"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
Lilla Watson, aboriginal educator and artist
So the budget is in and it hasn't toppled the government. It isn't perfect, but it isn't completely useless, either. And Arts and Culture are once again worth investing in, thank goodness. Which means that now the argument is about who gets how much and why. When it was announced yesterday, where the funds for Arts and Culture were being allocated didn't seem quite clear. And with hundreds of millions in new funding, the cuts from September still stand.
I don't claim to be an expert on the topic, by any stretch of the imagination, but the whole thing seems, well, shady. In a word. While I am obviously a proponent of supporting up-and-coming artists, the plan by Luminato's founders to use government funds for a "Canada Prize" sounds more like another lousy reality TV show and I, personally, think their claims that it will make Toronto "a cultural capital on the international stage" are crap. Not that I couldn't personally do with $100,000, but I would rather see that money invested in one of the city's independent theatre companies to create artist in residence programs or training programs. I'm sure they could use it just as much as I and, the truth is, it would probably go farther. It is training and ensembles and hard work that create "stars" not contests.
And, at the same time that they have added funding for programs like this, they haven't done anything about the cuts that could have helped groups like Theatrefront, featured here in the Globe and Mail for their show Ubuntu. The quote above is from this article and, I think, says it all. I think what they do, this exchange and collaboration aimed at creation across international and cultural borders, is far more likely to put us on the global stage than some half-baked contest where one person wins some cash.
But I guess you have to admire the political pull those Luminato guys seem to have. I'd love to know how they managed this second coup. How did they decide that this project, tied to Luminato, was worthy of a giant cash infusion and not the programs they cut funding to that helped Canada to have a footing on the global cultural stage? Why not give money back to the programs you cut from now that you're giving cash away? Being a government, Ottawa seems not to believe in transparency when it comes to money. And this is the biggest issue with our spending in general. I think Rick Mercer put it well in his rant on Tuesday night, "if they have to spend the money, fine, but only if the fog lifts and the sun shines in."
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3 comments:
You have to be pretty short sighted not to realize the benefits of having a prestigious international arts prize based in Toronto. Benefits for the local tourism economy; benefits for the hundreds of arts technicians/ musicians / designers/ producers/ performers who will be employed; venues that will get an influx of cash to stay afloat; opportunities for artists to have their talent and work shown on the world stage; the opportunity to collaborate.
There are a lot of logistical questions surrounding the prize, and I suspect it won’t happen until 2011, but that is okay. That doesn't make it a bad idea. This is money that was never going to be invested in the small experimental theater company, partly because those small companies don't have much economic impact on the community, and partly because, well, they're small... it would be irresponsible to give them $25m. But you know what, One Yellow Rabbit, Catalyst Theatre, Ex Machina... these were all small experimental companies too... until they received international recognition at international festivals and winning international prizes. Instead of complaining, look at the opportunities.
Even if your work isn't included in the prize, put it on at the same time and pull in some of the same audience / producers. The goal it seems is to create a cultural atmosphere, a cultural destination. People will see other things in town - will come back another vacation. It seems we do need help and vision in re-branding Toronto and Canada as a cultural centre, because we don't celebrate the arts enough on our own. Artists are hurting because there isn't enough audience to go around. Too many Canadians would rather go see a sporting event, or watch a movie than take in a new dance work, or go to the art gallery. That's fine, that's their choice. But those team franchises get huge tax and government support as well.
As an artist, yes, I wish a little more money in the budget went to the Canada Council for the Arts and paying professional artists, and maybe a little less to community festivals. But, as an artist, I'm sick of just doing my work for the same audiences over and over. This is an opportunity for those "artists toiling in obscurity" to collaborate with international artists, or to have their work picked up by producers, and who knows, if you're good enough, maybe win a nice hefty prize. There's no reason Canadians can't compete on the world stage. And those festivals - Luminato employed something like 1,300 ONTARIO artists alone last year - no reason why I can't be one of them.
We artists tend to forget that there's nothing wrong with competition. Its healthy, it helps us grow. You just can't be afraid of failing... and a real artist never is.
Hi Brad,
Thanks for the comment. I apologize for not having the time necessary this morning to fully respond in the way that it deserves.
That being said, I just want to say a few things: first, you do have some valid points. I see the potential value, both economically and artistically, of a "prestigious international prize" here in Toronto. I don't think it's a bad idea in and of itself. I also think that a little healthy competition is a good thing for the arts, indeed. But the details so far are hazy--it's a lot of money to throw at something with no solid plan that we know of--and, frankly, it sounds a lot like an American Idol knock-off.
I think the question is where do we stand to benefit the most from this money? The programs, like PromArt and Trade Routes, that the government cut back in September helped to achieve many of the goals of collaboration and showing your work on a world stage. And if you're sick of playing to the same audience, the funding of these programs could have helped in that regard too. But, instead of putting funding back into programs that support Canadian artists already doing great work across international borders, they've put a large sum of money into an unproven program. I believe in taking risks, but I'm not sure this is the moment for that particular one.
I also find it curious that the prize's founders have managed to secure so much government money of late. And that is a whole other political issue, but I think it's a huge part of the real opposition to this "Canada Prize."
And perhaps it would be irresponsible to give an independent theatre company $25 million because their economic impact on the community doesn't merit it. But if you spread that $25 million amongst 25 or more companies, I imagine the impact would be equivalent, if not greater than, that of the proposed arts award. Theatres produce 12 months of the year and, while they may employ fewer people all at once, they offer a more sustainable type of employment.
I don't think this arts prize is the end of the world. But it reeks of a government that condemned "gala-going elites" turning around and supporting exactly that class of the artistic community. I think the money could be put to better use. I see the opportunities, but I think they are limited.
And I am not particularly interested in complaining about it. I am more interested in figuring out how we move forward to improve the system of funding (not just in terms of distribution but also transparency) and to impart upon our government and our communities the importance of local arts.
For more on the conversation, check this out:
http://praxistheatre.blogspot.com/2009/01/canada-prizes-for-arts-and-creativity.html
Hi BFG,
I just want clear up one point you make in your posting.
Luminato did not receive any money, directly or indirectly, from this year's federal budget.
The Canadian government awarded a one-time $25 million grant to The Canada Prizes for The Arts and Creativity, AKA The Canada Prizes.
The Canada Prizes is an individual, not-for-profit organization. Yes, its founders Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut founded Luminato as well.
However, the two organizations operate completely independently of one another and are in no way affiliated.
To Brad's point: Last year's Luminato festival saw the participation of approximately 1,400 local artists and 215 international artists.
For further information on The Canada Prizes, I urge you to read Martin Knelman's articles from this week's Toronto Star, to which I have linked below.
http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/580087
http://www.thestar.com/Entertainment/article/581921
Thanks,
Daniel Davidzon
Publicity Coordinator
Luminato
www.Luminato.com
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