August 20, 2010

Chair of BC Arts Council resigns in frustration;
supporters of the arts call for Minister responsible to step down

VICTORIA – On the heels of her resignation as Chair of the BC Arts Council (BCAC), Jane Danzo has released a letter written to Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Kevin Krueger outlining her frustrations.  The full text of Ms. Danzo letter can be found below.

Ms. Danzo’s primary reason for resigning was that she felt she was unable to act as an advocate for arts funding in her role as chair.  Ms. Danzo states that ‘this responsibility (advocacy) is virtually impossible to accomplish because the Board’s relationship to government is not at arm’s length.’  She continues by saying that ‘it has recently been made clear that the Board does not have a voice independent of government.’

Ms. Danzo is concerned that other board members, or prospective board members, will also find it impossible to serve.  She states ‘I believe that unless government is more consultative, and makes significant organizational changes, it will be difficult to attract and retain qualified candidates for Board positions on the BCAC.’

Columbia River – Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald has long been advocating for improvements to supports to arts and culture in British Columbia which have declined drastically due to BC Liberal budget cuts.

“I commend Ms. Danzo for speaking out,” said Macdonald.  “It is a shame that she has to resign from the BC Arts Council in order to do it, but I admire that she is willing to come forward with her concerns.

“Ms. Danzo speaks in her letter of the devastating impact of budget cuts on arts organizations across the province, and there are examples of those cuts in each of the communities that I represent.”

In response to Ms. Danzo’s letter, provincial arts advocacy groups are again calling on the minister responsible to resign.

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BACKGROUNDER:

August 16, 2010

Dear Minister Krueger,

Thank-you for your kind words in last week’s press release that announced my resignation from the British Columbia Arts Council.

I was very proud to have been appointed to the BC Arts Council and even more so to have been appointed Chair. I consider it a privilege to have been asked to serve the government for the past four years.

While my resignation may have seemed sudden, I had been considering stepping down for some time.

With respect and with regret, I felt obliged to resign in order to have a voice. In my opinion, the work of The B.C. Arts Council Board, has not been supported by government on a number of different levels.

According to the Arts Council Act, Council is defined as not more than 15 members, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The Charter of the BCAC further identifies the appointees as “the Board”. The Act stipulates that the Board’s main purpose is to provide support for the arts and culture sector in British Columbia. In November 2009, Council (board and staff) made a submission to the Committee on Finance and Governmental Services regarding BCAC funding for the following year. Council recommended that the government return to an appropriation for the BCAC and restore its funding to 08/09 levels. This recommendation, which was echoed by the submissions of artists and arts organizations province-wide, was supported by the government’s own committee who brought it forward for consideration in the March budget. The government rejected its committee’s strong recommendation for restoration. The devastating impact of that decision is now being felt by artists and arts organizations throughout the province as they receive notification of substantial cuts to their core funding.