Artists seek to share their ideas with a public, and the audience experience with art is at the heart of the philanthropic motivation in the cultural sector. This exchange between art and audience develops art and enriches society.
Our sector in Canada works within a hybrid revenue model of market and subsidy. While some argue that art can pay for itself, reliance on market alone can restrict artistic outcomes. Adding funding support to arts revenue frees artistic choice contributing to liberty of expression and a healthy democracy.
In the US, market and philanthropy dominate arts revenue, and in Europe, public funding is fundamental. In contrast to both traditions, Canadian arts organizations manage a paradoxical blend of market, philanthropy and public funding, suggesting that unique managerial skills are required. This balancing act is complex since audience responses are unpredictable and public funding is not always reliable. Understanding how this model links audiences to philanthropy is key to optimising this combination.
We consider five themes in this issue. First, we explore the value of art and its philanthropic support. Second, we debate issues arising from an evolving trend called art for social change. Third, we investigate philanthropic strategies deployed in the arts in Canada. Fourth, we share the experiences of collegial learning groups who pursue an understanding of sector-specific philanthropic practice. Finally, we offer narratives from international and historic voices about arts philanthropy.
Enjoy your reading!
Editorial: The Balancing Act of Cultural Philanthropy, by Wendy Reid, HEC Montréal, Quebec Hub
Value of art and cultural philanthropy
- Artists as actors for systems change, by Patti Pon, President & CEO, Calgary Arts Development, published by The Philanthropist, PhiLab partner
- Equipping the Future to Find the Art That It Needs: Five Questions on the Future of Cultural Nonprofits, by David Maggs, Metcalf Fellow on Art and Society, The Metcalf Foundation, PhiLab partner
Art for Social Change – Art, the rhetoric of effects and funding support
- PODCAST: The Cole Foundation approach to social justice in the arts with Barry Cole, The Cole Foundation
- PODCAST: Socially engaged theatre with Taiwo Afolabi, University of Regina – Theatre Department
- The NOLA Project, by Manuela Clément-Frencia, Founder NOLA Foundation
- Arts for Social Change Philanthropy and the Rhetoric of Effects, by Adam Saifer, University of BC – Okanagan, Western Hub
- Affect, accountability, and the social impact of the arts, by Meghan Lindsay, Queen’s University
Strategizing philanthropy in the arts
- Rethinking Cultural Philanthropy in Montreal: Relationships and Community, by Wendy Reid, HEC Montréal, Quebec Hub
- Philanthropie culturelle : quelles ambitions pour les politiques culturelles en soutien à la philanthropie au Québec? par la chaire de gestion des arts Carmelle et Rémi-Marcoux et Culture Montréal. Colloque, le 2 décembre, 2023
- Les politiques culturelles de soutien à la philanthropie au Québec, by Jules Bonnet and André Courchesne, HEC Montréal
- Entrevue avec Philippe Ravanas, Donateurs et clients : Fusionner les profils pour un soutien artistique durable, by Diane Alalouf-Hall, Quebec Hub Supervisor
- La Philanthropie culturelle à Montréal : La place des arts ou l’impasse des arts? par Diane Alalouf-Hall, Quebec Hub Supervisor
- Le théâtre jeune public : une manière unique de réaliser la philanthropie de proximité, Entrevue avec Katherine Westoll ,Théâtre Geordie, et Emilie Champoux, Théâtre le Clou, by Wendy Reid, HEC Montréal, Quebec Hub
- Art collectors and public art museums: A philanthropic partnership: Interview with Gwendolyn Owens, Visual Arts Collection, McGill University , by Wendy Reid, HEC Montréal, Quebec Hub
Learning Cultural philanthropy
- Interview with Dory Vanderhoof and Julien Valmary: Training arts philanthropy professionals in Canada and in Québec, by Melissa Wilson, Carleton University, Ontario Hub
- Philanthropie culturelle: de la théorie à l’action grâce au codéveloppement, by Karla Étienne, Les Conversations philanthropiques en culture, PhiLab partner
- Regroupement des compagnies du théâtre au Québec : Apprentissage et partage des stratégies de la philanthropie, by Wendy Reid, HEC Montréal, Quebec Hub
International Voices
- Exploring historical roots of philanthropy for the arts in Europe, by Alex Turrini, Bocconi University, Italy
- Philanthropy and the arts in Australia, by Sharon Nathani, Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
Podcasts
PhiLab Podcast To Give or Not to Give with Taiwo Afolabi
Philanthropie in Action with Barry Cole