Canadian Conference of the Arts

What is the Canadian Conference of the Arts?
The Canadian Conference of the Arts (CCA) is the national forum for the arts and cultural community in Canada. It provides research, analysis and consultations on public policies affecting the arts and the Canadian cultural institutions and industries. The CCA fosters informed public debate on policy issues and seeks to advance the cultural rights of Canadians.

What have they been up to?
Conference of the Arts is pleased to announce the National Cultural Strategy Workshop – a Chalmers Event and the CCA Awards Ceremony to be held in Ottawa on March 12, 2009.
Against the backdrop of recent cuts to arts and cultural programs, an election campaign where the arts and culture featured as a key national issue, and an international crisis the Canadian economy in jeopardy, this Workshop will present an opportunity to address some of the short-term and long-term challenges now facing the sector.

Following an extensive nation-wide consultation with the arts and cultural sector, the CCA’s National Director, Alain Pineau, will present a Report on the CCA Regional Forums. The report will inform this National Cultural Strategy Workshop so that our sector may begin mapping out the path to achieving our goals.

Anne L’Ecuyer, of Americans for the Arts (AFTA), will share the experiences of the American arts community as it moved from disarray to a strong, coherent, and effective national political voice. She will then conduct a workshop systematizing a five-stage approach to gaining consensus and strategies to help move the sector into a coordinated future direction.

After completing the strategy workshop, the CCA will invite participants to celebrate the artistic achievements of the sector by attending the evening CCA Awards Ceremony. The most notable award is the Diplôme d’honneur, first presented in 1954 to Vincent Massey in recognition for his work on developing Canada’s fledgling arts policies. Past recipients include such noted Canadians as Joe Fafard, Bluma Appel, and renowned Canadian author, Roch Carrier. The second award to be presented is the Keith Kelly Award for Cultural Leadership, named after a past National Director of the CCA who distinguished himself as a strong advocate for the arts in Canada.

Read a re-cap, (live blogged at the time of the Workshop) and make your comments here
http://ccarts.ca/en/agora/