Nov 26, 2007, 11:06 PM
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 | | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Victoria
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 Reward success at the top to create better conditions throughout? | |
The Edmonton Journal's Todd Babiak writes that Canadians are afraid of success.
Discuss.
(There's quite a bit Edmonton-specific stuff in there, which won't necessarily mean anything to Victorians, but it's an interesting read in terms of the general argument.) Quote: Reward success in arts to breed vibrant scene
If genius is funded in science and medicine, why not in culture?
Todd Babiak, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Sunday, November 25
The United States of America is the most powerful and influential country in the history of the world because, from the beginning, it has made an art out of discovering and reinforcing success. Americans do it in every field, including culture. The talented and the successful are rewarded with magazine covers, delicious grants and commissions, tell-all unauthorized biographies, White House dinners and appearances on Oprah. A tradition of hero worship has its social and political drawbacks, but it's also one of the only reasons why George W. Bush hasn't completely destroyed the place.
In Canada, the only province that leverages its cultural talent is Quebec. Nationally, the Harper government cut the only program that sent successful artists abroad to demonstrate that Canada, in fact, has successful artists. This is unheard of in the developed world. We distrust artists and really distrust successful artists. It's a sickness. And we have it bad.
Edmonton has plenty of successful writers and performers and musicians and visual artists. They're known nationally, even internationally. But for the most part, they're stalled here. They reach a certain level of success and either stay in Edmonton, semi-comfortably, with loyal local audiences, or they leave to attempt something spectacular in a city that actively sponsors spectacular things.
Thanks to the Cultural Capital of Canada designation and a desire, on the part of the Canada Council, to encourage Alberta artists to go after national grant programs, there are two new pots of money for Edmontonians. The Alberta Creative Development Initiative is a terrific three-year, $6-million partnership between the Canada Council and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. The Cultural Capital Explorations Grant fund is a generous $540,000.
But are the goals of these funds in line with what the city needs?
"In terms of theatre, in Edmonton, what we need more than anything is money to produce bigger, better and more shows, that and more venues," says Bradley Moss, artistic director of Theatre Network, in an interview from Fort McMurray, where he is mounting Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad.
"In the '70s, the major theatre companies were putting on five or six big shows every year. Now we're doing three or four a year, small shows with small casts. It's great that there's new money for the arts. But these programs emphasize new artists and they reward innovation above all. To make room for new artists, to encourage innovation and a vibrant and challenging arts scene, I think the best way is to reward success. Create more room at the top and you'll create more room at the bottom."
[Edit: interesting idea, put like that...]
According to its official documentation, the Explorations Grant fosters, "in particular, the development of unknown or under-recognized talent as well as allowing established artists an opportunity to address their audience in new and interesting ways." The Alberta Creative Development Initiative gives priority to artists and organizations that "have not previously been supported by the Canada Council or the Alberta Foundation for the Arts; and/or are Aboriginal, culturally diverse, or working in an official language minority community; and/or are working in new or innovative arts practices within or across artistic disciplines."
It would take a class-A boor to argue against encouraging new artists and aboriginal artists, against innovation and experimentation. But where would a budding Cirque du Soleil fit into this funding model? Should Edmonton, as a community, encourage Chris Craddock or Firefly Theatre or Shout Out Out Out Out to stop what they're doing, at this critical moment in the city's cultural history, and take up bronze sculpture, gritty urban photography and interpretive dance?
If Moss is right, and his argument has plenty of precedent to back it up, by empowering Craddock and Firefly and Shout Out Out Out Out to do what they do, only bigger, we might create a healthy vacuum for new actors and playwrights, new trapeze artists, new musicians. And, in the process, enhance the city's national and international profile.
In science, engineering, medicine and technology, Alberta's well-endowed funding agencies and newly flush universities are taking the American approach. They're sniffing out successful people and they're funding them -- carefully, of course, as this is public money and investment always comes with risk. The province is recruiting geniuses in these fields, from around the world, because diversifying the economy and inspiring greatness is a brilliant long-term strategy. It's cruel to provinces, states, countries and cities without 174 billion barrels of oil, but if Alberta embodies anything, it's that life is unfair.
Unless, of course, you happen to be a successful artist; for artists, life in Edmonton is so open, equal, transparent, politically correct, poor and fair that it sometimes smells like failure.
tbabiak@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2007
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Last edited by Ms. B. Havin; Nov 26, 2007 at 11:10 PM.
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