More Drama in Drama

Even though I enjoyed the discussions about Arts Funding in Canada, I am glad that this week is over. It has been emotionally exhausting. I definitely felt an agenda to the discussions and if anything it made me really delve into the statistics (Canada Council for the Arts, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Edmonton Arts Council). If I am going to talk about these things, I want to be able to talk about them with some facts and understanding of the whole funding situation in Canada. We were getting the correct information about average income and percentage of the national budget for the arts, but the tone was suggesting that those amount were low and something to complain about. My feeling was that the numbers were actually pretty good. I think the size of the pie is pretty healthy - 4% of the national budget (which did not account for Provincial and Municipal grants) for an industry that employs about 3.9% of the working population. What struck me was that between 1971 and 2001 the number of artists in Canada tripled compared with an 81% in the overall labour force. That seems really askew to me. Can there be that many more artists out there who have the talent and drive to be professionals? Or is the national average income of $23,500.00 for artists so low because the total amount is being spread out over too big a population? Speaking of $23,500.00 as a National Average wage... child care workers earn about $10.00/hour. At 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year that works out to $20,800.00. Even with certification the wage doesn't increase significantly. I'm just saying... Anyhow, I don't want funding cuts. I think Art is valuable. Look at all the stuff I do that is art-related. I wouldn't put that much time into it if it wasn't valuable to me. I do think there is a lot of quality art out there that doesn't get 'counted' that skew the statistics and we don't want to talk about it because it makes a better case to have the numbers low. But I think about my own situation. I do the art I do because the process of making that art is what 'pays' me. If I get paid money it is gravy, icing on the cake, a bonus. I don't expect everyone to want that, but there are many people like me, who are creating art and that art doesn't get counted because it is not compensated financially. I could go on a rant about comp tickets and waste and a disrespect for budgets and people who maybe aren't good enough to make a living at it despite their desire to because I could write about this stuff for hours. All I know is that it isn't black and white and personally, I think we have it pretty good in Canada. Do I want funding cuts - NO; Do I want acknowledgement that we have it pretty good - YES; Do all people agree with me on both those statements - ABSOLUTELY NOT. That's why this is such a great country. Feel free to disagree...