Canadian Arts Summit March 30–April 1, 2012 |
 |
Summit Overview
The Canadian Arts Summit was founded in 1998 by The Banff Centre and the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada (now Business for the Arts).
The Canadian Arts Summit is a unique national leadership forum, co-ordinated by The Banff Centre. It is held in late March/early April of each year and brings together the chief executives, artistic directors, and board chairs of Canada’s largest 50 not-for-profit cultural institutions: symphony orchestras, theatres, opera and ballet companies, as well as heritage and art museums — primarily those with budgets over $5 million.
The Summit is predicated upon the belief that these influential leaders — volunteers, artists, and managers — can, by working together, develop the strengths required to support Canadian artistic aspirations. The first principle behind the Summit is that it is a gathering of leaders, the outcome of which is shaped by the participants. For that reason, the Summit has become, over its first 14 years, not just a weekend event in the spring, but an ongoing network of arts leaders working together, through the Steering Committee, throughout the year.
For its first seven years, the Summit was held at The Banff Centre. In 2004, the decision was made to alternate between Banff and Eastern Canada. The 8th, 10th, and 12th Summits were held in Montreal; the 14th annual Summit took place in Toronto on April 1-3, 2011. The 15th Summit will be held at The Banff Centre on March 30-April 1, 2012.
Each year a Steering Committee drawn from the participants undertakes to create the next year’s Summit. The Steering Committee for the 15th Annual Canadian Arts Summit is chaired by Dorothy Dobbie, president and chair, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Her Committee members are: Upkar Arora, chair, board of trustees, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON; Janet Carding, director and CEO, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto; James Fleck, O.C., chair, Business for the Arts, Toronto; Wayne Hambly, chair, Confederation Centre of the Arts, Charlottetown; Peter Herrndorf, O.C., president and CEO, National Arts Centre, Ottawa; Mary E. Hofstetter, past president and CEO, The Banff Centre; Lucille Joseph, past chair, National Ballet of Canada, Toronto; Luce Moreau, president and CEO, Orchestre Métropolitain, Montréal; M. Lee Myers, chair, board of governors, Stratford Shakespeare Festival; Johann Zietsman, president and CEO, Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts, Calgary. Jeff Melanson, president, The Banff Centre, and Nichole Anderson, president and CEO, Business for the Arts, serve on the Steering Committee as ex-officio members.
Background
In 1998 the Council for Business and the Arts in Canada and The Banff Centre invited the chairs, executive directors, and artistic directors of 20 of Canada’s largest arts organizations to a “Summit”. That first Summit was predicated upon the belief that these influential leaders — volunteers, artists, and managers — could, by working together, better support Canadian artistic aspirations.
Over the past 14 years the Canadian Arts Summit has developed into a unique cultural leadership forum. The key ingredients of every annual Summit now include:
- A provocative keynote speaker or overarching theme
- Presentation by artists
- Case studies from participants
- Discussion in formal and informal sessions
- Lots of opportunity for exchanges among like-minded people from every discipline and region.
But the Canadian Arts Summit is more than just a weekend event. It is a “virtual” organization. It is not an incorporated entity and it does not have members.* Instead, its work is carried on by a volunteer Steering Committee appointed from among those who have been invited to participate. To date it has brought together the chief executives, artistic directors, and board chairs of some 40 of Canada’s top 50 not-for-profit cultural institutions: symphony orchestras, theatres, opera and ballet companies, as well as heritage and art museums, libraries, and film festivals.
Throughout the year, the Steering Committee’s role is to:
- Develop the annual Summit weekend event.
- Serve as the overall governance body.
In addition, the Advocacy sub-committee, formed by volunteers keen to deal with specific issues, works throughout the year to oversee the implementation of the Advocacy Plan, as accepted by the Summit participants, and to develop proposals for advocacy for Summit participants.
At the core of the Canadian Arts Summit are the following strategic intentions:
- To achieve a common understanding of the state and value of the arts in Canada.
- To enhance the awareness and resourcing of the arts in Canada.
- To collaborate for the development of strategies and best practices to strengthen the sector and its constituents.
Summit participants believe that, if the importance of the arts within society is to be understood and treated seriously, it is up to everyone involved in the sector, in their individual roles as leaders, to communicate the facts.
Since 2005 the Summit has alternated between Eastern Canada and Banff. The 14th Summit was held in Toronto in 2011. The 15th Summit will be held in Banff, March 30–April 1, 2012.
*While the governance of the Canadian Arts Summit is undertaken by the Steering Committee of volunteers, any legal or fiduciary obligations are undertaken by The Banff Centre in its role as the Secretariat.
