YOUTH - MIA
I smiled to myself this morning when I was approached by yet another person with the same question: “How do you think we can bring more youth to conferences like this?”
I smile because about 6 years ago when I first moved to Ottawa and volunteered at the National Art Gallery (I volunteered there because I wasn’t aware of any other art organizations in Ottawa at the time) I was asked the very same question. This has been a burning question for me since the first time I was asked it. It is this question that has motivated me to put my energy into community arts (bringing art to the people instead of waiting for people to come to it). More specifically, it is this question that inspired me to found a youth art advisory group: YAM (Youth Arts Movement) under a community art organization (Lakeshore Arts) in Toronto. http://www.lakeshorearts.ca/
If you ask me, as far as content goes, I feel that the CCA has done a great job at including youth and a youth perspective in this particular conference. I think that if the CCA and all of the individuals and groups it represents are serious about having youth representation then they need to welcome and support a youth perspective. The only way any group will ever get youth participation is if they give youth the opportunity to have a voice.
However, this would require that youth be regarded as peers rather than kids with crazy ideas.
I urge any of you who have puzzled and pondered over this burning question to take a trip down to the corner of Bronson and Slater (AKA The Piece Park or Tech Wall) in Ottawa to realize that youth are serious and passionate about art too. http://www.ravensview.ca
I worked with young artists in Ottawa to help make “the Piece Park” into a place that would offer both art and recreation for the public. Our closest link to any sort of advocacy group was the Ottawa Youth Cabinet. Unfortunately, because art is not the central focus of the cabinet our initiative has since been swept under the rug.
To keep the CCA’s heart beating at a healthy rate, young blood must be pumped through the ARTeries of Canada’s cultural sector.
I smile because about 6 years ago when I first moved to Ottawa and volunteered at the National Art Gallery (I volunteered there because I wasn’t aware of any other art organizations in Ottawa at the time) I was asked the very same question. This has been a burning question for me since the first time I was asked it. It is this question that has motivated me to put my energy into community arts (bringing art to the people instead of waiting for people to come to it). More specifically, it is this question that inspired me to found a youth art advisory group: YAM (Youth Arts Movement) under a community art organization (Lakeshore Arts) in Toronto. http://www.lakeshorearts.ca/
If you ask me, as far as content goes, I feel that the CCA has done a great job at including youth and a youth perspective in this particular conference. I think that if the CCA and all of the individuals and groups it represents are serious about having youth representation then they need to welcome and support a youth perspective. The only way any group will ever get youth participation is if they give youth the opportunity to have a voice.
However, this would require that youth be regarded as peers rather than kids with crazy ideas.
I urge any of you who have puzzled and pondered over this burning question to take a trip down to the corner of Bronson and Slater (AKA The Piece Park or Tech Wall) in Ottawa to realize that youth are serious and passionate about art too. http://www.ravensview.ca
I worked with young artists in Ottawa to help make “the Piece Park” into a place that would offer both art and recreation for the public. Our closest link to any sort of advocacy group was the Ottawa Youth Cabinet. Unfortunately, because art is not the central focus of the cabinet our initiative has since been swept under the rug.
To keep the CCA’s heart beating at a healthy rate, young blood must be pumped through the ARTeries of Canada’s cultural sector.
1 Comments:
Robin - thanks for linking to me. I wish I'd known of this conference, I would have crashed it for sure.
Mike/ravensview
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