$Unique_ID{COW00726} $Pretitle{408} $Title{Canada Chapter 3B. Art and Culture} $Subtitle{} $Author{Ivan P. Fellegi} $Affiliation{Statistics Canada} $Subject{canada national canadian museum libraries arts cultural programs art artists} $Date{1990} $Log{Hockey Film*0072608.scf National Gallery*0072610.scf Polar Bear*0072612.scf } Country: Canada Book: Canada Handbook Author: Ivan P. Fellegi Affiliation: Statistics Canada Date: 1990 Chapter 3B. Art and Culture To a large extent, the character of a nation is defined by the nature and the vigour of its cultural life. As arts and culture thrive, a sense of national identity and pride in the cultural achievements of Canadians thrives. Cultural activities wield considerable economic influence. Our cultural sector is a major employer, providing approximately 200,000 jobs. It contributes as much to the Gross Domestic Product as textile, aircraft or chemical industries. The enjoyment and participation in cultural activities occupy much of our leisure time and our demand for cultural products continues to increase. Governments and Cultural Policy Through its policies and programs, the federal government promotes cultural activity by addressing the needs of performing and visual artists, writers, libraries, museums, archives and galleries, as well as the cultural industries - book and periodical publishing, broadcasting, film and sound recording. Subsequent to the Federal Cultural Policy Review Committee's report in 1982, the government has approved a number of significant initiatives for culture, notably in the areas of broadcasting and film, book publishing and sound recording. The government actively seeks to achieve its cultural goal through its partnership of effort with the private sector and other levels of government. Governments fund creativity, regulate and encourage cultural activities or even operate certain cultural institutions. A task force, established in June 1985, has reported on methods for more effective funding of the arts in Canada. It recommended greater private sector involvement in promoting creativity and in producing a wide range of cultural activities. It is the individual creators and audiences whose preferences ultimately give shape to our cultural expressions. A number of programs within the Department of Communications are designed to promote cultural activities across the country. Among the boards and agencies that the government has established and funds are Canada Council, Telefilm Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, National Arts Centre, National Film Board, National Library of Canada, National Archives of Canada and National Museums of Canada. All these agencies function independently from the government, thereby ensuring a high degree of artistic and cultural freedom while providing the variety of programs our diverse cultural community requires. The Canada Council The Canada Council, created by Parliament in 1957, provides financial assistance to professional artists and arts organizations in dance, music, theatre, writing and publishing, visual arts and media arts. Currently, the Council supports the following programs with grants: Individual Artists. Grants are available to professional artists for activities in the fields of architecture, art criticism and curatorial work, writing (fiction, poetry, drama, children's literature and non-fiction), dance, film, multidisciplinary work and performance art, music, photography, theatre, video and visual arts. Individual grants range from $32,000 (available only to senior artists) to smaller sums for living expenses, project costs and related travel. In 1987-88 professional artists such as Carol Anderson in Toronto (dance), David Askevold in Halifax (video), Robert Bourdeau in Ottawa (photography), Guy Dufresne in Prelighsburg, Que. (theatre), Paterson Ewen in London, Ont. (visual arts), Jacques Lacombe in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Que. (music), and Daphne Marlatt in Vancouver (writing) received grants. Dance. Grants are available to professional companies and schools, independent choreographers, small-scale presenters and service organizations in the form of operating or project support. In 1987-88, groups that received funding included: Les Grands Ballets canadiens in Montreal ($990,000), Desrosiers Dance Theatre in Toronto ($200,000), Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg ($200,000), Ballet British Columbia in Vancouver ($125,000), and Dansepartout in Quebec City ($70,000). Theatre. Grants are available to professional theatre companies in Canada. Schools offering professional training programs and some national service organizations also may be eligible for funding. Over 190 organizations are supported each year. In 1987-88, groups that received funding included the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver ($220,000), Theatre populaire d'Acadie in Caraquet, NB ($100,000), Magnus Theatre Company North-West in Thunder Bay ($100,000), Theatre Petit a Petit in Montreal ($62,000), Phoenix Theatre Society in Edmonton ($60,000), Mulgrave Road Co-op Theatre in Guysborough, NS ($57,000) and Aubergine de la Macedoine in Quebec City ($28,000). Music. The Canada Council awards the major portion of its budget in this area to professional orchestras, opera companies, the commissioning of Canadian compositions program, chamber music groups, professional choral groups and other music organizations. In 1987-88, the commissioning of Canadian compositions program awarded a total of $500,000 for the composition of new Canadian music. Other funding in 1987-88 included the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal ($1,330,000), Edmonton Opera Association ($305,000), Association of Canadian Orchestras in Toronto ($105,000), Symphony Nova Scotia in Halifax ($100,000), Vancouver Chamber Choir ($98,000), and Regina Symphony Orchestra ($78,000). Writing and Publishing. The Canada Council's programs of assistance to writers and publishers are based on a commitment to literary excellence in the fields of poetry, drama, fiction, children's literature and non-fiction. A broad range of programs covers all facets of activity in the literary community, from the writer, to the publisher, through promotion and distribution, to the reader. In 1987-88, for example, book and periodical publishers that received funding included Parachute, Montreal ($106,000), McClelland and Stewart, Toronto ($100,908), Boreal Express, Montreal ($95,120), Vanguard, Vancouver ($92,000), NeWest Publishers, Edmonton ($41,160), Ragweed Press, Charlottetown ($36,360), Fiddlehead, Fredericton ($20,000), and Dandelion, Calgary ($7,000). The Council also has supported promotion projects undertaken by the Societe de promotion du livre in Montreal ($22,000) and the Canadian Children's Book Centre in Toronto ($140,000). To increase public awareness of Canadian books and authors, the Council disbursed $707,000 in 1987-88 for the National Book Festival and has funded over 2,000 public readings across Canada by Canadian authors. The Council also administers the Governor General's Literary Awards, several international prizes, international writers' exchanges, and national and international translation grants. Visual Arts. Grants are available to public art galleries and museums, artist-run centres and print workshops. Partial assistance is offered toward non-recurring special projects, such as symposia and publications, in all areas of visual arts. A visiting artists program enables local communities of professional artists to invite Canadian professional artists from other regions to discuss their work and exchange ideas. Media Arts. The media arts section provides support for the direct, creative use of conventional and new technologies and related media by independent, professional artists and non-profit organizations. The section administers three major programs: film and holography, video and audio, and computer integrated media (computer processing, audio and video imaging or system control, computer telecommunications, laser techniques, videodisc and optical storage media). Touring. The Canada Council's touring office aims to ensure access by the widest possible audience to Canadian performers and to develop Canadian expertise in the promotion and management of tours by performing artists. Grants are offered to Canadian artists and organizations to develop and strengthen regional touring circuits. For example, the Toronto symphony toured northern Ontario, Western Canada and the Far North in September and October 1987. Explorations. Explorations is a multi-faceted and wide-reaching program that assists new artists and encourages fresh ideas. Grants are offered on a competitive basis to individuals, groups and non-profit organizations for innovative projects in any artistic discipline or combination of disciplines which may introduce new approaches to creative expression or fulfill specific needs in the development of the arts. The National Arts Centre Performing artists and audiences alike have benefited immeasurably since the National Arts Centre (NAC) first opened its doors in Ottawa in 1969. The NAC Corporation was created not only to operate a performing arts complex in Ottawa, but to foster the development of the performing arts both in the National Capital Region and (in co-operation with the Canada Council) throughout Canada. The NAC has a unique dual function. It is a showcase for performances by visiting Canadian artists, as well as for touring productions from around the world. All the performing arts - music, theatre, dance and variety-are widely represented in the NAC's programming from the classic to the contemporary. [See Hockey Film: He Shoots, He Scores recounts the dreams, loves, ambitions and disappointments of a 20-year-old hockey star. Telefilm Canada participated in 300 projects in 1987-88.] In an effort to make its talent accessible to as many Canadians as possible, the NAC strongly supports touring, broadcasting and recording. The world-renowned NAC Orchestra, for example, has toured over 100 Canadian communities in its first 19 years. The orchestra has also toured in the United States, Europe, Great Britain and Central America. Approximately 260 attractions are offered every year at the NAC in both official languages to audiences which total approximately 700,000. Telefilm Canada Through Telefilm Canada, a Crown corporation, the Government of Canada provides support, as a partner, to the private sector for the production of film and broadcast material, either in investment funds or resources. Meeting diverse needs, through a wide range of funds, Telefilm Canada participated in 300 projects in 1987-88. Support is available at all stages of the process, from screenplay development to final production and marketing of the finished product in Canada and abroad. Telefilm Canada's goal is to strengthen the competitive position of Canadian films, television programs and videos, to raise the export profile of Canadian companies, and to assist in developing marketing and promotion strategies. In addition, Telefilm Canada is responsible for managing the co-production agreements for film or television programs signed by Canada with the following foreign countries: Algeria, Belgium, People's Republic of China, Czechoslovakia, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Morocco, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia. National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board (NFB) has been producing and distributing outstanding Canadian films on a wide variety of subjects since it was formed in 1939. Every year, the NFB distributes thousands of films and other audio-visual materials for screening on television, in theatres and classrooms and at home. Its films are increasingly available at video rental outlets. The NFB's many subsidiary services include lectures on the art of filmmaking, and workshops with renowned filmmakers. Through research and development, the NFB serves to advance the art and technology of audio-visual communication. The Board also furthers Canadian filmmaking by offering assistance in various ways such as assisting Canadian producers and new filmmakers, and participating in many Canadian film festivals. The excellent quality of the NFB's films has been recognized by audiences around the world. [See National Gallery: The new National Gallery of Canada, opened in Ottawa in May 1988.] Museums and Galleries Over the past decade, Canada has witnessed a dramatic increase in museum activity. There are now about 1,000 museums and art galleries in operation across the country, with a combined annual attendance of over 21 million visitors, indicating strong public interest in the preservation of Canada's historic and artistic heritage. Museums in Toronto and Montreal reported over 5 million visitors. The number of museum workers has also increased enormously and training programs in museology have expanded. The National Museums of Canada The four national museums of Canada are the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization (including the Canadian War Museum), the National Museum of Natural Sciences and the National Museum of Science and Technology (including the National Aviation Museum and the Agricultural Museum). The national museum policy emphasizes access by all Canadians to their national heritage and its preservation. Other key features of the policy include the establishment of a nationwide network of 25 associate museums, including the four national museums in Ottawa, supplemented by a network of exhibition centres in communities not served by major museums. The National Gallery of Canada. The new national Gallery opened in Ottawa, May 1988 - a cathedral of art collections - featuring a multitude of galleries including Canadian Galleries; European and American Galleries; Inuit Art; Asian Art; Contemporary Art; Prints, Drawings and Photographs; and the Rideau Convent Chapel, a 100-year-old chapel, rebuilt within the National Gallery. The function of this gallery since its foundation in 1880 has been to foster public awareness of the visual arts and to promote an interest in art throughout Canada and abroad. The gallery has increased its collections and developed into an art institution worthy of international recognition. [See Polar Bear: Polar bear diorama of the Mammals in Canada Gallery in the National Museum of Natural Sciences.] There are more than 40,000 works of art in the National Gallery including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, decorative arts, video and film. The historical collections have been built along national and international lines to give Canadians an understanding of the origins and development of their cultural history as expressed through the visual arts. The collection of Canadian art is the most extensive and important collection in existence and is continually being augmented. In addition, there are many Old Masters from the principal European schools from the 14th to the 20th century and growing collections of Asian and modern art. Visitors to the gallery are offered an active program of exhibitions, lectures, films and guided tours. The reference library, which contains more than 90,000 volumes and periodicals on the history of art and related subjects, is open to the public. The interests of the country as a whole are served by circulating exhibitions, lecture tours, publications, reproductions and films. The gallery promotes interest in Canadian art abroad by participating in international exhibitions; it also brings important exhibitions to be shown in Canada. The Canadian Museum of Civilization. The Canadian Museum of Civilization collects, preserves and displays artifacts that are part of Canada's cultural heritage. Its informative exhibits trace the major stages in North American history, from the first civilizations to the cultural mosaic of present-day Canada. A source of wonder and fascination, the museum makes use of the most up-to-date communication techniques to exhibit Canada's creative genius and multicultural riches. Other features of the new Canadian Museum of Civilization, scheduled to open in July 1989, include the IMAX/OMNIMAX Theatre with state-of-the-art film technology that allows viewers to be right in the centre of the action; the Children's Museum, one of the few in Canada; and an area reserved for special exhibits. The Canadian War Museum, an associate museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, is responsible for research, exhibits and publications on military history and houses an extensive collection of memorabilia, ranging from war art to tanks. The National Museum of Natural Sciences. This museum is engaged in many major research projects undertaken by its staff members or associated scientists from universities and other outside organizations. More than five million scientific specimens are maintained in the museum's collections and are available to scientists from all parts of the world. The museum also publishes scientific papers on subjects related to its collections. Audio-visual presentations, visitor-operated displays, drawings, models and thousands of specimens from the museum's collections are used in six permanent exhibit galleries entitled "The Earth", "Life Through the Ages", "Birds in Canada", "Mammals in Canada", "Animals in Nature", and "Plant Life". Temporary exhibits produced by the museum or on loan from other museums and institutions are exhibited in special galleries. Public lectures, film presentations and special interpretive programs offered by the museum have become increasingly popular with school classes and the general public. Popular publications, a school loans service of educational resource materials and a program of travelling exhibits make our national heritage more accessible to Canadians across the country. The National Museum of Science and Technology. This museum challenges three-quarters of a million visitors each year to climb, push, pull or just view the lively displays built around its collections and temporary exhibits. An additional 200,000 people annually visit the National Aviation Museum at Rockcliffe Airport. The museum's exhibit halls feature displays of ship models, clocks, communications equipment, a computer exhibit, a chick hatchery, old and new agriculture machinery, and printing presses. There are numerous examples of milestones in the history of ground transportation, from antique cars to giant steam locomotives. The Physics Hall, with its skill-testing experiments and "seeing puzzles", delights young and old alike. The museum's observatory houses Canada's largest refracting telescope, which is used for star-gazing in evening educational programs. Educational programs on general or topic oriented subjects for all age groups are conducted by a staff of educators. The museum's work also includes the designing and building of exhibits that are occasionally sent on tour throughout Canada. Artifacts are exchanged with museums in Canada and abroad. The National Aviation Museum collection was moved to a new uniquely designed building in June 1988. More than 100 aircraft illustrate the progress of aviation from its early days to present times and the importance of the flying machine in the discovery and development of Canada. The Agricultural Museum, located on the upper floor of the dairy barn at the central experimental farm in Ottawa, features two exhibitions: one is called "Haying in Canada" and the other one "A Barn of the 1920s". Libraries and Archives Libraries Libraries have existed in Canada since the early 18th century. Legal, theological and university libraries existed before 1850; after 1850 business and industrial libraries appeared; in 1882 Ontario's Free Libraries Act signalled the arrival of tax-supported public libraries. The greatest growth among all types of libraries occurred after 1950 and now the majority of Canadians have access to library service. In general, the two main purposes of libraries are to transmit and to preserve the intellectual heritage; the purpose emphasized varies with the needs of a library's users. The 10,000 or more school libraries in Canada are mainly concerned with transmitting knowledge and making materials for learning available to students. Emphasis has shifted from the use of printed materials alone to use of a wider range of information sources, such as films, recordings, tapes, slides and kits. As a result, school libraries have become multimedia "resource centres". College libraries are also mainly concerned with materials for learning. Audio-visual materials are often integrated into their collections and innovative measures are taken to serve a clientele ranging in age from the high school graduate to the senior citizen, and ranging in interests from automotive technology to horsemanship. In addition to providing students and faculty with the materials for learning and research, university libraries also have a major responsibility for helping to preserve our heritage of manuscript and print, therefore they tend to have the largest holdings and specialized collections, such as literary manuscripts or rare Canadiana. Lack of space to house collections and lack of funds to meet rising prices and to maintain staff are continuing problems. Solutions have included use of microforms for space saving and preservation; automation of library procedures, especially cataloguing, to cope with workloads; development of networks to exchange bibliographic data; and co-operation in resource sharing. Special libraries, such as those serving companies, government and associations number about 1,500; they provide their own specialized subject materials, data banks or experts. Special libraries are usually small except for the provincial legislative libraries, which often hold important collections of government documents. Academic and special libraries generally limit their full range of services to members of the specific institutions which they serve. Canadian public libraries, however, are sources of print and non-print materials for the pleasure, information or education of members of the whole community and frequently preserve local history materials that would otherwise be lost. They offer a wide range of programs and services in addition to lending and reference services; many provide community information. A growing number are finding ways to take public library services to those who cannot come to libraries: senior citizens, shut-ins and prisoners. Others provide foreign-language materials for those whose mother tonque is neither English nor French and many also offer special reading materials for the physically handicapped. Because libraries fall under provincial jurisdiction Canada does not have a unified national system of libraries. Special libraries are maintained by the organizations they serve; academic libraries by a combination of local, provincial and, to some extent, federal or endowment funds. Public library systems, except in the territories, are supported by local and provincial funds and co-ordinated by provincial library agencies. At the national level two federally supported libraries have a mandate to serve the whole country. Scientific, technical and health sciences information for research and industry is the responsibility of the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). Computer-based services offered include on-line access to worldwide scientific and technical literature (CAN/OLE,) to critically evaluated scientific numeric data (CAN/SND) and a personalized information system (CAN/SDI). These are backed up by a lending and photocopying service from CISTI's excellent collection. The National Library of Canada, established in 1953, promotes the development of library information resources and services; facilitate access to these resources and services; and ensures the acquisition, preservation of and access to the published heritage of Canada to support Canadian studies for the benefit of all Canadians. It offers reference, information and advisory services; administers the legal deposit regulations; publishes the national bibliography, Canadiana; and maintains union catalogues which enable libraries and researchers to discover where in Canada specific titles are held. Using advanced technology, it promotes national bibliographic networks to facilitate the sharing of library resources. It also co-operates in international programs which promote the interchange between countries of national publications and information. In Canada, librarians are trained at the universities. Seven postgraduate schools offer master's degrees in library science and two also offer doctoral programs. Library technicians receive training through postsecondary courses at community colleges in many parts of the country. Archives The role of the National Archives of Canada is to acquire, preserve and make available to the public all documents that reflect the various aspects of Canadian life and the development of the country. At one time, manuscripts were virtually the only objects of interest to researchers. Today, equal importance is given to documents of every kind as authentic sources of information. In addition to its own library, the National Archives now includes separate collections of manuscripts, maps and plans, pictures, federal documents, prints and drawings, photographs, films, television and sound recordings, and machine-readable archives. The department has equally important responsibilities in the management of government records. The Government Records Branch aids federal government departments and agencies in establishing and administering effective programs for the management and disposal of records. Microfilms and computer records have important roles in both records and archives. The National Archives has also initiated a comprehensive exhibitions program and national advertising campaign to make the many collections and services of the department better known. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) The CBC, created in 1936, is a publicly owned corporation established by the Broadcasting Act to provide the national broadcasting service in Canada. It is financed mainly by public funds voted annually by Parliament; these are supplemented by revenues from commercial advertising on CBC television. CBC radio is commercial free. The corporation's facilities extend from Atlantic to Pacific and into the Arctic Circle, and include both French and English networks in television and in AM and FM stereo radio. A special northern radio service broadcasts in English, French, and eight native languages including Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit; northern television broadcasts on more than 100 northern television transmitters on two satellite channels across four time zones. Northern Service television produces programs in English, Inuktitut, Slavey, Dogrib, Chipewyan, Loucheux and Cree. In both radio and television, CBC networks are made up of some stations owned and operated by the corporation, which carry the full national service, and some privately owned affiliated stations, which carry an agreed amount of CBC programming. In many small or isolated locations there are relay or rebroadcast transmitters that carry the national service but have no staff or studios to produce local programs. CBC transmission methods include leased channels on Canadian communications satellites. Radio Canada International, the CBC's shortwave service, broadcasts daily in 12 languages and distributes recorded programs free of charge for use by broadcasters throughout the world. CBC schedules are varied, with information, enlightenment and entertainment for people of different ages, interests and tastes. Program content is largely Canadian: about 76 per cent in television and more than 80 per cent in radio. CBC gives continuing support to Canadian artists and performers through the broadcast of Canadian music, drama and poetry, the commissioning of special works, the sponsorship of talent competitions and the presentation of Canadian films. Selected program material is made available for educational use after broadcast in the form of books, recordings, audiotapes and films through CBC Enterprises.