Re: [microsound] Canada Council Changes - Petition (fwd)

[Julian Knowles <julianknowles@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Phil

I am wondering what aspects of the proposed changes are most 
objectionable to the community? The proposed changes seem to be a 
result of insufficient funding pools and lower success rates. This, it 
seems to me, is a global phenomenon in arts communities where 
government funding is provided. I'm actually a peer member of the Music 
Board of the Australia Council for the Arts, which is a similar 
institution to the Canada Council. Similar issues prevail, ie that 
competition is fierce and success rates are low. (typically 20%-30%). 
You can't expect to get grants, indeed you are quite lucky if you are 
successful. This means that even highly established artists cannot 
survive from grants. In the filed of music, we reached that point more 
than a decade ago, when the policy turned from being limited to the 
support of senior artists.composers of contemporary chamber/orchestral 
tradition to being more inclusive. The CC seems to be attributing the 
rise in applications to universites/art schools.... I wonder is this 
really the case??

In any arts funding organisation. there is constant tension between the 
need to support more establish artists whilst giving young/emerging 
artists a look in. If I have read it correctly, the CC seem to have 
provided support at either end with a 5 year waiting period between 5 
and 12 years where you fend for yourself... (from first exhibition 
until you become formally 'established'). I personally don't think 
these kind of criteria are particularly helpful when it comes down to 
handing out grants and in many cases they seem to be a blunt strategy 
to limit the number of applications coming in (which can be truly 
staggering - i just read a few thousand pages of text and listened to a 
few hundred CDs in the last round... tends to make your eyes glaze 
over!!!).

At the end of the day you are seeking to reward the most meritorious 
applications (which may not be from the most senior artists) and 
provide some kind of development path for artists both new and 
established This is a very tough gig when you only have a small budget 
to work with. In my view, artists energies are better spent trying to 
help increase the funding pool rather than arguing over how it is 
handed out... Of the funding pool is too small, then that is by far and 
above your most major problem. Tweaks to the rules will achieve little. 
Right here, the issue is that major organisations with a turnover of 
more than AUD2,000.000  (around 1.5M USD) pa have cordoned off funding 
arrangements secured for a number of years and reviewed, whilst huge 
numbers of individual artists compete for the small pool outside this. 
To give you an idea. the major orchestras nationally receive 10 X the 
total funding pool available to individual music practitioners and 
music orgs with a less than $2M turnover...   Essentially European art 
music (mainly confined to a 200 year period) receives 10x the support 
of all other music making put together... This is a David and Goliath 
situation... The importance of non-heritage practices needs to be 
championed by all so that governments are not allowed to be myopic in 
their view of the arts....

Anyway, just some thoughts!!!



On Wednesday, November 24, 2004, at 07:28  AM, Phil Thomson wrote:

> I know not all of you are from Canada, and most of you probably do 
> without funding from bodies like the Canada Council, but I thought I 
> would forward this petition nonetheless, as it is an issue that 
> relates to the social context of cultural production generally, and an 
> issue like this may eventually come to effect a greater number of us, 
> so it would be good for some of us to speak up now.
>
> P
>
>
>
> +~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
> { Phil Thomson
> { home: http://www.sfu.ca/~pthomson
> { label: http://centibel.org/
> { group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/databenders/
> +~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
>
> SDF Public Access UNIX System
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> Geekier than you since 1987.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 01:00:19 -0400
> From: michael - <breakingtension@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: microvan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: evolve@xxxxx, bhc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, microvan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx,
>     vancouver_em@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [microvan] Canada Council Changes - Petition
>
>
> PETITION
>
> Changes to art funding at the Canada Council for the Arts
> will cripple art practices in Canada
>
> Many of you have heard about the proposed changes to Visual Arts 
> funding
> at the Canada Council for the Arts. These changes, which are due to 
> come
> into effect in January 2005, will dramatically reduce the number of
> artists who will receive grants, and will set in place an inadequate
> process of grant assessment, as well as bring corporate focus on
> artistic production, seeing it as a product-oriented activity rather 
> than
> a process of innovation and continuous inquiry of the artists'
> relationship to society.
> Please read the letter from PAARC (Pacific Association of Artist Run
> Centres)  in Vancouver responding to the proposed changes. It is 
> attached
> to this email in pdf format.
>
> Also, take your time and visit the Canada Council website for detailed
> information about the new proposed program:
> http://www.canadacouncil.ca/visualarts/va_consultations.htm
>
>
> It is extremely important to act immediately and let the Canada Council
> know how
> you feel about these changes.
>
>
> The deadline for feedback is December 1st, 2004.
>
>
>
> Petition:
>
>
> Please COPY (rather than Forward) this e-mail into a new message,
> sign at the end of the list, and send it to all the people whom you 
> know.
> If you receive this list with more than 100 names signed, send a copy 
> of
> the petition to:
>
>
>
> Francois Lachapelle
> at>http://www.canadacouncil.ca/contactus/emfrm.htm?contactID=107
> and
> Shayla Morreau at
> http://www.canadacouncil.ca/contactus/emfrm.htm?contactID=213
>
>
> Individual response:
> You can also respond to these proposed changes by writing the Canada
> Council individually.
> The form is available at:
> http://www.canadacouncil.ca/contactus/emfrm.htm?contactID=213
> You can use the letter below and paste it into the message box on the 
> form
> provided by the Canada Council or write your own email voicing your
> concerns.
>
> Even if you decide not to sign, please consider forwarding the 
> petition on
> instead of deleting it.
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
>
> As a professional visual artist (or supporter of the arts) in Canada, 
> I am
> deeply concerned about the proposed changes to visual arts funding at 
> the
> Canada Council.
> The funding provided by the Canada Council for the Arts is extremely
> important
> to the vitality of the art community in Canada and has successfully
> supported
> a broad range of art practices.
>
> As an artist, I rely on this funding and feel the proposed changes will
> dramatically effect support for all artists in Canada.
>
> I petition that these changes should be revised in better consultation
> with art communities in Canada, to reflect a more equitable system 
> that is
> closer to the model of funding currently in place.
>
> I disagree with the proposed changes and do NOT support them.
> (Signed)
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
>
> 1. Lorraine Oades (Montreal)
> 2. Catherine Bodmer (Montreal)
> 3. Jessica MacCormack (Montreal)
> 4. Liz Garlicki (Winnipeg, MB)
> 5. Theo Sims (Winnipeg, MB)
> 6. Garth Hardy (Winnipeg, MB)
> 7. Heather Emery (Vancouver, BC)
> 8. Marianne Bos (Vancouver, BC)
> 9. Michael Red (Vancouver, BC)
>
>
>
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