CITY OF VANCOUVER
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: |
October 17, 2003 | |
Author: |
Alice Niwinski | |
Phone No.: |
604 871 6007 | |
RTS No.: |
03710 | |
CC File No.: |
2051 | |
Meeting Date: |
November 4, 2003 |
TO: |
Vancouver City Council |
FROM: |
Director, Office of Cultural Affairs |
SUBJECT: |
2003 Diversity Initiatives Grants: 2nd Deadline |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve three Diversity Initiatives grants totalling $22,000, source of funds to be the 2003 Cultural Grants budget:
Gibran Theatre Group $ 4,500
Media Eyes Production Society $10,000
Urban Ink Production Society $ 7,500
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services recommends approval of the foregoing.
COUNCIL POLICY
Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report presents staff recommendations for three Diversity Initiatives grant requests.
BACKGROUND
The Diversity Initiatives grant program was established in 1998 to support artistic development in distinct communities. It has four components: artistic leadership training, development projects, cross-cultural projects, and cross-cultural artistic residencies. For the October 6, 2003 deadline, applications were received from three organizations: Gibran Theatre Group, Media Eyes Production, and Urban Ink Productions. As indicated in Table 1, these requests relate to the following two components of the program:
· Artistic leadership training. This assists with the costs of experiential training (internships or mentorships) for artists from distinct communities in the areas of curation, artistic direction and artistic production. The initiative must represent a new activity or the expansion of an existing program for the training organization.
· Artistic development projects. This applies to artistic projects that contribute to the strategic development of a professionally led arts group from one or more distinct communities. Projects must involve new creation or interpretation, and may include development, production and/or presentation. Groups may receive up to a maximum of three grants in this category.
DISCUSSION
A staff committee reviewed the three applications received, meeting and consulting with the applicants as questions arose. Staff recommendations are listed in Table 1, and discussed in more detail under individual headings.
Table 1
Recommendations
2003 Diversity Initiatives Grants: 2nd deadline
Organization |
Activity |
Requested |
Recommended |
Gibran Theatre Group |
artistic development project |
$5,900 |
$ 4,500 |
Media Eyes Production |
artistic development project |
$10,000 |
$10,000 |
Urban Ink Productions |
artistic leadership training |
$10,000 |
$ 7,500 |
TOTAL |
$25,900 |
$22,000 |
Gibran Theatre Group Society
A group of individuals from the Arab community, led by actor, playwright and director Muhammad Enad, has been working for over a year to articulate a vision and chart a plan for the development of this organization. They have set up a new society to develop a core artistic group and nurture artistic talent in the Arab community; to promote Arab and Middle Eastern heritage and tradition in the Canadian cultural landscape by organizing artistic events that engage the wider public; to engage children and youth in its activities; and to foster critical discourse.
The group has asked for a grant in support of its first play, Jonah seeks his whale, which it sees as a stepping stone in establishing a more broadly based organization, building membership, audience and support. Staff agree that the project can contribute to the artistic and organizational development of this emerging theatre group, and note that the activity proposed by the applicant would address a currently unfilled need. A grant of $4,500 is recommended.
Media Eyes Production Society
A grant of $10,000 is recommended for a project that will enable artists within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community to create video works that build bridges to the mainstream public. This project will support the artists by providing mentorships, technical support and tools for creation, and public screenings of the works.
The society is run by members of the deaf community, and its emergence is the direct result of three years of video projects by the deaf community, sponsored by the Video In and supported by the City's Diversity Initiatives program and the Canada Council. These projects resulted in 16 videos and the development of a cadre of deaf video artists with the expertise to sustain a new group of artists and the confidence to take charge of this activity on behalf of their community. The proposed project will be the organization's first major undertaking and an important step in its development.
Urban Ink Productions Society
Urban Ink has requested a grant for a ten-month mentorship for multi-disciplinary artist Patricia Collins. The proposed training plan includes project co-ordination, fund-raising, communication, and other skills related to artistic direction. Ms. Collins has worked with at-risk youth in schools across BC and is the co-founder of kitchen (2002), an interdisciplinary collective of female artists of colour.
Urban Ink is a First Nations theatre company that develops and produces aboriginal and multicultural work, combining and integrating various artistic disciplines. Its artistic director, Marie Clements, whose own development has been supported through the Diversity Initiatives program, sees this mentorship application as a natural evolution, in which more established artists and companies from distinct communities help to build a community of artists who have the skills to create and produce their own work. Staff recommend a grant of $7,500 for this initiative.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
A total of $50,000 was allocated to the Diversity Initiatives grant program for 2003. There are two annual deadlines, in June and October. Following allocation of five grants for the first round, the amount available for the second round is $22,000.
Approval of the three grants totalling $22,000 as recommended in this report will leave no unallocated balance in the Diversity Initiatives component of the 2003 Cultural Grants budget.
CONCLUSION
The projects discussed in this report are good illustrations of the role that the Diversity Initiatives program can play in supporting artistic development in a range of distinct communities. Project funding for the start-up stages of new organizations like Gibran Theatre group can enhance the quality of their initial projects and assist in building broader support for them. As demonstrated by the development of Media Eyes Production Society, Diversity grants are able to provide emerging artists with experiential training that enables them to go on to develop their own organization. And the Urban Ink initiative demonstrates how the program assists with a natural evolution, as artists and groups that have established themselves with the help of Diversity grants begin to mentor and support the work of young, emerging artists.
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