The Role of the Artist in the Creative Economy

Our first panel addressed the theme “The role of the artist in the creative economy.”  Each panelist, all from different milieus of the cultural sector, offered their perspective on the term creative economy and what it means to them.

Kevin Stolarick – Research Director, Martin Prosperity Institute

Kevin noted that the creative economy has been a useful concept for broadening the scope of who can be considered creative and how creativity can contribute to the economy. However, the term has also been overused and abused. For some, artists are now mainly valued based on how much they can contribute to the economy. According to Kevin, artists should be valued for their contributions to society as a whole, not just the economy.

Gaétan Morency- Vice-President, Citizenship, Cirque du Soleil

Gaétan discussed the importance of arts education to help develop the next generation of cultural workers. Artists constantly engage with different communities and technologies, and it’s important that they are equipped with the tools and resources to contribute in a meaningful way.

Jian Ghomeshi - Host of Q, CBC Radio One and bold TV

Finally, Jian shared his experience working as a busker, street performer and musician in the Canadian cultural sector. He noted that the term creative economy is not a part of a typical artist's vocabulary.  Instead, it is a term most often used by policy makers. That being said, Canada is a disproportionately artistic country and the economy needs to be rebranded to recognize that fact.