Arts and Culture
Arts and culture is a very important topic for me and I feel very proud and protective of our arts and culture community.
Every election, provincial, federal or municipal promises are made and quite often never carried through.
Arts and culture is also the first area to get cut in a municipal budget. A perfect example is when Councillor Kovach wanted to remove funds from Public Art, and put them towards creating sidewalks in the West End in the last budget, thankfully it was defeated. Why is this, it's because our society does not value arts and culture like other societies. There is tons of research to prove this.
I spent from 2010 to 2012 working on a concept called Guelph Art Works. I wanted Guelph visual artists to have something along the lines of the Alton Mill. A space where entrepreneurially minded artists can have a studio space, a retail space, a gallery, workshop room and more. I even identified an amazing garage space on Essex street as the perfect location. Unfortunately my vision was cut short. Guelph Art Works provided the platform for the Guelph Arts Council's current Creative Spaces Project.
I supported a proposal with a letter, as the Executive Director of The Guelph Art Works submitted by the Guelph Arts Council to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. They were
successful in attaining their grant.
successful in attaining their grant.
Recently The Guelph Arts Council sent out their GAC E BLAST. Here are a few valid points from Executive Director Sonya Poweska
Artists are small businesses and contributors to the enterprising landscape of Guelph. More broadly speaking, Statistics Canada reports that $53.2 billion is contributed to the GDP by our cultural sector annually[1]. This number can be applied locally and the effects are felt by other businesses including hotels, restaurants, retail, and other attractions. In fact, a report commissioned by the Ontario Arts Council states that the average Ontario arts and culture tourist spends twice as much per trip as does a typical tourist – $667 per trip versus $374[2].
But it isn't just dollars and cents with the arts. Those of us who have experienced the power of arts can attest to the arts as both indicative of wellbeing and a tool to
stimulate wellbeing. A report from Hill Strategies confirms this finding, stating that participants in cultural activities have significantly better results when reporting on their health verses non-cultural participants. The data in the report shows that there is a strong connection between 18 cultural activities and eight indicators of health and well-being[3].
With all of this data (and believe me, there is way more than I can list in this short note) it becomes evident that investment and support of the arts has a direct correlation to how we live and how we experience happiness, economic vitality, and wellbeing in our community. With this in mind, I encourage
every citizen to put arts on the table when choosing your candidates for this upcoming election. Voting and engaging your candidates in a conversation
about the arts and culture in your community will make all the difference as we work together to make Guelph one of Canada's great creative cities!
Sonya Poweska, Executive Director
Guelph Arts Council
[1]Statistics Canada,Culture Satellite Account, 2014.
[2] Research Resolutions & Consulting,Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile, 2013.
stimulate wellbeing. A report from Hill Strategies confirms this finding, stating that participants in cultural activities have significantly better results when reporting on their health verses non-cultural participants. The data in the report shows that there is a strong connection between 18 cultural activities and eight indicators of health and well-being[3].
With all of this data (and believe me, there is way more than I can list in this short note) it becomes evident that investment and support of the arts has a direct correlation to how we live and how we experience happiness, economic vitality, and wellbeing in our community. With this in mind, I encourage
every citizen to put arts on the table when choosing your candidates for this upcoming election. Voting and engaging your candidates in a conversation
about the arts and culture in your community will make all the difference as we work together to make Guelph one of Canada's great creative cities!
Sonya Poweska, Executive Director
Guelph Arts Council
[1]Statistics Canada,Culture Satellite Account, 2014.
[2] Research Resolutions & Consulting,Ontario Arts and Culture Tourism Profile, 2013.
So when I read in Karolyne Pickett's Blogpost that she walked through St Patricks Ward and thought about making it an arts' district I thought at least she had the vision. Even discussing it with 2 artists, during an election is great start.
I have been involved in the arts in Guelph really my whole life. I was and am a member of The Guelph Studio Tour. I was one of the originators of the Guelph Arts Festival and subsequently Art on the Street. I worked for The Guelph Contemporary Dance Festival. I volunteered for the Guelph Hillside Festival and the Guelph Jazz Festival.
I have always believed that our City benefits greatly from our Arts and Culture Community. On a personal level, on an income generating level and on a tourism level. You can bet when I am Councillor for Ward 1. I will be a proponent for Arts and Culture. I know it, and I know they know it.
