Let’s be sure to support our emerging artists

Montrealers’ respect for the arts helps make this a great place to live, Claudine and Stephen Bronfman say.

As one of the nation’s major metropolitan centres, our city has made the arts a priority, as the 2007- 2017 Montréal métropole culturelle action plan and the related development of the Quartier des spectacles demonstrate.

We believe that, as a community, we must ensure that the strength of the visual and media arts in Montreal is protected through the participation of the public in cultural activities, as well as financial investment across sectors.

Artists who live and work in our city are essential to the success of these investments. Their presence in our city contributes to our reputation as a cultural hub. Their inspired ideas for the use of technology and their fresh take on sociopolitical discourse ensure that the work produced in our city is cutting edge.

Many of Canada’s emerging artists start their careers in Montreal. Their journey from emerging to established artists is a challenging one. Many have made a considerable financial and personal investment to pursue graduate degrees in the visual arts.

Starting within the remarkable educational institutions of our city, these artists are encouraged and challenged by their professors and peers and are given the space to experiment. There are hives of studios, workshops and multimedia labs within a stone’s throw of some of Montreal’s finest cultural institutions and museums. Campus art galleries provide experimental space, critical for fostering experience.

Once in the professional world, artists must rely on a complex network of galleries, artistrun organizations, collectors, writers, critics, funders and benefactors.

Statistics Canada reported that culture, defined as a creative, artistic activity, the goods produced by it, and the preservation of heritage, generates billions of dollars and hundreds of

Many of Canada’s emerging artists start their careers in Montreal.

thousands of jobs. This cultural production made up 3 per cent of the total Canadian economy in 2010. Increasing pressure on limited public funds makes public- sector investments in the arts a constant challenge. If they cannot secure funding, our city ’s emerging artists must take positions that bring in income, limiting the time they have to spend on producing the influential work that helps affirm Montreal’s leadership in the arts.

Supporting our art community ensures that we maintain a rich and diverse offering of galleries and events, nourishing the roots of Montreal’s cultural sector. Investments from philanthropists, community and business leaders are essential for our city to remain a leader as a cultural hub and to benefit from the resulting economic activity.

We are deeply committed to ensuring our city thrives and finds prosperity from the incredible work being done here. One of the most powerful ways to do this is by supporting emerging artists.

That’s why we have funded the annual Claudine and Stephen Bronfman Fellowships in Contemporary Art since 2010 — to support the work of one graduate student from the faculty of fine arts at Concordia University and one graduate student from the faculty of arts of Université du Québec à Montréal.

The nature of the arts — and the role of our educational institutions as a nexus for the creative community in Montreal — means that while our support might be targeted it cannot help but ripple out into the city at large.

It is Montrealers’ respect for the arts that makes this city such a wonderful place to live and a magnet for visitors. We can all play a role in supporting our city ’s cultural future.

With an open heart, we invite you to walk around our city imagining “who” is behind each artwork you encounter. We are certain that in at least some small way, you will be not just enriched by the arts, you may be transformed.