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From
the pen of
Robert Genn
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Robert Genn's twice weekly letter for insight
and inspiration for your artistic career.
August 8, 2008
"In Lucca I've borrowed a friend's workshop
for a sanctuary. Wine cellar and bicycle
garage, it's a tiny grotto in the bowels
of a 13th century home, its main wall contingent
to the base of an 11th century church. In
summer's midday, while the town's at ease,
it's a cool retreat with one high window
that brings only distant bells, the occasional
chatter of children and the beguiling clip,
clip, clip of stylish heels.
Italy lives with the burden of history. To
see Michelangelo's unfinished sculptures
in Florence's Galleria dell'Accademia is
to inhale the marble dust of genius. Tuscany
itself is so laden with great art that it's
easy for artists to say, "Why bother?"
While it's difficult to know the comparative
statistics, in North America it's estimated
that four percent of the population try their
hand at fine art. I'm sure the percentage
in Europe is much lower. Is this because
Europeans have the idea that it's all been
done before?.."
Read the illustrated responses to the last letter: "Sanctuary".
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Peace of Mind
I recently received an e-mail regarding a
member of the arts community who had become
ill, was no longer able to work and needed
some financial assistance. As I have done
in the past, I sent a cheque to assist, though
I knew this was only a band-aid solution.
In the e-mail it indicated that the individual
had no savings, no RRSPs, and no Disability
Insurance. Unfortunately this is not an uncommon
story. I suspect that many readers of this
article are in need of reviewing their financial
management strategy.
As I wrote the cheque I thought back to other
cheques that I have written in similar situations
and decided it was time to spread the word
to freelancers about the importance of carrying
Disability Insurance. To begin, I conducted
an unscientific survey, asking freelancers
if they have disability insurance. The good
news was that the majority knew what Disability
Insurance was; the bad news was that the
majority did not carry it.
I know that this is an old topic but clearly
the message has not resonated with its target.
This is evidenced by the recent announcement
in the States that the Altman Family will
be matching donations to support a fund for
members of the arts community who have been
injured or fallen ill.
Why didn’t the surveyed freelancers
have coverage? One individual seriously said, “I
don’t require coverage because I am
careful at work”. Most indicated that
they are covered by WSIB or the group plan
offered with their membership in an industry
association. While these are valuable to
freelancers, WSIB only covers an individual
when they are injured on the job and many
group plans only offer short-term coverage.
Disability Insurance offers extended coverage
and, most importantly, covers you when you
slip in front of a bus, fall ill, or, in
the worst case, have been diagnosed with
an incurable disease.
After understanding the limitations of WSIB
and group plans the next reason given for
not having coverage was the cost and hassle
of signing up. I did not have an answer for
this so I enlisted the help of my Insurance
Broker to review various plans and find a
financially viable option with simple sign
up procedures.
For those unaware, Disability Insurance is
a form of insurance coverage that provides
a portion of income lost as the result of
a total or partial disability caused by either
an accident or an illness. Who should carry
this insurance? Everyone. Who MUST carry
this insurance? While it is not the law,
it is commonsense that all individuals who
are freelance and/or small business owners
should carry disability insurance.
As noted, the reason many individuals in
the arts community don’t have disability
insurance is because it is perceived to be
expensive. On average by investing approximately
3% of your annual income you can protect
almost 90% of your income. More importantly
Disability Insurance offers peace of mind,
knowing that in the event that you are injured
or fall ill, your financial situation will
remain relatively solvent.
As a small business owner, I am very aware
of the cost of insurance and the need for
Disability Insurance. But I am also very
aware of the cost when an individual does
not carry the necessary insurance and becomes
injured or is fallen by an illness. We are
all human and tragedy can strike at anytime.
There are too many in the community who have
ignored the need for RRSP’s, life insurance,
savings, and most importantly Disability
Insurance.
This article is only the first step in ensuring
that I don’t have to write any more
cheques.
Step 2 - continue to spread the word about
the importance of Disability Insurance
Step 3 - offer assistance to those with questions
Step 4 - source a cost effective and hassle
free disability insurance plan
Step 5 - ensure that the curriculum in all
Arts related programs includes a course on
the
financial responsibilities of the freelance
community
Disability Insurance = Peace of Mind.
aidan cosgrave
J.S.T. Productions
jstproductions@bellnet.ca
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Among others, in penguin eggs autumn issue,
we have articles on:
Cover feature: Fred Eaglesmith Spiked with
religious themes, Fred Eaglesmith’s
latest recording, Tinderbox, rattles around
the dusty back roads of scorched-earth farming
communities, where glazed-eyed preachers
deliver fire and brimstone holding rattlesnakes
for props.
The Penguin Eggs Interview: Billy Bragg He
was the punk who worshipped The Clash and
rasped short, sharp shock songs in a band
called Riff Raff, but abandoned dreams of
stardom to join the British army. But Billy
Bragg, the rough diamond with the razor wit
and the fastest tongue in the east (end of
London), was never cut out to be a soldier
and bought himself out of the army to return
to his first love and re-launch his career
as a one-man Clash. – Questions by
Colin Irwin
Chatam County Line The roots of Chatham County
Line came from Americana icons as diverse
as the Grateful Dead and the Del McCoury
Band. With the release of IV, Fish Griwkowsky
finds CCL brimming with confidence having
discovered its own voice.
Socalled Socalled’s revolutionary tour
de force, Ghettoblaster, merges everything
from klezmer to country on a bed of hip-hop
beats and social commentary. Nobody makes
music like this man, reckons Mary Beth Carty.
Widow Maker As their name Widow Maker suggests,
this Calgary combo fly close to the edge,
combining blues and old-time to forge their … erm … killer
bluegrass. Robert Remington discusses Jimmy
Martin’s hemorrhoids and Widow Maker’s
fine first album.
Rupa and the April Fishes Rupa and the April
Fishes emerged from San Francisco’s
Bay Area to release one of the most thrilling
debut recordings of 2007. Tony Montague uncovers
the kaleidoscope of roots styles these cultural
nomads nurture.
Little Miss Higgins Little Miss Higgins’s
country blues envelops the wind, the emptiness
of the Saskatchewan landscape, and mucky
hands from gardening. An enthralled Mike
Savada uncovers her roots.
Amos Garrett Amos Garrett pays tribute to
the late, trailblazing blues and r&b
icon Percy Mayfield on his latest release,
Get Way Back. Mike Bell considers it a stunning
achievement set amidst an illustrious career.
Boiled In Lead A quarter of a century on
and Boiled in Lead continue to break the
mould. Sandy MacDonald finds their first
release in a decade a bold and invigorating
approach to traditional folk and world music.
Ndidi Onukwulu Ndidi Onukwulu’s voice
elicits comparisons with Billie Holiday’s – not
bad company for an award-winning twenty-something-year-old
with a bold new record dedicated to the universe.
Pat Langston beams aboard.
Devotchka Devotchka scored the Oscar-nominated
soundtrack for Little Miss Sunshine. Buoyed
by that success, they made the magnificent
A Mad and Faithful Telling. It captures their
mercurial vitality and musical daring, Tony
Montague reckons.
Ghost Bees Ghost Bees sing about goblins,
vampires and ogres like Pol Pot and the Khmer
Rouge. Eerie and unconventional, Maghan Campbell
finds their taste for the macabre poignant
and painfully modern.
Law Lau grew out of Edinburgh’s invigorating,
free-wheeling pub sessions to become the
U.K.’s folk band of the year. An ecstatic
Colin Irwin chronicles the amazing pedigree
of a band propelled by improvisation.
We also have small features on Bette & Wallet,
Meg Hutchison, Norah Rendell & Brian
Miller, The North Atlantic Fiddle Convention,
Simon Gauthier and The Tara Cafe in our Big
Buzz section!
more from Roddy Campbell at Penguin Eggs!
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Canadian Conference
of the Arts
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Ottawa, November 20, 2007
Ottawa, November 20, 2007CCA Bulletin 36/07 – Update
on various files
* The Government of Canada Launches a National
Competition to Determine the Location of
the Future Portrait Gallery of Canada
* A New International Organization is Formed:
the International Federation of Coalitions
for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD)
* The CCA Writes to the Honourable Jim Prentice,
Minister of Industry
* Good News for Festivals
* Federal Subsidies and Contribution Agreements:
Where Do Things Stand?
The Government of Canada Launches a National
Competition to Determine the Location of
the Future Portrait Gallery of Canada
On November 9, 2007, the Honourable Josée
Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage and
the Honourable Michael Fortier, Minister
of Public Works and Government Services,
announced that the Government of Canada was
launching a Request for Proposals to determine
where the future Portrait Gallery of Canada
will be built. This Request is addressed
to all public and private sector presenters
in the following nine cities: Halifax, Quebec
City, Montreal, Ottawa-Gatineau, Toronto,
Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.
These cities were selected because they have
large populations and efficient transit networks,
and are likely to attract foreign visitors.
This announcement clearly marks the death
of the previous plan involving the conversion
of the former American embassy, across the
street from the Parliament Buildings, a plan
on which over 11 million dollars has already
been spent. We note as well the aborted plan
to build the Portrait Gallery in Calgary,
with funding from the private sector. The
current call for tenders marks a clear turning
point in government policy concerning national
institutions, one already evident in last
year’s announcement of the Canadian
Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, based
as well on the idea of partnerships between
the government and the private sector and
of decentralization away from the National
Capital. Ms. Verner, expressed her desire
to circulate the new Gallery’s collection,
so that as many Canadians as possible can
see the faces which have made their mark
on Canadian history. This new policy direction
is eliciting both favourable and critical
reaction.
The government hopes to make the announcement
concerning the new site of the Portrait Gallery
of Canada next spring, which leaves little
time for presenters to find partners for
such a project. According to the government’s
timeline, this new cultural installation
should welcome its first visitors during
the 2011-2012 season.
A New International Organization is Formed:
the International Federation of Coalitions
for Cultural Diversity (IFCCD)
On September 19, representatives of 37 national
coalitions favouring cultural diversity meeting
in Seville, Spain, formed the International
Federation of Coalitions for Cultural Diversity
(IFCCD). The Federation will take over from
the International Liaison Committee of Coalitions
for Cultural Diversity (ILC-CCD), which has
coordinated and provided support for the
work of various national groups since 2003,
and has liaised with UNESCO and with the
International Network on Cultural Policy
(INCP).
Organized through the efforts of the Spanish
Coalition, the founding convention was an
opportunity to set out the structure of the
Federation. A ten-person Board of Directors
was chosen, chaired by Rasmane Ouedraogo,
president of the Burkina Faso Coalition.
The Federation will be incorporated in Canada,
its headquarters will be in Montreal, and
its Secretary General will be Jim McKee,
Executive Director of Canada’s Coalition
for Cultural Diversity. Solange Drouin, co-chair
of the CCD, was elected treasurer. The French
Coalition will serve as the Federation’s
representative to UNESCO.
In the closing declaration of the Seville
meeting, the representatives of the participating
coalitions set out the mandate of the new
Federation. For example, the IFCCD will support
countries’ ratification of the Convention
on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity
of Cultural Expressions, so as to reach the
goal of ratification by 150 countries by
2010, in particular, by those countries from
under-represented areas (Asia, the Middle
East, Africa). As well, the Federation will
support the creation of new national coalitions,
and will work to speed up the implementation
of the Convention.
The CCA Writes to the Honourable Jim Prentice,
Minister of Industry
On October 29, the CCA sent a letter to the
Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry,
urging him to use his discretionary powers
to assure that Statistics Canada’s
Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating
be continued. This survey, conducted in its
present form since 2001, provides an indication
of the dollar value of all donations and
of the time given by citizens to non-profit
and charitable organizations. The survey,
and the budget associated with it, are now
at risk as a result of budgetary adjustments
taking place at Statistics Canada.
The CCA letter notes that the arts and cultural
sectors provide a livelihood for over 600
000 Canadians, many of whom work for non-profit
organizations. In many cases, these organizations
are heavily dependent on the work of volunteers
and on income from donations. The information
provided by the Statistics Canada survey
is, therefore, of great importance to many
organizations in the arts and cultural sectors
(and in other sectors), which rely on it
as a yardstick to evaluate their fundraising
efforts among private donors, as well as
their audience growth.
Good News for Festivals
On September 12, 2007, the Minister of Canadian
Heritage, the Honourable Josée Verner,
announced the creation of a new program called
Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage.
This announcement fulfills a commitment made
in the 2007 federal budget to devote $30
million a year over two years to local festivals
and special events.
One of the strong points of this announcement
is definitely the news that $7 million from
this program will be added to the budget
of Arts Presentation Canada, to provide support
to professional arts and heritage festivals.
This funding will be gradually introduced,
and will be fully available in 2009-2010.
Federal Subsidies and Contribution Agreements:
Where Do Things Stand?
Some may recall the recommendations made
last winter to the federal government by
the Blue Ribbon Panel on Grants and Contributions
An implementation process for these recommendations
has been established under the direction
of the Treasury Board, with representation
from concerned parties. Imagine Canada has
formed a working group, which meets every
six weeks with government representatives.
During a meeting this past June attended
by the CCA, the non-profit sector identified
three clear priorities, which were accepted
by the Treasury Board:
* The gradual establishment of a multiyear
funding scheme
* The establishment of a uniform implementation
regime for all departments
* A commitment by the government to set measurable
standards regarding the handling of applications
(e.g. standardized forms, time limits for
processing applications, verification requirements,
etc.)
Given that the administration of many subsidy
programs and contribution agreements has
been transferred to the provinces, the working
group formed by Imagine Canada will look
at the need for provinces to take measures
similar to those being developed at the federal
level. Significant progress on this question
should take place during 2008, and the CCA
will keep you informed of any major developments.
Publication of
Canadian
Conference of the Arts
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