Art Matters Forum Held in Conjunction with the
Presentation of the 2009 Governor General’s
Awards in Visual and Media Arts

Rideau Hall, Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Igniting an electrifying and unifying atmosphere around the visual and media arts. The theme of today’s forum stems from the discussion we had last year, during the Art Matters forum held in conjunction with the presentation of the 2008 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts. At that time, we bluntly asked the thirty or so participants, some of whom are here again this evening, “Have Canadian visual and media arts fallen off the radar?” In the course of our discussion, we were able to assess the presence of artists and their works, both in Canada and abroad.

I would like to begin by outlining the overall conclusions we formed, together, during that discussion.

First, the participants observed that Canadian visual and media arts cannot be promoted and disseminated, both within our borders and beyond, without a strong national vision of culture. They felt that this vision could be expressed in various ways: through the development of research into and promotion of the history of Canadian art; through arts education beginning at a very young age; through the fair representation of the artistic practices of visible minorities as an integral part of Canada’s cultural space.

Second, the participants—artists, critics and administrators alike—all recognized that the presence of the arts community in society, in terms of both the dissemination of works and representation, must be examined and rethought from a new perspective, that is, within the framework of today’s socio-cultural realities.

Today’s forum, which is the 36^th edition of Art Matters, will be using these conclusions as a springboard for us to take a closer look at the nature and reality of the connections that exist between society and the visual and media arts community. This approach requires that we begin with an overview of the initiatives and new ideas being developed in this vein across Canada.

An observer of our cultural landscape can see that art events are met with enthusiasm and are a source of pride in communities right across the country. I am reminded of the electrifying and multidisciplinary Nuits blanches in Montréal and Toronto, Baie-Saint-Paul’s International Symposium of Contemporary Art, the Electric Fields festival in Ottawa, the Artcity Festival in Calgary, to say nothing of the evening Artsparks series at the National Gallery of Canada, the Friday Nocturnes at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, or the FUSE evenings at the Vancouver Art Gallery. In every case, the thrust of these initiatives is to “cause a stir” by bringing together creative minds and the general public in relationship built on reciprocity. It is a way to rediscover the deeper meaning of art, to recall its original and primitive unifying function. Indeed, art goes back to the sacred, to the religious in the most etymological sense of the Latin word religere, meaning to tie together, to assemble, to connect, to bring together and even to gather. And it is that function as both a link and a gatherer that the artist must constantly strive to renew and maintain: that bringing together of individuals, a community, a society through unique forms of expression, even if it means surprising, shocking or provoking others. This is no small task, because artists must not simply keep our attention, they must also put forward their interpretation of the world and question its very meaning. If the weight of creation rests on the talent or even the genius of artists, then responsibility for generating interest in the arts stems from a choice of society, a vision of the world, a policy in the noblest sense of the word; in other words, a collective determination, a choice between humanity and barbarism. It is as radical as that. Each in their own way, these original public programs and events expose the public to a wide range of artistic practices. More than that, these initiatives also seek to highlight the uniqueness of the experience between spectator and work of art while avoiding the trap of becoming a simple short-term marketing enterprise.

Are these events, these “memorable moments” focussing on the visual and media arts succeeding in affirming the essential role of the arts as a mechanism for connection within society? Are there other ways to encourage dialogue between artists, their works and citizens? How can artists have a hand in this affirmation, provocation, awakening, exploration that make their contribution so vital to the harmonious development of life in society?

Tonight, we will be using the time to reflect together on possible solutions to generate greater awareness and appreciation of the visual and media arts among our fellow citizens. We will first hear from three panellists who, through their own professional experiences, have explored the relationship between the arts and society. Afterwards, you, the recipients of the 2009 Governor General’s Awards in Visual and Media Arts who are here this evening—and to whom I offer my warmest congratulations—and those of you who have joined us here at Rideau Hall for this 36^th edition of Art Matters will be welcome to respond and to share your ideas and points of view.

On that note, I hope that our discussions will prove to be unifying and the evening, electrifying.