I was delighted to learn this week that the Government of Canada has appointed me to a five-year term as Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts, effective July 30, 2008.

The Canada Council for the Arts is a leader in advancing professional arts practice in Canada. The Council awards approximately 7,000 grants annually to individual artists and arts organizations in music, theatre, writing and publishing, visual arts, dance, media arts and integrated arts. The Council was established in 1957 as a federal Crown corporation and currently operates with an annual budget of approximately $191 million.

I see my appointment as a unique opportunity to apply my skills and experience to something I care deeply about -- keeping Canada at the forefront of cultural development. A half-century of public investment in the arts has helped make Canada a world leader on the artistic front, but few Canadians fully appreciate what arts and culture contribute to society, and how much more could be accomplished with additional investment.  The Canada Council exists to advance this agenda, and in accepting this appointment I commit to taking a lead in spreading this message.

Naturally, I will rely heavily on the experience and wisdom of many others to support me in my new role.  First amongst these will be my fellow Board members from across Canada, half of whom are francophones.  In particular I will lean heavily on the Vice-Chair, Simon Brault, whose contribution to the work of the Board for more than four years has been exemplary. Then there are the members of management and staff at the Council, under the capable leadership of Director Robert Sirman. There are sister organizations at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels who share the Council’s deep commitment to the value of public investment in the arts. And there are the over 600,000 Canadian artists and other cultural workers who help to brand Canada to the world and inject over $43 billion annually into the Canadian economy.

I am honoured to accept this new responsibility, and can’t wait to get started.

http://www.canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2008/zr128629410956533328.htm