Archive for July, 2010

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Event Profile: Tugaske Sculptural Symposium, July 18 – August 2

July 29th, 2010 by Aidan

If you’re driving through southern Saskatchewan this year, don’t be surprised if you spot a gigantic whale or a three meter tall bison emerging from a farmer’s field. Four teams of artists from Saskatchewan and Chile have gathered in the village of Tugaske, Saskatchewan for the 2010 Monumental Sculpture Symposium.

For 15 days, the Association is hosting artists from Saskatchewan and beyond to create monumental sculptures that reflect Saskatchewan’s culture and landscape. Working in teams of four, the artists will officially unveil their work at the end of the symposium. The sculptures will be placed on private lands along the Tugaske Studio Trail on highway 367, between the city of Moose Jaw and the village of Elbow.

Participating artists include ceramicist Charley Farrero, Saskatoon’s Jim Korpan, and Chilean sculptors Carlos Vargas and Alejandro LaCassie. Vargas and LaCassie bring substantial experience in monumental sculpture to the project.

During Culture Days, the TRAA will host a video presentation about the Sculptural Symposium at the Tugaske Community Centre. The presentation will be an opportunity for the public to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the making of the sculptures along the studio trail. Click to view the Culture Days celebration page for the Tugaske Arts & Culture Presentation.

Even in a province that boasts a heavy concentration of artists, the Village of Tugaske has become a great location for the arts , with over 30 professional artists making their home within the village and the surrounding. The Tugaske Regional Arts Association has made the most of the situation by developing the Tugaske Studio Trail, drawing in artists from nearby towns and cities to form a wonderful cultural tourism attraction. The Studio Trail also creates an artistic community, where emerging and experienced artists are welcome.

For more information on Culture Days activities related to the Tugaske Studio Trail, contact Tugaske Regional Arts Association President Sarah Afseth, at (306) 759-7889 or artists@tugaske.com.

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Monumental Sculpture Symposium – July 18 - August 2

Culture Days Open House and Presentation - Friday, September 24, 7:30 - 8:00 p.m.

Aidan Morgan is a contributing blogger from SaskCulture.

View Comments | Posted in Saskatchewan, provincial updates | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

All Good Things Come in Small Packages

July 29th, 2010 by Crystal Kolt

‘All good things come in small packages’ I’ve heard this saying all of my life and although sometimes I didn’t want to agree, it always seemed to be true. I mourned my skinny legs and 56 pounds at age twelve, skinny arms while pounding out Chopin in my teens and 20’s and would give anything to have a taste of that ‘problem’ today (I’m planning a Valerie Bertinelli-esque comeback). Similarly when my husband and I were studying Piano duo in New York with fabulous piano duo teacher/performer Jeaneane Dowis, one of her many words of wisdom was to build our career in a small community where you can hone your art, survive with family and friends during those ‘thrifty’ years shall we say then move on up the circuit.

Well the small town she meant was Winnipeg and as life would have it we would invest in those words by heading eventually more North until we would arrive at the best artistic time in our lives in a town (it’s actually still called a City because at one time its population was over 10,000 and once you’re called a City you’re a city) of 6,000 people called Flin Flon. We left Winnipeg thinking that we were leaving music behind forever. You see 15 years ago when we were professional musicians (Mark with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Contemporary Dancers and myself teaching piano and enjoying being a stay at home mom with our two children) government cuts seemed to be happening all over the place and we either had to come up with a plan or live off of the kids in our old age. One law degree later led us to this northern community.

Little did we know what we were getting into. Did we gulp when we drove past the Welcome to Flin Flon Home of Bobby Clarke billboard? Yes but we soon found out that this place was also once the home of famed Tenor Jon Vickers, the Young family (Neil’s dad and grandparents), the Prices and the Goodman’s. Twenty five years earlier, music and musical theatre was HUGE in this community!

Hearing about our musical past, we were embraced. Within a few months a chorus of 40 people was formed, a year later it was up to 80 and it swells to over the 100 person mark yearly. We have performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Saskatoon Symphony, many amazing independent Canadian artists and 25 of our group joined in the New York premier of Scott Macmillan’s Celtic Mass for the Sea in New York’s Carnegie Hall. Alternating between classical masterworks and musical theatre productions we have also created and produced original musical theatre that have received National recognition (check out Bombertown the Musical on Youtube if you want). Our peers shake their heads in wonder. How is it possible?

We love our small community and we’re not the only ones. I’ll bet R. Murray Schaefer, Heather Bishop or Irvin Head would back me up. We love getting to the ‘big city’ to cheer on our friends but ‘no matter how humble there’s no place like home’. I CHEER ON ALL SMALL COMMUNITIES IN CANADA TO CELEBRATE CULTURE DAYS! By the way, I have to admit I now enjoy watching a few games of Hockey and a few players have joined the Flin Flon Community Choir. There’s balance in everything.

Crystal Kolt

View Comments | Posted in Manitoba, opinions, role of arts and culture | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Culture Under Construction

July 28th, 2010 by Tamaka Fisher

How can we build and sustain arts and culture in Abbotsford?

That’s the question we’re asking the public to help us answer during a free public cultural planning day on September 25,2010 from 10am to 4pm at the Community Arts Addition at Abby Arts Centre.

This is a first for Abbotsford and I’m really excited to see what comes of it.

The results of this dialogue will be integrated into the Abbotsford Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan Update which we’re shooting for October to complete.

Yabadabadoo!
The organizing committee has representatives from the City of Abbotsford, the Abbotsford Arts and Heritage Advisory Committee, The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford,Tourism Abbotsford, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce, SD34, Abby Arts Centre, and the University of the Fraser Valley. Very cool to have everyone in the same room!

View Comments | Posted in British Columbia, community organizers, ways to get involved | Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Six Tips for Building Community Media Partnerships

July 28th, 2010 by Aubrey Reeves

Are you thinking about ways to get your local media involved in Culture Days? Here are some tips to get you started. Culture Days has created many options for promotion that can be used by larger groups or communities when pursuing local media partnerships. If you are an individual artist organizing a CD activity, check out the promotional items such as posters and postcards on the Promotional Tools & Resources page.

Local media partnerships are a way to echo the national campaign at a community level and turn the spotlight on the exciting events in your area.  A media partnership can come in any size – it can be anything from an in-kind (free) advertisement in the city’s parks and recreation guide to a radio station’s morning host broadcasting live from your activity, to the local daily newspaper producing a full-page “pull-out” of activity listings.

When approaching the media, attitude is important. Don’t think of it as asking for charity; think of it as offering the media an opportunity to be a partner in the Culture Days movement. Your local media can be cultural producers too, so be creative about ways that they can actually get involved with Culture Days.

Tip #1 – Use your existing connections
Identify if anyone in your community group, in your organization or on your Board of Directors has a pre-existing relationship with local media. This person should be the one to make the initial request, as personal and business relationships hold a lot of sway.
Example: Your visual art association’s Chair owns a company that has advertised for years on the local radio station.

Tip #2 – Get in touch with the right person
A lot of time can be saved by directing your request to the right person — it needs to be someone who has the authority to make a quick decision and to put it into action. The “right person” can vary depending on the size and scope of a media outlet and what kind of connections you have. If your group does not have any pre-existing relationships at a media outlet, start by asking for the person who handles sponsorships and promotions.
Example:  Introduce Culture Days to the Editor/Publisher of the weekly community newspaper and explain how the paper can be a partner in the local movement.

Tip #3 – Work with Business Improvement Associations (BIAs)
Invite BIAs to be a part of your local Culture Days coordination group and explain how Culture Days can be positive for the local business community. Since the goal of BIAs is to attract people to a city or a particular neighbourhood, they make marketing a priority. A BIA usually has a staff with marketing and promotions skills and connections to local media.
Example: The Guelph Downtown Business Association is involved in promoting Guelph Culture Days activities.

Tip #4 – Accentuate how your event will appeal to media target markets
Find out what type of people the media company is interested in reaching. Is their content and advertising aimed at a certain age group, such as teens and twenty-somethings, or at a particular segment of the community such as young families, students or professionals? Customize your request to appeal to their interest group.
Example: Invite the classic rock radio station to promote and participate in the guitar jam at City Hall.

Tip #5 – Drive people to the website
If a media outlet offers you only a small amount of ad space, focus your advertising message on driving people to the Culture Days website, where there is ample space for detailed activities listings.
Example: In small print advertisements, the Ottawa Culture Days committee plans to keeps its message simple such as “Over 60 Free Arts Activities this weekend in Ottawa, find out more on Culturedays.ca”

Tip #6 – Acknowledge the contribution of partners
Be sure to include your media partners’ logos in any marketing materials your community is producing and to thank them during any speeches at events. Don’t forget to also send partners a letter after Culture Days thanking them for their support and include copies of the marketing materials containing their logos.
Example: There is space in the Culture Days customizable poster templates for local sponsors’ logos.

Please post comments of your own ideas or examples of how you developed media partnerships in your community.

Written by Aubrey Reeves, OAC’s Ontario Culture Days Animator/Coordinator

View Comments | Posted in Local marketing & promotions, community organizers, marketing & PR | Tags: , , , , , ,

Manitoba Update

July 26th, 2010 by manitoba

Have you checked out the Culture Days celebration schedule for Manitoba lately? Below you’ll find links and updates on how things are coming together for Culture Days in Manitoba’s towns and cities. Winnipeg has some fantastic activities planned, as do Flin Flon, Brandon and Portage la Prairie.

New Culture Days activities for Manitoba are being registered often and we expect to see activities posted in Gimli and Saint Eustache in the coming weeks. There will be lots of opportunity to explore the arts and cultural scene en français in Saint Boniface with activities in the works for the Maison des artistes, the Saint Boniface Museum, The Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre and more!

Keep checking the website for updates and remember it’s not too late to consider organizing your own Culture Days activity!

Big city sizzle

Come Culture Days, Winnipeg will be ready to show us why it was awarded Cultural Capital of Canada this year! Wonderfully creative activities are planned for the community’s Culture Days celebration including interactive art-making experiences at the cre8ery, Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library’s Crafternoon event, a celebration of independent theatre with playwright readings at FemFest 2010 and the CITY STORIES mobile story exchange project to name just a few.

Existing events and festivals are tying into Culture Days, too. Thin Air, Winnipeg’s International Writer’s Festival and its francophone component Foyer des écrivains will have plenty of free events during the Culture Days weekend. Prairie Theatre Exchange is moving Winnipeg’s largest celebration of new plays to September and the full three-day schedule of free play readings, backstage tours and acting workshops will be added to the Culture Days Celebration Schedule very soon.

The first edition of Winnipeg’s Nuit Blanche celebrations is being launched during the Culture Days weekend in Manitoba – watch the blog for more details on this all-night celebration of the arts on Saturday, September 25!

Brandon joins the party
September 25 is shaping up to be a blow-out celebration of arts and culture in Brandon! The Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba invites daytime visitors to contribute to a graffiti mural, a collective needlepoint project and to join in the fun of making a comic book! At 7:00pm it will be time to head down to 10th Street for performances, artist talks and other hands-on activities. Keep watching the website as new information is added to the Culture Days Celebration Schedule for Brandon.

Arts and culture northern style
Culture Days in Flin Flon will have something for everyone from hip hop to animation to quilting, from concerts to modern visual arts to traditional birch-biting displays and plenty of opportunity to meet and mingle with professional artists. Heritage figures will roam the towns to share their stories with passersby and the Gala café in Flin Flon will have entertainment every evening in an elegant setting.

The Flin Flon Arts Council and its many partners have been very active in organizing Culture Days activities. Check out this blog post from Crystal Kolt reflecting on how they’re creating such a vibrant Culture Days celebration for Flin Flon.

Portage la Prairie

In Portage la Prairie, be sure to check out the War Brides exhibition at Portage & District Arts Centre – this exhibition of paintings and multimedia installations from Calgary artist Bev Tosh depicts the experience of young women from around the world meeting and marrying their husbands during World War II, including Tosh’s own mother. The War Brides exhibition has been making it’s way across the country since 2006.

Manitoba’s Culture Days Project Manager

Manitoba’s Culture Days Project Manager Nicole Matiation has been liaising with many other groups across the province about their plans and ideas for Culture Days. There is still time to register a Culture Days activity so be sure to connect with Nicole.

Important note! Plans are underway for a printed bilingual Manitoba Culture Days program guide and other promotional opportunities. Please register on the Culture Days website by August 10 to be included in the Manitoba print program guide. The same deadline applies for inclusion in the francophone and bilingual activity guide.

Nicole Matiation
Culture Days Project Manager for Manitoba
Email: nicolematiation@culturedays.ca
Phone: (204) 942-8221

Keep Reading
Browse through the Culture Days blog for more information on Culture Days in the Manitoba region.

View Comments | Posted in Manitoba, community organizers, for activity organizers, provincial updates, ways to get involved | Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

communities + trees = Communitrees Project in Huron County

July 22nd, 2010 by Helen Yung

Huron County is inviting everyone to come out to create Communitrees. A Communitree (i.e. community tree) is a “public work of art that uses a living tree as the blank canvas.” Intrigued? Learn more by reading this article posted on the huroncounty.ca website.Watch for locations of these Communitrees to be posted on the Culture Days Celebration Schedule.

Huron County has also been hosting public info sessions about the Communitrees project. The next ones are:

  • GODERICH – Tuesday, August 10th at 7 PM (Goderich Library, 52 Montreal Street)
  • CLINTON – Wednesday, August 11th at 7 PM (REACH Centre, 169 Beech Street)
  • EXETER – Thursday, August 12th at 7 PM (Exeter Library, 330 Main Street)

If for any reason you would rather not participate in the making of these Communitrees, maybe you’d like to play the role of critic: During Culture Days (September 24 – 26), a viewer’s choice contest will take place. Go out for an excursion, check out the array of Communitrees and vote. Prizes will be won.

Don’t worry, no trees are to be harmed in the making. All handiwork or enhancements to Communitrees are required to be easily removed at the end of Culture Days.

Kudos to the local Culture Days working group in Huron County, made up of representatives from The Blythe Festival, Bayfield Town Hall, Huron County Library, and the Heritage and Culture Partnership. This is a great Culture Days activity!

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What’s your elevator pitch for Culture Days?

July 13th, 2010 by Erica Mattson

First off, hello – this is my first post on the Culture Days site! I’ve been involved with the project for over a year now, first as a member of the Alberta Task Force when I worked at Calgary Arts Development. Since that time I’ve moved to Vancouver and I’ve just started helping with online communications for Culture Days as the countdown to September begins.

Even though my official role with Culture Days is mostly about the online world, I wanted to write a post about spreading the word in real life (“IRL” if you’re conserving characters in the Twitter-verse!). A lot of the people I talk to either haven’t heard about Culture Days, or they only know a little bit and they’re eager for more details. Either way, it’s an awesome opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the movement and add a bit of fuel to the word of mouth marketing efforts for Culture Days.

I don’t know about you, but the more I talk about something, the easier it gets to understand why I’m excited about it. When I first learned about Culture Days, I immediately thought, “Great, a ParticipACTION campaign for the arts!” And that’s true: a national awareness campaign for Culture Days encouraging all Canadians to celebrate the arts begins this August with generous support from media partners like the Globe and Mail, CBC and St. Joseph’s Media. For me, the idea of a robust, cross-Canada marketing campaign for the arts is tremendously exciting. I’m sure this is true of all artists and cultural workers, and for everyone who cares about the artistic life of our country.

As September draws near, I’m also struck by the openness of the Culture Days movement. I love that so many people in so many communities across the country will have a chance to get in the middle of that line between audience and creator. I love that anyone in Canada can easily organize an activity and that every conversation, online or offline, contributes to the movement. Most of all I love that everyone seems to have a personal connection with arts and culture and when I tell them about Culture Days they’re intrigued and glad to know that something like this is finally happening.

I thought I’d share the “elevator pitch” I hear coming out of my mouth when people ask me what Culture Days is all about. It’s written out here thanks to a conversation with my dog, Emily, who happens to be named after one of my favourite Canadian artists, Emily Carr!

A lot of people say Culture Days is like a ParticipACTION campaign for the arts. There’s a national awareness campaign starting this August with media partners like the Globe and Mail, CBC and WHERE Magazine. During Culture Days – it’s in September – there will be hundreds of free, interactive activities for the public like behind the scenes tours, free performances and community art projects. Thousands of artists, individuals, organizations and communities are involved in organizing Culture Days. It will be the largest-ever grassroots campaign to celebrate the arts and promote cultural participation in Canada, which is really exciting to me and I think to everyone who cares about the arts. You should check out the website: CultureDays.ca.

I’d love to hear the soundbyte you’ve created for your activity or community. Just post a comment below and think of it as another conversation in your word of mouth marketing campaign!

View Comments | Posted in community organizers, for activity organizers, marketing & PR, role of arts and culture, ways to get involved | Tags: , , , ,

Communities self-mobilizing across the country

July 2nd, 2010 by Culture Days

Last week, on June 22, 2010, some 25 people joined the bi-weekly telephone information session for a roundtable on community organizing. Amazing reports were heard from communities across the country that have taken up the Culture Days vision and made it their own:

  • Simone Georges from 4th Line Theatre was on the line representing the Peterborough Culture Days committee. They’ve received some funding from the Community Futures Development Corporation in Ontario to hire a part-time coordinator who will coordinate, archive and chronicle Culture Days activities in Peterborough until the end of September. How did this group start? Read more on the Culture Days blog.
  • The London Arts Council and the Ottawa Arts Council are spearheading the movement in their respective Ontario communities. Both organizations reported that it was a “no brainer” to get involved with the national movement. Read their suggestions for generating interest and organizing your community.
  • Sheila McKinnon, from the City of Surrey, BC was happy to report that the Culture Days timing is just perfect for them. A decommissioned fire hall has been converted in a new cultural centre; it will be officially inaugurated during the Culture Days weekend with activities at the new centre covering the full 3-day period.
  • Crystal Kolt, Cultural Coordinator of the Flin Flon Arts Council was on the line but with so many people on the call, unfortunately, Crystal didn’t get a chance to make her report. Fortunately, you can read her 6 Tips for Community Organizers on the Culture Days blog.
  • Liesl Jauk, calling from the City of Richmond, BC, is running a local campaign to let people know about Culture Days, remind them of any deadlines, and to help promote activities in the area. The City will also produce its own programming for Culture Days. The Richmond Cultural Centre will be a hub where artists will be invited to join with city-operated activities. (Remember, if you have space to share with artists and other activity organizers, add your name to this list of venue operators.)
  • Also on the line were some people who are interested in seeing Culture Days take root in their community (but official plans or working groups have not been developed yet). Anna Rose from Stouffville (ON) reported that the idea is still in its early stages in her community, but following this telephone meeting, with all the templates and resources available, she thinks they’ll hit the ground running now. Eliza Hemingway, from Chemainus (BC) described her ambitions for this first year of Culture Days as modest, but challenging for the context she is working in. “I would just like to try to get artists out of their studios, into one venue for year one. […] We already have two restaurants on board, and a few people with outdoor spaces.”

Read part 2 of community updates from this call, from the London Arts Council (ON), Ottawa Arts Council (ON), Town of Kindersley (SK), City of Burnaby (BC).

View Comments | Posted in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, community organizers, provincial updates, ways to get involved | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tele-Roundtable on Community Organizing (part 2)

July 2nd, 2010 by Culture Days

On June 22, 2010, some 25 people joined the bi-weekly telephone information session for a roundtable on community organizing. Amazing reports were heard from communities across the country that have taken up the Culture Days vision and made it their own. Read part 1 of the reports from the Peterborough Culture Days group, City of Richmond (BC), City of Surrey (BC), Stouffville (ON), Chemainus (BC), and Flin Flon (MB)/Creighton (SK).This blog post reports on a few more communities.

Calling from the Town of Kindersley, SK, Wayne Gibson reported that his role as Culture and Youth Coordinator is a new position for the municipality. As such, he is “carving a new path,” says Wayne, who also noted that a “huge amount of the population here is really interested in arts and culture.” Getting the municipality to proclaim Culture Week in support of Culture Days, which you may have read about in our last newsletter, was a great way for Wayne’s office to make sure culture stays on the municipal agenda – particularly during this year’s 100th anniversary of the Town of Kindersley. Happily, the Culture Days dates in Saskatchewan coincide with Kindersley’s Annual Goose Festival, so cross-promotions are being planned to get the new movement more exposure.

The London Arts Council and the Ottawa Arts Council are spearheading the movement in their respective Ontario communities. Both organizations reported that it was a “no brainer” to get involved with the national movement.

Peter Honeywell gave an account of the Ottawa working group. “We had our first meeting in January; it was a working group of 3. We are now a group of 20 representing galleries, arts education, national institutions and local performing arts.” He recommends to all organizers to “keep it simple, publish details as soon as possible to make the most of promotional opportunities, and be ready to get graphics out if the media calls.” The Ottawa working group has secured the Ottawa Citizen as a sponsor.

Andrea Halwal, from the London Arts Council noted that they had already been working on “Culture Days-like initiatives in London.” Andrea suggests that if you are interested in rallying your community, consider hosting some community meetings. “The national office and provincial representatives can help you put together the meeting by supplying takeaway items and suggested speaking points etc.” Andrea also suggests reaching out to as many interest groups as you can – including economic development, tourism, Business Improvement Associations… “They have all been tremendously supportive,” says Andrea. “No one has declined the opportunity to support in some way.”

Geraldine Parent, representing the City of Burnaby, BC reported that in spite of the challenges posed by the BC funding situation, the Burnaby Arts Council is planning to try to do something around Culture Days. The City of Burnaby itself operates three facilities: Burnaby Art Gallery, Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, and Burnaby Village Museum. “We are leveraging what we already do traditionally, and consolidating it all into the Culture Days weekend.”

Some of you have asked, who can take ownership of Culture Days for a community?

The short answer: anyone. Culture Days works somewhat like Wikipedia: Anyone can contribute to Wikipedia (the online, opensource encyclopedia), and anyone can organize a community meeting and rally people together in support of Culture Days in their community. We do, however, recommend that local working groups try to involve a good range of expertise around the table, such as artists, diverse cultural groups, heritage, education, libraries, businesses, business improvement associations, tourism, marketing, economic development, the local arts council, and the municipality. Got questions? Send it via the comment box below.

View Comments | Posted in British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, community organizers, provincial updates, uncategorized, ways to get involved | Tags: ,

6 Tips For Community Organizers

July 2nd, 2010 by Crystal Kolt

When people hear how many Culture Days activities are being planned in the North Central Canada region, they often ask how we’ve been so successful. Here are 6 suggestions:

  1. When I ask people about a project it is usually more of a request for advice or sharing of information instead of a request for service (although sometimes we do have to beg for help in our field). If the project is exciting and viable, more often than not people will let their imaginations soar and in spite of themselves will become invested at some level. Once that happens, then they themselves have to decide whether they can make the commitment to bring their vision to fruition. Letting them run with the ball gives them ownership and they typically have a few friends that they’d like to work with.
  2. Energy level is certainly a key component to moving things forward and keeping the positive energy going. This typically equals meetings! Lots of meetings. People don’t want to get a pat on the back and shove forward without some form of support. The “Great Idea! Looking forward to seeing it happen” approach doesn’t take things very far.
  3. No is OK. I tend to get really really excited about projects. At the same time I have to remind myself that I can’t do everything and if some things don’t get pan out, that’s OK. Everyone is busy and not everyone has the time or ability to take things from one level to the next. E.g. One of the activities we were excited to include in Culture Days was an “Amazing Race” whereby participants would run around gathering points for artistic activities and showcases throughout the day…. You know the thing. People were really excited. There was a committee organized. Unfortunately we were all overrun with obligations and could not organize that first crucial meeting and the opportunity escaped from us. Unfortunate, but that’s the way it goes. We did not make a big deal about it, nor even feel particularly bad about it, but will certainly keep the idea in our pocket for the future. Don’t dwell on the negative.
  4. Keep the doors OPEN. I kept telling people that NONE of my meetings are “closed door.” Anyone is welcome to visit at any time. All ideas are good ideas and anything is possible. And I mean that on all levels. We are a border community. So many times we have to restrict projects to one municipality or the other. Culture Days is a great opportunity to open the doors and meet new collaborators. It can be easy with this economic climate to be protective of your own turf. It is REALLY important in my mind that we are as inclusive as possible with other organizations, municipalities, arts communities and communities as a whole.
  5. LISTEN BETWEEN THE CRACKS: Keep a keen ear out for interesting and outrageous ideas. They are usually floating under the radar. The creative mind may not want to blurt it out at a meeting in case it is viewed as ridiculous. Those are my favourites!
  6. THE BIG PICTURE! As some of you know, I will do almost anything to promote my part of Canada. My hope is that everyone will do the same thing. I firmly believe that there is an amazing untapped market and talent throughout our country that is undiscovered and under-utilized. During the national telephone conversation this past Tuesday, an artist from one of the Vancouver Islands had commented that visual artists are often an isolated group. This is definitely the case in our community as well and we are making great efforts to showcase their works locally and making the community aware of the talent we have in our neighbourhood. Culture Days is such an exciting opportunity for communicating and promoting on a broader level. I can’t wait to search the Culture Days website for exciting new artists in Northern BC, central Saskatchewan or wherever. I would love nothing more than if because of this movement a large performing organization found the perfect fit for one of their productions in some remote community because the information was easily accessible. There could be so many future opportunities for collaboration! I look forward to organizing a Northern Canadian Artist Symposium to compare notes with artists from Northern Canada then let Canada take the lead in a Global Northern Hemispheric Art Collaboration. Pie in the sky? Maybe but … We may not be able to catch up to our southern neighbours but we should be able to compare ourselves to Australia re: distribution and arts support and we certainly should be able to take a role in Global Northern Art leadership

So there you have it: Flin Flon/Winnipeg/Manitoba/Canada/ … the WORLD. Five easy steps to global cultural advancement.

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