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commentary Pulling Together To Create A Future by Mary Ann Anderson When people ask, "Why should we support the arts?" are you at a loss for just the right answer? Do you really know how much the Canadian cultural sector contributes to the Canadian economy and to the well-being of our society? Do you know what shape Canadian culture will be in in the future, or even if there is a future for our artists and arts groups? We arc now entering a crisis period for government cultural spending in Canada--and according to recent Figures released by the Canadian Conference of the Arts ( C C A ) , the picture is a very grim one indeed. Since 1984-85, there has been a 6 * decline in cultural federal spending on the arts and cultural industries since (representing a S53 million cut from the national spending budget). This already dismal record will pale in comparison to a recently announced additional cut of $80 million over the next two years. Strangely enough, all of this comes at a time when the cultural industry shows the signs of being one of the fastest growing and strongest economic sectors in the country. According to the C C A , the government of Canada currently spends about $2.9 billion a year on all forms of artistic activity in Canada. O f this amount, about $1.4 billion is devoted to the C B C . with an additional 5.1.1 billion going to the major state-run organizations, facilities and cultural bodies. This leaves a funding base for all other Canadian cultural activities (i.e., arts groups and individual artists) of approximately $400 million. In light of these figures, it isn't hard to imagine what an $80 million decrease represents to Canadian cultural education. Most important is the question-- heard more and more frequently, it seems-- of why government should fund arts and culture at all--after all, aren't cultural activities only self-serving "luxury" items, designed for the elite? A n d why can't artists and arts groups simply "fend for themselves"? Since the early 1980s, Canadian artists and cultural groups have braced themselves for what they knew were going to be some very tough times. Instead of simply enduring those times, the arts community rose to meet the financial challenges, responding in a variety of ways to ensure its continued survival--by drastically reducing expenses; seeking out other sources of funding; undertaking costsharing ventures with other arts groups; identifying and responding to the varied needs of their greatest supporters--their audiences; and, finally, taking a good, hard look at themselves, confronting and solving any internal problems. After all that has been done so far to ensure survival, the task of meeting these new-- and even more difficult--challenges is all the more daunting. Artists and cultural workers have spent much time lamenting the sorry state of our current funding woes, holding rallies, meeting with and writing letters to the appropriate government officials--to no avail, it seems. In fact, the situation has just worsened. So what can be done? A recent session hosted by the C C A in cooperation with the Vancouver Cultural Alliance attempted to answer this very question. Unlike so many other workshops/ seminars/conferences of its kind held in the past, the C C A meeting was designed solely to find solutions and to develop a clear plan of action. The meeting was designed to deal with four specific questions: 1) What can we do to better situate the cultural community as a political priority at all levels of government?; 2) What strategies should we consider to make the most effective use of financial and human resources within the cultural sector to survive this crisis?; 3) How should we react to the emergence of the 'survival of the fittest' approach to institutions and organizations in crisis?; and 4) How do we help artists and cultural workers survive the financial downturn? A n amazing number of concrete recommendations and ideas arose from the four-hour session, reflecting a truly cohesive understanding of the current challenges facing our community. The clear message that emerged from the discussion was that the cultural community needs to make itself known and recognized as the essential part of Canadian society that it is--as artists and arts groups we must refuse to let cultural and intellectual concerns take a back seat to economic concerns. A s a result, many of the strategies developed by the group centered on responses to the first of the four questions, and the need to send a clear message to government and the public regarding the impact and importance of cultural pursuits and the cultural sector itself. Some ideas are: · Educating government and the public about the scope, size, range, and impact that artistic activities have in our society. · Communicating the continued need for government funding to remain the A - , A c m i Mirch/April 1993 3 cornerstone for supporting cultural activity in Canada. · Reaching out as a community, and as artists, to solicit support for and involvement in the cultural sector and cultural endeavours so that we are no longer perceived by government as selfserving and peripheral. We need to find and bring together our allies in the community--all those we interact with and depend upon, all those who depend upon us--business people, educators, national figures, entertainers, other interest groups, printers, designers, writers, photographers, tourism workers, etc. Part and parcel with reaching out is the need to reach within--to truly end any lingering anonymity within our community, to come together without suspicion or dissension, in order to have all artists and arts organizations working towards a common · Having the cultural sector finally recognized by government financial departments and agencies as a concrete, definable, and vital economic sector worthy of the same consideration as all other industries that contribute to the Canadian economy. · Continuing to find ways to work together and assist each other--share ideas, projects, people, resources, time, suggestions, techniques and expertise. · Lobbying for the need to unify all sectors of the Canadian cultural community through the development of a Canadian Cultural Policy. Already, a number of i; coming to fruition to help address some of these issues: the CCA-sponsored project. The Ties That Bind, a map now travelling throughout Canada collecting signatures of arts supporters. When finished, the 30' x 40' map will hang from the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, sending a strong message to our politicians as they pass it each day on their way to Parliament H i l l ; the National Arts Centre's ( N A C ) recent initiatives to seek a broadcast license for the formation of a service called TV Canada, the purpose of which will be to link N A C ' s programming with schools across the country, and also to broadcast to the general public; the C C A ' s soon-tobe-launched million dollar project to retrain cultural workers to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by technological change; the VCA-sponsored rally on March 11, For the Life of Art, which will see arts supporters from throughout the community come together in a show of support. (See page 14 for details.) These are but a sampling of the initiatives our sector can undertake to help confront the financial uncertainty that lies The direct yearly return on this $2.9 billion investment to the federal treasury is $650 million. More staggering is the $17 billion yearly return on this investment to the Canadian economy. Canadian consumers spend $29 billion a year on cultural products, and our annual cultural exports in 1989 were $1.3 billion (representing a 44% increase since 1984). The number of individuals directly employed in the cultural labour force is 346,000 (2.5% of the total Canadian labour force), accounting for a 122% growth since 1971. In comparison, the growth in Canada's total labour force in that same time frame was only 58%. Given such impressive statistics, why then does the federal government perceive cultural activity as a bad investment? Part of the explanation may be that cultural industries are not seen by federal economic bodies as a truly definable "sector," despite repeated and ongoing attempts to have it recognized as such. The unfortunate result of this is that the above figures don't get included in official economic projections. A n invisible industry is much easier to underfund. Another reason is the cut We are all overly familiar with the scenario that in tough fiscal times, culture and the arts always get axed first. In the face of rising deficits and shrinking government coffers, it becomes even more difficult when cultural concerns are measured against those of health care, women's shelters and O The recently announced cultural funding cuts come at a time when the cultural industry shows all the signs of being one of the fastest growing and strongest economic sectors in the country. O Despite all the bad news, what is most clear is that artists and arts groups are determined to survive, and, perhaps one day, thrive in a society where art and culture are embraced as integral to the well-being and happiness of the community. Maybe now, through adversity, we will finally come to know our greatest strength as a sector--the creativity and ingenuity that will ensure our future. Mary Ann Anderson is the Cultural Development Assistant at the North Shore Arts Commission. She also works as a freelance graphic artist.