The business and social case for sustainable communities in British Columbia through investment in arts and culture

A brief to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services

"The creative economy is becoming increasingly important to the stability of communities. Success is not supported by one-off programs but rather by long-term commitment and investment in access, artistic vision, a unique expression of our multi-cultural society, revitalization of resource-based economies, good management, and integration with economic, educational and community goals. It is vital that at this juncture the government of British Columbia invest in core funding to sustain emerging artists, established arts organizations, vibrant Aboriginal communities, culturally diverse communities, museum and heritage sites, and its regional arts councils and presenters. By supporting the BC Arts Council the government will ensure that the arts and cultural sector can contribute to achieving the five goals stated in its strategic plan for the province.
The time to act is now. Arts and cultural organizations and individual artists are critical to the success of the 2010 Olympics and they must be stabilized immediately in order to take advantage of this opportunity. "

Arts Future BC is a coalition of citizens and organizations from across BC. We represent thousands of British Columbians from every walk of life and every corner of the province. We share the goal of creating sustainable communities across the province through significant long-term investment in the arts and culture of the province. We represent 903 organizations from across the province: 423 museums; 96 Community and Regional Arts Councils and community arts organizations; 123 community presenters; 183 professional arts organisations; 27 educational institutions; and 51 arts service organizations. We also represent thousands of individual artists and their students and audiences across British Columbia.

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The Cultural Tribes of Public Relations

This is what I'm reading right now:

The Cultural Tribes of Public Relations by Greg Leichty, Department of Communication, University of Louisville

click here to download the pdf

I believe there are links to be made between cultural contexts of public relations and the reception of cultural products and processes by the public. I'm reading it with 'relational aesthetics' in mind, and I am interested in the connections between the posited foundational beliefs (for example, beliefs about 'nature') and the contextual positions listed (fatalism, egalitarianism, hierarchy, autonomous individualism and competitive individualism). What if we take art, or dance, as a foundational belief, and relate the contextual positions listed... what if we are able to articulate and validate a spectrum of perspectives for dance? What will this say about how we relate to our performers, to our audiences?

These are my questions.

- R