ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

Date: January 5, 1998

Author/Local: A.Niwinski/6007

CC File No. 2051

TO:	Vancouver City Council
FROM:	Director, Office of Cultural Affairs
SUBJECT:	Artists and Communities Grant Allocation

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RECOMMENDATION

THAT Council approve a $20,000 grant to the Assembly of B.C. Arts Councils for the Artists and Communities Pilot Program, for subsequent distribution to the three Vancouver-based projects listed in Table 1, source of funds to be the 1997 Cultural grants budget.

GENERAL MANAGER’S COMMENTS

The General Manager of Community Services submits the foregoing for CONSIDERATION.

COUNCIL POLICY

Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.

PURPOSE

This report recommends approval of a $20,000 grant to the Assembly of B.C. Arts Council for Artists and Communities projects based in Vancouver, source of funds to be the $20,000 which Council designated for this purpose on October 28, 1997.

BACKGROUND

In May 1997, the Canada Council, together with the Province of B.C., City of Vancouver and Vancouver Foundation, announced that British Columbia would be one of three locations in the country to pilot the Artists and Communities grant program (the other two are in Toronto and Newfoundland). The pilot program encourages and supports collaborations between artists and community groups that explore community issues, build community relationships, and provide opportunities for more people to directly experience the process of artistic creation (see Appendix B for B.C. program guidelines).

On March 13, 1997 Vancouver City Council approved a grant of $4,500 to the Assembly of B.C. Arts Councils towards administrative costs of the B.C. program, which it is managing. On October 28, 1997, Council designated $20,000 in the 1997 Cultural Grants budget for Vancouver-based Artists and Communities projects, to be reported on in January 1998, using an approval process similar to the one used for the Partners in Organizational Development program (POD).

The City is one of four funding agencies contributing to the $248,500 budget for the B.C.-based pilot program ($33,800 for administration, $214,700 for grants), as follows:

Canada Council $114,000

B.C. Arts Council $ 60,000

Vancouver Foundation $ 50,000

City of Vancouver $ 24,500

$248,500

DISCUSSION

The B.C. pilot program generated a lot of interest, resulting in 84 eligible applications, of which 23 requesting $992,829 in grants were from Vancouver ( listed in Appendix A). The applications were reviewed by a panel that included experts in both the arts and community services, whose assessment involved the following criteria:

- level of collaboration and community support

- scope and relevance of community issues

- potential for change

- artistic merit and vision

- administrative and financial competence

Five applications have been recommended for grants, three in Vancouver , one in Enderby, and one in Pt. Edward. Recommendations for the three Vancouver-based projects, together with the City’s contributions, are listed in Table 1, following:

TABLE 1

Project Title	Total Budget	Recommendation	City Contribution
From the Inside, Out	$82,727	$50,600	$9,400
House of Mirrors	$50,000	$33,100	$6,200
Ultimate High	$43,380	$24,000	$4,400
TOTAL	$176,107	$107,700	$20,000

From the Inside Out:

This project is a partnership between the B.C. Self Advocacy Foundation and artist Persimmon Blackbridge. Its objective is the creation of a multimedia art installation (audio sound-scapes, photos, artifacts and artwork) done by the artist and 25 individuals with developmental disabilities, who are former residents of Woodlands, Tranquille and Glendale.

House of Mirrors:

Co-ordinated by artist Ita Margolit and the Canadian Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, this project explores the impact that the media, diet, fashion and cosmetic surgery industries have on the lives and images of women with diverse backgrounds, ages and body types. Six artists will work with 50-100 participants to create a visual arts installation using 25-30 large mirrors.

Ultimate High:

Artists from Mortal Coil Performance Society will partner with the Downtown South Gathering Place in this 10-week project involving youth at high-risk living in Vancouver’s Downtown South area. Phases of the project include collaborative planning, outreach into the street youth community, costume making, stilt making and performing, percussion workshops, and workshops culminating in a street procession and celebration.

CONCLUSION

The collaborative development and co-ordination of the B.C.-based Artists and Communities Pilot Program has provided an excellent opportunity for funding partners at national and regional levels to share expertise and find new ways to work together, while accommodating the needs of their diverse mandates. At the same time, the strong response to the program from artists and community groups throughout B.C. suggests that there is considerable potential for developing new ways to explore and address community issues, and to involve larger groups in artistic creation.

The next phase of the Artists and Communities initiative will be the monitoring of funded projects in all three pilot programs by consultants funded through the Laidlaw Foundation, with a view to assessing each project’s community and artistic impact. A comprehensive report from the consultants will evaluate the three pilot programs, as well as the potential for future development, and will be prepared once funded projects have been completed. Cultural Affairs staff will report its conclusions and recommendations to City Council as soon as it is available.

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APPENDIX A

Artists and Communities Pilot Program British Columbia

Applications from Vancouver

Project Name	Community Organization	Amount Requested
A Place Called Home	Collingwood Neighbourhood House	$60,000
Aboriginal Media Arts Proj.	Urban Native Youth Assoc.	$50,000
Arts & Culture Publication	Downtown Eastside Res. Assoc.	$60,000
Breaking Ground	Britannia Comm. Services Ctr.	$54,345
Circus of Light	Thunderbird Neighbourhood Assn.	$60,000
Collective Echoes	Van. Multicultural Soc. of B.C.	$60,000
Community Dance Project	Cedar Cottage Neighbourhood	$15,075
Creative Harm Reduction Proj.	Youth Action Centre (DEYAS)	$12,980
DEWC Murals Project	Downtown Eastside Women’s Ctr.	$32,193
Family & Culture	African-Canadian Association	$14,270
Fire	Boys & Girls Clubs of Vancouver	$60,000
Fish Tales	B.C. Salmon Marketing Council	$20,460
From the Inside, Out	B.C. Self Advocacy Foundation	$50,677
Harry Jerome Legacy Project	Harry Jerome Commemorative Soc.	$33,300
Here & There	Happy Corner Preschool	$60,000
Here Among Us	Pacific 280 Housing Society	$58,740
House of Mirrors	Anorexia Nervosa & Associated Disorders	$31,300
Nelson Plateau Oral History	Mole Hill Living Heritage Soc.	$60,000
Taking into Account	West Coast L.E.A.F.	$60,000
The Gesher Project	Vanc. Holocaust Centre Soc.	$22,500
The Shadow Project	Self-Help Resource Association	$39,989
Ultimate High	Downtown S. Gathering Place	$24,000
Women & the Turn of Millennium	Grandview Community Centre Ass.	$53,000
	Total	$992,829

(c) 1997 City of Vancouver