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| Board of Directors ~ 2010-2011
President~ Craig Spence
1st Vice President~ vacant
2nd Vice President~ Louise Framst
Secretary~ Margo Lamont
Treasurer~ George Opacic
Van/Sunshine Coast Rep~ Daniela Elza
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Director At Large~ Renee Sarojini Saklikar
Director-at-Large~ Susan Greig *** There are numerous opportunities to get involved and volunteer with the Federation. T he Fed is 95% volunteer-run. If you have a skill or talent to share and a few hours a month - please email the Fed. office (fedbcwriters@gmail.com) saying what you'd like to do, how long a time commitment you can make, and please send along your resume. We also need people to take 2-hr. shifts at our tables at Word On the Street in September, and at the Surrey International Writers' Conference in October, and the Vancouver International Writers' Festival in October. Email for more info. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Literary Writes Competition 2010 Winners Congratulations to the winners in this year’s genre of Creative Non-fiction judged by Anthony Dalton. Cash prizes and certificates will be awarded by Fed Executive Director, Sylvia Taylor; President, Craig Spence; and Judge, Anthony Dalton; at the 2010 Word On the Street Festival, Sunday September 26th at the Main Stage Plaza in Library Square from 11:15am to 11:45am. Authors will read their winning entries. 1st Prize ~ Edythe Hanen, The Heart Box 2nd Prize ~ Judy McFarlane, On The Way To Here 3rd Prize ~ Beryl Young, Saskatchewan Sojourn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FORMER BC ARTS COUNCIL CHAIR STEPS DOWN TO SPEAK UP
In the face of almost daily announcements of arts funding cutbacks across the province, former BC Arts Council chair Jane Danzo has released the content of her letter of resignation, officially submitted Monday to Lori Wannamaker, deputy minister of tourism, culture and the arts.
Mrs. Danzo's resignation had been announced last Thursday in an internal ministry document, and Stanley Hamilton named as interim chair.
"With respect and with regret, I felt obliged to resign in order to have a voice" Mrs. Danzo's said in her resignation, addressed to the Honourable Kevin Krueger, minister of tourism, culture and the arts.
Mrs. Danzo's letter went on to cite the lack of consultation around the creation of the Arts Legacy Fund, the government's rejection of the recommendation of its own Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services that arts funding be restored to 2008/2009 levels, and the lack of a real arms-length relationship with the government as evidence that the BC Arts Council Board does not "have a voice independent of government".
"All these and other factors led to my conviction that I had to step down in order to effectively speak up" Mrs. Danzo said in releasing her letter.
Alliance for Arts and Culture executive director Amir Ali Alibhai congratulated Mrs. Danzo on her decision. "We appreciate and applaud Jane's courage and integrity in taking this step" said Mr. Alibihai. "The arts community is without question in crisis, and to have someone of Mrs. Danzo's position and stature stand up and speak truth to power on our behalf is a major development and source of encouragement.
"Our own voices of protest and concern can be ignored and discounted, but her's cannot."
Some arts organizations that have recently seen large funding cuts are afraid to speak out for fear losing further funding opportunities.
That this fear is well-founded is itself distressing and is a sad reflection of our entire political and bureaucratic reality. Ms. Danzo's speaking out on behalf of the creative sector will help unite our community and strengthen our ongoing advocacy efforts" concluded Mr. Alibhai.
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The full text of Mrs. Danzo's letter to Minister Krueger follows.
JANE DANZO'S LETTER OF RESIGNATION
Dear Minister Krueger,
Thank-you for your kind words in last week's press release that announced my resignation from the British Columbia Arts Council. I was very proud to have been appointed to the BC Arts Council and even more so to have been appointed Chair. I consider it a privilege to have been asked to serve the government for the past four years. While my resignation may have seemed sudden, I had been considering stepping down for some time.
With respect and with regret, I felt obliged to resign in order to have a voice.
In my opinion, the work of The BC Arts Council Board has not been supported by government on a number of different levels.
According to the Arts Council Act, Council is defined as not more than 15 members, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council.The Charter of the BCAC further identifies the appointees as "the Board". The Act stipulates that the Board's main purpose is to provide support for the arts and culture sector in British Columbia.
In November 2009, Council (board and staff) made a submission to the Committee on Finance and Governmental Services regarding BCAC funding for the following year. Council recommended that the government return to an appropriation for the BCAC and restore its funding to 08/09 levels.
This recommendation, which was echoed by the submissions of artists and arts organizations province-wide, was supported by the government's own committee who brought it forward for consideration in the March budget. The government rejected its committee's strong recommendation for restoration.
The devastating impact of that decision is now being felt by artists and arts organizations throughout the province as they receive notification of substantial cuts to their core funding.
Instead of restoring the funding to the BCAC, the government announced the establishment of an Arts Legacy Fund - a surprise as much to the Board as to the arts community. Even after the announcement, the Board was not consulted for input, nor was it permitted to know the details as they were developed by ministry staff over a four month period.
Meanwhile, the arts community struggled, some members with life-threatening uncertainty, as they reduced their programming, laid off staff and made poignant appeals to patrons and donors for further support.
And the Board remained awkwardly silent until the government released more information about the Arts Legacy Fund. The Act also specifies that the Board support arts and culture through advocacy.
This responsibility is virtually impossible to accomplish because the Board's relationship to government is not at-arms -length. It has neither its own funding nor its own staff. It is dependent upon budget allocation for funds and ministry employees for human resources, both managed by a government employee.
Furthermore, it has recently been made clear that the Board does not have a voice independent of government. The only independence the Board has from government is defined by the granting process. The Board members of the BCAC are chosen for, among other qualifications, their areas of expertise and their knowledge of the sector.
Collectively, they represent a broad range of board experience that includes not-for profit, public sector and corporate boards.
Given the issues I have identified, it would not be surprising if such capable volunteers were to become frustrated, even disillusioned. I believe that unless government is more consultative, and makes significant organizational changes, it will be difficult to attract and retain qualified candidates for Board positions on the BCAC.
I strongly recommend that the government and the Board review the models used in some of the other provincial jurisdictions where their arts councils are at -arms-length from government; where they are respected for their expertise and judgment and where, as a result, the arts and culture sectors are better served.
Surely such co-operation could produce only beneficial results for the B.C. arts community. Minister Krueger, you have been a strong advocate for increased funding to the BCAC , and, more broadly, for the arts and culture sector of British Columbia. I am very grateful for that support, and, on behalf of the community, I thank-you very much.
Yours very truly,
Jane M. Danzo
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WordWorks Testimonial ~ Issue Winter 09/10 I loved the Winter/Spring issue 2010 of WordWorks! I can't remember if I've written to tell you so before. (My memory is so bad, that if I get Alzheimer's, no one will be able to tell.). But in case I didn't tell you, I want you to know how relieved I was to read the words, "Our Brothers' Keepers" and "Writers and Social Issues" on the cover. I almost wept when I read the bits from the Red Zone, and the poem written by someone in Covenant House, as well as the article on Alan Twigg and one of my favourite history writers, George Woodcock.
For too many years, writers seemed to ignore social issues and seldom passed opinions on anything. Mind you, it was pretty hard to do so, with Conrad Black or the Aspers' stranglehold on the nation's mainstream newspapers and magazines; and Helen Reisman (Chapters, Coles, Indigo, etc.)censored the books on her shelves in her bookstores (while she shamelessly promoted Mulroney's book).
In this issue of WordWorks, the blinders are pulled away and we can see the expressions of our rotting world. It's important to see it, acknowledge it and tell others about it. It's even more important to want to do something about it. Writers have a duty to incite movement for positive change. Most of us are too right-brain dominated to organize the action itself. That, we leave to the linear thinkers whom we've incited and inspired to act. S. Shaw Kimberley ______________________________________________________
The Federation of British Columbia Writers operates with funds raised from membership dues, fundraising activities, corporate and private sponsorship, and with the support of the Province of British Columbiathrough the BC Arts Council and the Direct Access Program,which the Federation gratefully acknowledges.
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