Advocating for the arts in election season

I’ve been getting regular updates from a relatively new initiative called “Ontarians for the Arts.”

It began last October, when a group of “artists, arts workers, and arts supporters” assembled to talk about “how we could work together to convey the power and impact of the arts in Ontario to decision makers in time for the next provincial election.”

The next step was presenting the concept at a gathering of provincial, national and regional arts organizations, including local arts councils from all parts of the province.

Overarching aims include increasing investment in arts and culture at the provincial level, and strengthening Ontario’s arts and cultural policies.

To those ends, the organization set out to:

• co-ordinate local and Ontariowide arts advocacy, including for provincial elections;

• develop key messaging for prebudget consultations;

• produce a communiqué on the provincial budget as it relates to support for arts and culture in Ontario;

• develop analysis and commentary on significant provincial arts legislation and policy; and

• participate in public consultations and prepare written submissions on significant legislation and policy

Guiding principles for this work include:

• achieving broad-reaching consensus in our discussions, consultations and decision-making;

• establishing positive relationships, based on mutual respect, with all political parties; and

• taking a positive and constructive approach to advocacy by both providing a critical eye and offering solutions or alternatives to provincial legislation, policy and programs

Arts and culture in our communities no longer have any kind of organization to represent us, and so weren’t included in that formative process.

Nevertheless, the “we” setting out to work together here includes us: Ontarians for the Arts is an “all inclusive non-partisan movement intent on promoting the benefits of the arts in every city, community and reserve in every corner of the province.”

The group sends out a regular bulletin from its headquarters in the 401 Richmond building in Toronto.

The latest communique includes an announcement for what will be the “primary activism vehicle” for the movement: “Arts Action Now.”

With a focus on the rapidly approaching provincial election, they’re looking for “insightful, knowledgeable and proactive community leaders” willing to serve as volunteer arts advocates in ridings all over Ontario. The aim is to engage with as many MPPs and candidates as possible between now and the June 7 election.

Local teams will arrange these meetings, which can take place in art spaces, public places or a candidate’s office. Ontarians for the Arts will provide advocacy materials and training. The plan is to have local advocates go into the sessions fully prepared, with speaking notes on hand.

Local teams will then debrief, complete a short evaluation, and send the feedback to OA headquarters.

Every week, starting Monday, March 26, there will be a onehour teleconference training session for Arts Action Now volunteers. To get involved visit www.ontariansforthearts.ca and click on sign up form, or send an email message with your full name, telephone number and email address, as well as your home and work electoral districts, to meetings@ontariansforthearts.

I’m not going to sign up just yet, but I will connect with my Waterloo Region Arts Reboot colleagues to discuss ways we can help ensure that the five electoral districts in our region are fully represented as part of this process.

This also serves as a reminder that it is high time to start thinking about the municipal elections coming up in the fall.