Posts tagged ‘Toronto’

May 23, 2012

Brother can you spare a five?

Less than a year ago I didn’t know anyone who was raising money in small increments – the eyes were on the big prize, the large gifts, suitable for naming and framing. Over the past few months phrases like “kickstarter” “indie go go” and “go fund me” have been popping up with more and more frequency in my messages, inbox, and on my Facebook feed.

Here are some of the ones I know about. Click on the thumbnails for more info on each.

The Fringe Creation Lab  Bricks and Mortar for a Movement – One of the greatest challenges of being an artist in the city is finding a financially and physically accessible space within which to rehearse and create.  That’s why the Fringe opened the Creation Lab with subsidizes rates for as little as $5/hour. Keeping the Creation Lab space rates so low is REALLY important to the independent arts scene in our city.  By supporting the Creation Lab, you are supporting creativity, innovation, and the grass roots organizations that make our city so vibrant.

Proud by Michael Healey Donations made on this page will go towards funding the world premiere of Michael Healey’s Proud in Toronto, Fall 2012. The third in a trilogy of award-winning plays about Canadian values, Proud is about what we actually want out of our politics, and our politicians. One man devotes his entire life to moving the country several millimetres to the right on the political spectrum. Will he succeed? At what cost? A Pygmalion for a country that, until Stephen Harper came along, had no need for one.

 

The Edward Bond Festival Campaign A one-time festival celebrating the work of the internationally renowned master playwright Edward Bond. Your contribution will ensure that all eleven encounters we are programming can be carried out as planned: six workshop readings of Bond’s works, a workshop presentation of Bond’s play Have I None with the collaboration of Bond himself before a live audience, a Symposium featuring Edward Bond and UK director Chris Cooper, and an acclaimed Ryerson Theatre School remount production of Bond’s epic play The Bundle, with a festival finale political theatre cabaret The Wrecking Ball.

 

Artist with Brain Injury needs refurbished computer – I suffered a trauma-related brain injury (c-PTSD) and have been living with the support of the Ontario Disability Support Program. I am at the end of my trauma therapy at Women’s College Hospital, where i am enrolled in a visual art programme.  My work is shown at the SPEAKArt Gallery, Artscape Triangle Gallery, and I will be making art live at Roncy Rocks Festival, The Annex Patio Art show and at my official Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Installation in September. I want to use these opportunities to start a conversation about brain injury. Please help me get a refurbished Macbook Pro so I can continue to create art.

 

As today’s complete aside I was at Panamerican Routes last night to see the opening of Blue Box. A fantastic show of ups and down, laughter and knowing glances, and a throughline to make you think. And salsa! Go catch it if you can, or see something else – it’s a great festival and full of a ridiculous amount of talent. And Aislinn Rose captured one of my favourite things – when Toronto theatre spills into the streets.

 

 

 

 

March 21, 2012

What Support for Canadian Theatre Looks Like

Monday night was the first reading of Michael Healey’s Proud. Sold out house at Passe Muraille, 30+ folks turned away from the waiting list.

Never have I heard an audience so intently listen. It’s a wonderful play – astute, makes you think, and is damn funny.

These are photos of a community – artists, supporters, donors, volunteers, arts workers of all kinds coming together to hear a play that needs to be heard, and, at the same time, support a theatre that is part of our cultural fabric.

An excellent night indeed. A great start to the journey this play will take.

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January 11, 2012

Why the Arts Should be Funded (Toronto, we’re lagging – still…)

New Study:  Toronto Falls Far Behind large Canadian Cities in Municipal Arts Investment
Release from the Toronto Arts Council

Hill Strategies Research released a report today, Municipal Cultural Investment in Five Large Canadian Cities, comparing funding in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
Investment by Toronto City Council ranks lowest by a wide margin: per capita investment in each city is, from highest to lowest:

Montreal: $55
Vancouver: $47
Calgary: $42
Ottawa: $28
Toronto: $19

“Throughout major international cultural centres, municipal arts funding is key to maintaining a thriving creative city, attractive to residents and tourists alike.  We are at the tipping point; this study clearly demonstrates that Toronto risks losing its position as Canada’s go-to city for arts and culture.” noted Claire Hopkinson, Executive Director of Toronto Arts Council.

The impact of cultural investment is felt throughout Toronto’s economy, much of which is dependent upon a vibrant arts sector.  The arts and culture industry contributes $9 billion to Toronto’s local economy and supports 130,000 jobs.

In May 2011, Toronto City Council affirmed the critical importance of arts and culture funding when it unanimously endorsed the Creative Capital Gains report.  The report recommends increasing Toronto’s arts funding to $25 per capita.

In contradiction of this unanimous decision, the 2012 City Operating Budget, approved by Budget Committee yesterday, recommends a reduction in Toronto’s arts and culture grants by $2 million and additional reductions to the city’s department of Economic Development and Culture.   Given that every dollar invested by the city in grants to arts organizations in Toronto leverages an additional $17 in funding from other sources this will have the direct effect of reducing investment in Toronto by $25 million.

“It is hard to exaggerate the impact of such a cut.  Of course artists and arts organizations will be affected, but so too will every Toronto resident who benefits from access to arts programming as well as Toronto’s tourism industry, its restaurants, hotels, taxis and retail sectors” said John McKellar, Chair of Toronto Arts Council.

Toronto’s Executive Committee, chaired by the Mayor, will review the Budget Committee’s recommended budget on Thursday, January 12, following which it will go to the full City Council on January 17 for final approval.

For more information, please contact: Susan Wright, 416-392-6802 x211; susan@torontoartscouncil.org.

On that note but in the opposite way – an article from the Guardian – Why Should We Fund the Arts?

BUDGET DAY TOMORROW! Let’s see what’s happened because of or despite hundreds and thousands of people writing, calling, giving deputations in person, signing petitions, you name it.

 

December 30, 2011

Top Ten Posts of 2011 and Ones I Really Liked

Something I really enjoy about the end of the calendar year are the lists. Actually, anyone who knows me knows I like a good list any time of year but the end of December marks lists in everything. It’s a sum-up of the year, what worked, what didn’t, what to do more or less of and a chance to reflect on these things.

I hit go on my website in April 2011, and so for the end of the year, I give you the most read and shared blog posts of the year.

Now then! What did you read??

10.  Data, Audiences, and my Thoughts on Margie – the most read part of this post was about Margie. I quote the last line of the post: Something interesting to note – my blog posts create automatic links to items that it has ‘heard of’. I’d like to point out  – it’s heard of Margie Gillis, Laureate of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards. It’s never heard of Krista Erikson.
I repeat – Krista WHO?

9.   it’s the Dora Nominees Press Conference Today! – self-explanatory – here are the 2011 nominations.

8.  Today’s PSA: Facebook Pages and Helping Each Other Like Things – groups and pages and will it ever end? We start by liking each other.

7.   Sunday Roundup – June 5 EXTRA: TO Services Review Roundtable - I think of most importance in this post was my experience at the Toronto City Services Review Roundtable. I spent a lot of time at City Hall this year, come to think of it.

6.   The Ten Best Theatre Production Companies in Toronto – blog post on a blog post, courtesy BlogTO.

5.  The Magi Were Right – a fantastic exhibition at Pentimento Gallery – G Elliot Simpson’s Brotherhood – art and technology combined in a fantastic way.

4.  Once Upon a TIme… – a story about the Toronto Public Library, and why it matters to me. An edited version of this blog post won me a spot in the top 50 entries in the Why My Library Matters to Me contest, sponsored by the Toronto Public Library Workers Union. I get to have lunch with Michael Ondaantje at some point.

3.  OMG Why Did He Un-friend Me? – a great infographic and articles on the reasons people unfriend each other on Facebook.

2.  Sunday Roundup – July 17 – a not necessarily textbook lesson on Fringeconomics.

and the number one most read, tweeted, shared and discussed post of 2011…

1.  Fringe Plays I Apparently Should Not Have Bothered Seeing – a list of ways to avoid seeing a dud at the Toronto Fringe – a little research seemed to indicate these rules are made to be broken.

BONUS:  The Revolution will be Photographed Two friends and excellent photographers took to the street the first day of Occupy Toronto and came back with some wonderful shots of humanity.

BONUS:  Lest We Forget – A Slideshow of Loved Ones Many of you took to your memories and photo albums and shared stories and pictures with me.

Also for the end of the year list I have many companies to thank – Theatre 20, Expect Theatre, Ninja Funk Orchestra, Mighty Brave Productions, Arts Etobicoke, PACT, Creative Trust, Stratical Theatre, Magic and Mud, Little Revolutions, Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund, Parkdale Village BIA, Art is Hard, Control Over Destiny, P. Marco Veltri. You’ve all been fantastic to work with and a big part of this year, and for this I thank you.

Thanks to everyone who reads, comments, likes, follows and shares. Am so glad you’re here. I’ll be back Tuesday, January 3rd with the answer to a frequently asked question: How much does a basic website cost?

Happy New Year. Eat well, drink well, be merry, have fun, laugh, be safe.

If you asked me for my New Year Resolution, it would be to find out who I am.
Cyril Cusack

September 23, 2011

20,000 sigs by Monday – from Friends of the Arts

Thank you for signing the Friends of the Arts Petition!  We’ve collected over 15,000 signatures to date (13,500 on line, 2,000 on paper).

City Council will be making important recommendations about arts support at its next meeting, Monday September 26.  Can you help us get to 20,000 signatures by then? 

Maintaining pressure will help us to make sure that arts grants are protected, that the arts community is consulted and that other critical arts items on the city’s agenda (including access to space, Nuit Blanche and museums) are maintained.

What can you do?

Forward this message to friends, colleagues and family to encourage them to sign the petition.
Volunteer to help collect petition signatures during Nuit Blanche and at other arts events across the city.
We have one upcoming volunteer training session:

Monday September 26 volunteer training: drop in any time between 5:30pm and 7:30pm on Monday September 26 at Toronto City Hall in Committee Room 3, 2nd floor, 100 Queen Street West (closest to Osgoode subway station).

If you are able to volunteer, please contact us to confirm that you’ll be there, or to request additional information at friendsoftheartsTO@gmail.com.  Also let us know if you are interested in volunteering but cannot make the training time.

Toronto City Council is planning to make deep cuts to the city budget, and this puts arts and cultural funding at serious risk. Cutting the arts could be an economic and social catastrophe for Toronto: not only does the city achieve a huge return on a relatively small investment, but our vibrant arts scene is also a big part of what makes Toronto a great place to live, work and visit.  To make certain this doesn’t happen, we need your help.

Key Upcoming City decision dates:
September 26: City Council meets to review Executive Committee recommendations

*Friends of the Arts is a network of arts supporters including the following organizations:  Arts Vote Toronto, Arts Etobicoke, BeautifulCity.ca, Business for the Arts, Creative Trust, Lakeshore Arts, Scarborough Arts, Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, Toronto Arts Foundation, Urban Arts.

September 20, 2011

Just for the Record

 

After another all night marathon with 300+ people signed up to depute, certain councillors obsessed with not allowing people to speak at two deputations at this oh-so democratic process, children singing songs, people dressed up as Santa and Roy Mitchell - where do we stand?

Recommended for cuts/sell-off

Deferred

  • Library closures
  • Community groups will be given time to save the Riverdale Farm
  • The phasing out of 2,000 subsidized daycare positions
  • community grants that makeup less than 5 per cent of a program budget
  • snow plow services / windrow clearing
  • grass cutting in parks
  • TTC Blue Night bus service

Sent back to City Manager

  • Reduction of library hours
  • Reduction of police force
  • Reduction of new affordable housing
  • Cuts to various environmental programs
  • Elimination of the the four free garbage tags
  • Elimination of the Hardship Fund

Live Blog bits from  torontoist:

Gord Perks: I get two seconds to speak to each of 89 recommendations.” [Pauses two seconds]. “That was daycare.” Goes on to say that the City is seriously lowballing revenue projections, and forcing a vote before actual revenue figures are available—the cuts may not be necessary at all. “This is not governance, this is the thing that governments do when they are not doing their job. This is wreckage.”

Adam Vaughan: “I’ve been around this place for 25 years worth of budgets. I have never seen a document that is so short of facts… I have never seen a budget process more corrupt. Not corrupt in a legal sense, but corrupt as a process… This is the most sinister piece of legislation that has ever been in front of this city council, and it needs to be stopped.”

Ana Bailão: What we’ve learned from these mtgs is that “Torontonians care about their city…. They want a moderate approach.” And another voice joining the chorus, Josh Matlow: “We are not well informed enough to make these decisions today.”He goes on to say that people want more than just the services the City is absolutely legally required to provide.

Mary-Margaret McMahon: “I will not blindly slash and burn and cut things that make our city great.” (Note: she doesn’t vote today, as she is not on the Executive Committee.)

“I don’t even know what these cuts mean”—Janet Davis. She lists all the pieces of information they don’t have.

Mihevc: “This is not a debate among Torontonians. Every single meeting has been a rally…to maintain a strong city.” And then: “What these three reports represent is the most massive change to city government in 14 years… This does not even come close to the information we require to make wise and intelligent choices.”

Some thoughtful tweets from @PraxisTheatre

Santa re Xmas bureau: “they’ve been doing this since 1956 & know what they’re doing. Don’t forget, I know what you’ve been doing.” #TOpoli

Rob Ford campaigned on the promise of no cuts. Is he a man of his word, or not?” #TOpoli

Another deputant reminds the mayor he campaigned on “no cuts, guaranteed”. “We expected more from you when we hired you.”

Lyn Adamson emotional as she shouts over Rob Ford cutting her off: “You can’t cut the vehicle registration tax and then raise TTC fares.”

Single mother now telling committee that subsidized daycare allowed her to finish high school and go to university.

 

And two I really liked and found somewhere:

“You have eliminated sources of revenue. You are the source of the problem.”

“I’m a member of a special-interest group called residents of Toronto.”

September 19, 2011

Another Day, Another Potential 24 Deputation Marathon

It’s been a heck of a week, with meetings and press conferences and newspaper columns and noise and this week begins with another possible record day and night of deputations.

Since I’m not a fan of wheel reinvention, I’m sending you over to the fine folks at torontoist who have much of the info you’ll ask about, including proposed cuts.  If you’re the type to have TV on in the background all day, you can watch the live stream of just what’s happening at City Council today. If you’re more of a check in every so often person, I’ll recommend you follow @PraxisTheatre on Twitter  – I do believe they will be live tweeting proceedings. Of course torontoist will be as well.

We’ll see what happens.  Meantime, here’s a quote I found last week: “@DonateSocial: “Anybody can die (nobly) for a cause… A sign of maturity is to live day by day for that cause” – anonymous

 

September 12, 2011

It’s my birthday!

I gotta be honest with you – it’s my birthday so this post is mostly links to stuff I’ve been collecting for you.

From Mission Paradox – Power and the Artistic Workplace – hard power vs soft power and the difference between. Link to the TEDtalk within.

Friends of the Arts Petition – still going strong – please sign it – despite all the flip flopping news of arts cuts last week, I still don’t think anything good is coming down the pipe. Key dates are September 19 and 23. Meeting schedule is here.

The Creative Trust is back in full swing with cool workshops I’m planning on attending. First up is Diversifying your Audience with Donna Walker Kuhne.  One is keynote, one is hands-on.

This is from the Grid and a while back – Toronto Public Art Explained.

Don’t forget that Harbourfront World Stage Embassy deadline is Monday the 19th.

So there you have it for today. Happy birthday to me!

 

 

September 11, 2011

Sunday RoundUp September 11

Busy week (as always). What went on?

Not many blog  posts from me this week – but a lot went down in terms of arts funding.

There was the threat of cuts.

Then there was a petition.

Then there was a meeting.

Then there was a different plan for the cuts.

So am not sure what to believe any more. I`ll have to believe my own eyes and ears at these key dates:<

September 19: Executive Committee meets to respond to core service review recommendations
September 26:
City Council meets to review Executive Committee recommendations

Meanwhile – here are my two blog posts for the week

Arts Funding.

What Arts Funding Does for a City – a repost about money spent on a neighbourhood when there is art there.

Happy Sunday. More posting next week, I promise.

 

September 9, 2011

Arts Funding.

Short post today – we need to do a few basic things.  Let’s make some time.

1) Need to read this article, and think about the ramifications to our sector. (2 minutes)

City Arts Grants At Risk  - A proposal drafted at Toronto City Hall to slash all funding to major arts organizations is sending shock waves through Toronto’s cultural world, the Star has learned.

The proposal, prepared by city manager Joe Pennachetti in response to a request from Mayor Rob Ford’s office, is intended to be presented at a meeting of the city’s executive committee on Sept. 19.

If passed by city council, the plan would eliminate more than $6 million of annual funding that goes directly to 10 of the city’s top arts organizations...read more.

2) Need to sign this petition – Petition to Protect Arts Funding. (30 seconds)

3) Need to call and write your councillor. Find them here. (5 minutes)

4) Here’s the link to the schedule of Toronto City Council meetings.

 

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