Markham Arts Council 'fighting for survival'
'We are in endanger of disappearing. This is urgent'

June 6, 2014
YorkRegion.ca
Amanda Persico

The Markham Arts Council is getting a boost from a Canadian literary icon.

Margaret Atwood, known for her outspokenness to help keep the arts alive, tweeted earlier this week in support of the arts council’s petition calling for sustainable funding from the city.

Atwood also signed the online petition.

Having one of Canada’s literary treasures back up the arts council’s plan speaks volumes about the importance arts plays in any community, said Diane Hallquist, who is on the council board of directors.

“We have a deep need for the arts. In this fast-paced world, the arts help us cope and thrive,” she said. “The arts plays a vital role in building community and providing that work-life balance.”

Atwood weighed in online during the Toronto library cut battle a few years ago.

While the arts council boasts the city’s name, it is not municipally funded, Hallquist notes.

Currently, the arts council can’t support its staffing costs and operational costs to the point where there have been some recent layoffs.

“We are fighting for our survival,” Hallquist said. “We are in endanger of disappearing. This is urgent.”

The first part of the two-pronged petition is for the city to help with the rest of the art council’s operational funding for 2014. The second part of the petition is to find a made-in-Markham solution for core operational funding year to year.

For more than three years, the arts council has been trying to get funding included in the city’s budget.

“We’re not asking to become one of the city’s departments,” she said. “But we can’t do this every year. We want to change the relationship with the city moving forward.”

Currently, the arts council runs on a community based model, where the council raises funds through sponsorship and fundraisers.

That is not sustainable, Hallquist said.

Other arts councils receive operational funding from their municipality. ARTS Richmond Hill is included in the town’s budget process and has received a $10,000 grant from the town each year. Both Newmarket and Toronto also help fund their arts councils.

The Markham Arts Council hosts several events each year, including Markham at the Movies, International Festival of Authors, YorkSlam, Arts Exposed and a local one-of-a-kind show. This year, the council is hosting an Arts Day as part of the Unionville Festival on Sunday, with hopes of growing the event into an annual Art in the Park event.

The council supports several other sub-groups, including the Markham Creative Photography Group, Markham Teen Arts Council, Markham Group of Artists, Writers Community of York Region, PechaKucha Nights in partnership with Varley Art Gallery and Markham Public Libraries and Markham Public Library’s One Book One Markham program.

Last year, the arts council introduced its LaVaLab project, an online literary and visual arts hotspot, which is expected to open in the fall. The program is a one-stop-digital-shop for York Region artists and authors.

 

SIDEBAR

PETITION ONLINE

The arts council plans to bring the petition to Monday’s general committee meeting in hopes of getting a resolution passed before council’s summer break.

To add your name to the online petition, search Markham Arts Council on change.org