From: shayla.morreau@canadacouncil.ca
To: tim@goodreads.ca
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2004 17:38:21 -0500
Subject: RE: feedback on the proposed changes

Dear Colleague,

Thank you very much for your letter, which articulates your opinions about the proposed changes to the Grants to Professional Artists: Creation/Production program. We welcome your views, and will take them into consideration before any new program receives final approval.

Let me explain why the Canada Council must review its program of assistance to visual artists. Considering the current situation, in which the success rate is one in ten, the peer assessment committees have repeatedly noted that they cannot recommend grants to all of the artists deemed excellent in a given competition. Of 2,400 requests, the Council was able last year to offer only 220 grants. The Council has lost its capacity to be generous and is therefore less able to support the “development of the practice”, the purpose of the current program as stated 40 years ago. Even the largest grants barely cover production costs. It has become clear that the Visual Arts Section’s resources are not adequate to support all excellent individual artists on a regular basis at anything approaching adequate grant levels. We decided some time ago that it was essential to determine how Council’s current funding can be made most useful to artists at key moments in their practice and career, and we are reviewing our program accordingly. Of course the Council is also seeking all opportunities to increase its parliamentary appropriation and thus its overall support to artists.

Recently, incorrect information has been circulating, and I would like to correct three major points. First, this revision does not impact the program budget; it will remain the same. Furthermore, if the overall Section budget is increased, this new program will be given a high priority to receive additional funds. Second, the revised Grants to Professional Artists program is not being implemented in January 2005. The final version of the new program, once it is approved by the Board of Council, will be implemented gradually, likely beginning in September 2005. Last, in the revised program, you will notice that assistance to creation is maintained. The purpose of the new program is to determine those key moments in a visual artist’s practice and career at which Council funding may be the most opportune. We believe that this is the case when there is an upcoming exhibition. This has created concerns in the community, and we will take great care to ensure that different points of view on this issue are considered before finalizing the new program.

We also feel that it is important to provide you with some background as to the process of this revision. As you may be aware, the Visual Arts Section began a formal review of the Creation/Production program in 2003. Last winter, we organized discussion groups with over 250 visual artists in 12 cities across Canada and also received feedback through our web consultation. This was Phase I of the process. After these group discussions, we drafted a proposed new program for the Grants to Professional Visual Artists program. This fall, we presented the revised program to groups in 13 cities across the country, as Phase II of the consultation. The purpose of the consultation was to present the draft, as a starting point for community feedback. For details concerning Phases I and II and an overview of the proposed program, please refer to our website: www.canadacouncil.ca/visualarts/ under the link entitled, “National Consultations with the Visual Arts Community”.

Our next step is to bring together all responses from the meetings as well as the comments submitted through e-mail, letters or the web. After reviewing the reactions from the community, we will be engaged in a process of in-depth, Council-wide discussion and reflection over the next few months. In addition, we will be holding a special advisory committee composed of visual arts professionals which will have a mandate to make recommendations to the Visual Arts Section.

In Phase II of the consultation, it became obvious that we needed more time to discuss this program revision. Therefore, the April 2005 deadline for the current Grants to Professional Artists: Creation/Production program will be maintained.

Again, I would like to thank you for taking the time to write; it is important and appreciated. We want to proceed with the proposed changes carefully, considering all the views of the community we serve.

Sincerely,

Fran????ois Lachapelle

Head, Visual Arts Section