Guy Rodgers with John Hobday (Independent Arts Consultant who has worked for Canada Council for the Arts, the Samuel & Saidye Bronfman Family Foundation, CBC, and more) at State of the Arts in 2011.
Photo by Dimitri Nasrallah
Fifteen years ago, the Quebec Arts Summit brought together 150 artists and cultural workers to take stock of an English-language cultural renaissance that had become noticeable after the referendum of 1995. The rapidly growing number of English-artists choosing to live and work in Quebec was a revelation, and the inspiration for ELAN’s creation. Seven years later, in 2011, ELAN organized State of the Arts, a three-day gathering of artists and cultural workers from all disciplines and from many regions of Quebec. Principle activities took place at la Société des arts technologiques (SAT), where 100+ community leaders discussed challenges and opportunities, debated strategies and brainstormed innovative ideas. Satellite activities took place at Centaur Theatre, the launch of the book Minority Report: An Alternative History of English-Language Arts in Quebec, and a series of thought-provoking panel discussions at la Maison du Conseil des arts de Montréal.
In February and March, ELAN is hosting a new edition of State of the Arts. The emphasis is on diversity and inclusion. At our 2011 event, our priorities were to connect with younger artists, newly emerging disciplines, and artistic communities outside Montreal. In 2019, project manger Farah Fancy has expanded the consultation format to include small group discussions and personal consultations around Quebec to engage a more diverse group of people in the conversation. With the assistance of Emily Enhorning, ELAN’s Membership Coordinator, Farah has also prepared two short surveys that we encourage you to take. One of the surveys is for individual artists living in Quebec and the other is for arts and cultural organizations. Each survey will only take a few minutes to complete.
The English-speaking arts community in 2019 is distinctly different than it was 15 years ago. ELAN was founded by artists whose references were rooted in 20th century issues of official languages and historical tensions between the two solitudes. That has been a significant part of our mandate and we have made significant progress. The 21st century has brought new challenges and opportunities. This edition of State of the Arts signals a turning point for ELAN, in part a generational transition, and in part a valuable updating of ELAN’s mandate and mission for current and future members. We hope you’ll be part of it.
Guy Rodgers
Executive Director
ELAN & LEARN have teamed up to manage the Government of Canada’s Community Cultural Action Fund Micro-Grant Program for Minority Schools in Quebec. The goal of the program is to provide students in minority language schools with opportunities to experience the arts ELAN will be overseeing the administration of the program and will be working collaboratively with LEARN to reach the 300+ English schools.
We are seeking proposals from Communications Specialists to develop outreach strategies and design communications tools required to successfully launch a micro-grant program that aims to bring arts and culture in English-language schools in Quebec. Deadline for submissions is JANUARY 28, 2019. Click here for details.
Surveillez les événements et les activités à venir en lien avec le Sommet des arts, notamment de nombreux ateliers, appels à projets pour les artistes, séances de réseautage, partage de ressources, et plus encore !
Nous organiserons toute une journée consacrée au Sommet des arts, le 28 février 2019. Assurez-vous de mettre cette date à votre agenda !
Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur le Sommet des arts.
Aidez-nous à compiler des données concrètes. Grâce à ce sondage, nous espérons mieux identifier les obstacles auxquels font face les artistes et les travailleurs culturels du Québec, ainsi que leurs aspirations et objectifs pour un meilleur avenir.
Le sondage est uniquement disponible en anglais, mais les réponses en français sont les bienvenues.
Help us compile real data! Through this survey, we hope to learn more about barriers faced by members of the arts and cultural community in Quebec, as well as the aspirations and goals they have for a better artistic future.
Click here to begin the survey!
Your engagement is important to us. Visit the State of the Arts web page to stay up-to-date on future surveys, resources, reports, events, and more ways you can participate.
Photos by Mariam Assaf
For the past few years, ELAN has been busy producing some exciting and ambitious projects. The Performing Arts Market Access Showcases project, funded by the Canada Council, wrapped up its two-year pilot programme in November with the final showcase in Montreal, during the international performing arts biennale CINARS.
ELAN produced an OFF-CINARS performing arts showcase on November 14th, 2018 at Theatre Sainte-Catherine. The showcase presented three performances to a crowd of national and international presenters, managers, producers, agents, artists, friends and family. The performances were: Pluck’d, written by Ke Xin Li and directed by Sophie Gee, A Casual (Strikethrough) Reconstruction by Nadia Myre and Johanna Nutter, and a Wants & Needs dance showcase curated by Sasha Kleinplatz and Andrew Tay featuring 5 4-minute dynamic pieces by Hanako Hoshimi-Caines, Lucy May, Dorian Nuskin-Oder, Alexis O’Hara and Katie Ward. The showcase sold out, with guests coming from Australia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Spain, the UK the USA, and across Canada. Many stayed for an informal party where people could meet, chat and hang out.
The party was also the official launch of a booklet presenting 41 theatre and dance English-speaking artists from Quebec and their tour-ready work. This reference booklet for interested bookers and presenters was distributed during CINARS at the exhibition hall, at official events, during personal meetings, and around the city. From our booth in CINARS exhibition hall, our project team had a chance to promote Quebec artists to touring organizations from around the world. We will be submitting a final report to the Canada Council in January, containing recommendations for future market access activities.
We thank Emilia Alvarez and Mariam Assaf for their hard work
and for producing a successful ELAN project!
Emilia Alvarez – Project Manager
Mariam Assaf – Project Assistant
Click here to see the catalogue
2018State of the Arts is a community consultation aimed to better understand how we as artists, cultural workers, arts organizers, funders, and audiences are all connected, and how we can help each other strengthen our arts community together through thoughtful collaboration and meaningful exchanges.
ELAN recognizes that there are many rapidly evolving conversations regarding access, inclusion, working conditions, economics, appropriation, and other barriers that prevent our community from thriving.
Through this project, we commit to actively listen and find practical ways to recognize and validate the diverse experiences of artists who speak in English and who make up an important segment of Quebec’s evolving identity.
Through State of the Arts, we will:
- Compile and share existing resources
- Build relationships in Montreal and the Regions
- Have in-person and online conversations to learn more about your needs, wants, barriers, and actions
- Host a one-day event on February 28, 2019 (save the date!)
- Identify and support meaningful opportunities and initiatives that emerge from our conversations
Get Involved! Your opinions and feedback are important to us.
Be sure to watch out for upcoming surveys, which will be shared via email.
We appreciate your participation!
If you have any questions about this ELAN project,
contact Amy Macdonald at amymacdonald@quebec-elan.org.
We thank everyone who came out on June 11, 2018 for the ELAN & FRINGE Schmoozer! We had a great time meeting, speaking and ‘schmoozing’ with all of you!
Here are a few photos from the event:
Photos by Nasuna Stuart-Ulin
