I wasn’t in Ottawa when Jessica started the Ottawa Arts Newsletter four years ago. I was in Auckland, New Zealand, working on my Ph.D. in Political Philosophy.
In the early months of 2009, after working on the Hill in 2007 and 2008, I decided to engage more fully with the Ottawa arts scene (and theatre, in particular). I realized quickly — in no small part because of this Newsletter — that the Ottawa arts scene had grown considerably since I had left Ottawa fifteen years before.
Federal politics brought me back to Ottawa. The vibrancy and promise of the arts scene convinced me to stay!
Although much improved, everyone knows the Ottawa arts scene isn’t as vibrant as Canada’s other major urban centers. Why is that? I’m sure anyone who reads this Newsletter has a theory or two.
The Council for the Arts in Ottawa has recently released a report which summarizes a two-year study that examined the unique circumstances that artists and arts organizations face here in our nation’s capital. The summary offers a plausible diagnosis of what ails us and it offers some plausible remedies too.
For anyone who has wondered why Ottawa arts is as it is, this is essential reading.
MY TWO WEEKS IN PREVIEW
Hélène Lefebvre Draws A Crowd With Her Performance
On Saturday, August 21st, I braved the wet weather to catch Time 3, Gallery 101′s third time based art event, which included performance art and film/video work. In the market, Hélène Lefebvre attracted more than a bit of attention, as she made short work of an ice block with a pick and axe. Later in the evening, out behind the gallery, I watched Christine Messierin (from Quebec City I’m told) drink a bottle of wine and light himself on fire. Neat stuff!
On Monday night, I rehearsed with Sanitas Playback Theatre. We have our first public show coming up. Keep an eye out.
On Tuesday night it was off to the Enriched Bread Artists “Pop This!” event. I enjoyed some neat art inside and out. In particular, I liked “Dual” by Svetlana Swinimer.
"Dual" by Svetlana Swinimer
Wednesday night, I took in the truly glorious Seven Samurai at the Bytowne. They don’t make movies like this anymore. It was 207 minutes long and featured an intermission. Do you remember those! Intermissions are a dying breed in theatre too. Oh! There was plot AND character development. And you could make sense of the battle scenes! A treat. And no matter what you might have heard on Twitter, it wasn’t a date!
Thursday night, there was a wee bit of a reunion party, as more than a few pints were raised in honor of Jessica — the Godmother of the Newsletter — Ruano who’s back in town. She may only be passing through but she will be here long enough to promote the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, October 12 to 16. Maybe you can be the first to spot her at a local arts event and earn yourself a spotter’s badge!
On Friday, I had a meeting with Peter Honeywell, Executive Director of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa. He’s recruited me to help build awareness about arts issues for the upcoming municipal elections. I will keep you posted. Curiously, I managed to schedule the meeting without realizing I was scheduling it on my birthday!
On Saturday, August 28th, I popped into Café Paradiso to listen to some Jazz courtesy of Renée Yoxon and René Gely. It’s always a pleasure to hear Renée sing. It was the first time I heard her sing with René, who played well. @dallaninvictus and I tweeted the show and René became the Mayor of Cafe Paradiso. I’m glad I made it out. The release party for their first album is October 1st.
MY TWO WEEKS IN PREVIEW
Once again, the dance card looks a little light. I will keep my eye out for more events to attend. If you have any events to recommend, feel free to post them here. NB: a site the Newsletter can call its own is in the works.
Third Wall has given me plenty of advance notice, so I can report I will be attending the opening performance of Blackbird on the 15th. I expect I will have more details to share with you next time (maybe I can scare up some tickets to giveaway).
Although I can’t attend Norse Mythology: Creation to Ragnarok, its sheer potential for awesomeness deserves acknowledgment:
On Labour Day weekend, storytellers from across the country will gather at the edge of Taylor Lake in Lanark Co (about one hour from Ottawa) for an epic week-end dedicated to telling fierce, compelling, and sometimes funny stories from Norse Mythology. Telling begins on Friday evening and, with many pauses for food and conversation and a generally good time, continues till noon on Sunday. For information about tickets, accommodation, etc. please contact: Jennifer Cayley jcayley@magma.ca or 613-256-0353
For an ex (?) – comic nerd, who loved Walt Simpson’s injection of the Ragnarok mythology into the Thor comics in the mid-80s, this sounds AWEsome!
READER RECOMMENDATIONS
My friend Bart, who sits on the board of Ottawa School of Speech and Drama, asked me to remind folks that now is the time to register for OSSD’s fall courses. Bart tells me,
“I’ve personally seen and heard the impact that their programs have had on children and I think that they’re doing some great work.”
Barb, a huge supporter of Ottawa theatre, forwarded me some fine praise for Swimming In the Shallows. She tells me,
“We very much enjoyed this funny, dark, and faintly bizarre play. Kudos to Marc Ouimet – it’s tough playing a shark but he carries it off swimmingly (sorry, I couldn’t resist the pun!). Joel Beddows does a fine job directing this talented cast. Applause to the props master roy Hansen-robitschek and the set and lighting designer Lynn Cox.”
The show has long since closed of course. But praise is praise and should always be shared! Opening or closing, please help me spread the word about the talent in our city.
Carolina, the publicist from SevenThirty Productions, has this to say about The Gladstone’s season opener on the 16th:
A Flea in her Ear has an indefinable, elusive quality, pleasing with a certain je ne sais quoi that will charm everybody. The plot takes hilarious aim at jealous lovers and mistaken identities, as a group of elegant individuals run into each other at a hotel of dubious reputation.
More importantly, she has a pair of tickets to give away for “Terrific Tuesday on the 21st or, if preferred, any other Tuesday during the run.” The first person to email me the title of his or her favorite SevenThirty production gets the tickets.
Alysa, from 1000 Island Playhouse, also has a pair of tickets to give away to Till It Hurts. Here’s the blurb:
On the eve of his retirement, professor Seymour Mann is asked to deliver a prestigious lecture on his life’s work. While preparing for his ‘great moment’, he is interrupted by a telemarketer’s solicitation, a desperate phone call that changes the course of both of their lives. A comedy that dares to raise questions about the nature of charity and the true meaning of a life well lived.
If you want the tickets, be the first person to email me the last name that would make Seymour’s name infinitely more amusing (Hint: Think, The Simpsons).
Please remember, I’m always eager to share your recommendations. Word of mouth support is the best way you can help a show you enjoyed. Tell me what you enjoyed and I will spread the word. Short (50 words or less), sweet, and personal is the way to go with your recommendations. Publicists should also follow suit.
SPOTTED!
Was that Arthur Milner at the Tuesday 17th performance of the well-reviewed show, Swimming in the Shallows. Perhaps?
The “Pop This” open-studio event at Enriched Bread Artists saw bloggeratti Ryan, Kate, and François from Apartment 613 checking out the Gladstone Street what-have-you. Also seen: visual / media artist, Sandra Hawkins. Also tasted: a delicious Sgt. Major Pale Ale brewed right here in Ottawa.
Was that Brian Carroll (of Third Wall Theatre) and Barb Popel trying out the Union Smoke Shop‘s new toasted panini service during the intermission of the epic full-length version of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai at the Bytowne? Yes, it’s “outside food” but thanks to a new arrangement with the cinema’s management, patrons are welcome to bring the hot sandwiches with them to showings at the Rideau Street rep house.
Annie Hillies of the West Wellington BIA also joined the cinephiles eager to catch the much-anticipated screening of the restored classic. Of course, Annie has to venture east to get her fix of foreign film, as West Welly is still smarting over last year’s announcement that the owners of the Mayfair will not — after suggesting they would — be opening a second rep house in the trendy west side district.
Two evenings later and a bit further west, the Cube Gallery played host to a glitzy crowd that included Citizen Arts Editor Wendy Warburton, in the house to see the Portraits of Bluesfest auction.
Spotter’s badges this week go out to B.P., W.C., F.W., D.M. and S.S.
Do you want an easy and fun way to be a part of the story of Ottawa arts? Send me a quick note mentioning where you saw noteworthy people from all walks of life enjoying Ottawa arts and we may include it in “Spotted!” If your submission is used, we’ll acknowledge you with a spotter’s badge. Right now, these “badges” are immaterial honors but they may evolve over time into something more. Actually, good money would bet on it.
THE EVOLUTION CONTINUES
The more I look into Ottawa Arts, the more I discover! I can’t do this alone. Thankfully, Evan Thornton has come on-board, as a contributing Editor. He will be helping me out behind the scenes.
I’m also wooing a man-, blogger- and critic-about-town to help me in front of the scenes. Hopefully, I can convince him to share his adventures in the Ottawa arts with us as well. Stay tuned!
And there’s more! I’m on the look out for another writer to feature regularly in the Ottawa Arts Newsletter. If you’ve read this far, it may be you. Are you keen to sample all that Ottawa arts has to sample and tell us about it. Drop me an email, if you’re interested in being a regular contributor to the Ottawa Arts Newsletter! If you can think of someone who fits the bill, please send me the name.
Until next time, I leave you with this: If there are no supplies and provisions, the army will not survive; if there is no store of equipment, the army will not survive.
See ya out there!
Rusty Priske
September 1, 2010
The new Capital Slam season is here! September 4th. Mercury Lounge. Doors and sign-up at 6:30.
See you there.
sterlinglynch
September 1, 2010
Thanks, Rusty. As you know, I’m a big fan of Capital Slam. I heartily recommend it! Especially, if a person hasn’t been to one before!
Amanda Lewis
September 2, 2010
Everyone is invited to The Ottawa School of Speech & Drama’s Open House in the studios in Westboro. We are celebrating 5 fabulous years in Westboro Saturday September 11, 10:00 – 5:00.
Events at the open house include:
• free workshops in acting, dancing, singing and writing
• Performances
• tours of the studios
• a live radio broadcast by Majic 100
• free draws for prizes including a grand draw for a $500.00 course voucher
• registration for fall courses
• free refreshments
This all-ages event is a great chance to find out how you can boost your creative power. Learn about our programming for children, youth and adults, and discover our Acting Conservatory Program. Come and join the fun!
sterlinglynch
September 2, 2010
Thanks, Amanda!
Brian M. Carroll
September 2, 2010
Sterling,
Thanks for bringing attention to the Summary Report of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa.
Let’s see if I have the gist of the report right:
Ottawa managed to miss out on somewhere between $2.5M (Edmonton) and $10M (Winnipeg) in federal funding (CAHSP). Furthermore, Ottawa arts groups have managed to leverage municipal funds with private funding to attain an 11-fold leverage.
It missed out because there was no municipal arts strategy to manage the big picture, and no organization responsible to produce and manage that strategy.
So Ottawa missed out on somewhere between $2.5M x 11 = $28M and $10M x 11 = $100M in arts funding because this city couldn’t get it’s act together.
Have I got the story right, or am I missing something?
If I’m even close, no wonder Vancouver and Winnipeg (for instance) have so much bigger arts scenes, including film and television production.
sterlinglynch
September 3, 2010
I’m glad to hear you found it a useful read.
I’m hopeful someone at the Council for the Arts Ottawa will respond to your comments with a bit more detail than I can provide.
I think your remarks address two important findings brought forward by this report. First, there is a heap of Federal money that no one in Ottawa went after. Second, without an arms length local granting agency, we’re getting less bang for our municipal government arts buck. Other cities, like Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Calgary, have arm’s length organizations that can take the municipal arts funding they receive and find partners to match those funds. As of yet, I’m not sure we can assign an exact number to the potential effect on funding for Ottawa arts that such an organization would have, but we can be pretty sure it would be substantial!
The report also calls attention to other important bits of the puzzle but the one you highlight seems to me pretty relevant, given the fact that the others cities mentioned have a particular type of agency that Ottawa does not.
Peter Honeywell
September 4, 2010
Hi Brian,
Further to Sterling’s comments, a municipality is not eligible to apply to the majority of CAHSP programs. Ottawa did miss out, and one reason might be the capacity of our local arts organizations to contribute the resources to the application, the search for matching funds and the required follow-up. I’m not sure we would have seen an 11 fold return on CAHSP funding. The purpose of those funds was an incentive to double the federal investment. The programs included building endowments, establishing regional stabilization programs, capacity building, supporting national networks and emergency relief. One area that the municipality could apply to is the Cultural Capitals of Canada Awards. I believe the City of Ottawa did apply to the Cultural Capitals program a couple of years ago, but were unsuccessful. Some of the CAHSP programs have now been phased out, and a new program has been established.
A number of Canadian cities have arms-length arts agencies who have expanded their role beyond the co-ordination of a grants program. By using their position in the community, they have embarked on numerous programs to build the strength of their artists and arts organizations. Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg are three examples that have had success.
The City of Ottawa has established a Steering Committee to renew an arts and heritage plan. We hope that the Arts and the Capital City research will be relevant to their consultations and have an impact on their recommendations.
sterlinglynch
September 7, 2010
Thanks for your reply, Peter. It certainly helps clarify some of the issues for me.
Nancy Kenny
September 7, 2010
As one of the little guys in the Ottawa Arts Scene (I speak on behalf of Evolution Theatre), I find a lot of what was mentioned in the document a little too big for us to be able to play with. For instance, though a registered charity (one that will be undertaking a major fundraising event in November – please stay tuned for details or go ahead and make a contribution through our website: http://www.evolutiontheatre.ca), we do not have an endowment fund – personally I do not know where to begin in order to get one started, nor do I think we’re at the point where we would need one. As for capacity building & stabilization funds, well, I’m not quite certain what those entail.
It would be nice to have someone/somewhere to go to in the community to teach us about such things. We got lucky with the GCTC Mentorship Program (which unfortunately did not get renewed due to a lack of funding) where we learned all about grant writing and we’ve now been told repeatedly, by all three levels of government funding, how strong our applications are.
In order for our arts community to grow, we need someone to take a leadership role in order to teach the smaller groups what is available to them, how to get it, and speak up for them on Goliath’s level so that the municipality knows that David exists.
sterlinglynch
September 7, 2010
Nancy! Thanks for reading, commenting, and RTing! You bring an important perspective to the discussion.
The summary report mentions the efforts of Creative Trust for Arts and Culture. It sounds like it is an organization that provides the kind of leadership you suggest is needed. I guess the next obvious question is: How do we get an organization like the Creative Trust here in Ottawa?
Julie Laurin
September 8, 2010
Hey Sterling,
I have not read the report yet (but will be doing so this weekend!). I totally agree with Nancy – it’s completely intimidating to be a small player in this city because the information isn’t easily accessible and in some cases, it’s just non-existent.
As a big arts enthusiast, and as someone who works in technology for a living, it sometimes feels like the arts community wants support but they’re not willing to go out and get it. It sounds harsh, I know, but there are so many examples out there of businesses that produce mediocre products or offer mediocre services and they’re getting an audience because they know how to reach out. I wrote an article on my blog a while back entitled something like “dear arts and non-profits groups, why do your websites suck so much?”. That’s my beef. Why aren’t the people in charge excited enough about their creations, their products and their services? Why do they have broken websites or no web presence at all?! Why isn’t the conversation pushed beyond the arts circles? Why isn’t funding sought outside of government grants?
I want art in my life, I want art to break the monotony of everyday 9 to 5, I want art to yell off the rooftops, I want art tossed up in the air and I want it to flutter and fall and land gently on the sidewalk, leaving breadcrumbs for others to follow. I am not alone.
Call me crazy, but I’m starting something called “Her Voice”. I want to explore funding for women in the arts in Canada – I want to build a supportive community. I want people like Nancy to be able to get funding either by talking to people who know how to setup endowment funds or by applying for microfunding through private grants or through privately funded projects – no application necessary.. imagine a website where we could just say “hey, our theatre company wants to do this.” and people make online donations. I think it can actually happen. I’m going to find out. (There’s a working example of this in the US called Kickstart – kickstart.org)
I don’t think you need a local organization – you just need to get people to talk to each other. We need to build conversations and communities. There are so many people out there who want to give money to the arts – they want paintings, they want to go to plays, they crave the randomness of a flash mob singing opera in a crowded market. Imagine. Let’s just make it easier for artists to talk to the public and vice-versa – let’s make it easier for enthusiasts to fund projects instead of perpetually having artists depending on government funding that is so hard to obtain in the first place.
The website won’t be up for a little while – but you can stay updated on the Her Voice project here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Her-Voice/138305412879080?ref=ts
sterlinglynch
September 8, 2010
Hi Julie! Thanks for reading and your fantastic reply!
And in sum: yes, yes, and yes.
Seriously though, I think your “Her Voice” project sounds fantastic. Let me know how I can help. I think there is a lot of potential in the Kickstart.org model. If you haven’t seen this, you should give it a read. It’s a kind of masterclass on how to use Kickstart to fund a project. It generate some good ideas for your project. I myself have been toying with the idea of facilitating microinvestment for the arts.
Philosophically, like you, I prefer bottom up, grass root solutions. I agree, communication and communities are essential. I also agree that artists spend too much time chasing too little government money. Having said that, I’m not opposed to any effort that tries to generate more money for the arts and more art for everyone.
Let’s throw all the spaghetti we got against the wall and see what sticks.
Julie Laurin
September 8, 2010
Thanks Sterling! Glad you like the idea.
Yes, I read that article and shared it with the Her Voice members on Facebook. My plan is to try out microfunding with Her Voice and then move it into an ‘anyone can get funded not just women’ forum. Both can run side by side later on, too.
I’m digging right now for any information I can get my hands on to find out what the legal issues might be with microfunding – is it really just as simple as giving away small amounts of cash by forming a jury and asking for applications? Can I just ask artists to describe their projects and get the public to “bid” on them so there’s no application process like the grant format? Who knows? No, really… who knows this stuff?
It’s so new in Canada.
The way I see it, I’m not interested in being first to market with this – I just want to do it right.
sterlinglynch
September 8, 2010
On first thought, if you want to go the straight donation route, I don’t see any legal worries. Essentially, I think what you propose is no different than passing the hat before or after a performance. So long as the artist declares the income to the taxman, all should be fine. You might want to make a point of saying that the artist doesn’t give up any of her copyright by accepting the money. But really, that’s only to remind the folks donating that they don’t own any part of the project. Also, you won’t be able to issue tax receipts to those who donate unless you become a registered charity.
Anyone else have any thoughts to add?