[Bcma-l] CMA, Communique: A NEW ERA FOR CANADA'S VISUAL ARTS

[bcma-l@museumsassn.bc.ca]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	CMA, Communiqué: A NEW ERA FOR CANADA'S VISUAL ARTS 
[REF5360000595000005357]
Date: 	Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:14:00 -0500
From: 	Canadian Museums Association des musées canadiens 
<lmcconnell@museums.ca>


    A NEW ERA FOR CANADA'S VISUAL ARTS
    A new collective agenda forward


*Ottawa, December 12, 2007 —* In late November, the visual arts 
community achieved two significant milestones: the agreement on 
exhibition fees and the Visual Arts Summit represent important positive 
steps forward.

First, the landmark agreement over exhibition fees between artists and 
museums ends a 35-year dispute that has divided the sector. The *new fee 
schedule* 
<http://25538.vws.magma.ca/media/Pdf/Fee%20Schedule%20Agreement%2011-20-07.pdf> 
takes effect January 1, 2008. The CMA urges all its members to adopt 
this minimum fee schedule when exhibiting artists’ works.

The agreement also includes the commitment by CMA, CAMDO, CARFAC, and 
RAAV to work together to advocate for the establishment of a new 
Exhibitions Rights Fund based on the successful model of the Public 
Lending Right used by libraries, administered by the Canada Council, and 
to work on other issues to improve the situation of artists and museum 
support.

Second, following this historic agreement, more than 450 representatives 
of the visual arts community met in Ottawa at the *Visual Arts Summit* 
<http://www.visualartssummit.ca>, hosted by CMA, with the assistance of 
various partners (see list below) and sponsors. This was the first 
meeting in well over 50 years, and the largest and most comprehensive 
ever, including artists, gallery owners, curators, collectors, writers, 
media, and government officials.

Many key issues were identified including steps to meet the public’s 
increased appetite for the arts, to ensure art is in the school 
curriculum, to develop art markets, to create more international 
exposure for Canada’s visual arts, to improve funding for museums and 
artists’ livelihoods, to push for new tax incentives, to ensure the 
special place for Aboriginal arts, to urge the government to take 
responsibility for the National Portrait Gallery, to save the Exhibit 
Transportation Services, and more. A *new collective agenda* 
<http://25538.vws.magma.ca/en/conferences/other_events/collective_agenda/index.php> 
was established to move the community forward. We encourage you to *sign 
it* <http://www.petitiononline.com/visarts/petition.html%20>, and to 
forward it to your colleagues and friends.

“There is much work still to be done with respect to nurturing, sharing 
and celebrating the visual arts across Canada and abroad, and we 
appreciate the commitment of the partners to translate into action the 
landmark understandings achieved at the Summit," said artist and 
advocate Vera Frenkel from Toronto, who was also one of the speakers at 
the Summit.

Following the Summit, the partners met on December 7 to discuss the 
organization of a new alliance and to identify the key issues to be 
addressed by this new informal body. “We have agreed not to establish 
yet another organization, rather we are capitalizing on the good will of 
all national partners to work together in a mutual manner," said John 
McAvity, CMA executive director.



*For more information:
*Canadian Museums Association
613-567-0099
info@museums.ca <mailto:info@museums.ca>
www.museums.ca <http://www.museums.ca>
www.visualartssummit.ca <http://www.visualartssummit.ca>
www.petitiononline.com/visarts/petition.html 
<http://www.petitiononline.com/visarts/petition.html>


*Summit Partners:
*Aboriginal Curatorial Collective www.aboriginalcuratorialcollective.org 
<http://www.aboriginalcuratorialcollective.org>
Art Dealers Association of Canada www.ad-ac.ca <http://www.ad-ac.ca>
Artist-Run Centres and Collectives Conference www.arccc-cccaa.org 
<http://www.arccc-cccaa.org>
Association des groupes en arts visuels francophones www.agavf.ca 
<http://www.agavf.ca>
Canadian Artists' Representation www.carfac.ca <http://www.carfac.ca>
Canadian Education Association www.cea-ace.ca <http://www.cea-ace.ca>
Canadian Museums Association www.museums.ca <http://www.museums.ca>
Canadian Art Museum Directors' Organization: www.camdo.ca 
<http://www.camdo.ca>
Independent Media Arts Alliance www.imaa.ca <http://www.imaa.ca>
Royal Canadian Academy of Arts www.rca-arc.ca <http://www.rca-arc.ca>



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