The following are highlights of a speech by Karen Kain, Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, at the Art Gallery of Alberta on Monday, June 5, 2006.
On the impact of government arts funding on Canadians and their communities
"As we look back today, in this era of measuring value and impact, there is absolutely no doubt that the sustained and patient investment of public funds in the arts through the Canada Council, and through the provinces and the municipalities, has had a profound impact on our country, our lives and our communities."
"The arts in Canada are now distinctly and distinctively Canadian, produced in all parts of Canada, in both official languages and accessible to Canadians across the country. They are inclusive and reflective of the diverse cultural expressions of the country...And equally importantly, they are enjoyed by audiences around the world."
On the growing recognition of the value of the arts
"Around the world, people increasingly understand how successful communities are built and how the arts and culture create innovative, healthy, diverse and humane places to live. Repeated studies have shown that social and economic development is profoundly connected to - and dependent upon - cultural development. We know that cities must be able and willing to nurture, support and celebrate creativity in all its dimensions if they are to be economic leaders in the future."
On increased funding to the Canada Council in the May 2 federal budget
"The cumulative increase of $50 million over two years, which actually translates into a $30 million increase to our Parliamentary appropriation by the second year, is significant because:
it confirms the willingness of this government to assume its continued responsibility for funding the arts;
it reaffirms the role of the Canada Council as the principal federal vehicle for undertaking that responsibility;
it recognizes the urgent needs of the arts;
it acknowledges the benefits a strong, creative and sustainable arts sector can bring to Canadians and their communities."
"The announcement of the Council's funding increase does not mean the end of the public debate about government funding for the arts, but it indicates that the discussion with this government has gotten off to a good start. That is why we welcomed the budget news with enthusiasm, echoing the expression of a general sense of encouragement from the arts community across the country."
"So we will continue to make the case for further investment in the arts, working with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Bev Oda, and the government and emphasizing the enormous value the arts bring to the lives of Canadians and to the cities and communities in which they live...In the meantime, we are working on how to put this budget increase to best use."
"We must act strategically: with artistic excellence as our primary criterion, we must recognize the role of arts organizations as generators of creativity, intensify local, regional, national and international touring and dissemination of the arts, and opportunities for Canadians to experience the arts and engage with artistic creativity; and give to our most promising individual artists the means and opportunities to develop their work through support at key moments in their careers."
On the future of the arts in Canada, and the Canada Council's role in that future
"We don't know exactly what the future will be like 50 or even 25 years ahead. But we do know that the environment in which we live as Canadians and as people committed to the arts is in a period of fundamental and tumultuous change."
"It's important that the Canada Council and the Canadian arts community take a serious look at themselves in a new context - not with the idea of relinquishing core values, but in fact making them more meaningful and powerful in today's and tomorrow's world."
"We must be in step with the evolution of artistic practices and the cultural development of Canadian communities. We should have the capacity to anticipate important developments in the arts and the social and political environments that directly affect the arts. And we should continue to challenge the increasing commercialization of the arts and the tendency of the market to control cultural development."
"We need to reach out to engage Canadians more fully in our country's artistic and creative life, to bring to them the enormous joy, inspiration and fulfillment found in arts experiences."
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