Arts Advocacy: a Collaborative Dialogue
CARFAC National AGM and Conference, June 22nd & 23rd, 2007 *
CARFAC National will hold its 2007 Annual General Meeting and Conference on June 22nd & 23rd in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The conference will feature events jointly presented with the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA). This collaboration will bring the members of CARFAC and the RCA together for a discussion on important issues shared by artists in Canada and a celebration of our commonality. CARFAC is pleased to collaborate on this event with the RCA and to discuss important issues that our members share in common.
The Conference, entitled Arts Advocacy: a Collaborative Dialogue, will begin with a joint CARFAC-RCA panel, Bridging Gaps: Issues for Emerging, Mid-career, and Senior Artists at 9:30 am on Friday, June 22nd. This session will be held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (300 Memorial Blvd). The panel includes the following speakers: KC Adams, Cliff Eyland, Nadia Myre, Ted Howorth, Andrew Valko and Milly Ristvedt, who will address the following questions: What is the typical reality for artists at these three stages of their career? Are there different issues faced by each and how should they be addressed? The importance of CARFAC and the RCA to artists and the cultural life of the country are well known. How can we encourage members to take a more active and supportive role in keeping them vibrant into the future?
The conference will break for lunch at 12:30, and will return with an afternoon keynote speaker and panel discussion presented by the RCA. The lecture will feature prominent UK author and art critic Martin Gayford, who will also participate in the panel: The Visual Arts and the Media, featuring Douglas Coupland, Robert Enright, and Meeka Walsh.
On Friday evening, all are invited to gather for a reception at 6 pm at the Urban Shaman Gallery (203-290 McDermot Avenue) to view panelist Nadia Myre’s exhibition in their media lab.
CARFAC events will resume on Saturday at the Delta Winnipeg Hotel (350 St Mary Ave). The CARFAC National AGM will begin at noon, and a light lunch will be provided. Following the AGM, CARFAC is pleased to present an afternoon panel discussion,Politically Charged: an Artists’ Guide to Effective Lobbying, beginning at 2:30 pm. This session is a roundtable discussion with visual artists Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, Winnipeg Film Group Director Cecilia Araneda and Canadian Conference of the Arts Director Alain Pineau. The participants will speak about lobbying on behalf of the arts sector, including tips on talking to your MP, making pre-budget submissions, creating effective petitions and campaigns, and getting your voice heard at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. The focus of the discussion is to provide strategies and creative approaches to help artists get involved in making change happen.
Following Saturday’s proceedings, all are welcome to attend a closing meet-and-greet cocktail reception at 4:30 pm, where CARFAC delegates from across Canada will be in attendance.
Conference registration will begin at 8:30 am on June 22nd and 10:30 am on June 23rd.
If you wish to pre-register, contact the CARFAC National office: carfac@carfac.ca, toll-free: (866) 344-6161
* Conference details subject to change.
** Admission to the CARFAC National AGM (including lunch on Saturday) and the receptions on the 22nd and 23rd are free to CARFAC members.