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Home | Resources > Newsletter | Synergy - June 18, 2004
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June 18, 2004 -- Volume 15 Number 6 Synergy, the electronic newsletter
By now I hope you have received the formal notification of my resignation from the Alliance. Despite how excited I am about the possibilities of my new job, this was a very difficult decision for me, as I care passionately about the Alliance and the work we do. There will be time before I leave in August to truly thank all the amazing people who have been part of my time here: the staff, board and members who have made every day an experience to treasure; colleagues and partners from other sectors; and colleagues from across the country and throughout North America. But for now I want to concentrate on the future, and specifically on the Alliance’s future. Since we announced my departure, I have been overwhelmed with emails and phone calls thanking me for my work here and wishing me well in the future. Thank you all for your support and kind words. They mean a great deal to me. However, I have been troubled by comments such as "what will happen? - you are the Alliance." This is not the case. I am not the Alliance, you are. All of you who believe that working collectively is better than working in isolation; that together our voices are more powerful than alone; that this sector, and not just our individual work, is vital to our community. You are the Alliance and you are its future. Three years ago we did a significant consultation of our members. You helped shape our thoughts and our core values -- advocacy, information and connection. These three areas have guided the work we have been doing and they will continue to guide the work of the staff and board. I have been honoured to have been entrusted with your vision for the last ten years. But the torch will pass (sorry, Olympic references seem to be inexplicably popping into my head). Someone else will come in and carry on the trust and, with fresh eyes, take the Alliance and your vision to new heights. I look forward to watching and cheering you on. Lori Baxter A word from the editor. Visit our election resources online for links, articles and information, counting down to the federal election. Allison Markin IN THIS ISSUE: 1.QE to get facelift
Editor: Allison Markin Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre, according to a report from CBC, is scheduled to get some cosmetic work in the near future. During this summer, Vancouver City Council will be increasing ticket surcharges by around 15 percent and has committed a portion of that to renovations. The QE is part of Vancouver Civic Theatres, which also includes the Orpheum and the Vancouver Playhouse. The QE, home to numerous arts and culture performances including those of the Vancouver Opera and Ballet BC, was built in 1959 and has received some upgrades for sound and lighting. The first phase of renos includes adding two balconies and two tiers of box seats to the hall, followed by two further phases which will see upgrades to control sound spillage into the Playhouse, as well as the possibility of better rehearsal and restaurant space next door. Vancouver Civic Theatres will be looking for further government funding, as well as private support, with construction getting underway in 2006. Earlier this month, a new website aimed at interdisciplinary artists launched at www.popstart.ca. Vancouver's Radix Theatre, along with Toronto's bluemouth inc and Montreal's Les Productions Nathalie Derome, collaborated on the project, which includes a database of organizations and artists, a calendar of events, and an attempt to answer the question, "What is interdisciplinary art?". Popstart aims to create a pan-Canadian interdisciplinary artist’s network, in order to share ideas, approaches and information regarding the work of interdisciplinary artists.
This article was prepared by, and is included at the courtesy of, Volunteer Vancouver. There are over 180,000 charitable and not-for-profit organizations in Canada and many have continued to endure and deliver their missions through various storms of funding crunches, shifts in strategy and staff turnover. Programs and services might change but not-for-profits are required by law to always have boards of directors. A strong board can help a not-for-profit navigate through the chaos and reach uncharted territory. Board development allows a board the opportunity to grow and enables the success of the organization. Board development helps clarify the purpose and role of the board so that all of an organization’s human resources (staff and volunteers) are maximized. Many dynamic not-for-profits develop a board development plan. The development plan ought to be flexible and evolve with the board. While there are many ways of undertaking board development, a good plan may start with an annual board assessment and evaluation to determine future board needs. Recruitment of new board members takes time and energy. A pro-active approach is to analyze the makeup of your board to determine its current skills and demographics. Too often, board member recruitment is a reaction to a fast approaching AGM and the sudden announced departure of a board member. This can result in a quick grab for the closest ‘warm body’ to fill empty board seats. Boards usually meet monthly for a few hours, and in that time must make decisions concerning new policies, financial sustainability plans, short and long term goals/vision, evaluating/hiring executive directors…and the list continues. Your board deserves to have the right people involved. Envision an ‘ideal’ board and establish how to engage those individuals. Examine the organization’s current network pool and explore new opportunities. Because these individuals will be future strategic leaders and decision makers, it is in everyone’s best interest to create a clear position description and interview applicants to ensure the right fit. The time invested up front can save hours invested in training and nurturing a new board member to discover they need to ‘walk the plank’ six months later due to the wrong fit. Once the board is selected find out how to best develop and engage them as new board members. Provide an overview of the not-for-profit sector, an up-to-date board manual with information on the organization, its by-laws and policies and be sure members clearly understand their role and responsibilities. Some organizations pair incoming board members with a board veteran. This ‘board buddy’ can provide the new member with historic organizational insight, and answer questions as they arise. Many arts-focused organizations participate in BoardMatch, a program offered by Volunteer Vancouver, to recruit new Board members. BoardMatch is an online board recruitment tool -- www.boardmatch.org -- that connects enthusiastic business professionals with the boards of not-for-profit organizations. Since June 2003, BoardMatch Greater Vancouver has connected over 65 board candidates with more than 35 not-for-profits in the Lower Mainland. BoardMatch registration requires volunteers to complete a learning module on board roles and responsibilities. As well, participating organizations have access to a selection of e-learning modules on board development and not-for-profit governance, fundraising and human resources. An annual general meeting is the time to bring new leaders on board. The rest of the year is the time to make those board members effective contributors to your organization. For more information about board development or BoardMatch Greater Vancouver, visit www.boardmatch.org or call 604-873-3813. This article was prepared by, and is included at the courtesy of, the Faculty of Arts Co-operative Education Program at Simon Fraser University. Event planning, marketing, fundraising, volunteer coordination, program development, communication and research -- these are some of the key areas that co-op students from SFU, UBC, UNBC and UVIC can help arts and cultural organizations with new or ongoing initiatives. Program highlights:
For more information, contact: Don Bailey, University of Victoria, dbailey@uvic.bc
A Statistics Canada study released in May reports that while more Canadians watched TV in 2002-2003, the revenues of Canadian film distributors and video wholesalers was at a record high. For the reporting period, the industry generated $3.3 billion in revenue, up eight percent from the previous year. StatsCan polled 211 film, video and audio-visual distributors and wholesalers across the country who -- based on the choices they make -- determine what Canadians watch on TV and at movie theatres. At the movies, however, foreign films (mainly American productions) accounted for 97 percent of the box office. To read the report, visit: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040514/d040514b.htm
In a previous issue of Synergy, details surrounding the BC Festival of the Arts (BCFA) were incorrectly reported via a Times Colonist article. Performing Arts BC was formerly the BC Association of Performing Arts Festivals, not BC Festival of the Arts, and was contracted by BCFA to produce a youth performing arts festival within the larger festival. When BCFA lost its $750,000 in annual funding from the provincial government, Performing Arts BC survived because it was an independent organization. In fact, Performing Arts BC has a much, much smaller budget. We apologize for the errors.
Are you a female employee or volunteer working with information technology in the arts? If so, UBC is looking for you. A team of community-based and academic researchers, located in BC and Ontario, would like to speak to women in the IT field about how they learn to do their jobs through formal training, as well as informal on-the-job training and independent learning. If you have learned to use IT through your art, advocacy or community-organizing work, contact Kaela Jubas at kaelaj@interchange.ubc.ca or visit www.edst.educ.ubc.ca/IT. Jessie Awards The Jessies, Vancouver's theatre awards, were presented on June 15th. For a complete list of winners, visit www.jessies.ca. VIDFEST digital awards Out of 102 international entries, local talent Christian Bale won VIDFEST's Critic's Coice Award in Digital Film for Spank, a "domestic psycho-drama that is not all that it seems". Visit www.vidfest.com. Order of BC Leila Getz recently received the Order of British Columbia at a ceremony on Victoria. She is the founder of the Vancouver Recital Society, this year celebrating 25 seasons, and the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival. Vancouver novelist, editor and historian George Bowering was also named to the Order. Choral awards Yuletide Fires, Chor Leoni's best-selling Christmas CD, was recently awarded the 2004 National Choral Award for Outstanding Choral Recording from the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors. And, the Elektra Women's Choir recently won the $3000 first prize in the CBC/Radio-Canada national radio competition for amateur choirs. It's their fifth such award since 1988. Dollars for dancing Holy Body Tattoo recently awarded its annual $2000 BC Emerging Artist Award to choreographer and performer Farley Johansson. He will be developing a full-length multimedia work called The Tanguero Series. For your reading pleasure, this issue's Media Spin provides links to the following articles on the election, culture and heritage (or lack thereof): Arts groups fan fears of Tory Party win Canada's heritage at risk, Liberals warn Arts groups call on politicians to speak up on culture Keep culture in mind during election: arts groups A reminder, from the top of this issue, of the Alliance's AGM this Tuesday, June 22. RSVP to reception@allianceforarts.com. After the Alliance AGM, consider attending an all-candidates forum at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre at 8pm, Tuesday, June 22, at the Cultch, 1895 Venables Street. Vancouver East candidates Libby Davies (NDP), Shirley Chan (Liberal), Ron Plowright (Green) and possibly Harvey Grigg (Conservative) will be attending. ENDQUOTE
A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman of the next generation.
James Clarke (1854-1916) Comments? Send a message to: Copyright © Alliance for Arts and Culture, 2005 |
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