Canadian Renaissance Project

Two suggestions coming at you today from PublicBroadcasting.ca on how Canada can nurture and sustain more of it’s artistic community. These make sense and, from another step back, create a good context for more conversation about the importance of the arts in civilization.

We know from experience that though Canada is a great place to be an artist, in terms of being able to communicate without fear of violent censorship, it’s also hard to make a living here doing what y’all do.

One story that was told to me which I sometime retell in this context is of a great Canadian dancer that the government was a big fan of, always using her in “cultural heritage” commercials (basically) which they’d play with triumphant music at international gatherings to brag about the vibrancy of the arts landscape. Except she couldn’t make ends meet here. Canadian gigs didn’t pay her enough and the law didn’t have intelligent provisos for artists apparently, and she felt way more appreciated, and like her work was meaningful in China, so she finally moved there. Which is cool for her, but makes other artists feel kinda bummed about their chances of making it in a happy and satisfying way here at home. Artists live and work in a community, or at least this one did, so when one person leaves it rips a hole and has wide echoes throughout the network… and the echoes whispered goooo abroaaaaddd.

So what difference does it make to have a safe and healthy arts community?
(And I mean safe as in the artists feel safe to explore and express, not safe as in sanitized.)

Personally, I think it raises the level of political and social discourse by bringing people together in different ways, around different media, and by exploring different forms of communication. Creates a people better able to empathize, because we learn to feel others emotions and experiences through art, and develops all kinds of other “hard” skills as well - from craft to code, high to low tech, “art” runs the gamut.

And:

according to Statitstics Canada, the 7.7 billion dollar government investment in culture generates 40 billion dollars in economic activity and creates 600,000 jobs. The importance of arts and culture for tourism, as an example, goes without saying.

So here’s what PublicBroadcasting.ca suggests we do about it, with a project called Canadian Renaissance.

What I propose as an alternative is a system where an artists profits (after expenses) which comes directly from their art, are tax exempt up to fifty thousand dollars. It should be pointed out here that the excemption would apply to artists in the broad sense, not only visual artists. This would ensure that highly successful artists payed taxes and it would enable and encourage many artists to quit their ‘day jobs’ and focus on their art. Since their non-art income is not tax exempt it would also provide incentives for them to focus more on earning income from their artistic pursuits.

Part Two is inspired by the new Children’s Fitness Tax Credit which provides up to five-hundred dollars for health and fitness activities for children. While health and physical fitness are obviously important, the nurturing of the mind and the soul and ultimately of Canadian culture is of equal importance.

The second part of the plan would apply to both children and adults and provide a five-hundred dollar (per person) tax write off for arts and culture purchases and activities. This would include everything from music or art lessons to buying a musical instrument or art supplies. It would also include the purchase of concert or theatre tickets, and the purchase of books, music, films, and art by Canadian artists. It should be stressed here that in order to qualify for the deduction that it must fall within the guidelines of Canadian content. Purchases of non-Canadian music, books, etc., would not qualify.

This does several things at once. It encourages individuals and families to participate in more arts and culture related activities. It puts Canadian content at a premium over imported content. It provides an improved marketplace for Canadian artists to make a living in, the marketplace is not larger, but it is more lucrative. It encourages content producers to produce more Canadian content. It encourages venues to showcase more Canadian talent. It encourages retailers to carry more Canadian content. It encourages children, and adults to to an extent, to become more educated in the arts and to make arts and culture a more integrated part of their day to day lives. Finally, on a more timely and controversial note, the tax deduction would encourage Canadians to buy rather than download for free, Canadian music and movies.

The Canadian Government, like most Western governments, has many priorities to deal with. The military, business and industry, health care, infrastructure, the environment, education, culture, the arts and more all contend for precious tax dollars. All of these things are obviously, to varying degrees, important. Many of them are essential to the quality of life enjoyed by Canadians.

It is important to consider though that great societies are remembered as great not by their industry or military power, or even by the daily quality of life of their citizens. Even where these societies were particularly violent, or committed great attrocieties, they are remembered most by their art and cultural achievements. If we look back though history: The Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, the ancient Muslim world, ancient China and Japan, the British, Spanish, French, Germans in their glory days, and the Aboriginal cultures of North America they are remembered because of their art, architecture, literature, music, theatre and other cultural achievements. Even the great United States of America, when thought of fondly, conjures up images of Hollywood, Motown, Woodstock, Elvis, Sinatra, and Marilyn Monroe. There are some societies who achieved historical infamy without widely recognized artistic achievements. Cultures such as the Huns, Mongols, Vandals and Vikings are remembered almost purely for their brutality.

So this question comes down to what a nation wants to be remembered for. My votes are for arts and human rights. You?