SAA Bulletin – November 2013
In this issue…
SAA welcomes Ian McWilliams as Research Officer
SAA Op-Ed: Dance Education Today!
Call to Action: Metcalf Foundation Survey
Canada Council Inter-Arts Office Report on Consultations
A Blueprint for Arts Programs to Attract and Retain Urban Tweens
Talk to Your MP via Social Media
Edna Jaques Live!
SAA WELCOMES IAN MCWILLIAMS AS RESEARCH OFFICER
Ian McWilliams joins the Saskatchewan Arts Alliance as our part-time Research Officer. Ian has almost completed his Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Canadian Plains Studies at the University of Regina. Ian’s thesis research focuses on Town Hall/Opera Houses and related performative events within early Saskatchewan communities. For the past decade, he has been variously employed as an actor, broadcaster, student, and educator. McWilliams earned both his B.F.A. and M.A. at the University of Saskatchewan. He is excited to work as the SAA’s Research Officer and can be reached at research@artsalliance.sk.ca or by phone, 306-780-9835.
SAA OP-ED: DANCE EDUCATION TODAY!
Don’t miss Ann Kipling Brown’s Op-Ed on dance education in the province, the core philosophy, the curriculum, and the reality that “the comprehensive curriculum that invites children to investigate dance, to explore their own dance expressions and learn about why people dance is ignored.”
TALK TO YOUR MP VIA SOCIAL MEDIA
The Canadian Arts Coalition is calling on arts advocates to talk to their Members of Parliament through meetings and social media. MPs have become more accessible via Twitter and other social media which provides real opportunities to get our messages across in simple and efficient ways.
Step 1: Find your MP
Step 2: Find their twitter handle
Step 3: Send them one of the sample tweets
Don’t forget to include the hashtag #arts308 so that Canadian Arts Coalition volunteers and other arts enthusiast may find your tweet and retweet it. For
more information about how you can interact with your MP on social media or in face-to-face meetings, visit the Canadian Arts Coalition’s website.
CALL TO ACTION: METCALF FOUNDATION SURVEY
The Metcalf Foundation is determining the viability of a shared platform for the arts – a legal and administrative home that could save emerging companies from having to incorporate as independent charities. The SAA urges independent artists, collectives, organizations, in all disciplines, to complete the survey.
CANADA COUNCIL INTER-ARTS OFFICE REPORT ON CONSULTATIONS
From May 1 to July 31, 2013, the Canada Council for the Arts’ Inter-Arts Office held a national consultation to inform its review of operating programs. The report, What We Heard, brings together 221 quotes from meetings with over 300 stakeholders and over 100 crowd engagement platform and email submissions from across the country. Changes to programs will be announced during the spring of 2014. Pass on the word.
Download the report | Send feedback by December 15: consult-ia@canadacouncil.ca
A BLUEPRINT FOR ARTS PROGRAMS TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN URBAN TWEENS
The Wallace Foundation commissioned Something to Say: Success Principles for Afterschool Arts Programs From Urban Youth and Other Experts. The authors spoke to hundreds of young people in their homes and neighborhoods along with their families, directors of exemplary programs and other knowledgeable sources. The result: 10 principles for developing effective, high-quality arts programs that can attract urban tweens – and keep them coming.
To read the report, find a summary of key findings, view an infographic, watch related videos and register for a free Nov. 14th webinar to hear from the authors, click here.
EDNA JAQUES LIVE!
Don’t miss Edna James Live, a new premiere by Ken Mitchell, starring Michele Sereda, and directed by Kelly Handerek at the Artesian on 13th on November 29th – December 1. To find out more, visit the Burning Sun Productions website or phone 306.757.3820.
SASKATCHEWAN ARTS ALLIANCE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary Blackstone
Kelly Jo Burke
Chrystene Ells
Shelley Ewing
Terry Fenton
Bart Gazzola
Pamela Haig Bartley
Marcus Miller
Yvette Nolan
Gordon Pepper
The Saskatchewan Arts Alliance is a non-profit coalition of arts organizations provides a collective voice for the arts in Saskatchewan. Established in 1984, SAA advocates on issues such as public funding of the arts, freedom of expression and artists’ working conditions.
