Synergy
The electronic newsletter for people who value arts and culture
July 2008 -- Volume 19 Number 6
IN THIS ISSUE:
A word from the editor
Summer is here – finally! – and like everyone else in the industry, the staff here at the Alliance is suffering from severe vitamin D deficiency. So, starting July 2nd and lasting until the end of August, we will be closing the office a half an hour early to soak up the sun (while it lasts).
Also, we’d like to thank everyone who made it out to our Annual General Meeting on June 25. It was touch and go there, but we managed to make quorum. One Board member finished her term, and several new members were elected. We’d like to welcome Mo Dhaliwal and Jason Dubois to the Board of Directors, and thank Sadira Rodrigues for all her hard work.
For more information on these new directors, please check out their bios. And if you run into them at any Alliance functions, please make them feel welcome.
See you on the beach!
Peter Boychuk
Director of Communications
1. Analogue_Digital Workshop
CARFAC BC (Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens, BC division), in association with the Alliance for Arts & Culture, is presenting the analogue_digital_workshop for artists working in traditional art forms who would like to expand into other media. The workshop will be co-presented by Kate Armstrong and Aerlyn Weissman, and will cover conceptual and formal concerns, skills and software, network environment and participation, interactivity, social software and the role of technology.
The workshop will take place at the Alliance for Arts & Culture at 100-938 Howe Street from 1pm to 4pm on Sunday, July 13, 2008. Cost is $25 for CARFAC and Alliance members, or $30 for non-members. To register, call 604-681-3535 or drop by the Alliance office between 9-4:30pm, Mon-Fri. For more information, visit http://carfacbc.googlepages.com.
2. Mayor’s Arts Awards honoured members of our community
The Mayor’s Arts Awards were presented on Monday, June 23, 2008 at the Vancouver Playhouse. The Alliance was invited to manage the nomination and selection of the honourees, and we were happy to do so with the assistance of Robert Blackwood. The honourees each received a $2500 award. They were: Richard Tetrault in Community Arts; Bing Wing Thom in Craft and Design; David Paperny in Film and New Media; Daphne Marlatt in Literary Arts; Vincent Trasov and the late John Mitchell in Public Art; Liz Magor in Visual Arts; Peter Bingham in Dance; Denise Ball in Music; Bill Millerd in Theatre; Robert Le Crom in Culinary Arts; Rob O’Dea for Volunteerism; Yulanda Faris for Philanthropy; and Odlum Brown Limited for Business support.
Each of the arts discipline honourees selected an emerging artist who received a matching award. This year’s emerging artists were composer Jocelyn Morlock; dancer and choreographer Jennifer Clarke; theatre projection designer Jamie Nesbitt; designers Steven and Jane Cox; artist collaborators Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky; sculptor Kika Thorne; and artist and arts coordinator Dan Bushnell. For more info, visit the Mayors Arts Award website.
Congratulations to everyone!
3. Cultural Plan approved by Council
On June 26, the new Culture Plan for the City of Vancouver was unanimously approved by City Council. Andrew Wilhelm-Boyles, Executive Director of the Alliance, appeared briefly to congratulate the City on their hard work, and to encourage expeditious action on the proposed plan. His full statement can be found here.
The Culture Plan proposes changes to programs for grants, public art, arts facilities, and cultural tourism. The recommendations came out of an extensive consultation process that included advisory boards, public meetings, two Creative City Conversations, and an internal review. The plan, which can be found in its entirety on the City of Vancouver website, is wide-ranging, ambitious, and encompasses all of the Office of Cultural Affairs programs and services.
4. New Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts
In a cabinet shuffle announced June 23, 2008, East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett was appointed Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts for the BC Provincial Government. He is replacing outgoing Minister Stan Hagen, who will be taking over the portfolio for Agriculture and Lands.
Bill Bennett was elected to represent the riding of East Kootenay in the 2001 and 2005 provincial elections. Before being elected, Mr. Bennett was a partner in a Cranbrook law firm, and owned and operated successful fly-in wilderness lodges in the Northwest Territories and Manitoba from 1977 to 1992. In 1988, he worked as a tourism consultant with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs and to the Manitoba Keewatin Tribal Council. For more information on his accomplishments, visit http://www.billbennettmla.bc.ca.
Members are encouraged to make the new Minister welcome. He can be reached via email at bill.bennett.mla@leg.bc.ca or by calling his office at (250) 953-4822.
5. Senate proposes changes to Bill C-10
After months of careful review and testimonials by film producers, directors, municipal leaders, financial institutions, religious leaders and political action groups, the Senate has resolved to recommend amendments to Bill C-10, the omnibus tax bill with controversial provisions. The bill will be sent back to the House with the following recommendations:
- Remove the power for the Minister of Heritage to refuse tax credits based on "public policy" or to issue guidelines about film content, while at the same time safeguarding the right to deny funds when the production itself is contrary to the Criminal Code;
- Give producers an efficient judicial appeal mechanism if the Minister blocks or delays funding;
- Continue to prevent government funding of pornography, child pornography, and hate propaganda.
“All [the witnesses] agreed Bill C-10, in its current form, would have a devastating impact on the Canadian film industry” Senator Francis Fox was quoted as saying. He and Senator Wilfred Moore believe that if the amendments are not accepted, a $5-billion Canadian film and television industry will be at risk.
Debate is widespread about the outcome of these recommendations. In April, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said the bill should not be amended because a tax bill is a money bill, and money bills are a confidence issue. Many Liberal MPs stand behind the amendments; however, only time will show how willing they are to trigger an election over the issue.
6. Stolen art returned intact; two pieces still missing
On June 10, the RCMP reported that thirteen of the fifteen piece of stolen Bill Reid artwork were found. The objects, which included twelve original works by renowned Haida artist Bill Reid and three items of Mexican jewellery, were the subject of an intense recovery effort. An argillite pipe and an eagle brooch, also by Bill Reid, are still missing.
7. New performing arts statistics from Stats Can
According to a recently released report from Statistics Canada, total operating revenues for the performing-arts industry in 2006 remained almost unchanged from 2005 at $1.2 billion. According to the report, revenues were split almost equally between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors.
A quick hit of the other statistics in the report:
- The operating profit margin overall rose to 5.7 per cent in 2006, up from 4.3 per cent in 2005.
- Among for-profit companies, the profit margin rose to 10.3 per cent from 8.6.
- For not-for-profit companies, it rose to a surplus of 1.2 per cent from a loss of 0.4.
- The 20 top performing-arts companies accounted for nearly two-thirds of all revenue.
The full report can be found on the Statistics Canada website.
8. Media spin
Supper-club bid for Vogue Theatre fails
The Georgia Straight
May 29, 2008
A Whistler entrepreneur has expressed dejection over Vancouver city council’s recent refusal of his application to open a licensed supper club at the Vogue Theatre. Read more…
City of Vancouver throws Maritime Museum a lifeline
The Georgia Straight
June 12, 2008
By Jessica Werb
The City of Vancouver has entered into negotiations with the Vancouver Maritime Museum amidst mounting public pressure to keep the institution open. Read more…
'Sophisticated' Vancouver losing piece of art to Calgary
The Vancouver Sun
June 03, 2008
By Miro Cernetig
Let's re-christen the Vancouver park board with the name that really fits: A device for rooting out interesting public art. Read more…
Floating banana's appeal for funding slips
The Globe and Mail
June 24, 2008
By Ingrid Peritz
A Canadian art project involving a giant banana, helium and the state of Texas was already considered bold and controversial - now there are doubts about whether the massive piece of fruit will ever fly. Read more…
9. Research & Literature
ABC: Copyright
Canadian Conference of the Arts
The first in a series of documents compiled by the CCA providing basic information to help understand Canadian cultural policy. ABC: Copyright synthesizes Bill C-67, and outlines the issues in government’s recent attempts to revise Canada’s Copyright Act.
10. Endnote
“According to arts mythology, at the heart of every great creative enterprise lies one or more stereotypical artistic genius personalities, who work outside the ordinary milieu, in a flourish of uncontrolled creativity which can cause havoc with normal procedures but which eventually yields great art… In effect, this equates to sanctioning any sort of abusive behaviour on the grounds of artistic temperament: the end (great art) justifying the means. So, do we in the arts cultivate bullies?”
- Anne-Marie Quigg, Creative Genius and Artistic Temperament
