Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0072/00726.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 29KB | 529 lines

$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 a