State of the Arts

State 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.

Our State of the Arts work at a glance:

  • 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. During State of the Arts 2019, we sent out individual and organization surveys, and conducted numerous regional consultations across Quebec.

  • Host an Activation Conference on February 28, 2019

    The Activation Conference is intended for anyone interested in cultivating creative solutions, finding ways to mobilize, amassing resources, identifying needs for capacity, building networks, and being proactive in a fun and positive atmosphere that will constructively and productively affect the current State of the Arts in Quebec. View the full conference program here!

  • Identify and support meaningful opportunities and initiatives...

    …that emerge from our conversations

Contact Farah Fancy – farahfancy@quebec-elan.org or Amy Macdonald – amymacdonald@quebec-elan.org for more information about ELAN’s State of the Arts project.

Activation Conference

aims to establish actions for long-term impact.

Assertion Sessions

are designed to amplify your voice.

Affirmation Workshops

are designed to meet your needs.

State of the Arts 2019:
Activation Conference

  • A teach-in on how to collaborate ethically with First Nations, Metis and Inuit artists.

  • Break out sessions on themes including:

    The Well-Being of Artists, Artists in Schools, Artists and Identity Politics, Funding, Accessibility in the Arts, and Connecting Across Sectors and Regions.

  • Collective resource sharing and building.

  • Live notes from the conference:

    Whether you missed the conference or just want to refresh your memory, you can review the key points discussed during the each of the conference sessions. Documents contain notes on the presentations, questions from the audience, as well as useful links to shared resources. You can view signed in with your Google account, or you can remain anonymous by opening the documents while signed out of your account. Click here to view Live Notes!

Funding Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des arts du Canada de son soutien.