For me, yesterday’s Creative Enterprise Forum unearthed many unresolved issues that I noticed last year while advocating support for the arts. The forum left me with more questions and concerns than answers or confidence that the Council’s time and resources are being properly spent. The raw notes can be found here.
Although someone who was recruiting for their Leadership task force recognized me and said my name had been passed to her, I have yet to be approached by anyone from the Creative Enterprise Initiative or the Prosperity Council. So this is an open letter to them, with my thoughts on what is concerning and what is missing from their plan. Like all blog posts, this one probably still needs a proper copyedit, but this is the best I can do in three hours, before I return to other projects.
My comments here are very blunt and I haven’t bothered to sugar-coat anything. Overall, I would say that what they are doing for organizations have promise, but there is still much to be desired. If anyone from the Initiative or Council wants to speak with me, I would be happy to engage in an open and honest dialogue about what is lacking. Otherwise, I’ll continue to fix these things myself and with the help of other like-minded citizens.
Perhaps what left the most bitter taste in my mouth yesterday, and what caused me to leave early, was the Creative Enterprise Initiative’s lack of transparency when it comes to identifying who it was in the arts and “youth” communities they engaged. Someone posed this question to them, and this was not actually answered—there was a short, general statement, without any organizations or individuals named. They also mentioned a “meeting” they had last year at Kitchener City Hall; I was at this meeting, and it was extremely one-sided and was a presentation, again, of what they have already done, rather than gathering information from the arts community. This leaves cynics like me wondering whether there was consultation at all with the real-life stakeholders of this initiative.
I was also left wondering why I was never contacted. Although I don’t think I’m the person to speak to, as I noted above, my name has obviously been brought to their attention. I have met with both the NDP and Liberal candidates for my riding in the last election. I am no stranger to copyright legislation or arts administration, or other political issues in the arts. But I was never contacted, and didn’t know this forum was taking place until last week. This is also despite the fact that I receive listings to be added to Artifice, one of the few arts mailing lists serving the region, and am able to keep a pulse on what’s happening in the arts community.
The Creative Enterprise and Prosperity Council websites also leaves much to be desired. No recent information can be gotten from the Prosperity Council’s website, and no contact information is on the Creative Enterprise’s website. This leaves me wondering how the community (artistic and geographic) can find out what they are doing if they aren’t able to secure an invite to forums like the one hosted yesterday. This also doesn’t inspire confidence in the marketing support they are going to offer through the Enabling Organization, if few know about the Initiative or Council themselves. Perhaps this exclusivity was intentional, but this again leaves one wondering who they are supposed to be supporting.
They say that they want to reach “youth”; it doesn’t take much to know that most “youth” spends time online, and without even a maintained website, it’s hard to see how “youth” can learn more about these bodies. I also wonder how they define “youth” (which is why it’s in quotes). Is it 17 and under? If so, where do university students, recent grads and 25-35s fit in their plan?
The scope of the Enabling Organization is still very vague at this point. I have two main concerns: one broad, and one specific.
The first concern is that while the Enabling Organization looks to be an excellent resource for galleries and other organizations, support for individuals (and creators in particular) is obviously absent. I realize that the scope and plan for the EO will change over time, but it worries me that the initial plan has left out such a significant part of the arts community.
The second concern is what they have in mind for grantwriting support. The Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council already offer excellent support for those looking to obtain grants from them. Globe Studios recently brought someone to Kitchener from the OAC, and the Multimedia Cinema Club has someone from the Canada Council here this weekend. The Guelph Arts Council also regularly has grantwritting sessions with people from the OAC. CARFAC Ontario and Visual Arts Ontario both offer grantwritting courses (last year, CARFAC Ontario even offered their course by teleconference to a toll-free number, for those who could not attend a class in Toronto). I hope that whatever grantwritting support the Enabling Organization offers will not duplicate efforts already established elsewhere.
Members of the Creative Enterprise Initiative speak frequently about wanting a “made in Waterloo” solution that isn’t mimicking another city. What I fear is that in trying to be home-brewed, more time will be spent on reinventing the wheel than implementing a plan. The concept of taking something and customizing it for ourselves can’t be disregarded as a valid method. While creativity is key, there is much to be said for learning from the successes and failures of others. How is taking the essence of something like the Centre for Social Innovation from Toronto, and building our own arts version of that, any different than striving to create an arts version of the Accelerator Centre?
I also wonder how effective these consultations, task forces and organizations will be in effecting any immediate change to keep some of the young talent in the region before the end of a 10-20 year plan. Things like #hohoTO have proven that we need neither a long gestation period nor a large core group to achieve large, financial goals. Things like BarCamps, the next evolution of conferences, are a new and effective way for minds to meet and ideas being formed. These newer methods of doing things are how things are getting done—without task forces, committees and forums. Any attempt to engage “youth” will involve these “bold, new ideas” for how to do things, even though I’ve heard they are extremely unsettling for those who are accustomed to the presentation-and-questions format of “engaging” people.
Yesterday’s presentation mentioned short-term actionable items to build momentum. My biggest question here is what these items are and how soon is the short-term? We are long overdue for change, and initiatives such as KWArtzLab, KWCultureCamp and KWArtCamp are already quickly forming to fill an immediate need that isn’t being served by local arts councils or addressed by the Creative Enterprise Initiative or Prosperity Council.
Speaking very personally, a 10-20 year, or even 5-10 year, plan isn’t going to be of very much use to many of us between 20 and 35. “We” being many of the people who will likely be needed to carry a 10-20 year plan to fruition. If some very basic things don’t change quickly, like more opportunities for new artists or affordable, safe space to create, many of us will have a difficult time deciding whether to move, shelve our creative output, or end it entirely. Perhaps not many are as intent as I am with maintaining a reasonable standard of living (a home that is in a safe neighbourhood and isn’t plagued by unsafe structures or mice) or insisting on working in space that won’t result in my body or living space being polluted—but I also don’t think that these things are unreasonable requests.
The problem is finding space for creation and having access to funds for sustenance is not easy. I support myself through a full-time job, am currently without a studio which is affordable and welcomes a messy artist, and have few local prospects for showing any work that I am able to complete (despite the fact that my work sells quickly when I do host my own shows). I know many others are in similar situations, and without one of these factors changing quickly, staying in the Region will not be a smart choice.
This problem is two-tired. The first is that art, culture and heritage are not the same thing and can not be cultivated or encouraged in the same way. While they work wonderfully together, nurturing each of these requires individual attentions.
The second is that I have noticed that supporting The Arts and supporting Artists is two distinct things, though few are willing to admit it. Supporting The Arts is supporting organizations and institutions — symphonies, rather than the violinist; theatres, rather than the playwright or actor; galleries, rather than the visual artist; jazz festivals and record labels, rather than the musician. What I’m seeing here, and elsewhere, is a distinct support for The Arts, and the absence of support for the Artist who fills the theatres, galleries, festivals and symphony halls.
So how, exactly, does the creator/artist fit into the Creative Enterprise Initiative?
The forum mentions sustaining individuals, but there is no apparent part of this draft of their plan which even hints at support for individuals—whether they be small business owners in the creative community, or creators/artists. When the plan outlines the needs which have to be addressed, these items speak only to the needs of organizations, such as operational funding and experimental project funding. While some of this money may make it to the individual creator, creators can not depend on this funnelling for sustenance. This is why granting agencies such as the Canada Council and Ontario Arts Council have separate grants for organizations and individuals.
As I mentioned above, the Enabling Organization is also sorely lacking any plans for enabling creativity at the individual level. This is no surprise, as the needs that it was designed to fulfil are also those of organizations. But where can artists turn when a bad landlord has unjustly entered their studio and destroyed their work? Where can a musician go to obtain temporary equipment for a large show? Who can help ensure that more local writers are featured in bookstores in the region, rather than the big names who already get plenty of attention? What happens when mediation is required between an individual creator and a gallery, studio, theatre or publisher?
More importantly, why were these considerations left out of the plan if people in the arts community had been consulted prior to the presentation of this plan?
Perhaps the biggest problem facing individuals right now is space. The Creative Enterprise Initiative speaks of an “Accelerator Centre for the Arts”, which offers meeting, rehearsal and performance space.
But what about dirty space?
Space where a metalsmith can generate toxic fumes. Safely. Space where woodworkers and stoneworkers can generate dust. Safely. Space where potters can dispose of their materials. Safely.
Space where rehearsals for metal bands don’t result in calls to by-law offices. Space where actors can scream without police showing up.
Space here creativity can happen without bounds.
The arts version of an Accelerator Center, at this point, sounds mostly academic and administrative. While this is necessary, I don’t see how we can “foster creativity” without space to create. I have personally been in (and left) studio spaces in Kitchener. None were properly equipped to handle something simple as noise and dust. Certainly, none would be able to handle anything more toxic, such as chemical fumes, without the artist or craftsman investing heavily into the infrastructure, as I had (and still ended up leaving due to other factors in the building).
Creativity is not just painting, desktop design or playing Bach on the piano. We need a space where creation can be dirty, noisy, and even toxic—but for it to be safe and accessible. We don’t need a handout, but we do need the infrastructure.
Overall, I’m very skeptical that the Creative Enterprise Initiative or the Prosperity Council is open to ideas that are bold and new enough to effect real change, without becoming like one of the cities they are trying so hard not to mimic.
Education receives disappointing attention in this plan. I’ve spoken with professors who recognize the lack of real-world training in their arts programs. Things as simple as having a business card or knowing how to get funding for their projects is not part of the education all creators receive. How can we expect arts graduates from Laurier and the University of Waterloo to be as successful as their science and computer science counterparts if they aren’t given the same preparation?
Things like the Enabling and Barnraisers organizations have very broad scopes at this time, and smack of the same bureaucratic practices that many of us have seen and abandoned for new collaborative structures. Arts Councils are not new, and calling them an Enabling Organization that does the same thing will not give us anything new.
And why a solution to manpower is to find more volunteers for arts organizations, rather than finding ways to create more jobs in the arts, is absolutely baffling to me. Not only are volunteers a recourse only because of lack of funding, but I thought one of the goals of the Prosperity Council was to create more jobs. Why not turn the hundreds of volunteer positions into paid full-time, part-time and contract positions? Is this, perhaps, too bold and too new of an idea? I thought it was not merely needed, but obvious. Perhaps I’m wrong.
These are my raw notes from the Creative Enterprise Forum. These notes are not exhaustive, and are as much as I could record quickly. Commentary to follow.
Things of note:
create and fund a regional arts & culture development & promotion body → outstanding item to address
cultural vitality → sustainability
arts, culture & heritage
ultimate goal is to generate private employers
attract the best minds, generate new ideas, wrap a business around it, create jobs
Ultimate Goals
improving our community’s quality of life
attracting & retaining the best & brightest artistic & technical minds
cultivating the not-for profit and for-profit creative economy
fostering enterpreneurism and bold, new ideas
Members of note
Doug Craig – Mayor, City of Cambridge → Vision Task Force
Bruce Gordon, Manulife Financial & Manulife Bank → Structure Task force
-Pauline Houston, City of Kitchener → Structure
Mike Murray, Region of Waterloo → Resources Task force
Brenda Halloran, Mayor, City of Waterloo → Resources Task Force
“The Prosperity Council and its supporters believe that a creative sector with a sustainable infrastructure is necessary to fully realize our long-term growth opportunities”
How they plan to do this
must make a “made in Waterloo” solution
shouldn’t be a copy of other “creative communities”
long-term vision must be broad and emphasize creativity and innovation across all sectors of community
also requires a short-term focus on actionable items (quick wins) that help build momentum
need to develop a framework or infrastructure that will support the development and implementation of the Vision over many years
5 key themes
sustainability for creative orgs and individuals
leveraging collaboration within the creative sector (and other sectors)
communication & marketing
education and community engagement
bold and undiscovered ideas
world-class institution for the arts, like CIGI or PI
Goal: to create a world-leading environment that
transforms the human experience
makes Waterloo Region one of the most attractive and compelling places on the planet
fosters artistic creativity
supports constant innovation in commerce & technology
“This successful human environment fosters and promotes Cultural, Economic, Environmental and Social well being for all of its constituents”
What has been done
already achieved reasonable success in each of the four pillars of sustainability, but have not committed the same level of resources and attention to the arts and culture sector as some of the others
we are recommending the near-term focus be leveraged towards Cultural vitality (rough note)
researched & inventoried; compared results with the “Business for the Arts” national fundings survey of arts and culture across the country
Resources
base sustainability shortfall is $2.5-$5 million annually
not getting our “fair share” of federal and provincial funding
local “performing arts organizations” get about 7.5% of their funding from provincial/federal agencies – the national average is 15%
local “museums and art galleries” get about 10% of their funding from prov & fed gov agencies – the national average is 60%
private sector funding of performing arts lower than national/provincial averages (relatively small # of corporate supporters)
business community is not supporting the arts as much here
companies know they need to give, but don’t know how to do it in arts & culture heritage → don’t know which festival to support, for example
municipal per capital is “middle of the pack” ($15.50) compared to similar Ontario municipalities, but lower than some important comparators/competitors:
Ottawa 18.07
Toronto 24.82
Hamilton 37.27
Toronto stepped up funding for arts & culture post-SARS to get people back
Needs
additional stable base operating funding
additional special funding to support bold new initiatives (similar to venture capital)
company needs to be able to make mistakes
arts funding too tied to organizational funding
additional funding for sector marketing (raising profile, awareness, support in the community)
Human Resource needs
attract, hire, retain high quality, skilled, creative staff and managers
attract and deploy volunteers efficiently and effectively
attract well-qualified BOD members
management and leadership training & development for staff, volunteers and BOD
develop joint benefit plans
Physical resource needs
affordable, accessible space for rehearsals, performance, meetings
can be shared space
Financial resources
public
local government
provincial
federal
foundations/Not For Profits
private sector
corporate
individuals
high-impact: increase property taxes and other things
Recommendations will
implement vision
put initial focus on the arts, culture and heritage sectors
engage more than just those who participate in the arts, culture, and heritage sectors of Waterloo Region
Rec #1: Establishment of “Barnraisers’ council of Waterloo Region”
how to deal with issues going forwards
provide high level, strategic consensus building that is necessary for a large, multi-faceted community to adapt continually
identify strategic issues & recommend possible responses
be guided by the need to achieve balance in our overall objectives
include reps form business, local gov, health care & education, arts/creative sector, foundations & NFP orgs
include individuals who can make commitments or cause those commitments to be made; commit themselves and their orgs to a role in the solutions and also get others to do so
Recommendation #2
establishment of an “enabling organization” for the creative sector
provides services to enable the arts, culture, and heritage sectors to achieve their potential
Waterloo Regional Arts Council 2.0
encourage and enable the creative sector
help provide the environment for arts to create great art
allow orgs and individuals to focus on their “core” business
encourage divergent orgs to find & build upon common purpose
find centers of excellence and build on them
org would provide/coordinate:
admin services
human resources
benefit plans
audience development programs
marketing assistance
festivals
grant writing assistance
advocacy
corporate funding –> facilitate funding through corporate funding program
physical space –> 5-10 years, Accelerator Center equiv for arts
Barnraiser’s Council
David Johnston has agreed to assist in the formation of the council and will take the lead on determining its initial membership
goal is to have members in place by the end of 2009
The Task Force Co-chairs will continue in their roles to:
determine initial board, structure, by-laws etc
secure 3-5 years of guaranteed funding for the Enabling Org
initiate search for a high-level Executive Director
address the creative sector base sustainability funding gap-it cannot be solved by any one sector –all must step up!
request for additional investment in arts & culture to all 3 sectors – municipal, businesses, fed/prov governments
(approx 1M/yr from each)
ask the Region to incrementally increase funding by $1 per resident and the local municipalities to also incrementally increase funding by $1 per resident
This is a community investment agenda: all must participate!
Change mind shift from “charity” to “investment”
New leadership
Engage a diverse alliance of young leaders to work together with us towards strengthening and developing our arts, culture and heritage environment
met with group under 40 – high school to 40
want to get them engaged; eg new media
the “final” product in 10 or 20 years will look much different from what is set out here. It must, by its nature, or it will not be an eneabler and encourager of adaptation through innovation and creativity”
Mentioned spOtlight festival in passing
Talked about a creative economy
Peter Braid
$50 mil invested in post-secondary education
$50 million to Institute to Quantum Computing
Vital Signs
Cheryl Ewing
eyeGo
Other speakers
CCT website (what the heck is this?)
focus on HERITAGE → Oktoberfest, Grand River (the river)
education
want to develop a recognized arts institute
(My laptop’s battery died at this point, as there was no where to plug it in)
I went to show my support at the Progressive Coalition rally today, and it was much better organized than I expected.
There was a strong union presence, and although I could hear the artists in the crowd respond to Jack Layton’s reinforcement of the importance of the cultural industry, I was disappointed that we weren’t as organized or visible as the unions. My friend swears up and down that Sandra Oh walked past us, holding her hand to shield her face from my camera. I didn’t get a good look at her, and didn’t take a picture because I respect people’s desire for privacy—celebrity or not. We did, however, hear Broken Social Scene with Leslie Feist before we had to leave.
I was also shocked that, despite being active on Facebook and Twitter, I only heard about the rally last night from a DoC message. Although, I suppose it’s likely I had messages about it earlier, but deleted them because I’ve been bombarded by political bacn in the past few days. I also haven’t been keeping up with my blog reading, and don’t expect to return to it any time soon.
I woke up this morning to a sense of dread when seeing the tweets waiting for me on my Blackberry. Last night, I had decided to go to bed rather than watching the election results, because I couldn’t do much about it by then anyway. And although that saved me from a night of worry, I spent most of today feeling slightly naueous because the Waterloo Region is now completely represented by the Conservatives. That means I’ll have to work much harder to ensure that the person and party elected to represent me will actually do so. And everyone who knows me knows I have nothing but time between my day job, sculpting, being my own agent, running one of the region’s arts newsletters and my copious amounts of volunteer work in the arts community.
So, in the interest of not seeing the glass as completely empty:
This year, I have been more engaged with the political malström than ever before, thanks mainly to the Conservatives’ multiple hits to the arts sector.
And while I have blogged on various issues, metwith two of the candidates in my riding (and didn’t hear back from the Green candidate), I am still unswayed from my opinion that there is no party which full represents me. Even at the candidate level, I am completely confident that I can be heard and understood by Cindy Jacobsen and that Andrew Telegdi would know exactly how to navigate through the political system. My unrest lies in my confidence for those two qualities not being with a single candidate.
I doubt I am alone in not being a partisan voter. I have talked to many people about how they plan on voting, and see two types of voters: die-hard supporters of a particular party vs. people who want to vote for the party which they see as the lesser of the evils. It feels like our political and representational system has become so broken that we now have political equivalents of religious tendencies, spanning from the evangelical to the church-goers to the agnostic to the atheists to the non-religious.
What the internet has made possible for this election is the push for strategic voting. Websites like Pair Vote, Anyone But Harper and Vote For Environment are doing what they can to prevent the Conservatives from winning a majority government, because Canada is not a Conservative party. The response to this has been split at every level, with some parties and some candidates supporting anti-Conservative voting, while some are aghast by the very thought of it.
What boggles my mind is why some parties feel that it is okay for them to run ads or have debate responses which are essentially “vote for me because I’m not the other party”, but also discourage us from voting strategically. Or why some of the people I’ve talked to are so religiously supportive of their party of choice that they would actually prefer another party win in their riding and/or win a majority government than “give their vote to any other party”. And while that isn’t an issue in all ridings, there are some where you would be giving your vote to another party by voting for yours.
Yesterday, there was an informal celebration of the arts at the Kitchener Market. We only had a week to rally the troops, and the turnout was decent.
The arts crowd gathered over the span of a half hour, after which we raised signs which read “ordinary Canadian who cares about the arts” (and other variations) and proceeded to wander through the market. I think a conga line would have been more fun, but not very easy with the signs!
Arun Pal was there to provide us with music, and speeches were later given by some members of the arts community:
That not everyone who is eligible to vote has acceptable governmental ID to vote. (variations: not being able to afford a passport so they can vote; not being able to afford, or otherwise need, a driver’s license so they can vote; it’s easier to buy cigarettes and alcohol than to vote)
Election day is scheduled for the day after Thanksgiving.
Some ridings just had a by-election—will people go out and vote again?
“I’m voting for x because that’s who I always vote for” (variations: “I’m voting for x because I’ve voted for x since y.”; “I’m voting for x because I’ve voted for x since (2008 – y).”
“The US election has more of an impact to us.”
“z is worse than the Conservatives, you know”
“What about when z was in office and [insert stuff they screwed up]”
the possibility of the Conservatives getting a majority government with a 30-something percent majority
The meeting felt like a job interview, with Andrew giving me an overview of his exhaustive history as an MP for Kitchener-Waterloo. It was clear that he knows his way around the political world and that his focus & passion is for human rights and immigration issues. This, sadly, leaves me wondering how (if at all) he will be able to represent and speak on behalf of my concerns regarding environmental and cultural issues.
Yes, human rights are extremely important. And, yes, being focused is good. But I am concerned about other issues (whether they’re ones I or others are concerned about) not getting the attention they need.
Time for more thinking about what to do and not to do with my vote.
On September 15, Facebook was dotted with profiles, sans profile pictures. This was done in protest of the recent arts funding cuts which were discovered, without warning, consultation or announcement, to show how the loss of arts & culture would mean a loss of cultural identity for Canadians.
I participated in this protest, and will join those who are remaining faceless until the election, such as Chris Foley. Being faceless for a day was very difficult for me, because I use the profile to showcase my recent sculptures, and my sculptures are part of who I am. Instead of seeing one of my creations, having to look at the ghostly silhouette of a nameless person was more than unsettling.
What was most telling of how intimitately connected our identity is with art & culture is the variety of Facless For the Artsprofile pictures created by users so they can show they are faceless specificially in support of art & culture.
So as part of my work to raise awareness about the impacts and implications of the arts funding cuts, I will be faceless not merely in Facebook, but in all my online social networks.
I met with Cindy Jacobsen today to discuss some of the concerns artists have with the actions and direction with the Conservative government. These are, of course, not exhaustive or exclusive, but represent some of the high-profile areas:
artists aren’t looking for a handout (e.g. I work the equivalent of two full time jobs, with a day job as “private funding” for my arts practice), but need governmental support with things like reintroducing/strengthening the arts in primary and secondary schools, introducing more percent for art programs, and making policy changes to make affordable and safe live-work space available
