Independent arts groups and business sector need to waltz
I’ ve lived in Vancouver for more than 30 years. It has been a very conscious decision — a decision that has largely to do with the allure of this region’s independent spirit and sensibility. In turn, I am fortunate to be part of an arts community founded on hard work and not entitlement, where human resources are not only a tangible asset, they are often the only asset. Where a sense of “history in the making” is still very palpable; and the future is very much yet to be defined.
Pride and enthusiasm aside, the city’s independent performing arts scene has not done a particularly great job at connecting with the private sector. And when we do — in order to underwrite our vision and aspirations — it’s not been sustained enough to make a real dent, to really prove the long- term worth of our efforts.
There are some valid reasons: lack of human resources, business contacts and networks. We have, without a doubt, one of the most resourceful and hardworking arts communities in the country. But a dearth of financial resources has also led to a poverty mindset that too often undervalues and undersells the worth of our community’s assets.
“All the head offices are back east.” Sure, this is true to a point. Yet branch employees live right here. Their lives are lived right here. They have sponsorship and philanthropic budgets at their discretion — within limits. And while head office has larger national envelopes, it, too, has its limits, above which it, too, needs a sign- off by counterparts elsewhere in the country.
The fact is the Lower Mainland has many, many head offices of its own. Hootsuite is here. So is Mozilla. Did you know the phone APS for the New York Times and the HBO network ( along with the Vancouver Canucks) were all developed by the same Vancouverbased firm? And the list is much, much longer.
Yet of the many locally based, industryleading digital media companies, architectural firms, biotechs, fashion lines or animation studios, how many can you name that invest in the local arts sector? One would think they share with the arts community a similar sense of creativity, determination and ingenuity.
There are natural affinities with the for- profit world; it’s the very same entrepreneurial and innovative spirit that drives so many organizations in this region’s social- profit arts sector. They are shared economic and social interests, too. Whether you buy into the arguments of Richard Florida or the mythologies of a “creative city,” the arts are quintessentially human, and very much at the centre of daily life and our reflections on being alive at this moment in time.
Vancouver is too often seen as a “small” market. There is a highly sophisticated, loyal and values- based clientele that does not need marketing dollars to be reached. Simply deliver a good product with integrity and business will take care of itself.
OK, but what of “brand association” — making the link between what we, on the independent arts side, do, and how they, on the corporate side, want to be viewed? This transaction can be achieved at a fraction of the cost of investing in a “blue chip” or “mainframe” arts organization. Think of it as a factor of 10: For every dollar invested, the impact and return on it is 10 times that of a similar investment in a much larger institution.
As a sector, we need to do a better job of seeking financial investments from individuals and corporate entities. The private sector, on the other hand, would be wise to take a close look at Vancouver’s thriving arts scene in order to fully appreciate where their employees and customer base are spending a great deal of social time, psychic energy and hardearned dollars.
Arts organizations seemingly at the margins are, in fact, very much at the centre. We are the pioneers, the groundbreakers, the tastemakers, the outliers — we are at the front of the curve. We are wrestling with the difficult questions, the questions that may yet to have a name, but which will in time prove to be the most troubling and the most pressing. I’d like to think there are those in the private sector who think like us, who have similar values, who appreciate the economic equation and perhaps even share the same world view.