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.

State of the Arts Activation Conference, February 2019.
Video was created by Daybi.

State of the Arts 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.

Identify and support meaningful opportunities and initiatives

that emerge from our conversations.

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.

Art Nomade & Maggie Winston.

Public Expert Pitches

A selection of artists will pitch a positive change project to event attendees.

Top-voted artists will receive up to $1500 to make their project come to life.

Congratulations:

State of the Arts 2019:
Activation Conference

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!

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
  • Connecting Across Sectors and Regions

Collective resource sharing and building.

Networking opportunities to make meaningful connections.

Live Notes: Activation 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.

View Live Notes

Nadine St-Louis presenting at State of the Arts Activation Conference. Still from video by Daybi.

“Well-Being of the Artist: Playing for Wellness” by Lisa Ndejuru and Joliane Allaire. Still from video by Daybi.

Funding Acknowledgments

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