From the Desk of Alain Pineau: CCA National Policy Conference

I am grateful to each and every one of you for attending, participating and voicing your opinion at our National Policy Conference last week. Artists: Powering the Creative Economy?  proved to be a thought provoking two days which placed artists at the centre of the conversation. 

We explored questions regarding where artists stand in Canadian society and how artists interact with Canadian and international audiences. We spoke about how the roles of artists are changing in our urban, rural and cultural communities. We also debated the types of new business models necessary for artists to participate in a society and an economy transformed by the digital revolution.

I am extremely pleased to thank the diverse voices heard over the two days – from artists to leaders of major arts organizations, from emerging arts professionals, to participants from both English and French Canada, and delegates from every province and two territories!

As we explained during the conference, this diverse gathering was part of a process for the CCA.

I invite you all to join the CCA as we move on to the next steps in the discussion of arts, culture and heritage in Canada. This conversation will be brought to the CCA’s National Advisory Committee on Priorities and to the Board of the CCA, both of which will outline priorities for cultural policy in the coming two years and the methods we will use to research and advocate these themes.

You can help us by starting this process today! Please read Garry Neil’s summary of the conference and post your comments below.

Also, be sure to check out our photo album for the CCA’s 65^th anniversary gala celebration and  awards ceremony, as well as the conference!

Conference resources

In the past week, we have come across a few insightful  blogs which have done a  great job of capturing the main themes and recapping the various sessions at our 2010 National Policy Conference, Artists: Powering the Creative Economy? Check out the links below.

Arts leaders connect with Ottawa decision makers
(The Arts Advocate Blog)

Artists: Powering the Creative Economy? or "What does the Economy Have to Learn From Artists"
(Calgary Arts Development)

Artists: Powering the Creative Economy? - Conference notes
(CAMDO) 

Partnerships, Collaboration, Ben Cameron and the Creative Economy
(The Arts Policy Diaries)

Artists within communities

The second day of the conference began with a panel exploring the role of artists within communities. Here is a quick overview of the panel’s discussion:

Tim Jones - President and CEO, Artscape

Tim Jones talked about Artscape’s pioneering role in transforming under-used buildings into affordable living and work spaces for artists in the Toronto area. Notable projects have been developed in the Queen Street West, Distillery and Liberty Village neighbourhoods. Tim emphasized Artscape’s role as an intermediary between artists, investors and stakeholders, and discussed the need for a strong collective voice in the cultural sector to encourage investment in artistic communities.

René Cormier - Manager of Strategy and Regional Cultural Development Strategy, Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick

René Cormier discussed the tools and techniques developed by the Association acadienne des artists profesionel.le.s du New Brunswick to integrate Acadian arts and culture in the broader community. The Acadian community has a strong identity and a high quality of cultural production. To recognize this, a  "global strategy" was published for Acadian arts and culture.

Dan Taylor - Economic Development Officer, Prince Edward County 
Dan Taylor discussed his involvement in the Strategic Cultural Plan for Prince Edward County. He recognized how artists and other creative workers have helped diversify the region’s economy and build a vibrant community. Once depressed financially, Prince Edward County is now attracting and retaining a new generation of youth and urbanites. Dan was quick to mention that prosperity in the community is driven by a broad stroke of creativity, meaning in addition to artists, wine makers, cheese makers, etc., are changing Prince Edward County's landscape.

André Dudemaine - Director, Land InSights
André Dudemaine emphasized the importance of arts and culture in First Nations' communities, where artists play a significant role in reconnecting people with their spiritual being. Through hard work and dedication, several festivals have been organizaed in the Montreal area to celebrate First Nations arts, culture and heritage such as the the Montreal First Peoples' Festival. In the long term, through Land InSights, André hopes to create a permanent festival in the Montreal area to showcase indigenous art and create a creative space for First Nations people.

The NEW RAW

We decided to end the first day of the conference with a screening of The NEW RAW, a short video series by Eilís Quinn.

The market for Inuit art has favoured more traditional pieces, but contemporary artists are now more interested in creating art which depicts social issues and climate change. The documentary explores the economic and social challenges that have arisen from this changing dynamic.

If you missed it, here is a link to The NEW RAW.

Emerging Thinkers

To bring new ideas and fresh perspectives to this year's conference, we decided to integrate a Pecha Kucha format through the Emerging Thinkers Speed Speaker Series.  Moderated by Shannon Litzenbeger, Metcalf Arts Policy Fellow, speakers included Kwende Kefentse, Janet Naclia, Devon Ostrom and Alex Rogalski. Here are a few interesting points they brought up:

-Artists are now engaging in a variety of different practices and their jobs are becoming more diverse.

-Technology is an invaluable tool for emerging artists, but it does not necessarily replace interpersonal networks.

-Community, space and place all play integral roles in how art is created and used. 

-Arts policy education needs to be promoted in diverse sectors and settings (e.g. post-secondary institutions).

How should artists be valued?

Over the course of this morning's discussion, an overarching theme emerged. Instead of framing the importance of artists in the creative economy, delegates and panelists agreed that more emphasis needs to be placed on the value of artists in society.

Kevin Stolarick noted that when Richard Florida's research emerged on the "creative class" and the importance of innovation to drive the economy, many artists were thrilled. They now had the proof and research to demonstrate their value to policy makers and the public at large. As Kevin put it though, artists have always been important and should not be solely defined by their economic footprint.

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.

Artists; Powering the Creative Economy?

Hi everyone! Welcome to our 2010 National Policy Conference, Artists: Powering the Creative Economy?

We have a packed schedule over the next two days and we will be blogging along the way. Here's an overview of the schedule:

8:45 am	Panel: The role of the artist in the creative economy
10:30 am	Break
10:45 am	Reaction Session
Noon	Lunch and networking session
1:30 pm	Emerging Thinkers Speed Speaker Series
3:15 pm	Break
3:30 pm	Whiteboard content modules
5 pm	THE NEW RAW - A Video Series by Eilís Quinn
5:30 pm	Adjournment

We're hoping to create an interesting dialogue so please join the conversation and post your comments below!