Saskatchewan Arts Board
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The Saskatchewan Arts Board is an arms-length funding agency that provides support to the arts in Saskatchewan: to artists, arts organizations and communities on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan. It was established in 1948 as the first agency of its kind in North America and second in the world to the Arts Council of Great Britain.
The agency supports the arts through programs, funding and services. The Arts Board has offices located in both Regina and Saskatoon, and professional staff is available to consult with artists, arts organizations and community members regarding programs and application process.
The Arts Board is governed by The Arts Board Act, 1997, and funded by the Government of Saskatchewan through the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, with additional support from the Saskatchewan Lotteries Trust Fund for Sport, Culture and Recreation as a result of the Arts Board's partnership with SaskCulture Inc.
The importance of the input and feedback of the community it serves is a priority throughout the Arts Board's operations and is formalized within The Arts Board Act, 1997. Although officially appointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council, one-third of the members of the Arts Board’s board of directors is chosen from a list of nominees provided by the arts community. This process assists in ensuring the Arts Board is representative of the thoughts, ideas and directions of the community itself. The board reports to the province’s minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Arts Board.
Contents
History
Saskatchewan Arts Board by Order in Council was established in 1948 and the Arts Board Act a year later in 1949. They were part of several cultural initiatives undertaken by the government of T.C. Douglas, based on the belief that "the people of the Prairies are hungry ... for things of the mind and the spirit: good music, literature, paintings and folk songs. This was why the Arts Board was established."[1]
The Arts Board launched several high-profile initiatives. By 1968, the Arts Board had a Permanent Collection, the School of the Arts at Fort San, and consulting services and grant programs, which became the agency's signature functions.[1]
The creation of the Department of Culture and Youth in 1972 and, in 1974, it establishment of the provincial lottery system, had an affect on the Arts Board. The Board began to change its activities that had previously occupied a large portion of its time, lessening its interest in its development and community-based mandate.[1]
From 1990 the Arts Board was restored as Saskatchewan's single unified arts agency. This was the key recommendation of the Provincial Government's Arts Strategy Task Force. In the late 90s that steps were taken to meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal artists.[1]
Funding and Programs
The Arts Board offers several funding opportunities and programs for individuals and organizations, including:
- Artists in Communities (formerly Creative Partnerships)
- Artists in Schools (formerly ArtsSmarts)
- Arts Entrepreneurship and Business Development Course
- Culture on the Go
- Independent Artists Program
- Indigenous Pathways Initiative - Grants to Artists
- Premier's Centennial Arts Scholarship
- Prince Edward Drama Scholarship
- Professional Arts Organizations Program
- SaskFestivals
The Arts Board also administers grant and award programs in partnership with other agencies, such as the Access Copyright Foundation and the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts.
Permanent Collection
The Arts Board's Permanent Collection is a collection of art by Saskatchewan artists. It includes nearly 3,000 works of art in all media by more than 600 artists and is the largest body of work by Saskatchewan artists in the world.
The Arts Board makes the Permanent Collection accessible by bringing it to the people of the province in their workplaces, schools and communities. Works form the collection are loaned to galleries and other venues around the province and country for exhibitions, film production, broadcast and publication opportunities. The Arts Board's Art Rental program brings artwork into the office. Art Rental clients are Saskatchewan government departments, agencies, crown corporations, boards, commissions and the corporate sector. Non-profit organizations and institutions may also rent art from the Saskatchewan Arts Board's Permanent Collection.
Saskatchewan Arts Awards
On the occasion of its 40th anniversary in 1988, the Arts Board established the Lifetime Award for Excellence in the Arts. The award honours Saskatchewan individuals whose accomplishments have had a major impact on the arts provincially, nationally and internationally.
In 2004, the awards program expanded and the Arts Board established the Lieutenant Governor’s Arts Awards to recognize the achievements made by individuals, groups and organizations in the arts.
In 2016, it was renamed the Saskatchewan Arts Awards.
In addition to the award, all recipients receive a cash prize. Award categories include Lifetime Achievement, Emerging Artist, Leadership - Individual, Leadership - Organization, Arts and Learning, Volunteer, and Saskatchewan Artist.
Supporting Indigenous Artists
Grant Programs for Indigenous Artists
- The Indigenous Pathways Initiative – Grants to Artists program is designed to increase participation in, and access to public funding by Indigenous artists in the province. The Indigenous Pathways Initiative seeks to address these issues while also increasing public access to high-quality Indigenous art.
One or more of the grants provided by this program may be funded through the 2005 Canada Games Building Dreams and Champions Legacy Program: Emerging Aboriginal Artists Award. This initiative provides support to young emerging Aboriginal artists in the province who are just starting out on a career path in the arts.
Clearing a Path: An Exhibition of Traditional Indigenous Art
Clearing a Path was first launched in fall 2005 and premiered on a world stage at the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad in February 2009. The exhibit includes close to 30 works by 20 artists and features a wide range of Indigenous art forms, including carving and bead and quill work. The artwork itself is made from traditional materials gathered in Saskatchewan and is an expression of Indigenous cultural practices that are unique to the province.
Exhibit Locations and Dates:
- First Nations University of Canada Gallery (Regina Campus) – Nov. to Dec. 2005
- Wanuskewin Heritage Park Gallery – Dec. 2005 to Feb. 2006
- Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils Tour – Apr. 2006 to Apr. 2008
- Regina International Airport – June to Nov. 2008
- Talking Stick Festival, Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad – Feb. 2009
- 2009 Buffalo Days – the Queen City Ex – Aug. 2009
- RCMP Heritage Museum, Regina – Nov. 2009 to Mar. 2010
In 2004, the Saskatchewan Arts Board piloted a new program, the Indigenous Pathways Initiative - Traditional Arts Grant. It was the first in a series of programs designed by the Arts Board to increase participation and access to its public funding by the Indigenous artists of the province.
The purpose of the Traditional Arts Grant program is to facilitate access to funding by Indigenous cultural workers: Indigenous artists, whose work is primarily in a traditional cultural art medium such as beading, birch bark biting, dancing, storytelling, drumming etc. Two objectives of the Traditional Arts Grant program are to raise the profile of traditional arts and artists working in a traditional media and support traditional art that is passed from one generation to the next.
It was acknowledged that these arts forms are often relegated to the category of "craft" and not recognized by western European tradition as "real art." So, the Arts Board developed an exhibition of work by recipients of the Traditional Arts Grant that would challenge people’s perceptions, while providing increased visibility for Indigenous traditional art.
In summer 2005, curators Sherry Farrell Racette and Carmen Robertson were hired to select the art work for the show, and a partnership with the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils ensured the exhibition would be widely toured in the province. In Nov. 2005, Clearing a Path: An Exhibition of Traditional Indigenous Arts opened at the First Nations University of Canada Gallery in Regina. With an impressive review by Leader-Post Arts Critic Jack Anderson and several feature interviews on CBC and APTN, the show continued to gain momentum and moved to Wanuskewin Heritage Park for a two-month run. Bookings for the OSAC tour immediately filled up and the demand for the show was so great that the Arts Board extended the exhibition touring dates another year. Upon expiration of the tour, the show was re-curated for the Regina International Airport, where it showed until Nov. 30, 2008.
Clearing a Path then premiered on a world stage at the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad in February 2009 as Saskatchewan’s inaugural event at the Olympics. After this milestone event, the exhibit moved on to 2009 Buffalo Days in Regina in August 2009 and on to the RCMP Heritage Centre until March 2010.
A catalogue of the works in the exhibit was prepared for the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and is available for sale.
A second exhibition curated by Carmen Robertson and Sherry Farrell-Racette, Cherished Things, had its national debut at Harbourfront Centre's Love, Saskatchewan festival in Toronto in July 2010.
Partnerships
- Legislative Building 100th Anniversary Artist Residency
The Legislative Building Artist in Residence Program was part of the province's year-long celebration in 2012 of the 100th anniversary of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building and was developed in partnership with the Saskatchewan Arts Board. Under the guidance of artist-in-residence coordinator Laura Hale, who also served as a resident artist, the eight participants explored the history and significance of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building through their own artistic disciplines.
Each artist hosted a community engaged project to encourage cultural exchange at the Legislative Building and created a work of art that is displayed in one of the alcoves in the Rotunda of the Legislative Building. The artwork was unveiled in December 2012.
- Artists in the Community
The Artists in the Community project ran from October 2006 to September 2007. It was presented by the Saskatchewan Arts Board in collaboration with the City of Saskatoon, with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Cultural Capitals of Canada program.
Eight community-based residencies were selected from a broad variety of sectors within Saskatoon. Organizational staff, volunteers, community members, managers, and organization clientele had the unique opportunity to work with an artist for six to nine months.
The Artists in the Community project was presented by the Saskatchewan Arts Board in collaboration with the City of Saskatoon, with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Cultural Capitals of Canada program, a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
- Art at Work
In 2004 the Art At Work project was presented by the Saskatchewan Arts Board, in collaboration with the City of Regina, with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Cultural Capitals of Canada program, a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
100 Years of Heart: Celebrating Saskatchewan's Centennial
The Saskatchewan Arts Board was involved in celebrating Saskatchewan's Centennial in 2005 with two important projects:
- Centennial Commissions Project: To celebrate the Saskatchewan Centennial, the Saskatchewan Arts Board commissioned the design, creation, and installation of four large-scale, permanent, outdoor artworks in four Saskatchewan gateway communities: Estevan (Spinning Prairie by Jefferson Little); Lloydminster (Sky Dance by Douglas Bentham); Yorkton (Doorways to Opportunity by Lionel Peyachew) and LaRonge (Portage by Chris St. Amand).
- Saskatchewan Centennial Mural Project: The Province of Saskatchewan designated funding for the creation of a large mural in the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. The painting was installed in the rotunda of the Legislative building. Roger Jerome, a Métis artist who lives in Air Ronge, designed and painted the mural, Northern Tradition and Transition.
External links
- Saskatchewan Arts Board
- Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan entry on Saskatchewan Arts Board
- Arts Board Act, 1997
- Saskatchewan Arts Board Annual Reports
References
Klages, Gregory. 2011. "By Artists, for Artists? Creating the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Canada Council." Saskatchewan History 64/1 (Spring/Summer), pgs. 38-49.
Riddell, W.A. 1979. Cornerstone For Culture: A History of the Saskatchewan Arts Board from 1948 to 1978. Regina: Saskatchewan Arts Board.
