London Community News
By Sean Meyer/London Community News/Twitter: Newswriter22
London West MPP Chris Bentley called it “magic money” while Clark Bryan, executive director of Aeolian Hall, said it is one way to overcome “the fear” everybody is facing.
Both men were referring to the provincial government’s ongoing funding of the arts community through the Ontario Arts Council (OAC). In 2011-12, the OAC funded 1,681 individuals and 1,125 organizations in 216 communities to a total of $52.8 million.
During an announcement made at Museum London on Friday (Sept. 7) Bentley and London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews helped announce that over the past year the OAC had provided $985,389 in funding to 59 professional artists and arts organizations in London. Their works include poetry, literature, visual art, musical performances and theatre.
In speaking before a group of OAC recipients at the announcement, Bentley said the funding is more than just financial assistance, calling it “a celebration” of what artists — and the arts in general — does for everyone.
“Over the past fiscal year, to the tune of almost $1 million, which tends to be broken down into tiny little pieces, $1,000 here, $1,500 there, $3,000 in another place,” Bentley said. “It is that magic money that can make a performance happen, can make an exhibit come to life, can help a singer/songwriter actually finish the production and be able to get on a stage and perform.”
During difficult economic times, Bryan said it is vital the provincial government continues to find value in supporting the arts community. For the Aeolian Hall, which received a $6,000 grant, Bryan said the funding allows the facility to continue offering programming to the city and the region.
And while it will help keep the “the four walls of the Aeolian up and the roof healthy,” Bryan said funding of the arts helps to inspire people to make a difference in the lives of the broader community.
“I think it is the most important thing we can do right now, which is to invest in who we are as a people. Arts are definitely all about who we are, where we have been, where we are going, and how we can bring joy into our lives,” Bryan said. “Everybody acts in fear during these times, fear means withholding energy, withholding money. If we can keep on the cusp with the arts, we will be fine; will find our way out of this fear.”
Matthews brought the ideas Bryan shared down to a personal level as she pointed out how the arts affect her life on a daily basis. Whether it is her efforts as a mother and grandmother or that of the Minister of Health, Matthews said the OAC recipients should be thanked for enriching the lives of everyone.
“We all give everything we can to our work, to our families, but we need to recharge every now and then, build up that reserve of energy. Where I get great joy is in the arts,” Matthews said. “Whether it is music or reading or movies or visual arts, for me personally, that recharges my batteries, gives me the energy to get up in the morning.”
Brian Meehan, executive director and chief curator of Museum London, which received $159,000, said the announcement was all the more important when considering the current economic climate. While the grant will help the museum with its exhibition program, children’s classes and other programs, Meehan said it also helped spread the message about the value of art.
For example, Meehan pointed to grant that allowed the organization to fund an exhibit that is now travelling the country, raising the profile of the artists involved, but Museum London as well.
That kind of use of funding is exactly what Bryan said makes a real difference in the quality of people’s lives.
“You think about Europe, you go there for the cultural beacons. You don’t go there to see how lovely their transportation system is, you go to see museums, operas, palaces, all the things that beautiful art has brought together,” Bryan said. “Those are the things people think of. If we can continue to invest that way in London, Ont., we will have those things as well.”
It was a point Matthews agreed with.
“I know a career in the arts, for the vast majority of people, isn’t the most lucrative possible. But it is what you were called to. You need to do it, you need to share your soul with the rest of us and we are all the richer for it,” Matthews said. “Thank you for showing people that creativity matters, that ideas matter. The arts, at the end of the day, are what lives us our society.”
Ontario Arts Council Grants to Organizations and Individuals 2011 – 2012
| Organizations |
Grant |
Program |
| Aeolian Hall Musical Arts Association, London |
$6,000 |
Presenter/Producer |
| Amabile Choirs of London Canada, London |
$23,550 |
Choirs & Vocal Groups |
| Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario, London |
$29,000 |
Arts Service Organizations |
| Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals, London |
$9,300 |
Arts Service Organizations |
| Centre communautaire régional de London, London |
$6,317 |
Aide à la diffusion artistique |
| Forest City Gallery, London |
$26,000 |
Visual Arts Artist-Run Centres and Organizations |
| The Grand Theatre, London |
$225,000 |
Theatre Organizations |
| Home County Folk League, London |
$20,000 |
Presenter/Producer |
| Insomniac Press, London |
$22,973 |
Block Grants to Book Publishers |
| London Clay Art Centre, London |
$17,575 |
Visual Arts Artist-Run Centres and Organizations |
| London Fringe Theatre Festival, London |
$18,000 |
Theatre Organizations |
| London Pro Musica, London |
$10,175 |
Choirs & Vocal Groups |
| McIntosh Gallery, London |
$29,500 |
Public Art Galleries |
| Museum London, London |
$159,000 |
Public Art Galleries |
| Museum of Ontario Archaeology, London |
$9,000 |
Multi-Arts Projects |
| Orchestra London Canada Inc., London |
$202,000 |
Orchestras |
| Six Vocal Ensemble, London |
$6,000 |
Popular Music |
| Brassroots, London |
$3,000 |
Presenter/Producer |
| Brick Books, London |
$26,091 |
Block Grants to Book Publishers |
| Brick Books, London |
$6,000 |
Compass |
| Fanshawe Chorus London/Gerald Fagan Singers, London |
$8,500 |
Choirs & Vocal Groups |
| London Lesbian Film Festival, London |
$8,000 |
Media Arts Projects |
| Poetry London Reading Series, London |
$3,000 |
Literary Festivals and Organizations |
| Individuals |
Grant |
Program |
| Thomas Benner, London |
$15,000 |
Visual Artists: Established ($15,000) |
| Marla Botterill, London |
$3,010 |
National and International Residency |
| Bob Bozak, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Paul Cavanagh, London |
$12,000 |
Writers' Works in Progress |
| Liza Eurich, London |
$750 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Sky Glabush, London |
$500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Jin Won Han, London |
$4,854 |
Craft Projects . Creation and Development |
| David Hickey, London |
$2,000 |
Writers' Reserve |
| Joseph Hubbard, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Jesse Jacobs, London |
$5,000 |
Visual Artists: Emerging ($5,000) |
| Kelly Jazvac, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Brian J. Lambert, London |
$500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Chris Meloche, London |
$13,000 |
Media Artists: Mid-Career and Established |
| Christine Negus, London |
$1,100 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Leslie Putnam, London |
$1,500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Maureen Riley, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Eric Simard, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Henry Adam Svec, London |
$500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Morison Bock, London |
$2,000 |
Theatre Creators' Reserve |
| Dianne C. Pearce de Toledo, London |
$7,500 |
Visual Artists: Mid-Career ($7,500) |
| Dianne C. Pearce de Toledo, London |
$1,500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Rosemary Sloot, London |
$1,500 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Nadia Bozak, London |
$2,000 |
Writers' Reserve |
| Nadia Bozak, London |
$1,500 |
Writers' Reserve |
| Axl T. Ernst, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Farhang Jalali, London |
$800 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Sarah Kane, London |
$1,000 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| James Kirkpatrick, London |
$800 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Patrick Mahon, London |
$1,494 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Jamie Quail, London |
$1,300 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Larry Russell, London |
$5,000 |
Visual Artists: Emerging ($5,000) |
| Sarah Smith, London |
$3,600 |
Popular Music |
| Andrew Somerset, London |
$2,500 |
Writers' Reserve |
| Paul Walde, London |
$7,500 |
Visual Artists: Mid-Career ($7,500) |
| Kelly Wallace, London |
$700 |
Exhibition Assistance |
| Anna Wieselgren, London |
$5,000 |
Visual Artists: Emerging ($5,000) |
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