1. Arts and Culture at the Municipal Level GEOG 346: DAY 19

2. Housekeeping Items Still working my way through the field trip assignments. I mentioned the date for the exam: Friday, April 24 th, 1-4 in Building 250, Room 125. The format will be T/F, multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. The weighting will be on the short answers (terms and concepts) and essay questions. We will do a review in the last week. Before we get started, I wanted to share the photos that Wenli sent me of her home city and where her mother lives.

6. Arts and Culture in the City and Region What do you think of when the phrase “arts and culture” in an urban or regional context is mentioned? What do arts and culture have to do with the economy or with urban/ regional quality of life? Are there particular examples of public art that you have encountered that you think are significant – either as a tourism draw or for their role in helping to provide a sense of place and identity? One distinction I would like to make is between community art and public art. I will show you some examples of each later.

7. Arts and Culture in the City and Region You are probably all familiar with the “three pillars of sustainability” – ecological, social, and economic. Some have suggested a 4 th pillar – cultural sustain- ability. Arts and culture contribute to all of these. They potent- ially contribute to a more ‘dematerialized’ economy. They build local sense of place and identity, and they contribute to the economy.

8. The Specific Contributions of Arts and Culture A Conference Board of Canada study from 2008 noted that “A dynamic culture sector is a magnet for talent and a catalyst for economic prosperity. Arts and culture industries bring people together locally, globally, and virtually, helping to bridge large geographical distances and create communities of interest…. The real value-added output by culture sector industries totalled $46 billion in 2007.” They estimate that, “taking into account direct, indirect, and induced contributions…the economic footprint of the culture sector [is] approximately $84.6 billion in 2007, or 7.4 per cent of Canada’s total real GDP,” and that the culture sector contributed 1.1 million jobs to the economy.

9. The Specific Contributions of Arts and Culture A 2006 study suggested that the BC arts and culture sector, through direct and spin-off effects added close to a dollar to the provincial GDP for every dollar it spent and constituted approximately 5% of B.C.’s GDP. According to a 2013 report, “The arts and culture scene is thriving in the Nanaimo region, generating more than $150 million in economic activity.” It also supports 1330 jobs. “Jobs in information, culture and recreation are also on the rise, with a 40-per cent increase in employment between 1995 and 2012. General employment only rose by 20 per cent.” (Nanaimo News-Bulletin, 11/12/2013) Meanwhile, the B.C. government’s spending on the arts is the lowest in Canada -- $62 per capita. However, individual municipalities tend to spend more than anywhere else in the country.

10. Arts and Culture in the City and Region According to Greg Baeker (2005), the cultural resources in a community can be defined as “those more traditionally defined activities in the arts, heritage, libraries and for- profit or commercial cultural industries. But they go further to include: the built environment and cultural landscapes; local traditions; dialects, festivals and local customs; the diversity and quantity of leisure opport- unities; the cultural activities of youth, ethno-racial and other communities of interest; local products; and skills in crafts, design, new media, manufacturing, etc. Broadly speaking, cultural resources encompass all of those things that together define the unique identity and sense of place of that community.”

11. Arts and Culture in the City and Region He argues that communities need to treat all of these elements as their greatest asset, and they need to start to map that asset collectively and cooperatively. What kinds of things might that cultural mapping include?  -

12. Arts and Culture in the City and Region Monica Shore, who works at VIU, and recently got her Master’s here identifies six relevant themes for community cultural planning and policy:  1: Transitioning into the Post-Industrial Economy  2: Municipal Cultural Planning  3: Cultural Policy  4: Stakeholder Engagement and Sense of Place  5: Attracting and Retaining the Creative Class  6: The Value of Small Cities

13. Arts and Culture in the City and Region She argues, as does Florida, for the importance of the emergence creative economy, and notes that – even where resource and/or manufacturing sectors remain important – having a strong cultural creative sector provides more economic resilience. This is in line with what Rangwala (2010) calls “place-based economic theory” – seeking “a participatory bottom-up economy where the individual community building efforts of local businesses and residents creates a collective unique identity and sense of place” (quoted on p. 16). The process of municipal cultural planning and policy must be fully participatory, involving the public and all relevant stakeholders. Can you think of any examples of where this is being done?

14. Arts and Culture in the City and Region Many cities, especially large ones that have more to offer, are building their economic strategies – at least partially – around attracting the ‘creative class.’ Although it might seem that smaller cities are at a disadvantage, she argues that some artists and others “opt for smaller cities[,] seek greater proximity to nature, convenience and accessibility of local amenities, more affordable housing, and other quality of life factors such as the presence of family and friends, good schools and public services, recreational activities, and an overall culture of participation.” (pp. 26- 27) One can see an analogy with VIU. It doesn’t have all the cultural advantages and prestige of UBC, but it offers human scale, an opportunity to participate, and a pleasant campus.

15. Community vs. Public Art Public art is art produced by professional artists for the community, which may or not be meaningful for them. Community art often involves professional artists (or not) co- creating art with the community, such that it is directly meaningful to them. Can you think of significant examples of both? In some Islamic cultures, there is a tendency to stay away from representa- tional art and to focus on abstract shapes.

16. Community vs. Public Art

18. http://www.streamofdream s.org/index.php?pgid=8