Take a Walk on the Cultural Side

Moving to Cape Breton as a place to retire was a big attraction for my husband and I due to the vibrant cultural scene.  We love the Cape Breton music, the dances every night of the week, the kitchen parties, the mini concerts in all the communities every day of the summer, and the infamous 10 day music celebration “Celtic Colours” in October each year.  Being full time residents now, there are still dances each week, concerts every weekend, and more as the Christmas season approaches.  We have attended several shows at the local theatre as well as travelled to surrounding towns too.  We thought the winter would be quiet, but it really is the time for the locals to enjoy each other and continue to enjoy the music and culture that radiates from them during the tourist season, through winter jam sessions, kitchen parties and Christmas concerts.  We did not feel this same connection to culture in Alberta even though we did attend many shows and concerts throughout the year.  It seemed that sports was more predominant and there was always a reporting of the stats of the Calgary Flames or Calgary Stampeders.

 In a study released by Hills Strategies on consumer spending on culture in Canada, it was discovered that consumers spend three times more on culture than the government does at all levels ($9.2 Billion in 2007-2008).  And, Canadians spend double the amount of spending on live performing arts ($1.4 Billion) than on live sports events ($650 Million).  This came as a shock to me with all the avid hockey enthusiasts that we have.  As well, with the sports report that accompanies the news each day, we don’t ever hear an arts report with reviews of the latest shows on the daily news.  Why not?  If society is recognizing the importance of culture in their lives, why do we not reflect this in our news reports? 

In our two local papers in Cochrane, Alberta there would sometimes be an arts report, article or picture of an event that happened.  But, these reports were often every few weeks.  The local Folk Club managed some great coverage for a few weeks prior to their shows, the local high schools would have coverage for a few weeks prior to their fall and spring musicals, and the dance groups would have their odd photo in, usually in the spring with competition results.  The sports sections were always full of results, stats, photos, and about three pages of reporting per paper.   Diversely, in the Inverness Oran, our local paper for Inverness County, Cape Breton, there is an arts section that is jam packed in the summer months for at least three to five pages.  There are announcements of what is happening where, and there are many photographs covering the events and who the participants were.  Everyone cleans out the stores on Wednesdays when the paper arrives, it is the bible for the area for all the cultural events.  There is a sports section as well, and there are equal pages allotted for stats, results and photos.  There is a wide spectrum of reporting for all the sports and age groups.    

Further in the Hills Strategies report they found:  “In a context where “social networks are the link between cultural engagement and neighborhood economic vitality” the presentation indicates that “arts and culture are one way that neighbours build connections”…These connections can enhance “collective efficacy” in addressing community problems…the cultural sector can create “connection across barriers of geography, social class, and ethnicity, (http://placingcreativity.org/conference-2009-presentations/)”.  What would happen if we changed the way we reported the arts and paid attention to it in our lives on a more global scale?  What benefits would our communities see?  How could we use the arts to strive for change in our neighborhoods?

While working with ACE Communities this spring introducing the arts into Rural Alberta, there was a bond built in the involved communities.  There was a crossing of commitment between preschool groups, school age groups and seniors groups.  There was a combining of resources, intergenerational interaction, and a motivation for students to become more involved in their community rather than just through the school’s initiative.  Much of the funds used for the project started with a boost from the Alberta government, but there was fundraising by the groups to provide more for themselves.  There were special programs and concerts developed, and there was usage of facilities for the arts that would normally sit idle.  The community was drawn out to participate in many ways and on many levels, and there was a commitment to the members of the community to do more in the future and to further establish the bonds that were created.    All this was happening with the introduction of 2 dancers and 2 musicians and some community classes to introduce the arts to the community. 

In Longview, Alberta, there was a group of musicians who were self taught and eager to learn any way possible.  They put on a big dance fundraiser prior to our arrival, and then they had two more concerts once we arrived.  They strived to take every tidbit of information about dance or music from us, and it showed in their improvement over the 4 days.  Children who could not access certain types of dance lessons, took every lesson they could and were motivated to do more to coordinate with other communities.  One dance class even had 4 generations dancing together and the oldest participant was 93 years young.  Two of the main organizers for the events were not musicians or singers or actors, they were just avid volunteers who wanted to see more for their community.

The findings of Hills Strategies is vital for our understanding of the connection between the arts and culture and development of a thriving community.  We are attracted to places that make us feel good.  Attending choir performances, theatre shows, community events, and dances, all have ways to bring us together and to feel good about ourselves and our neighbours.  Many of these events require volunteers, and this is another way we feel good about participating.  Sports is something some of us may participate in to be active and healthy, but the Arts feed all of our souls and fulfill us in different ways.  We need to pay attention to the statistics and keep culture in our minds when we are making budget cuts and program cuts.  Culture is vital for our bonding as a community and as growth for our nation with citizens who feel connected, involved and engaged.



The Greenwell's performing together



Seven years ago a friend of ours survived cancer and wanted to give back so others could benefit from the help she received while recovering.  She began a special fundraising event called “Carpe Diem”, meaning “Seize the Day”.  She chose to bring her passion for musical theatre and her husband’s talent with instruments together with her desire to include her children, family and friends in celebration.  They created an adult band that spanned several different genres and gathered performances from their friends that could share talent in song, dance and theatre.  After all these years of fundraising, her children now have a teen band and a children’s band.  They initiate many of the activities and announce for her.  Rehearsals begin months in advance of the event, and creative ideas are shared across generations.  There are three or four generations always present for her event, and everyone gets involved singing, dancing or acting.  The Arts is an opportunity for everyone to play a role and to participate.  Many of the attendees have not missed a year and some plan vacations to coincide with the event if they have moved out of the area.

Canada is a diverse cultural nation that has the ability to blend, share and learn from so many styles and types of people and cultural initiatives.  If we could bring this to the forefront of our lives in the news and in our activities, we may be able to see the positive connections that can happen between people who all want to belong and grow together.   As we spend our cultural dollars in our communities, we need to reflect on the privilege the arts has brought to us as a whole.  And, we need to demand this dedication of our government to stay involved and support initiatives in the arts that help us all to achieve the goal of a better neighborhood to live in.