This event was on March 12th, 2009 at the Elgin Hotel, Ottawa.
CCA holds this event, a national cultural strategy workshop, annually.
Many of us are looking forward to hearing from Americans for the Arts, a very effective US representative group.
INTRODUCTION – Allain Pineau, Nat’l Director of CCA
The workshop begins by reporting on cross Canada consultations that took place throughout 2008.
1. What is the current climate within which the arts and culture exist?
six areas were identified 1. economy 2. image problem with large sectors of the population – arts and culture need generally to be repositioned; overcome divisive messaging; make people aware of the presence of the arts in their lives; 3. education – must be addressed in the long run, by working with the education sector; 4. unity – increasing no. of org’s to respond to distinct needs, voice is fractured, question is can we agree on fundamental issues; 5. coordination – advocacy tools and training; 6. information – pressing need for data and analysis. Even Stats Can hasn’t the tools it needs. We need research-based arguments.
2. What can the arts and culture sector do better?
Identify common objectives
Present arguments based on fact
Form coordinated strategies
Make strong alliances with other sectors;
Use structured communication tools
3. What about the CCA, what should it be doing?
Proper representation of the interests of its constituents
A national forum
Information and research
Encourage member involvement
4. More tools needed:
partnerships
inclusion
strategize, short and long term
KEYNOTE by Anne L’Ecuyer, Americans for the Arts
In the US the first ‘arts’ councils appeared in 1949. The National Endowment for the Arts was founded in 1965 as part of the Great Society legislation, which included civil rights, education, infrastructure etc. under the Kennedy/Johnson administrations.
In the NEA legislation it requires taht 40% of federal money given to the NEA flow thro’ to the states, so very quickly all the states founded arts agencies. This infrastructure has continued to develop over the last 50 years. All types of arts are funded, everything from local gardens to “elite” “ladies” clubs.
It is a decentralized system. 75% are private, non-profit organizations, which is good because they are flexible and responsive to their local communities. The state agencies to some extent follow the NEA model and pass through money to more local agencies.
There have been several collaborative organizations over the years, the two most prominent being the American Council on the Arts, which helped found the NEA, and the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies, NALAA, a very grassroots focused group, like a professional association. These two merged in 1997 as the Americans for the Arts with a national-state-local mission. Since then it has grown into a 75 person agency.
AA does very different kinds of work, national lobbying in Washington to state and local coordination.
AA represents:
- local and state arts service organizations, e.g. www.philaculture.org, Peggy Amsterdam, President, a Gladwell-esque “maven”, knows everyone, tireless worker, partnership builder, dynamic, centre-point for the city of Philadelphia. Their Portfolio 2008 is an exemplary package of research.
- arts disciplines
- arts education, e.g. Los Angeles County, Arts for All, www.laasrtsed.org, Ayanna Hudson Higgins, Director of Arts Education… whose ambition was to make sure arts education was available K-12 throughout LA. — impact is the most important thing there –
- creative economies
- public art and civic design, e.g. Phoenic Metro Light Rail, M.B. Finnerty, www.valleymetro.org – got cultural community involved early so that it stops at major cultural institutions and neighbourhoods. $6.3 million invested in public art also.
- community development
- emerging leaderships
- diverse cultures, e.g. Louisiana Cultural Economy Initiative – combination of creative economy and diversity, Mitch Landrieu, Lt. Governor, www.crt.state.la.us/culturaleconomy/ – a state wide cultural economy; producing cultural goods revenues from which flow back into the cultural community – “culture is Louisiana’s oil” and needs the skilled workforce and infrastructure to bring it to market.
- arts in higher education
- arts and business partnerships
- philanthropic communities
…. new discoveries, how artists can be advocates in the system…e.g. “teaching artists” as a distinct category of professional, strong advocates for the arts, expert in both the educational system and the arts…
MAIN GOALS of AA
- foster environments in which arts thrive and communities are more liveable
- generate more public and private resources for the arts and arts education (sometimes this might be all you need because artists and others working in the sector know exactly what to do if they have the resources
- build appreciation for the value of the arts
in the US, typically 50% earned revenue, less that 10% federal money, the rest is a combo
ACTION AREAS
research and policy
advocacy
professional development – can’t do everything themselves; train others
visibility – mass media environment
strategic alliances – others who can play key roles in achieving goals
HOW THIS APPLIES e.g. in arts education
research and policy – did a poll, segmented out parents, 80% of parents agree; = Parents influence change, but parents don’t know how to influence the school system; e.g. school board meetings [which are, she says, like your Canadian Parliament; much chuckling]
advocacy – Parents demand more arts; media posters in Spanish, Goya painting with slogan “ask for more”, running in all major papers; e.g. poster, cereal theme “raisin Brahms”
professional development – Get parents involved; school board level
visibility – Art: Ask for More
strategic alliances – always go to the decision-makers; send them the exact same message, PTAs, NAMM(?), NatAssoc. of School Boards NASB.
POLICY POSItiONS
federal funding for cultural agencies
arts education
cultural funding in comerce, housing, transportationa nd rural dev.
favourable tax policies for artists and cultural orgs
cultural exchange and diplomacy – a lot of this is informal, personal, e.g. teachers, personal travel… support these as well as state/govn’t level
FEDERAL ADVOCACY
CAG – cultural advocacy group, 100+ members, meet annually to hammer out positions, organize around the things they agree on
Annual Issue Briefs – booklet on each issue, used by advocates to structure advocates; gather together in March and present on
Federal Arts Advocacy Day – cannot underestimate the importance of constituents to politicians
Arts Action Center – anyone can sign up, send out alerts and call for action, eg. phone, fax or email response, 100,000+ on list… 85,000 messages delivered to Congress about the $50m for NEA in the economic stimulus package… cultural advocates are very vocal
Campaigns – ARTSVote2008 – approached candidates, asked for statements of position, Obama’s were very detailed, reflective of AA’s own positions; always had somebody on the ground at whistle stops to ask an arts question, e.g. Obama in Pennsylvania spoke about arts education, caught on video, put on website;
Resource Guides – background in areas like commerce, transportation, so people can learn where the funding is, where the opportunities are
State and Local Advocacy – State arts action network; State arts advocacy day; research local funding and policy issues; direct technical assistance; advocacy and visibility support – always adopt the position of the local leaders and NEVER contradict, goal is to advance the authority and visibility of the local people.
SUSTAINING VALUES
arts are alive in every community – large and small;
asset-based strategy – focus on what we can agree about, the strengths, figure out what you do well and do more of it; there are always cultural assets
diverstiy is the core asset of the arts and culture sector – best sector to demonstrate diversity as an asset
authenticity is key to economic value -destroy or undermine and you are left with nothing
art is more than economic value – don’t engage in enquiry about ‘what is art’, we accept it
network of leaders who make a difference
[break]
workshop afterwards
