I have really fond memories of my last trip to Williamsburg 10 years ago.  The vibe was one that only a strong grass roots artist run culture can create.  Unfortunately, New York, like many cities does not have a strong track record of preserving the artistic core of its neighbourhoods, think Soho and the Village.  So I was prepared to experience a very different Williamsburg if I ever was to return. 

This article in today's New York Times was heartening.  It tells the story of one Williamsburg Landowner and his appreciation of the value that artists have brought to the nieghbourhood and the need to preserve artist space in order to preserve what it is that is making that small New York suburb so vibrant. 

At Calgary Arts Development we often get asked about the advantages and disadvantages of becoming a non-profit organization.  We are always happy to chat about it at any time, but for those self-service oriented folks out there, here is the best resource I have ever come across for the steps and process in becoming and working as a non-profit. https://www.1stcalgary.com/Business/PlanningAndAdvice/StagesInYourBusiness/CreatingANonProfit/ 

Thanks to the wonderful people at First Calgary Savings for providing this invaluable resource.  This site contains such information as Registering The Non-Profit Organization, Selecting the Board of Directors, Developing a Vision, Liability and Directorship and Fundraising. 

Calgary is fortunate to have the strong and engaged support of The Calgary Foundation.  Not only are they a leading Community Foundation in Canada from a funding and granting perspective, they are also pro-actively involved in reaching into the communities they support to ensure that they are making wise investment decisions that build better lives for all Calgarians.  Vital Signs is a critical part of their work in engaging the community and informing their donors of the issues and opportunities that exist.  Below is information on how you can take a few moments to be part of this important work and have your say on the grade of Calgary, including how we are doing in Arts & Culture.

SIGN UP NOW at www.thecalgaryfoundation.org. Survey ends July 2nd, 2010.

The Calgary Foundation (TCF) invites you to Have Your Say in 2010 Calgary’s VitalSigns survey that measures our city’s quality of life in 12 key issue areas. 

Calgary’s VitalSigns was launched by The Calgary Foundation in 2007 to spark discussion, encourage connections and inspire action.

By taking the pulse of our community, Calgary’s VitalSigns provides a snapshot of Calgary’s strengths and weaknesses today so that, collectively, we can create the city we want for ourselves and our children in the future.

The survey is quick and simple! 

2010 Calgary’s VitalSigns Report card will be published in the Calgary Herald on October 5^th, 2010.

This annual survey from the CCVO is a valuable tool to guage the current state of Alberta's non-profit sector, including the arts.  Please contribute your voice, it takes about 10-15 minutes.

Alberta’s Nonprofits & Charities:

The Calgary Chamber of Voluntary Organizations (CCVO) is once again working together with other partners across the province to take a quick “temperature check” on the state of the nonprofit and voluntary sector. Please take some time to complete Alberta's Nonprofits & Charities and the Economic Climate - Spring 2010 Survey.

Your responses to this survey are critical to obtain the broad picture of the sector in Alberta. The results of the 2009 surveys were widely used by media, government and the sector.  As we continue with ongoing monitoring of the sector, this survey helps to build understanding and awareness of Alberta’s nonprofit and voluntary sector.

Results of CCVO’s latest survey will be reported back to the voluntary sector, government, media and the public. Watch for the report in June. Information and analysis contained in the report can be a useful tool for your organization’s efforts in planning, promotion and engagement with community, government and media.

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!

The survey closes May 14.

Calgarians are a literary bunch.  We are home to the acclaimed Wordfest that takes place in October every year and the International Spoken Word Festival that is gearing up for take off over the month of April!  Calgary Publisher Freehand Books is having an incredible year, with Marina Endicott's book Good to a Fault,winning the commonwealth Writers' Prize Best Book Award, Canada and the Caribbean and securing a spot as a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and as one of the championed books on Canada Reads.   But most of all, WE READ!  C-trains are packed with reading commuters, libraries are heavily used, and book clubs can be found in every Calgary neighborhood.  So why not get involved by reading and voting in this year's Alberta Readers’ Choice Award?

Read more »

The Federal Government tabled budget 2010 yesterday.  Below is the summary provided by the Canadian Conference of the Arts

Canadian Conference of the Arts Executive Summary

The 2010 Budget includes stable funding to arts and culture with no cuts, but also yields no new investments into the creative economy. The CCA sees no investment towards cultural infrastructure, or funds for promotion abroad and audience development. It is encouraging that charities are given more flexible means to conduct business, and research granting associations will have an increased ability to fund higher education within the knowledge economy.  Moving forward, some concerns include administrative reforms, freezes on departmental operating budgets, and changes to strategic reviews. These measures may not be viewed as cuts at the moment, but may lead to financial difficulties for the arts sector down the road.

Read the full detailed update here

Thank you to everyone that has journeyed into the great form abyss that is our Operating Grant Program and made it through the other end.  We are excited about all that financial and statistical data that you have provided us with, (we're weird that way).  Now our job begins, to compile and share these stats back to all the organizations that have put the effort into providing them.  We are looking forward to using this information to tell compelling stories of the impact that our arts organizations have on our City and the lives of Calgarians. 

In the mean time, Lauren is diligently digging herself out from under a mountain of grants and support material and will be in touch with organizations that may still owe us bits of information.  We look forward to reading the operating grant applications and reports and continuing to be inspired be the amazing vision and skill of Calgary's artists and arts organizations!

The Province of Alberta released it's 2010 budget today.  An overview of the Culture and Community Spirit budget is below.  The budget reflects across the board decreases to all areas as anticipated.  The effect of these decreases on each individual program, if any, are yet to be determined.  The following is a strong statement of assurance from Minister Blackett accompanying today's budget, part of which is included here:

"Our 2010-11 budget makes a net reduction of $5 million, or 1.8 per cent, from the 2009-10 forecast, but allow me to explain further.  

Ministry program expenses will actually decrease by $35 million; at the same time, a $30 million one-time grant increase will fund four Alberta capital projects.  The funds for these projects are being provided through the capital fund and not through the department operating budget.  These projects also include some “flow-through” funding from the federal government.

The 2010-11 budget and our 2010-13 Business Plan were put together with the goal of providing the most funding possible to those groups that provide services and supports to the most vulnerable in our society, as well as to increase the competitiveness of our cultural industries.

All areas of my department will share in these budget reductions.  Within the department, we have brought in operational efficiencies and re-examined core roles, which has helped us to make up part of the shortfall.  These changes have also helped focus our budgeting on supporting critically important non-profit, voluntary and cultural sector services.

In my recent meetings with members of these sectors, we discussed ways of enhancing our relationship and having organizations work together to meet short-term challenges.  I look forward to continuing these discussions and finding new and innovative ways to build sustainable cultural and non-profit sector organizations.

My department has also looked for new efficiencies in our grant programs.  By streamlining applications and moving to a quarterly grant schedule, we are striving to keep the impact of budget reductions as small as possible.

While the 2010-11 budget has to face current economic realities, we will not lose the momentum that we have created in helping develop, foster and showcase our culture and community spirit.

We must take this opportunity, during these challenging times, to review what is important, encourage innovation and make it sustainable.  I look forward to working with all of you over the coming year.

Sincerely,

Lindsay Blackett

Minister of Culture and Community Spirit

MLA, Calgary-North West

Budget Overview for Culture And Community Spirit
Budgeted program expense for Culture and Community Spirit is $283.7 million in 2010-11, a net $5-million or 1.8-per-cent reduction from the 2009-10 forecast.  This reflects a $35-million or 15-per-cent reduction in operating expense, and a $30-million one-time increase in capital grants. 
 
The 2010-11 budget includes:
-$165 million for community and voluntary support services, including more than $41 million in capital grants supporting projects such as the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary and the GO Community Centre in Edmonton.  It also includes funding for ongoing programs, with
$38 million for the Community Facility Enhancement Program, $25.5 million for the Community Initiatives Program and $22 million for Major Fairs and Exhibitions. In addition, $16 million is provided for the Community Spirit Donation Grant Program, which encourages more individual donations to non-profit organizations and registered Alberta charities.
-$56 million for arts and cultural industries.  This includes more than $29 million in assistance to the Alberta Foundation for the Arts and $17 million in support for Film and Television
Production.  Implementation of Alberta’s cultural policy, The Spirit of Alberta, continues. 
-$47 million for heritage programs.  This includes support to the Royal Alberta Museum, the
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, other museums and historic sites across the province. 
-$8 million for human rights and citizenship.  
 
For information, contact Parker Hogan 780-427-2395

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art opened their Reading Room today.  The site offers ten exhibition catalogues, mostly from the 1960s, that 'definitively placed contemporary art from Southern California on the national map or furthered the dialogue between Los Angeles and New York.' 

Although seeing these amazing works on your computer monitor is not optimal, for someone researching the work of a particular artist, it's a far cry better than ordering back catalogues (if available) or turning to a site like Abe Books to find rare editions that may be available through used book sellers.  Read more »

This letter from the Collective Arts Think Tank in New York should be addressed and sent to every arts funder.    It examines what's working and what's not working in strategies to supporting artists and the creation of work.  Scan the highlights below, but be sure to read the whole letter (linked above) to get to the depth of the issues that work for the success or detriment to artists and organizations.What's working:

1. Artists that make work on the work's schedule
2. Tailor-made management strategies for projects or artists
3. Knowing the real costs
4. Generosity among colleagues
5. Multi-year funding and presenting
6. Subsidized rentals

What's not working: Read more »