Julianna Yau’s blog

Geoffrey Crossick’s lecture, Knowledge Transfer without Widgets (without widgets? what?), was the second public lecture of the Canadian University Presidents’ Initiative in Cultural Sector Education and Research. Crossick had no slides and, honestly, my mind started to wander after a while because it was the second lecture in which I was being presented with much information I already had. But the lectures certainly had an impact, because I had many thoughts as a result of them!

Notes

-white paper –> “Creative Britain” (pdf)

-OCAD project on mobile use — Mobile Nation

-“…better able to own and protect their intellectual property” –> scary for Creative Commons types!
- “arts and culture” vs “humanities”

-cultural spaces in urban renewal processes
-increased interest in culture from public
-Britain’s creative export is twice that of the pharmaceuticals
-arts industry in universities <–> creative sector
-research and knowledge –> how to make the results useful?
-what happens when the results of research and knowledge are output as creative works?
-research in educational systems –> interplay with the community ==> knowledge transfer?
-assuming knowledge transfer is reliant on new technologies –> what happens when knowledge transfer needs to happen in an industry that isn’t the technological industry?
-Blast Theory –> technology’s potential; potential of pervasive gaming
-Location One
-governmental involvement –> create spaces for knowledge transfer to occur
-Open Source community model should be reviewed for their community base and how it relates to intellectual property
-redefine what needs to be protected and what can be freely shared
-we need to be able to share information! (Crossick’s comment, not mine)
-HP in Bristol –> prosumers –> getting users to define their needs and addressing them with Technology
-importance of user feedback and companies/organizations to respond!
-networks and networking!
-online social networking ==> coffee houses
-what is required is not the transfer of knowledge, but space to create
-New Zealand –> no funding available for a project to explore a 3D house; “Who is interested in the total package?”
-no widgets in the cultural industry (really? we have memes—isn’t that close enough?)
-art & culture constantly pulled back to the science and technology model, but this is not useful

My Thoughts
~~> is the problem with the arts & culture community’s comfort level with use of technology? the technology community, by using the internet, is using its own outputs to feed more community and innovation; or is it because of the age of the arts & culture community? how much is the younger part of the a&c community using “new technologies” as part of their everyday lives?
~~> space building –> how effective is it for space to be created for a community, rather than by a community?
~different levels of networks; bringing together the people within and between the networks; across the “five categories of the creative culture” (and the missing second slide) (and equivalent in other communities); between different communities (arts & culture, science & technology, law, etc, etc, etc, etc)

Michael Bloom‘s public lecture Canada’s Creative Economy was hosted by OCAD and is part of the Canadian University Presidents’ Initiative in Cultural Sector Education and Research. I was sending Twitter updates with pictures of the slides during the lecture, which was somewhat ironic when Bloom started to talk about how the internet is changing the way we interact. You can find my photos of most of the slides here. Sara Diamond mentioned that the lectures were being videotaped, and I hope they’ll be publicly available after they’re done with post.

Notes

-continued relevance of current era of social change –> started well before recent election
-economic restructuring –> how to get arts & culture in on the ground floor?
-arts and culture have an economic value beyond the aesthetic sphere

1.Direct impacts
2.Indirect impacts –> providers of goods and services for the sector (software, paint, etc)
3.Induced impacts

2007 – direct impact $46.1billion
over 3.8% of Canada’s real GDP

-some countries include sports in their cultural GDP

2007 – indirect impacts $26.3billion
over 2.3% of Canada’s real GDP

2007 – induced impacts 12.3billion
over 1% of Canada’s real GDP

over 1.1 million jobs in 2007
7% of total employment

-written media and broadcast highest for average household spending on culture, followed by film and music, then visual and performance

$21 billion/yr consumer spending on culture

Social benefits
-personal growth and learning
-improves social cohesion; reduces isolation
-enhances local image, pride
-stimulates well-being – by creating a more inclusive revealing atmosphere/environment

-immigration impact on culture –> what about the lecture on the knowledge economy
–> why aren’t these bring brought together??

-products created by Canadians will have high market value outside of the country because of the cultural diversity in Canada

-regulation on networks, etc and impact on cultural economy

-”prosumerism” refers to consumers’ desire to participate directly in generating value from products and services and their preference for interactive experiences
-prosumers like to customize an control their consumption experiences
-don’t like to ask permission

-prosumerisms –> do we need to go back to when pencils were invented to get something similar to what we have now?
-books were a strange new thing when they first made an an appearance

-much more connection and interaction, as producers and consumers co-drive the creative economy
-producers and consumers spark off each other in a creative, responsive cycle of demand and supply of culture goods and services

-innovation involves the relation and diffusion of new ideas
-it also embraces the transformation of ideas to use in new value-added products and services
-for culture sector, it involves developing links between: technology, content, creativity, business acumen

-skilled and knowledgeable creative people are essential to
produce creative content
develop, deploy delivery platforms
judge consumer demand; and
design creative responses to demand

several skill sets are required: business, IT, generic, creative, computer

-creative economy is characterized by a demand for diverse products delivered through diverse channels to diverse markets to meet needs

social capital is created through
collaboration

conclusions
-culture sector is an enhancer of economic performance, a magnet for talent, and a catalyst for economic prosperity
-it connects people locally, globally and virtually; bridges long instances creates communities of interest
-makes a major economic contribution
-stimulates creative activity and innovation across the economy
-attracts skilled and creative people to Canada
-supports city growth and prosperity – especially in large cities
-technology ill influence forms of artistic and cultural expression and alter how it is manifested as culture goods and services
-demographic changes, especially ageing and rise in diversity will alter type of demands for culture products
-culture sector will be more engaged in competition in global markets

-link to other major policies, including innovation, R&D, education
-culture policy-making, research, funding should be viewed as vital investments in the quality of our national future

Notes from Q&A

-business spending on culture?
-data speaks to individuals’ spending
-where is the data for business spending? –> commercial spending

-how many prosumer artists are actually making money? no stats yet
-these changes are ahead of the data curve

-amount of Canadian cultural content?

My Thoughts

~feels like organizations don’t know what to do with social networking
~asking permission and the prosumer –> need to work within the realm of permissions with older institutions, but also need to help them move towards a more open concept of knowledge sharing –> link with second lecture

I hadn’t noticed this until one of my friends updated his Facebook status to “get a magnifying lens and read the quote on the back-left of any $20 bill. “Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?”" about five times within the span of 10 minutes.

The quote, according to another friend, is from Gabrielle Roy‘s novel La Montagne secrète (The Hidden Mountain). The bill also features the artwork of Bill Reid.

This weekend, it was announced that Telefilm’s $14.5m new media fund has been the latest to have its support pulled as a result of the Tories’ “strategic review” of “all departments”.

Also this weekend, I listened to the podcast of Q from Friday, and was surprised (and then not so surprised) by the list of criteria John Abbott provided as reasons for funding to be cut.

1. reached their objectives
2. high administrative cost
3. poor performance
4. did not have satisfactory results

These are slightly different (and the last one more suspect) than the ones provided at the Heritage committee meeting:

1. met their objectives
2. similar programs were providing similar services
3. the program had high operating costs

If you can believe it, I’ve been busy for the past two days with things other than copyright or arts advocacy (one of them being the production and administration of my sculptures!).

This meant I missed the live broadcast of the arts budget cuts discussion on Q, which is thankfully available as a podcast. I also received an email from Hedy Fry (the second member of the Heritage Committee to respond to my email):

Dear Ms. Yau:

Thank you for your letter protesting the recent cuts to Arts and Cultural programs by Foreign Affairs and Heritage Canada.

We, Liberal MPs all remember that Stephen Harper was a member of the Reform Party, which took the ideological stance that Arts and Culture was an inconsequential frill. We should not be surprised that as Prime Minister he would implement that ideology.

What is appalling is how it was done, with no announcement, surreptitiously inserted in the Departments’ websites, during the summer, when no one was supposed to be paying attention. This is a ploy the Harper government has used on many occasions, this summer.

Of course, there were explanations for the cuts. The Minister of Heritage called them efficiencies while the officials in Foreign Affairs were at least more honest. They did not approve of “lefty” writers or the immorality of certain titles and artistic subject matter. Such censorship by any other name would be called McCarthyism.

When the federal government does not understand the value of Arts and Culture to national identity or social cohesion; when a government does not have the foresight to see that in a 21st century global economy, the only hope for survival in a country as small as ours is to encourage human creativity and innovation; we should have grave cause for concern.

Even in the crassest of terms, funding of Arts and Culture could be seen as a smart economic investment. After all the creative sector is statistically the 4th largest industry in Canada; contributing 43.2 billion dollars annually to our GDP; responsible for almost 800,000 jobs and levering 2.7 billion dollars in trade.

Liberal governments under Chretien and Martin increased funding to Arts and Culture, initiated innovative Programs like Tomorrow Starts Today, and strengthened the International arts Programs seeing them as key to Canada’s trade, as well as our diplomatic efforts in promoting Canadian values abroad.

Stéphane Dion is on record as promising to increase the international Programs to $22 million and he sees a strong creative sector as key to Canada’s competitiveness in a 21st century world of innovation, creativity and human capital.

I urge you will take a bold stance against the Harper government’s damaging tunnel vision and attempt to censure and impose its own ideology on Canadian society under the thinly veiled guise of ‘efficient public policy.’

Thank you for writing.

Sincerely,
Hon. Hedy Fry, M.P.
Vancouver Centre

A bit heavy-handed with the pre-election jargon, and I wonder what will be done on Fry’s end to compliment the bold stance I’m urged to take.

Also, Penn Kemp of the Save Prom-Art: Promote Canadian Arts and Culture Facebook group received an email from Jack Layton:

At 04:59 PM 30/08/2008 he wrote:

“Absolutely!!

We are on it. We have many artists running for us [like Tom King!] and we will present a strong programme and fight like hell to re-establish the arts funding. These cuts are terrible and wrong. The latest cuts to Telefilm, for example, are horrific, short-sighted and nasty!

Just so that you know, when you’re communicating with your arts network, I am a member of the Writers’ Union with three published books: Speaking Out Louder (Key Porter, 2006) and Homelessness (Penguin, 2008) and Les ideés pour les gens d’ici (2004). Also, the director of our national campaign is Brian Topp, Exec Director of ACTRA.

These facts can give some comfort.

See you on the campaign trail and keep on fighting the good fight.

Thanks,
Jack”
“Layton, Jack – M.P.”

Town Hall Regarding Cuts To Cultural And Heritage Granting Programs Organized
London, ON
Event Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2008

August 20, 2008 London ON: In response to the recent significant number of cuts made to arts and cultural funding by the Federal Government, artists and arts workers in London and area are organizing a Town Hall to address the cuts, the comments made by the Government about current and past recipients of arts grants programs and to brainstorm how the arts community can impact positive change at the federal level in the next election.

Since taking power in 2006, the Conservative government has eliminated over $44 million from Cultural and Heritage granting programs. The programs affected were designed to assist artists, arts institutions and not for profit charitable organizations in the creation, development, promotion and dissemination of Canadian art both nationally and internationally.

The most recent cuts:
-The PromArt Program, 4.7 million (administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs)
-Trade Routes, 9 million, Department of Canadian Heritage
-Stabilization Projects and Capacity Building, of the Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program
-Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, 1.5 million
-National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector, 2.5 million
-$300,000 to the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, for programs archiving important film, television and musical recordings.

Because the wave of cuts and policy changes are radically changing Canadian society, the Town Hall will host members of the arts and the broader community, MPs and the media. Anyone concerned by the Federal GovernmentÆs actions toward Canadian arts and culture should attend.

Such sessions will be occurring across the country, including Toronto on September 3.

When: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 7:00 pm
Where: Board Room, Museum London, 421 Ridout St. North, London, Ontario

For more information or media inquiries contact :
Carol Kehoe
Museum London
421 Ridout St. North, London ON
Phone: 519-661-2500
ckehoe@museumlondon.ca

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Valuing Culture: Town Hall Regarding Cuts To Cultural And Heritage Granting Programs
Toronto, ON
Event Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Who should come? Everyone concerned about the Federal Government’s blatant contempt for arts and culture.

Who will be speaking? Representatives from Government, visual arts, film, video, performing arts

What will we be doing? Strategizing on how to get our voices heard in the next election

Why is this important? Because the wave of cuts and policy changes are radically changing Canadian society.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at 7pm.
The Theatre Centre
Wednesday, September 3 2008
1087 Queen Street West, (South East Corner of Queen and Dovercourt)

Since taking power in 2006, the Conservative Government has eliminated over $34 Million from Cultural and Heritage Granting Programs. The programs affected were designed to assist artists, arts institutions and not for profit charitable organizations in the creation, development, promotion and dissemination of Canadian art both nationally and internationally.

The most recent cuts:
-The PromArt Program, 4.7 million (administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs)
-Trade Routes, 9 million, Department of Canadian Heritage
-Stabilization Projects and Capacity Building, of the Canadian Arts and Heritage Sustainability Program
-Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund, 1.5 million
-National Training Program in the Film and Video Sector, 2.5 million
-$300,000 to the Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada, for programs archiving important film, television and musical recordings.

With the anticipation of more cuts to be announced next week, we are inviting members of the arts and the broader community, MPs and the media to attend a town hall meeting. This meeting is intended to discuss the funding cuts, the ideological and inappropriate comments made by government about recipients and to brainstorm a plan of action.

For more information or media inquiries contact: info@fusemagazine.org, info@thetheatrecentre.org or heather@torontofreegallery.org

Below is my follow-up to my open letter to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which I’m once again releasing under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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Honourable members of Parliament:

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude for ParlVU, which allowed me to listen to today’s meeting of the Heritage Committee.

After hearing the various comments regarding the recent cuts, and further to my original email below, I would like to know:

• Why was the arts community not involved in the review for the usefulness and need for the programs?
• Where is the reallocated money going?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, met their objectives?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, similar programs? what are those programs?
• Which programs which were cut had, according to the review, have high operating costs? why Was adjustment to the budget or operation not considered before the program was closed? if these options were considered, why were they decided against?
• If the government is concerned about arts & culture, why is the art & culture sector not part of a formal consultation and review process of either federal arts spending or copyright legislation changes?

Sincerely,

Julianna Yau

Below is my open letter to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which I’m releasing under a Creative Commons attribution license.

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Honourable members of Parliament:

This is an open letter regarding the recent announcements of Federal cuts on spending in the Arts.

As a visual artist living and working in Kitchener-Waterloo, the Secretary of CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des artistes canadiens) Ontario and a supporter of arts & culture, I am deeply disturbed by the staggering number of programs and the amount of money being cut from the Arts.

I, and many other members of the arts community, was extremely pleased by the announcement of the increase of $30m in annual funding to the Canada Council for the Arts⁽¹⁾. However, this is an increase which has been offset by the recent cuts to programs and funding, totalling in excess of $46m⁽²⁾. No less than ten programs have been closed altogether. The Globe and Mail reports that the savings is being re-routed not to other arts spending, but to the upcoming Olympics⁽³⁾.

Why are these cuts being made and not being reinvested in the Arts, despite the recently passed Status of the Artist legislation⁽⁴⁾, which states:

The Government of Canada hereby recognizes
(a) the importance of the contribution of artists to the cultural, social, economic and political enrichment of Canada;
(b) the importance to Canadian society of conferring on artists a status that reflects their primary role in developing and enhancing Canada’s artistic and cultural life, and in sustaining Canada’s quality of life;
(c) the role of the artist, in particular to express the diverse nature of the Canadian way of life and the individual and collective aspirations of Canadians;
(d) that artistic creativity is the engine for the growth and prosperity of dynamic cultural industries in Canada; and
(e) the importance to artists that they be compensated for the use of their works, including the public lending of them.

References:
1. http://www.pch.gc.ca/newsroom/index_e.cfm?fuseaction=displayDocument&DocIDCd=CBO071014
2. http://www.ccarts.ca/en/documents/ListofrecentcutsENG210808_000.pdf
3. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080822.wcuts22/BNStory/Entertainment/
4. http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/S-19.6/index.html

Sincerely,

Julianna Yau

Update: My open letter to the Heritage Committee

Four members of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage have called an emergency meeting of the committee to discuss the recent cuts to arts programs. The meeting is on August 26 at 1:00pm.

This is call to flood inboxes of Heritage Committee members BEFORE their emergency meeting Aug. 26 at 1:00 pm. Remember to keep it calm and rational though passionate. State what riding you’re from, whether you’re an artist, cultural worker or supporter of the arts, and any thoughts you have. Please update yourself with recent developments on Recent News on the page if you haven’t already.

Heritage Committee Members
Denis Coderre Coderre.D@parl.gc.ca
Gary Schellenberger schelg1@parl.gc.ca
Andy Scott Scott.A@parl.gc.ca
Jim Abbott Abbott.J@parl.gc.ca
Ed Fast faste@parl.gc.ca
Luc Malo Malo.L@parl.gc.ca
Bill Siksay Siksay.B@parl.gc.ca
Michael D.Chong Chong.M@parl.gc.ca
Dean Del Mastro delmad@parl.gc.ca
Hedy Fry fry.h@parl.gc.ca
Francis Scarpaleggia scarpf@parl.gc.ca
Jim Prentice Prentice.J@parl.gc.ca

Sample letter: The Documentary Organization of Canada

Other resources:
My original post regarding a letter-writing campaign
Collection of relevant articles & websites
Canadian Conference of the Arts resource page
Against cuts to foreign touring and Trade Routes programs Facebook group
Status of the Artist legislation

The Canadian Conference of the Arts has created a resource page for the recent cuts to arts and culture programs. Their list of the programs and amounts cut (pdf) is more reliable than the numbers I put together. I’ll be creating a new chart based on their data soon.

In collaboration with its partners, the CCA has put together a short survey for all arts and culture organizations in Canada (pdf). The purpose of this short survey is to identify the impacts that those cuts will have on the arts and culture organizations across the country.

And, of course, they’re on Facebook!