artists in Vancouver , Artists live/work , City of Vancouver , Gregor Robertson , Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

City offers park spaces to artists. See below.

Will our artists be able to afford to occupy these spaces?
We appreciate that the City recognizes the importance of artists in our communities, but provincial cuts to arts funding are making it difficult for artists to survive.
We would like to hear your thoughts.

AABC

Tom –

As we promised, we were proud to announce significant new measures at Council this week to support Vancouver artists — and it’s exciting news.

We’re providing over 26,300 sq. ft. of new studio and creative space that will be made available on two city-owned properties. The Park Board is opening up six new field houses rent-free to artists in exchange for community-engaged arts projects and programming. And we’ve issued a request for proposals for a tenant at the Wall Centre at 102-160 West 1st, where 44,500 sq. ft. of space is designed to accommodate a new 250-seat theatre and a rehearsal hall.

All of this follows an additional 13,000 sq. ft. of new studio space being committed in three recently-approved developments, including 20 new studios in 10,000 sq. ft. of space at 1265 Howe.

Will you take a quick moment to share the news ?

New Vancouver artists’ space:
Click here to learn more & spread the word

Many people don’t realize that Vancouver has the highest concentration of artists in Canada. This announcement is another exciting example of City Hall’s continued support for artists and our vibrant creative economy.

There’s much more to do, but it’s been a good week for arts and culture in Vancouver.

Thanks for staying in touch,

Gregor Robertson

Mayor of Vancouver. ca

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VANCOUVER ADVISORY COMMITTEE APPOINTED

On May 28, 2012, in Arms length , Art and Culture Funding , Arts Advocacy , Arts and Culture Advisory Committee , BC Arts Council , City of Vancouver , by Tom Durrie

VANCOUVER NOW HAS AN ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE

According to an article in the Vancouver Sun (May 24) by Manori Ravindran, the new advisory committee “gives artists a voice at city hall.”

AABC says, “We’ll see.”

The Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, approved by Council on February 28th, is Vision Vancouver’s version of their 2007 promise to create a Vancouver Arts Council, which would be an arms-length decision-making body similar to the BC Arts Council. This could have meant the elimination of several high-paying jobs in the city’s Cultural Services Department. Many arts councils, e.g. Toronto Arts Council, also perform a strong advocacy role. The new committee, in its advisory role, obviously has no decision-making power.

You can read the 11-page staff report (Cultural Services staff) here: Establishment of an Arts and Culture Advisory Committee

Here are the members of the committee, appointed from 199 applicants:

Mary-Louise Albert, artistic managing director of the Chutzpah! Festival, former dancer
Graeme Berglund, founder of The Cheaper Show, artist, editor, member of Lifetime Collective
Thomas Cannell, Coast Salish artist
Becky Chan, artist
Hugh Cochlin, principal of Proscenium Architecture
Chan Hon Goh, artistic director of the Goh Ballet
Amy Kazymerchyk, film programmer Pacific Cinémathéque, photographer
Sharman King, founder of Book Warehouse, musician
Paddy MacLeod, co-founder and general manager of Blackbird Theatre Company
Katherine McManus, writing and communications director for SFU continuing studies
Nigel Prince, executive director Contemporary Art Gallery
Esther Rausenberg, artist, photographer
Eric Szeto, journalist
Charlie Wu, managing director of TaiwanFest
Marcus Youssef, artistic director of the Neworld Theatre

They will meet six times a year.

We look  forward to hearing the results of their deliberations.

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In order to receive our newsletters, please be sure that our e-mail address: [email protected] is in your address book.
If you are not already a member, please join now. It’s free!

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WHERE ARE OUR BC ARTISTS GOING?

On May 9, 2012, in Uncategorized , by Tom Durrie

Vancouver’s arts and culture bleeding out in “steady migration”, warn city creatives

Underneath the vibrant, diverse surface of a thriving arts and culture scene, Vancouver faces a loss of its brightest painters, dancers, designers, makers and performers to greener pastures. VO investigates how rising real estate prices are crunching our city’s artists.

Remember the hype about “The Creative City”? Not much creativity happening with disappearing spaces and high rents. Read the complete article:

/IDlwRg

We would like to hear about your experience.

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