Thank YOU for Arts Summit 2013!

Thank YOU for Arts Summit 2013!

To the 200 or so friends and colleagues who gathered last Friday and Saturday for Arts Summit 2013, a great big thank you from all of us at the Alliance for Arts and Culture, The Bridge Society, and the Summit planning committee. 

For two full days we were informed and guided by speakers Richard Evans, Richard Hornsby, and Alison Turner, shown the effectiveness of collaboration by Bob D’Eith, Margaret Reynolds and Liz Shorten, inspired by presentations by organizers of previous cultural community conferences, shown the power of art in our lives by voices ranging from blues legend Jim Byrnes to Kevan Anthony “Scruffmouth” Cameron, and kept on track by our dedicated Dialogue Leaders and moderators. 

Words of power and wisdom set the stage each morning: Friday from Musqueum artist Debra Sparrow and Saturday from Poet Laureate Evelyn Lau. Musicians played us through our lunches and reception while Potluck Caterers kept us comfortably fed.

We gathered for the stated purpose of launching a year-long initiative to draft a “cultural policy framework” for our province. While doing so we heard new voices, renewed old alliances and forged new ones across sectors, disciplines and regions. Many of the highlights were webcast and seen by artists, culture workers and art lovers across the province.

The work of some 30 breakout groups is being distilled into notes and summaries, we have captured the key components of the Summit on video, and graphic recorder Sam Bradd has left us an illustrated record of the multi-tiered conversation. We will be sharing all of that with the community in the weeks to come.

The work begun last weekend will continue as a steering committee and working groups emerge to take the lead in creating wider engagement in this initiative and in drafting a cultural policy framework in which we can all see ourselves and our concerns reflected.

All of that is for the future. Granted, it’s the near future and we need to maintain the momentum. But for the moment, here’s a big “Thank You” to YOU for being there and helping create that momentum.

More, much more, to follow!

Honourary Summit Chair Nini Baird
Executive Producer Rob Gloor
Producer Kevin Dale McKeown