Strategic philanthropy
Newfoundland and Labrador is renowned for its vibrant and dynamic culture that celebrates the arts in all its forms, including music, theatre, visual art, humour, literature, textiles, dance and traditional arts. Indeed, the burgeoning tourism industry capitalizes on this reputation.
It is well established that support for the arts both raises the quality of life for inhabitants and makes the province more attractive for investors, business and newcomers. The need to develop the arts in Newfoundland and Labrador is a key factor in business assessments of the province, and it is key to developments in educational curricula, quality of life, interaction among diverse peoples and the maintenance of our arts industries. Its corporate benefits include strongly impacting regional development, corporate responsibility, employee attraction and retention, and marketing.
Social benefits include education, community engagement, multiculturalism and regional identity. And publicly accessible art and cultural development promote primary values of our society: freedom, experimentation, diversity and concern.
Given all this, what might our government do to develop productively that support base? How might we leverage the role of arts to encourage community interaction and citizen engagement in the continued well-being of the province?
One way to support the arts is historical: by reminding ourselves that society has always supported the arts precisely for their social benefits. This should not be something for which we are obliged to argue. Rather, we must outline an extremely compelling case not to support the social value of the arts when we decide not to fund them.
Another way is to dynamically foster activities that democratize the arts by actively maintaining a well-developed, interactive provincial online platform. A dedicated online space that connects arts practitioners, users and supporters could link to pre-existing online organizational spaces, but would remain a strong connector mobilizing interaction for potential arts users and for visitors. Specifically, the creation of a Newfoundland and Labrador arts and culture online platform would open web-accessible space to hold virtual workshops, online magazines, virtual “jam sessions,” critical and explanatory blogs, and ongoing province-wide calendars of events that identify cultural happenings.
The rich talent in tacit local knowledge, such as carving, storytelling, knitting, and singing, and more organized forms of arts knowledge, such as theatrical productions, publishing houses, galleries and art educators, would have a real forum to publicize the province’s arts and culture as a whole and to promote engagement with the arts more broadly and clearly. We must develop public appreciation for what the arts can offer Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, because without it the province loses its lively identity. Promoting culture attracts newcomers and investors. A dedicated curated web-space will help to overcome the vast geographical distances separating regions of artists and audiences, and thereby will help to facilitate planning, interaction and mutual support.
A manageable way of developing support for the arts also requires new models of two fundamental practices: giving and asking. Models of giving are encouraged by promoting initiatives that connect funders with practitioners. For instance, championing more strongly meaningful “Patron of the Arts” awards for individuals and especially for businesses and organizations at regional and provincial levels would encourage novel modes of connecting arts practitioners with new communities. Similarly, creating public art projects for public spaces — from town centres to walkways to parks — brings art into the spaces people move through daily.
New modes of asking include developing community–business initiatives that encourage the participation of artists in public celebrations, such as outdoor light projections or temporary sculpture parks. Here, artists could educate and publicize their practices while businesses could promote themselves; asking is made specific and mutually beneficial to everyone, and the arts are made democratically public to everyone’s benefit. For example, the House of Assembly could lead this process by reconsidering the legislative chamber’s adornment with large-scale oil paintings of past speakers that memorialize a past that is no longer representative of the voices or interests of the province. The House could initiate public consultations with our arts communities to rehouse these portraits in a suitable explanatory environment, and to revitalize the chamber with a political neutrality and inclusivity.
Ultimately, involving artists in public representations, developing new models of arts patronage, and developing a province-wide calendar of events would help to democratize the arts for maximal impact and accessibility across the province. New initiatives for interaction would boost the changing identity of the province, sustain regional points of identity, encourage accessibility into remote and specialized cultural forms, develop job opportunities, and integrate public and private industries into our cultural life.
Jennifer Dyer (Gender Studies/humanities, Memorial University of Newfoundland) is a frequent commenter at the institutional, civic and provincial levels in Newfoundland and Labrador on arts funding, corporate cultural engagement and the social value of art. This article is an excerpt from “The Democracy Cookbook: Recipes to Renew Governance in Newfoundland and Labrador” (ISER Books, 2017).
We must develop public appreciation for what the arts can offer Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, because without it the province loses its lively identity.