Home is where the Art Is
The Federal Government is a major contributor to cultural life in Canada and we know that an election is coming in less than 18 months. We need to ensure that every candidate is an ally and understands that culture is in every constituency.
This summer please take the opportunity to meet your candidates.
We are the storytellers of our neighbourhoods and our nation and if we each speak with our candidates as neighbours this summer, we can help all the candidates from coast to coast to coast understand the role that artists and arts organizations make in every single community of Canada.
5 EASY STEPS:
1. Look up your MPs here and candidates for all parties here. Not all parties will have candidates for every riding by this summer, but this work will continue in the fall.
2. Invite your candidates to your studio, to your facility, to your July 1 celebration or your performances this summer.
If you are an independent artist and you feel shy about doing this on your own, your can reach out to an arts venue (gallery, theatre, community centre where arts is a focus), and ask if you can do something together. If you are a facility, invite artists to come to events where your candidates will be so they can be part of this movement.
3. Tell the story of the arts in your community
Use the guide create by the Canadian Arts Coalition to give you some national perspective, but also tell your story:
5. Let the Canadian Arts Coalition know how it went.
This summer please take the opportunity to meet your candidates.
We are the storytellers of our neighbourhoods and our nation and if we each speak with our candidates as neighbours this summer, we can help all the candidates from coast to coast to coast understand the role that artists and arts organizations make in every single community of Canada.
5 EASY STEPS:
1. Look up your MPs here and candidates for all parties here. Not all parties will have candidates for every riding by this summer, but this work will continue in the fall.
2. Invite your candidates to your studio, to your facility, to your July 1 celebration or your performances this summer.
If you are an independent artist and you feel shy about doing this on your own, your can reach out to an arts venue (gallery, theatre, community centre where arts is a focus), and ask if you can do something together. If you are a facility, invite artists to come to events where your candidates will be so they can be part of this movement.
3. Tell the story of the arts in your community
Use the guide create by the Canadian Arts Coalition to give you some national perspective, but also tell your story:
- how long have you lived in the neighbourhood,
- do your kids go to school there,
- how your make your work as an independent artist or how your organization operates - how many people are employed, what economic impact does it have on local businesses
- Pick a couple of stories of impact - something meaningful to you that you can share that connects culture to community in a local way.
- Bring it back to the knowledge that your story is repeated in unique and powerful ways every constituency across the country - that arts and culture matters and
5. Let the Canadian Arts Coalition know how it went.
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