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.”

But Krueger stood his ground that the alliance made an outright threat against him.

Lori Marchand made the comment after hearing the Alliance for Arts and Culture issued a press release saying Krueger has accused the group of threatening him and saying the group’s approach was like a junkie waving a needle.

“I think it’s easy to take things out of context, and that’s from both sides. It’s so easy to have things misconstrued or misinterpreted,” she said.

“We all have to work together. I hope it is patched up.”

Alliance executive director Amir Ali Alibhai said in the press release that the perceived threat occurred at a meeting between about 20 group members and Krueger last November.

In late August, he alleged that an unknown arts organization in Vancouver basically practised “extortion” against him in a meeting.

The alliance offered a radically different version [1] of events.

On September 1, Krueger was at it again, this time on a C-FAX Radio show hosted by Adam Stirling,

In late July, the B.C. government announced it would set aside $3 million for “arts and culture festivals” that must be held in February 2011.

The festival money has been allocated from a $10-million arts Legacy fund introduced at a time when the sector is reeling from the loss of core funding.

Under the B.C. Spirit Festivals program, grants of up to $50,000 each are available to arts councils and First Nations groups that apply before the deadline in early October.

The assembly, a nonprofit umbrella organization that mainly serves arts councils, has been asked to administer the funding in cooperation with the B.C. Arts Council.

Richoz said the Spirit Festivals program offers assembly members a much-needed chance to receive financial support.

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

“This year is a hallmark of creative excellence and the continuation of strong artistic expressions from First Nations artists,” said Dr. Lorna Williams, Chair of the at the First Peoples’ Council Board. “Each year the quality of the proposals we receive increases, which demonstrates the growing capacity of Aboriginal arts administration in B.C.”

Kevin Krueger, minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, said the festivals will build on the success of the Cultural Olympiad, associated with the 2010 Winter Games

Krueger said he announced his proposal for spirit festivals at the Assembly of B.C. Arts Councils’ annual general meeting late this spring. But the Professional Arts Alliance of Greater Victoria’s Scott Walker says the proposal appears to be excluding professional arts groups such as those in his 17-member organization.

According to Spencer Chandra Herbert’s statements in the Georgia Straight, it seems that a significant portion is going to something called “B.C. Spirit Festival Days”.

It sounds like a new provincewide festival that will have funding for two years, at least. I guess we will have to wait for the official announcement from the ministry, which is likely to be made soon.

In any case, I am concerned about the apparent lack of consultation with the broader arts community, despite our request to work together.

We have indicated to the government that British Columbians will have less access to the arts and culture as a result of drastic cuts to the BCAC budget and the equally devastating cuts and redefinition of Gaming grants.

The latter, in particular hurts many volunteer-run and community-based programs and groups throughout the province.

Amir Ali Alibhai is executive director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture.

“It’s a healthy gathering because we don’t have everyone just nodding their heads. We’re being challenged on some of our assumptions that we might have,” Alibhai told the Straight.

Alibhai said arts funding was “top of mind” for many who attended the Alliance-organized summit, held June 24 and 25 at Surrey’s Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre.

Anger continues to simmer over the loss in the past year of B.C. Arts Council and gambling-grant funding for many groups.

A morning panel discussion, Cultural Assets and Infrastructure, looked at recent and future residential development projects that incorporate public arts facilities. Architect Richard Henriquez, whose firm oversaw the $330 million Woodward’s re-development, said he looks forward to beginning restoration of Commercial Drive’s historic York Theatre (which the Vancouver East Cultural Centre will manage.)

While Henriquez also sees promise in the Great Northern Way Campus and Coal Harbour Arts Complex developments, he is concerned that plans for the North East False Creek and Plaza of Nations sites do not currently include any cultural amenities.

“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.

“It’s what kind of a sustainable cultural future do we want in B.C.? What are our B.C. residents’ right to culture?” Catherine Murray, codirector of SFU’s Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities, told the Straight. “I think we need to look at cultural issues in different ways, and a cultural policy allows you to actually do that,” she added.

Murray, B.C. Arts Council acting director Gillian Wood, and B.C. Federation of Labour director of campaigns, community and social action Jessie Uppal are set to discuss the issue on June 25.

The panel discussion, moderated by Mark Marissen, a lobbyist and consultant, is part of the Alliance for Arts and Culture’s Arts Summit 2010.

This beautiful new facility is 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver by Skytrain, one block south of the Gateway Skytrain station, at 13458 – 107A Avenue, corner of 107A Avenue and University Drive. (This is the correct address — google maps has wrong information lately, due to recent street name changes in Surrey).

Vanessa Richards of SFU will reprise her role at last year’s Summit and host the two-day event. The keynote speaker will be Arlene Goldbard, author of New Creative Community: The Art of Cultural Development. Numerous addresses, workshops and panel discussions are now being finalized by Summit coordinator Lydia Marston-Blaauw and will include a Civic Leaders Panel facilitated by Max Wyman, and Judith Marcuse will raise our spirits with a special lunchtime address on Thursday.

More programming and activity updates will be coming your way in the days and weeks ahead.

Find further details here or go directly to the registration form to reserve your seat now.

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.