Overview
The Arts Council Act was first established in 1980 and has not undergone significant review or changes since. A review is necessary to ensure legislation remains reflective of the current environment and that the Arts Council has the appropriate tools to effectively support the provincial arts community.
Historically, recruitment for sectoral representatives on the board of directors has always been a challenge, but it has become increasingly difficult, resulting in multiple vacancies. The Arts Council consists of 12 voting members and one non-voting member, which is larger than its counterparts in many other Canadian jurisdictions, especially considering the province’s relatively small population. The Arts Council Act requires that 10 members must be professional artists; this provides limited opportunity to recruit members with professional expertise and other beneficial skillsets, such as financial management, human resources, or law.
The definition of “Professional Artist”, as currently outlined in the Act, is highly prescriptive in nature, preventing the definition from evolving with the professional arts sector. Other jurisdictions, including the Canada Council for the Arts, utilize a simpler, broader definition.
Section 6 of the Act excludes members from receiving funding from the Arts Council during their three-year term in office. Since members are required to be professional artists, their exclusion from funding opportunities creates a considerable challenge in recruiting artists for membership. Current practice in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and British Columbia allows board members to apply for and receive arts funding during their terms.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation is seeking input from stakeholders to ensure that the Arts Council Act reflects the current sector environment and provides the Arts Council with the appropriate tools to effectively carry out its mandate and provide support to Newfoundland and Labrador artists.
Since the Arts Council continues to have ongoing vacancies, making it difficult to effectively deliver its mandate and support the arts community, engagement and consultation is currently being undertaken. The objective of the engagement and consultation process is to receive input from the arts sector regarding ways to improve the governance and operations of the Arts Council, to better attract prospective members, and to determine how the definition of professional artist can be updated to better reflect the current arts sector.
How Can You Get Involved?
Online Questionnaire
An online questionnaire will be available until Thursday, October 10, 2024. The questionnaire should take about 20 minutes to complete, and includes questions about your relationship to the arts, the definition of artist and composition of the membership.
If you have any questions related to this questionnaire or require an alternative format, please contact artscouncilactreview@gov.nl.ca.
Click Here to Complete the Online Questionnaire
Virtual Sessions
Virtual engagement and consultation sessions will or have occurred with representatives from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation on Monday, October 7, 2024 at 10:00am – 12:00pm (NST) and 7:00pm – 9:00pm (NST). Registration has now been closed for all sessions.
Written Submissions
If you prefer, you may participate by providing a written submission. The deadline for written submissions is 11:59 pm, October 9, 2024.
Written submissions can be sent by:
Mail:
Arts Council Act Review
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
6th floor, Confederation Building, West Block
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6
Email: artscouncilactreview@gov.nl.ca
If you require any disability-related accommodations to participate in any component of the consultation process, please contact Colleen Soulliere by email at colleensoulliere@gov.nl.ca or by phone at (709) 729-7397.
Engagement Materials
The following items may assist you in completing the questionnaire:
Two Acts for Review:
- The Arts Council Act: RSNL1990 CHAPTER A-17 - ARTS COUNCIL ACT (assembly.nl.ca)
- The Status of the Artist Act: SNL2017 CHAPTER S-24.1 - STATUS OF THE ARTIST ACT (assembly.nl.ca)
Other Relevant Links:
ArtsNL: www.artsnl.ca
How Will Your Input Be Used?
The information we receive will be reviewed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation in its review of the Arts Council Act.
Privacy Statement
Please do not include your name or any information that could identify you. The collection of information is done under the authority of section 61(c) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015, for the purpose of collecting public feedback on the Arts Council Act.
Any personal information that may be received will be governed in accordance with the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 and will only be used for the purpose of informing participants of public engagement results at the end of the process.
If you have any questions about how this information will be collected, used and disclosed, please contact Department ATIPP Coordinator at tcar-atipp@gov.nl.ca.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or additional comments, please contact artscouncilactreview@gov.nl.ca.