FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 1997. All Rights Reserved.
Bled to the Bone
Art community prepares for a cultural emergencyCultural Emergency Cocktail Cabaret
Saturday, April 26
at the Calgary Arts and Media ClubApril 26 has been declared a National Day of Action Against Arts Cuts. Cultural Emergency, a newly-formed coalition of arts organizations from across the country has initiated the event in order to call attention to the desperate state of support for the arts in this country.
Canada's per capita spending on the arts is among the lowest in the developed world and our cultural institutions are being bled to death as funding continues to be cut under the name of deficit reduction. All areas of artistic production are under the gun. We have all heard of the colossal cuts to the CBC, the National Film Board, Telefilm Canada and The Canada Council, but the repercussions of those cuts affect virtually every artistic endeavor in the country. Grants to artists in all disciplines have been severely reduced as have those to organizations that support their work. Visual art, dance, theatre, music, film and video production, and book and magazine publishing have all suffered radically from the ongoing cuts. It is virtually impossible to produce work and present innovative productions and programs when it is a scramble to merely stay afloat. The chronically underpaid cultural sector is being forced to abandon their profession by policies that are short-sighted and economically questionable.
At what cost are we losing our artistic and cultural identity? In a fact sheet distributed by Cultural Emergency there are some interesting figures that question the validity of the funding cuts. For example, according to Statistics Canada, cultural funding contributed only one per cent to the federal budget deficit from 1975-1990 while interest payments on the federal debt caused by high interest rates set by the Bank of Canada accounted for 44 per cent of the increase in deficit. As well, the cost of social-welfare payments for unemployed workers often exceeds the savings made by reducing funds to organizations. In evaluating the government's priorities, Cultural Emergency points out that $16 million was spent in 1996-97 on Canadian flags, while the Canada Council's budget was cut by $2.48 million. It is a sad reminder that our government would rather offer an emblematic bandage than celebrate and support the culture that marks our unique character.
The wealth of a country's artistic production indicates the health of its society. In its many forms, art enriches our lives as it reflects our diversity. If that integral communication is undervalued then we all suffer. Where is the profit when our cultural voice is strangled and silenced? How will Canadian artists fare on an international level when they cannot find support in their own country? As a nation we find great pride in the Michael Ondaatjes and Atom Egoyons that have found international acclaim, yet many of those figures wouldn't have made it without the support of sources such as Canada Council and Telefilm.
It is too convenient for both the federal and provincial governments to write off art as an expendable luxury - it is part of the simplistic thinking that hacks brainlessly through social programs while losing millions to ill-conceived mega-projects and tax concessions and loans to large corporations. Changes to policy at all levels of government will only come if pressure is applied from the voting population. Cultural Emergency is encouraging people to write to politicians and condemn the cuts while expressing their support for the arts. More importantly, a change must take place in the way that culture is socially and economically valued in Canada. Countries with fewer economic advantages respect the work of their artists and provide multi-tiered systems of support. If the cuts are allowed to continue they will sever all vital signs and the damage will have dire consequences for the cultural health of our nation.
There are numerous events taking place across the country on April 26 for National Day of Action Against Arts Cuts. Here in Calgary, there is the Cultural Emergency Cocktail Cabaret organized by the artist-run centres at the Calgary Arts and Media Club. Among the entertainment will be the band maud, sword-swallowing by Megan Evans and a plethora of drag queens and go-go dancers. For more information see listings.
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