To the Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services:

September 16, 2010

Hello, my name is David Diamond and I am the Artistic Director of Headlines Theatre. The best way, I believe, to talk about arts and culture is to make it personal.

One of the reasons I am here because sometime in the last 30 years, Headlines will have done a project in every single one of your constituencies; projects on addiction, family violence, racism, intergenerational conflict, homelessness, gang violence, suicide prevention and many others.

 "Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?"

Canadian poet Gabrielle Roy (1909 – 1983) as quoted on the Canadian $20 bill.

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

September 15, 2010

Open Letter to Premier Gordon Campbell

Dear Premier Campbell,

Here are the complete listings of Culture Days events in British Columbia.

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Please watch, and circulate, this video documentation of Ziyian Kwan's 'what i am dancing sundays', created by Filmmaker Peg Campbell. Peg captures the performance advocacy of her colleagues in music and dance during a summer of protest against arts cuts in BC.

The Vancouver arts community will have two opportunities this month to meet and hear from Canadian Conference of the Arts national director Alain Pineau. A free public meeting to hear abou the Conference’s role as our eyes and ears in Ottawa will be held Wednesday, September 29 in the auditorium of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre (rsvp required) and the following day a three-hour workshop by Mr. Pineau will explore “The Politics of Art and the Art of Politics” (registration required).

Here are the details ….

Revenue Canada will hold three Charities Information Sessions in Vancouver this November, focussed on helping charities understand filing requirements related to the 2010 federal budget announcements.

The sessions will cover the following topics:

By Chris Tyrell:  Thank God some arts funding is restored. But what does the future have in store? There is nothing but uncertainty ahead.

It is my thesis that artists who truly care about the arts should be fighting for policy and not simply money. For me, the greater problem is that the government does not know why it is funding the arts; it needs to say so! The “why” of arts funding should be the basis of its arts policy.

• Cultural Services has announced a series of four public information sessions about Vancouver's 125th anniversary plans in 2011 and its 125th Anniversary Grants Program.

This program is a time-limited opportunity which aims to foster awareness and understanding of Vancouver's identities, first nations' heritage and cultural diversity. It will support activities that enrich our society through civic engagement and the celebration of art, culture and heritage.

Community members are invited to attend any one of the four sessions:

VICTORIA – The British Columbia Arts Council will administer $7 million in funding provided through the B.C. government’s 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy to support their strategic plan, Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts announced. 

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you today with great concerns about your BC Liberal government’s escalating politicization of arts and culture funding in B.C.

In a time when British Columbian arts organizations are shuttering their doors, cutting programs and cancelling events due to your government’s massive funding cuts - your newly hatched “Spirit Festivals” add insult to injury.