The Alliance for Arts and Culture today called for Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger to “moderate his comments” in the wake of two radio interviews in which he referred to some arts advocates as being “vicious”, alluded to having been “threatened” in a meeting at the Alliance office last November, compared his experience in the meeting, with some 20 representatives of the arts community, to “an extortion process” and likened the group’s approach to “a junkie waving a needle”.

In an August 26 interview with Kathryn Gretsinger on CBC Radio One Minister Krueger said: “We had one (meeting) in Vancouver where I was actually threatened. It was like an extortion process” and “there are some people in the arts and culture community that are actually quite vicious.”

Following BCs devestating series of arts cuts, Danzo felt it was necessary to resign from her position “in order to have a voice,” and it appears she was heard.

“In my opinion, the work of the BC Arts Council Board, has not been supported by government on a number of different levels,” expressed Danzo in her resignation letter.

The restoration of funding comes after more than a year of intense criticism and action from the BC arts community calling for a restoration of funding to 2008/09 levels. Despite council recommendations the provincial government originally put that funding towards an Arts Legacy Fund (written about by Tyler Morgenstern a few weeks ago).

In 1991, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that two protesters had a constitutional right to hand out literature in a publicly owned airport in Montreal as long as they didn’t disrupt operations. “The distribution of pamphlets and discussion with certain members of the public are in no way incompatible with the airport’s primary function, that of accommodating the needs of the travelling public,” then-justices Antonio Lamer and John Sopinka wrote in their decision.

What surprised Kwan is how her very individual action has snowballed.

Her two hours of dancing at Kingsway and Main on Sundays has turned into an improvised street performance that has brought out many of the city’s dancers, choreographers and musicians.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” the 41-year-old dancer said.

“After 22 years of dance, I’ve always been paid to do it. Even when I’ve done site-specific work, it hasn’t been busking. I’ve always been paid.”

“We need champions and advocates in our community,” said Kevin McKeown, spokesperson for the Alliance for Arts and Culture. “There is an element of fear in the community about speaking out, and that in itself is very disturbing—fear there will be further reprisals—and Mrs. Danzo’s leadership has encouraged some to speak out who might not have before.”

The Community Arts Council of Vancouver is the latest to add its voice, releasing an open letter to Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger on August 24, demanding that he give the B.C. Arts Council the arm’s-length independence Danzo last week told the Straight it lacked. “We request a full review of the BC Arts Council that would strengthen its capacity to support related organizations and efforts that make up the arts in this province,” the letter from CACV president Michael Clague states.

Established in 1997, See Seven has been dedicated to promoting independent, professional theatre in the city, in part through annual package-ticket sales.

But board member and cofounder Diane Brown said several See Seven participants cannot afford to stage productions for the upcoming season.

Brown blamed the turmoil on the recent loss of provincial gambling grants and B.C. Arts Council funding.

In response, See Seven leaders have decided to make a political statement by halting the nonprofit organization’s normal activities for a year, she said.

To read the letter: http://www.straight.com/article-339897/vancouver/tom-durrie-asks-assembly-bc-arts-councils-oppose-kevin-kruegers-spirit-festivals

The arts community has been stuck with the most idiotic and stupid arts-grant program I’ve seen in the close to 30 years I’ve been involved in the arts in British Columbia.

Very few are speaking about it because they fear they will lose out on potential grant money.

Here’s what’s happening right now: arts groups around the province are scrambling to jump through new hoops and twist and bend themselves to come up with ideas to create events in February that will supposedly, as Minister Kevin Krueger puts it, “celebrate and renew the pride and excitement British Columbians experienced during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games…”

FOR GOD’S SAKE. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard.

In the letter dated August 20, Kathleen Sharpe of the Canadian Conference for the Arts stated that it’s a “strategic error” and “ill-advised” for the B.C. government to “drastically and unfairly” cut investments in arts and culture to help balance the books.

She added that this will have a negative impact on tourism and economic development.

Sharpe’s letter applauded Danzo’s “courageous decision to resign in protest”, noting that the B.C. Arts Council “does not possess the independence normally given to such granting agencies”.

Ziyian Kwan is dubbing her protests “what i am dancing sundays”. She’s organizing impromptu dance/rally/busking sessions in front of the Gene Cafe at Main and Kingsway.

Her next dance-protest is this Sunday (August 15) from 4 to 6 p.m., and she invites other artists angered by the provincial Liberals’ slashing of both gaming and core funding to the cultural sector to join her. So far dancer-choreographers Jennifer Clarke, Lee Su-Feh,Jay Hirabayashi, and others have joined her on the sidewalk.

Frank Moher, artistic director for Western Edge Theatre, uploaded the first in a series of video letters to Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon on YouTube.

“Sometimes one needs a novel way to get a politician’s attention,” Moher said.

The provincial government eliminated grants from gaming to artistic organizations geared toward adults to help reduce the projected budget deficit. Gaming money is only granted to artistic groups and festivals which cater to children.

“These videos are about the effects of the cuts on central Vancouver Island,” Moher said.

Without the $10,000 gaming grant – the amount the group previously received – Western Edge will be unable to stage a season in 2010-11.

To view the video, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI90YPbCQAw

Having these grants administered by independent peer review and based on population is a positive step. The government did listen and did hear the importance of these two issues.

Regrettable that this new program is launched under the cloud of cuts to the BCAC, gaming grants, and provocative language about BC culture from Minister Rich Coleman and others.

The government has far to go to regain the ground it lost by cutting arts so disproportionately from other sectors, and for achieving so little in bottom line savings for the damage it has done.

“We need to act and speak together,” said Ivan Habel of Green Thumb Theatre.

Habel called for a more co-ordinated approach to advocacy in an address today (June 25) before attendees of the Alliance for Arts and Culture Arts Summit 2010, a two-day series of workshops and panel discussions being held in a Surrey recreation centre.

The comments come as criticism swells over provincial government cuts to B.C. Arts Council funding and the introduction of more strict eligibility requirements for gaming-grant support.

The recent arbitrary and misguided changes to the program for non-profit arts and culture organizations are clearly not based on reality. The fact that further changes in qualifying criteria were made, completely unannounced, after proposals were submitted in good faith from around the province, shows either confusion or an attempt to evade responsibility on the part of government decision-makers.

Last week, the minister was quoted saying the arts technically should be able make a profit through ticket sales and don’t qualify as true charities. And as the Straight has reported, there has been widespread confusion about his ministry’s abrupt changes to eligibility to those gaming funds, which local groups had relied on, specifically the cancelling of that money for arts festivals and some youth-oriented arts groups.