May 8, 2013
50 years ago the province’s primary arts funding body, the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), was established with a mission to foster the creation and production of art for the benefit of all Ontarians.
For the last 10 years, CCI has been generously supported by the OAC. Going back to the 2002-03 year, CCI has received $670,721 in OAC grants (excluding the three-year Arts Investment Fund support). Adjusted for inflation, this figure equals $718, 579.
OAC’s touring office played a major role in creating Ontario’s touring marketplace. Canada’s first showcase/booking conference, Contact Ontario, was started by the OAC in 1972 and has been managed by CCI since 2003 with continuous support from the OAC. Over the last 30 years, this important initiative has been replicated across Canada bringing artists and presenters together so that the best talents have opportunities to reach different communities.
In addition to its stewardship of Ontario Contact, CCI is honored to administer two of the OAC’s programs, Ontario Dances and Theatre Connects.
Ontario Dances program, started as a joint OAC-CCI project in 2008, seeks to have more dance performances in Ontario communities and more people engaged, interested and invested in dance at a local level in our province. The program aims to increase the range and diversity of dance available to communities in Ontario outside of the city of Toronto.
Theatre Connects is a new, two-year, pilot initiative that seeks to have more theatre performances in Ontario communities and more people engaged, interested and invested in theatre at a local level.
Congratulations on 50 years of public funding of the arts in Ontario! Here is to the next 50 years!
