Julianna Yau’s blog

In response to the recent arts funding cuts, a Facebook group and event is being organized to stage a one-day online protest on September 15 (the first day of Parliament). This has been initiated by Keith Barker in association with Native Earth Performing Arts.

From the Facebook group:

This is a roll call to all people who believe that Arts and Culture is a part of their lives and is important outside of the political spectrum. This is for artists, families, parents, friends, co-workers, relatives, enemies, neighbors, acquaintances, to all people who enjoy the arts and culture of this country and feel that it must be nurtured and cultivated. We need to send out a message to our politicians to let them know that there are more of us than they think and congruently that we are not going to vote for any person or party that plans to cut funding to arts and culture in the impending election. This is for all of us; people from all sides of the political landscape. This is not about what party you belong to, but how you feel about arts and culture in this country.

So on Monday September 15th (the first day of Parliament) we want you to do one thing. It’s very simple. It will only take a small amount of your time. About the same amount of time it will take to cast your vote for the candidate you feel best represents what you want.

This is it: We would like you to leave your profile picture blank for the day. Use your faceless profile picture as a symbol of the loss of identity Canadians will experience if funding to the arts is cut.

Be a catalyst for change and put your best face forward on election day, but on Monday September 15th leave it blank and send a message so that we can count how many people have joined the fight.

I encourage netizens to not only leave their Facebook profile blank, but any other social networking site. It’s only one day, and you can exercise your creativity afterwards with a new profile picture!

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Ma.gnolia bookmarks for August 19th, 2008 through August 20th, 2008:

• Cuts show Tories don’t care for culture: CFTPA chairwoman - The chairwoman of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association says she believes the federal Tories may have written off the cultural sector.
• Trial begins over $29M Cézanne stolen in 1978 -
• Retired lawyer convicted of possessing stolen artworks -
• U.S. museums told to reveal past ownership of artifacts -
• Production company sues Mary J. Blige over iPod song -
• Cultural Development, Grand River - This wiki is designed to serve as an introduction to various cultural development initiatives that are current in Cambridge, Waterloo, Kitchener and area.
• Politics has no place in arts funding, say U.K. Tories - So it's merely Canada that's suffering from politically-based funding cuts?
• Lake Still Eyed for Oil Rigs - Science - redOrbit - The Spiral Jetty has been saved from oil rigs being erected nearby…for now.

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