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In Focus Workshop on Arts and Heritage in Rural Communities Presented by the Canadian Cultural Observatory on May 3, 2007
A group of eight speakers came together at the Canadian Cultural Observatory's In Focus workshop on May 3, 2007, to consider the impact of the arts and heritage on rural communities.
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News 2 of 22
A group of eight speakers came together at the Canadian Cultural Observatory's In Focus workshop on May 3, 2007, to consider the impact of the arts and heritage on rural communities.
John Brotman, executive director of the Ontario Arts Council, and Monique Rose, senior policy analyst at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Rural Secretariat, emphasized the richness that the arts contribute to rural life, but noted the importance of viewing them through a "rural lens" because they do not face the same challenges as the arts in urban areas do. In this regard, John Brotman said that "the overriding factor in their successful implementation was the desire of the community to feel that they were acquiring skill even as they were building social structures where they could give expression to their emotional and spiritual lives." For Stephen Irving, Francesco Manganiello, Rebecca Sciarra, and Chris Wiebe, who had worked on the Rideau Heritage Initiative pilot project, community capacity was key to determining the success of heritage preservation in rural communities. Taking the audience through a description of the project, they, too, emphasized the special challenges faced by rural communities and urged policy makers in the federal–provincial–territorial Historic Places Initiative to take these challenges into account when seeking to designate more rural heritage places. These concerns were echoed by discussants Deborah Hossack, registrar of for the Historic Places Initiative at the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and Pam Blackstock, director of the Historic Places Policy Group at Parks Canada. In addition, they outlined the governance challenges of joint projects that involve three levels of government working together. However, they felt the efforts were worthwhile as long as all parties adhered to a common set of principles and did not attempt a "one-size-fits-all" approach. In answer to a question from the audience about the key factors in sustaining arts and heritage in rural communities, the panel came up with the following list: • community engagement and "buy-in" • integration of arts and heritage into the life of the community • leadership from people with vision • a sense of urgency about a way of life that is being lost • recognition of both resources and values that are embedded in the community • a sense of humour and an ability to work with people in the community • a knowledge of the audience in rural areas Papers based on both presentations will be featured on the Canadian Cultural Observatory’s website, Culturescope.ca, in the coming weeks.
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