by Jini Stolk
I just saw this tweet from Rosario Marchese, my Member of Provincial Parliament: “Just learned 235 arts organizations & 251 artists from Trinity-Spadina received @oac_cao grants last year. Amazing.”
It is amazing. And it reminded me that the struggle continues for increased arts funding at City Council (thought it was over, did you?) and that politicians are keenly interested in supporting things going on in their own ridings.
Summer task: add your City Councilor, at home and work, to your mailing list; add adjacent City Councilors; add the Mayor; invite them to your shows; thank them for your grants from Toronto Arts Council. Did you forget to do that this year? No problem: do it now. Let them know the amazing impact of arts funding on their neighbours and neighbourhoods.
It’s true that Toronto City Council has committed to reaching the $25 per capita arts funding target by 2017 (which will add an additional $11.5 million over the next 3 years) but budget requests have to be submitted and approved each year. Let’s ensure that council members won’t be able to find an excuse not to vote for the remaining funding.
I’d like Toronto to be known as the arts advocacy capital of the world. I mean that.
