CCA BULLETIN / BULLETIN DE LA CCA
“I've always loved challenges” — Jean Malavoy joins the CCA
Passing the Flame: Former National Director Megan Davis Williams and the new National Director, Jean Malavoy at the CCA's annual business meeting in Toronto .
Ottawa , July 15th, 2004 - When the CCA's new National Director, Jean Malavoy, speaks of his new role, it is with the fervour of a true believer.
"Representing the interests of artists across Canada is a calling, almost religious", he says. "You need to have faith, and I do."
Jean comes to the CCA with a wealth of experience in the cultural sector. Before joining the CCA, he was the Executive Director of La Nouvelle Scène, a francophone arts venue in Ottawa . His past work also includes 12 years at the Ontario Arts Council, as well as time at the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Bureau des regroupements des artistes visuels en Ontario (BRAVO), and the Conseil des organismes francophones du Toronto métropolitain. Jean also worked as a consultant in the cultural sector through his company, Jean Malavoy & Associés.
His first week at the CCA was hectic, as the organization prepared for board and annual business meetings in Toronto , together with a reception for outgoing National Director Megan Davis Williams - events which provided Jean an opportunity to meet with the board and many CCA members on a personal basis.
"I've come to the CCA at a very good time, on the eve of its 60th anniversary. The CCA has an excellent national reputation, which has been built up piece by piece" he says. "The staff is a well-qualified team, which will prove a tremendous asset to me in my work."
One challenge which he holds dear to his heart is to make Canadians aware of the fundamental role artists play in this country's quality of life. "Artists should be recognized and valued by society, and be able to make a decent living. We mustn't forget that it is artists who civilize us." He sees the arts as central to this country's well-being.
Among the challenges for the next year, Jean lists as top priorities the protection of Canada 's cultural industries, the creation of a national strategy on arts and education, and the defence of free expression for Canadian artists. He has an ambitious scheduled planned: "I want to embark on a national tour, to take the pulse of people, to listen. The art of listening often leads to good results" he says. "I want to make myself known to those in the cultural sector, as well as to youth in the schools. Armed with the knowledge of the wants and needs of the sector, I'll be well prepared for the job."
"I've always loved challenges" he says, "and the CCA represents a terrific one."
For more information:
Kevin Desjardins
Communications and Public Relations Manager
(613) 238 3561 ext.11
Fax (613) 238 4849
35/04
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