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A new voice for Canadian visual arts

February 11th, 2008 – Following the recent Visual Arts Summit, a new group of visual arts organizations has come together to form the Canadian Alliance for the Visual Arts (CAVA). Rather than an official organization, CAVA is an independent alliance of national visual arts organizations determined to advance the status of visual arts in Canada. Through communication, cooperation and collaborative action this network will achieve common goals, as outlined in the Visual Arts Summit’s Collective Agenda.

Representatives from eleven of Canada’s national arts service organizations make up CAVA’s membership. These organizations, though diverse in focus, each have a vested interest in the promotion and advancement of Canadian visual arts. CAVA’s main objectives are to speak with a unified voice, to develop a cohesive strategy to improve the socio-economic conditions of artists, and to pursue the health of our art galleries, museums, artist-run centres and commercial art dealers so that Canada’s extraordinary visual arts can flourish.

After two productive teleconferences, CAVA held their first face-to-face meeting in Montreal on February 1st, with another scheduled for the 14th of March. These meetings have set in motion a number of joint projects which will affect change for Canadian visual arts, both in the artistic community and the general public. The group looks forward to the upcoming announcements on the disbursement of new funding by the Canada Council for the Arts, and will be in attendance at the Council’s meetings on February 12th.

For more information contact:

April Britski, Ottawa
CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation)
613-233-6161

Christian Bédard, Montréal
Le Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec
514-866-7101

Shawn Van Sluys, Ottawa
Canadian Art Museum Directors’ Organization
613-862-5035

John McAvity, Ottawa
Canadian Museums Association
613-567-0099 x226

Lise Leblanc, Ottawa
L’Association des groupes en arts visuels francophones
613-244-9584

Daniel Roy, Montreal
Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference
514-524-4529

Maegen Black, Fredericton
Canadian Crafts Federation
506-444-3315

Patricia Feheley, Toronto
Art Dealers Association of Canada
416-323-1373

Milly Ristvedt, Toronto
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts
416-408-2718

Jennifer Dorner, Montréal
Independent Media Arts Alliance
514-522-8240

Ryan Rice, Kahnawake, QC
Aboriginal Curatorial Collective

514-756-6602