LSM Newswire

Friday, November 7, 2008

The I LOVE THE ARTS Button / Le macaron JAIME LES ARTS

La SCENA is proud to introduce the "I LOVE THE ARTS" button. Three designs are available in full colour. Wear it with pride. Send $2 per button.

La SCENA, 5409 Waverly, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2T 2X8
hannah[at] scena.org

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La SCENA vous prsente le macaron JAIME LES ARTS, disponible en trois versions en couleur. Commandez des macarons en envoyant 2$ pour chacun.

La SCENA, 5409 Waverly, Montreal, QC, Canada, H2T 2X8
hannah[at] scena.org

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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Appel d'urgence la raison culturelle



RQD Expresso [20-08-2008]




Appel d'urgence la raison culturelle


English version below

Montral, le 19 aot 2008 Le RQD, au nom de plus de 500 professionnels de la danse au Qubec, dnonce avec virulence la dcision du gouvernement Harper dabolir plusieurs programmes de soutien aux arts et la tactique de guerre utilise pour se gagner des votes contre les artistes. Dun gouvernement lu dmocratiquement, mme en position minoritaire, tout citoyen est en droit dexiger quil fasse preuve de probit, de responsabilit, de rigueur, de vigilance et de transparence.

En laissant couler au compte-gouttes linformation relative labolition de plusieurs programmes de soutien la cration, la promotion, la formation, la consolidation des organisations, la diffusion internationale et lexportation de biens culturels, le gouvernement a dclench une vritable guerre des nerfs dans les milieux culturels. Dautant que la rumeur est leffet que dautres programmes soient dans la mireĶ

Nous demandons la ministre de Patrimoine canadien, Jose Verner, enfin sortie de sa tanire pour rpondre la pression des mdias, de clarifier les objectifs et les priorits de son gouvernement en matire de culture qui justifient labolition des programmes tombs sous le couperet, la semaine dernire. Par respect pour ses commettants (artistes, travailleurs, gens daffaires, spectateurs, auditeurs, lecteurs, amateurs dart, cinphiles, consommateurs de biens culturels, enseignants, tudiants, etc.), nous lui demandons de dvoiler, dans les plus brefs dlais, la liste complte des programmes que son gouvernement prvoient envoyer la trappe et la somme totale des conomies quil compte ainsi raliser sur le dos des arts et de la culture.

Si elle ne peut garantir le maintien, ou le transfert au Conseil des Arts du Canada, des crdits rattachs aux programmes qui sont, et seront abolis, nous la pressons dexpliquer aux artistes et aux travailleurs culturels comment son gouvernement entend les aider faire mieux avec moins?

En tant que ministre responsable du secteur culturel qui contribue hauteur de 43 milliards de dollars annuellement lconomie canadienne, et dont dpendent la vie culturelle et la sant conomique de nos communauts, nous lui demandons de sen faire la dfenderesse acharne auprs du Conseil des ministres et de la population.

Du nouveau ministre des Affaires trangres et Commerce international, David Emerson, nous nous attendons ce quil dfende bec et ongles la diplomatie culturelle, comme troisime pilier de la diplomatie trangre canadienne, et quil convainque ses collgues du gouvernement, non seulement de rtablir le programme PromArt, mais de rinvestir dans les budgets culturels des ambassades. Le Canada, pour qui la dfense et la promotion de sa spcificit culturelle est un enjeu politique et commercial de taille, na pas les moyens de se priver des ambassadeurs naturels, et de premier plan, que sont les artistes et travailleurs culturels du Qubec et du Canada sur la scne internationale, non plus que des agents au fait des affaires culturelles sur le terrain.

linstar des autres secteurs artistiques et culturels, des mdias et des lus des partis de lopposition qui ont dnonc les dcisions et les agissements du gouvernement Harper, la communaut de la danse professionnelle du Qubec espre ardemment quil entende raison. Labolition des programmes Promart et Routes commerciales compromet dangereusement, et court terme, lavenir de la danse professionnelle au Qubec et au Canada. Partie prenante dune industrie culturelle secoue par labolition dautres programmes de soutien, la communaut de la danse du Qubec et du Canada craint srieusement pour lavenir de la culture qubcoise et canadienne.

Nous avons collectivement, et sur plusieurs dcennies, beaucoup investi dans ldification dune culture et dune identit qui nous distinguent. Nous refusons de nous perdre dans la cacophonie du monde.


Call for Common Sense and Cultural Reason


Montreal, August 19, 2008 On behalf of over 500 Quebec dance professionals, RQD vehemently condemns the decision taken by the Harper government to abolish several arts support programs and the war tactics it has used to secure votes against artists. Every citizen has a right to demand that a democratically elected government, even one that is in a minority position, will act with integrity, accountability, rigour, watchfulness and transparency.
By adopting a piecemeal approach to how it releases information on the abolition of several support programs for artistic creation, promotion and training, organizational consolidation, international touring and the export of cultural products, the government has engaged Canada's cultural communities in a veritable war of nerves, particularly since rumour now has it that the government has set its sights on other programs, as well.

We are asking that the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Jose Verner, finally breaks her silence in response to media pressure, clarify her government's objectives and priorities with respect to culture and explain how they justify abolishing the programs that were cut last week. Out of simple respect for her constituents (artists, workers, business people, audiences, readers, art lovers, moviegoers, consumers of cultural products, teachers, students, etc.), we are asking her to respond as soon as possible with a complete list of the programs that her government plans to eliminate and the total amount of savings that it expects to achieve at the expense of arts and culture.

If Ms. Verner cannot guarantee that the appropriations for programs that have been or will be abolished will be maintained or transferred to the Canada Council for the Arts, we urge her to explain to artists and cultural workers how her government intends to help them do better with less funding.

As the Minister responsible for a sector that injects over $43 billion annually into the Canadian economy and on which the cultural and economic lives of our communities depend, we are asking her to become a tireless defender of arts and culture within the cabinet and to the public.

We expect David Emerson, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, to fight tooth and nail in defence of cultural diplomacy as the third pillar of Canadian foreign diplomacy. We expect him to convince his colleagues within the government to not only bring back the PromArt program, but also to reinvest in the cultural budgets of Canada's embassies. Defending and promoting Canada's cultural distinctiveness is a critical political and trade issue, and Canada cannot afford to do without the natural ambassadors provided by Quebec's and English Canada's artists and cultural workers, first and foremost, not to mention the presence of our cultural trade agents in foreign markets.

Other artistic and cultural communities have denounced the Harper government's decisions and actions, as have the media and elected members of the opposition parties. Quebec's professional dance community fervently hopes that the government will listen to reason. Abolishing programs like PromArt and Trade Routes has seriously compromised the future of professional dance in the short term in both French and English Canada. As part of an industry that has been seriously affected by cuts to other support programs, the Quebec and English Canada dance communities are deeply concerned about the future of Canadian culture.

For several decades we have worked together to build a distinctive culture and identity. We refuse to have our point of view lost in the surrounding cacophony.

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Opera.ca: Make arts part of our global advantage

Opera.ca logo

Opera.ca calls on Government of Canada to make arts part of our global advantage

Opera.ca and its members, opera companies and professionals across the country, deeply regret the cancellation of federal programs to support for international cultural diplomacy: the $4.7 million/year PromArt program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) as well as the $9 million/year Trade Routes program of the Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH).
Through these two programs, Canadian artists and arts organizations, including opera companies, have been able to forward Canada's diplomatic and trade objectives on the international stage. The excellence of Canadian artists and the distinctive quality of Canadian art-making has long been used to make the case for the calibre of Canadian leadership in other fields, notably government and business. In 2006-07, the Department of Foreign Affairs invested in bringing The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company to England for the first ever presentation of a Canadian opera at Covent Garden; it contributed to bringing Opera Atelier to South Korea to perform its unique and highly acclaimed baroque opera; and helped bring Academy Baroque de Montal to Germany to perform. "Canada's artists and arts organizations help us put our country's best face forward", said James W. Wright Opera.ca Chair and General Director of Vancouver Opera. As the Government looks ahead to maximize Canada's global advantage, we urge it to consider the meaningful and important contribution that the arts make to cultural diplomacy." Opera.ca is the national association for opera companies and professionals in Canada. It works with members across the country to advance the interests of Canada's opera community and create greater opportunity for opera audiences and professionals alike. Opera.ca is a founding member of the Canadian Arts Coalition, the largest group of artists, arts executives and business leaders ever assembled from across the country who are united in the view that greater investment in the arts is essential to Canada's future.

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