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Stands Firm - Executive Summary
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Who we are | We are a brand-new,
informal association of Montreal arts organizations, drawn together
by the common thread that each of the non-profit companies represented
here has a mandate to produce and/or present artworks that are
ethnically and culturally diverse.
Preamble | We wish to acknowledge
the Honourable Sheila Copps for the leadership and
extraordinary vision she has shown, and continues to show, in
recognizing historical inequities in Canadian arts funding, Government,
and other institutions. As the Minister so rightly points out,
these institutions have not traditionally reflected the diversity
that is Canada. The Minister has courageously and publicly stated,
in no uncertain terms, that for too long the status quo in arts
and cultural milieux has represented a dominant Euro-centric
perspective, to the exclusion of so-called minority populations.
The Canadian ideal | The Canadian
ideal of a cultural mosaic leaves room for diverse ethnic, cultural
and linguistic groups to co-exist, intertwine, and intermingle,
evolving together while remaining distinct. However this idea
of a mosaic remains just that, an ideal, and is indeed far from
being realised, as the Minister is well aware.
Historical inequities are still
with us | In the 1970s, with the rise of a post-colonial nationalism,
arts organizations who are now established and entrenched, and
who benefit from a larger piece of the public pie, were just
starting out. These now-dominant arts producers and presenters
enjoyed almost 20 years of substantial funding to develop infrastructures,
and to establish a level of status quo operational funding. Unfortunately
the Canadian nationalism of the 1970's did not reflect the diversity
of Canadian people in its vision; the result is that the anti-colonial
forces have become the dominant colonial
institutions.
Professional associations and
service organizations are also problematic. Many currently existing
professional arts associations and service organizations have
a questionable track record in addressing questions of equity
and diversity. Their ability to correct imbalances is in any
case limited, since the majority of their voting memberships
are those long-standing, status quo institutions with considerable
interests to preserve.
Time to achieve parity | It
is time for arts producers and presenters of culturally diverse
contemporary art forms to achieve parity with status quo arts
institutions. It is not enough for larger arts organizations
to include an occasional nod to 'ethnic' populations. Indeed
it is reprehensible that larger, more established organizations,
institutions with sufficient staffing to readily apply for and
administer grant monies from multiple sources, can therefore
more easily access new programs promoting 'cultural diversity'.
These subsidies are of far greater value when provided to struggling
organizations who have actually have a history of producing culturally
diverse work.
Signs of positive change in
funding patterns | We do see signs of change. New programs and
priorities at the Department of Canadian Heritage indicate a
shifting of funding criteria, towards inclusion, for instance,
of non-Western art forms and practices in the National Arts Training
Contribution Program, and a clearly stated emphasis on support
to culturally diverse arts organizations in the Capacity Building
initiative. Once again, we wish to acknowledge the Minister for
the visionary leadership which has led to these changes.
A need for institutional change
| Nonetheless, like many such institutions, the administrative
structure of P.C.H. remains mono-, not multi-cultural. The bureaucratic
policies and procedures, while well intentioned when it comes
to a shift in funding patterns, remain an obstacle to accessing
these programs in a timely fashion, and to providing for meaningful,
significant change. In a sense the Department remains an anachronism,
an institution calling for change outside of itself, without
looking inward at where substantial institutional change is also
required. As performance artist Guillermo
Gomez Pena has written:
Artists and writers of colour
are losing patience. They have repeatedly stated that it is time
to begin talking about economic and labour realities. …
Today, multiculturalism must also be understood as a question
of workplace. All cultural institutions that claim to profess
it must hire people of colour in important administrative, artistic
and technical positions. They must be willing to share the paycheque,
the desk, and the decision-making process with the Other, not
just the excitement of the artwork.
We believe that the Minister
is aware of this need for institutional change. The
Minister's Forum on Cultural Diversity is an example of her willingness
to listen to grassroots peoples calling for meaningful participation.
We urge the Government of Canada as a whole to act on pressing
issues such as those we raise here.
Capacity building project and
the Stand Firm initiative | Institutional change can be a long
and difficult proposition, yet we see and applaud encouraging
movement towards restructuring. Although the rate of change has,
at times, been frustratingly slow, the institution of the Equity
Office at the Canada Council has ultimately resulted in new,
dynamic and responsive programs. In particular, the Capacity
Building project for culturally diverse arts groups, an initiative
of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Department of Canadian
Heritage, provides a strong working model for further restructuring
of arts funding mechanisms. Funds were set aside and fast-tracked
to culturally diverse arts organizations, in order to immediately
begin to redress historical inequities. The application process
was greatly streamlined without sacrificing accountability, and
these funds have already made a difference to the public visibility
and overall effectiveness of culturally diverse groups. The concurrent
Stand Firm initiative, a
complement to the Capacity Building project, has greatly assisted
these groups in
further organizational development.
Artists and Communities Collaboration
Fund | Similarly, the Council recently introduced a pilot programme
in collaborative community art forms, which have until recently
been considered (mistakenly) as 'non-professional', and hence
ineligible for much Council funding. Collaborative community
arts practices are not only a means to provide access to, and
increase participation in the arts, but also more closely resemble
many non-Western societies which value the arts as inseparable
to community life. This conception of artistic practice is notably
different from a Euro-centric view of 'high art', with so-called
folk arts and community arts relegated to the low end of the
spectrum. Unfortunately the Artists and Communities Collaboration
project at the Council is a short-term investment only.
Towards a national service
organization for culturally diverse arts groups | As the Minister
herself knows and acknowledges, so-called minority cultures are
hardly a minority when considered as a whole. For this reason
individual representatives from the Montreal community have been
meeting regularly towards formation of a regional service and
advocacy organization for culturally diverse arts groups. We
hope that this initiative will spread to become a national organization.
With the Minister's help, we can accomplish this.
Concrete Recommendations |
We are well aware that the Minister is a strong advocate. We
urge the Minister to act fast to make change, because change
has already been very long in coming. We therefore make the following
concrete recommendations:
- Increase the commitment to
the Capacity Building initiative
Rationale: We understand from the Canada Council's Equity Office
that funds devoted to the new Capacity Building initiative are
a long-term commitment to organizational support for culturally
diverse companies. We hope this fund will grow so that it can
be equitably distributed in the future. A three-year period is
insufficient for some small arts organizations to significantly
diversify their revenues towards longer term stability. Some
of these currently funded groups may require additional assistance,
yet we do not wish to compromise the possibility that other deserving
groups will have access to the program.
- Sustain and increase funding
specifically for collaborative community arts
practices at the Canada Council (currently a pilot program only).
Rationale: This fund allows professional artists from diverse
cultural backgrounds to choose to work within their communities,
without sacrificing a professional career.
- We strongly urge that the
Minister's office provide funds to hire regional resource people
-- at the very least on a part-time basis -- in order to assist
culturally diverse arts groups in organizing efforts.
Rationale: Given that currently existing professional arts associations
and service organizations seem to be unable or unwilling to work
for substantial change around questions of Equity and diversity,
culturally diverse arts groups must organize themselves. Please
note that these under-resourced, generally under-staffed, overextended
companies must continue to fulfill their function amidst current
regional and national forums and organizing meetings, that function
being, of course, the production and presentation of artworks.
- We recommend that the Minister
form a national advisory committee and/or a peer assessment council
made up of culturally diverse arts practitioners, in order to
monitor change within the Department and at other institutions,
and to advise the Minister's office about the accessibility and
efficacy of arts funding programs.
Rationale: Until such time as there is a strong national organization,
there needs
to be another mechanism to represent culturally diverse arts
organizations and
artistic practices.
- Maintain the arms length principle
at the Canada Council, in order to protect culturally diverse
groups, as well as other artists who speak out against injustice,
from the less-enlightened whims of a possible future government.
- We recommend that front-line
workers at the Department of Canadian Heritage be better oriented
to the needs of culturally diverse organizations.
Rationale: Good intentions are often obscured and greatly limited
by the dominant structures of the Department. Culturally competent
staff, with training, experience and understanding around issues
of cultural diversity, must be empowered to act on behalf of
the client groups.
- We recommend that PCH integrate
into their structure an approach that allows for evaluation of
the Department's own 'institutional awareness' regarding the
current realities of culturally diverse and other arts organizations.
Rationale: The absence of peer assessment and/or other forms
of transparent process leaves a strong impression that the Department
is 'out of touch' with its constituents, and is more subject
to the whims of the 'powers-that-be' than to the people it is
supposed to serve.
- We strongly recommend restructuring
so that bureaucratic procedures at the Department of Canadian
Heritage can be streamlined and fast-tracked to culturally diverse
and other arts organizations within a reasonable time period.
Rationale: We commend the Department and the Canada Council for
the innovative administrative structure of the Capacity Building
and concurrent Stand Firm project, which we believe can be adapted
as a positive model for the following reasons:
- Approachable and seemingly
non-bureaucratic style and infrastructure
- A time period of only seven
weeks for assessing, selecting, and informing organizations of
the application results
- Outreach and support mechanisms
- Facilitated networking possibilities
- Ability to respond to community
needs
- Cultural sensibilities and
sensitivities (cultural competency)
- Peer assessment selection
committees
We therefore recommend that
this model of the Stand Firm initiative be reviewed and adapted
for the Department of Canadian Heritage, in order to better administer
and service culturally diverse and other arts communities.
Adapted and adopted at the
Department of Canadian Heritage, in order to better administer
and service culturally diverse and other arts communities. Submission
prepared for the Minister's Forum on Cultural Diversity
Submitted by:
Janet Lumb, Executive Director, Montreal Asian Heritage Month
Society
Zab Maboungou, Artistic Director, Nyata Nyata
Léonce Ngabo, Producteur, Productions Twiga
Rodney Saint-Éloi, Directeur, Editions du CIDIHCA
Rachael Van Fossen, Artistic Director, Black Theatre Workshop
Rahul Varma, Artistic Director, Teesri Duniya Theatre
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Department
of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy
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