CCA Bulletin 1/09

January 16, 2009

Research at the Canadian Conference of the Arts

Just the Facts

Continuing in our pursuit of rigorous research and informing stakeholders in the arts and cultural sector, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has established a permanent Research Advisory Committee. In consultation with Canada’s arts and cultural sector, this Committee will guide the CCA’s direction in pursuing the most relevant research themes. The expertise of the committee will allow the CCA to formalize a systematic research program and identify key areas of focus and direction.

This committee’s current membership comprises the following persons who have generously accepted to help the CCA in this matter:

Monica Gattinger, Associate Professor, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

Kelly Hill, President, Hill Strategies Research

Claire McCaughey, Research Manager, Strategic Initiatives Division, Canada Council for the Arts

Catherine Murray, Professor and Co-Director of the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities, Simon Fraser University

D. Paul Schafer, Director, World Culture Project

William Straw, Professor, Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University

Other members will be asked to join the Committee in the coming months.

The committee is responsible for providing advice to the CCA both on the best practices to systematize and structure its research program, and on the research themes that could be priorities in the coming years. Based on consultations with CCA members and on the recommendations of the Committee, the Board of Governors will determine the projects to be pursued.

Tell me more

Since refocusing its mandate in 2006, the Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) has integrated research activities into its regular operations. The research activities of the CCA offer arts and culture analysis and studies on matters which inform the sector about current issues and long-term trends. During the last year and a half, partnerships with Canadian and foreign universities have led to the publication of four reports destined to inform the discussions taking place in the Canadian arts and cultural sector.

In the fall off 2007, the CCA published The Place of Arts and Culture in Canadian Foreign Policy, a research paper prepared by Rachael Maxwell of University College Dublin. The study served as the basis for a symposium organized in Montreal by the CCA on November 22, 2007. In early 2008, the CCA repeated the experience by publishing the research paper From Economy to Ecology: A Policy Framework for Creative Labour, presented by Mirjam Gollmitzer and Catherine Murray of the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities at Simon Fraser University. The document was released in parallel with the International Forum on the Creative Economy organized jointly by the Conference Board of Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage.

The widespread interest in these papers encouraged the continued research activities of the CCA. Consequently, the 2008 Regional Forum tour launch was accompanied by the publication of two studies. These papers were used as discussion papers for a national discussion on the place of arts and culture on the agenda of decision makers. The first paper, Making a Single Case for the Arts: An international Perspective, written by Alexandra Slaby, Université de Caen, examines best practices of advocacy in cultural communities of the world. The second piece was produced in cooperation with the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa: The Effects of Administrative Reforms on the Activities of Advocacy Groups, written by Pierre-André Hudon, explores the current Canadian context for sector mobilization and cohesion.

Those studies published by the CCA can be downloaded for free, in English and in French, on the website of the CCA.

The committee will continue to meet in the coming months to further structure the CCA’s approach to research initiatives. We will keep you informed of the evolution of their discussions. Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions about the research program of the CCA or if you wish to submit ideas on research themes that should be discussed by the committee, please do not hesitate to tell us by contacting Jessica Litwin, Cultural Policy Advisor, at jessica.litwin@ccarts.ca or by phone at 613-238-3561, ext. 16.