new insights on audience engagement
contents
Introduction
Ellis Jacob Keynote Presentation
“Igniting Passion” Panel
Robert Sirman Keynote Presentation
“Marketing Culture in the 21st Century” Panel
“Culture Days Success Stories” Panel
Summary
This summary looks at public engagement, and the main themes on public engagement explored at the inaugural Culture Days Congress on Culture that took place in Toronto on May 24, 2013. It includes written text, videos, images and links to people, places and events.
You can also download the "Summary of the National Congress on Culture" in a PDF format here.
what was the congress all about?
The national Congress, entitled The Art of Engagement: Finding, Igniting and Keeping Audiences, was the first-ever of its kind in Canada. It was an opportunity to convene a diversity of individuals and organizations from across the country to discuss the most vital and relevant topics that affect arts and cultural engagement.
Some questions were:
How do we engage people more fully in the artistic and cultural lives of their communities?
How can we attract and keep audiences?
What are some innovative marketing examples?
What do successful models of cultural engagement look and feel like?
What new partnerships are emerging?
who was at the congress?
did you know?
The 2014 Culture Days Congress will be held in Winnipeg. Stay tuned for more info in the coming months.
The Congress attracted a diversity of participants from across Canada and beyond including artists, students, municipal cultural workers, arts and cultural organizations large and small, business people, community actors, arts and culture enthusiasts, government and funding representatives. Antoni Cimolino, Artistic Director of the Stratford Festival and National Chair of Culture Days stated: “What strikes me is the diversity of opinions and the many different voices in the room.” This was not incidental. The fact that so many people from different walks of life view Culture Days as a conduit for expressing and sharing culture is at the heart of the movement, and was reflected by those attending the inaugural Culture Days Congress on Culture. Some 250 people attended the Congress in Toronto, while 850 participated online through the live stream broadcast that allowed Canadians across the country to follow the program and join the conversation. Online viewers were able to chat alongside the live stream with fellow online participants, and a dedicated online host helped facilitate a fluid exchange between the parallel conversations, representing points of interest from the digital world to the gathering in Toronto.
kicking it off with passion…
ellis jacob’s keynote presentation
The theme of “passion” was one of the cornerstones of the Congress. In all of the practical information and interesting models of cultural engagement and audience participation presented during the day, and there were many, passion kept popping up as a key issue, many different forms.
The first came in the shape of Ellis Jacob, C.M., CEO of Cineplex Inc., who kicked off the Congress with a keynote speech entitled The Cineplex Blockbuster, Success Frame By Frame. The question Congress organizers asked him was:
How has Cineplex prospered in a time of fierce competition?”
He began by stating that passion is at the forefront of everything that Cineplex does. Not only is the Cineplex team passionate about movies, but more importantly employees are invited to make suggestions and contribute to corporate marketing and product development strategies. Getting employees involved in sharing ideas led to Cineplex being recognized as Canada’s most admired corporate culture in 2012.
Cineplex walks the line between art and entertainment, showing Bollywood and Blockbuster films. Ellis Jacob made it clear that although Cineplex holds 70% of the market share in Canada, the company does not take for granted the fact that people will continue to go to its venues. This is in stark contrast with companies like IBM, for instance, that nearly self-destructed because it stopped listening to its customers and stopped creating value that mattered for them. Thomas Friedman explains in The World Is Flat that “when a company is the pioneer, the vanguard, the top dog, the crown jewel, it is hard to look in the mirror and tell itself it is in a not-so-quiet crisis and [that it] better start to make a new history or become history.”
It can be argued that some arts and cultural organizations continue to work from some of these outdated mental maps as well: they cling to outdated conceptions about the value of their organizations to the community, outdated ideas about who lives in their communities, what those individuals value, and what role the arts do or do not play in their lives. Looking more closely at examples from the cultural industry, such as Cineplex, can provide some insight into helping shift the mental map.
ellis jacob outlined 6 tips for developing a successful cultural enterprise:
Take calculated risks. Start with small, manageable steps and build on these successes and relationships.
Tailor your offerings exactly to what people want. In other words, DON’T “self-destruct because you stop listening to your customers and stop creating value that matters to them.” Cineplex decided to opt for premium experiences through IMAX and surround-sound, as well as provide alternative products such as brand-based foods and innovative programming like live satellite representations of MET Opera events - because that’s what people asked for.
Focus on relationships. Build strong foundations with key partners by finding out what you have in common and how the relationship can be mutually beneficial. When Cineplex was going through financial difficulties, Ellis Jacob went to the banks and was transparent about its situation, thereby building trust for future risk-taking endeavours.
Never stop innovating to stay relevant. Go back to your audience members often (surveys, meetings, events, open exchanges). Ask people about what they are interested in. With 70% of the market share, Cineplex could just show blockbusters, but it chooses to also show Bollywood, because its audience shows interest in that area.
Provide access. Cineplex chose to invest in building cinemas in smaller communities, not just in big city markets.
Create excitement. Cineplex has created a multiplicity of ways in which people can engage with movies: it offers interactive activities on screen before movies, Apps, trailers and interviews online, and it continues to evolve its business strategies.
Click on the video to listen to the entire keynote presentation by Ellis Jacob, C.M., President and CEO, Cineplex Inc.
panel #1
igniting passion
Panel discussion moderated by Gabe Gonda, Arts and Life Editor, The Globe and Mail
Ellis Jacob, C.M., President and CEO, Cineplex Inc.
Marc Lemay, Director General, Arts Policy Branch, Canadian Heritage
Robin Mirsky, Executive Director, Rogers Group of Funds
Branislav Henselmann, Executive Director, Ballet BC
Gabe Gonda, Arts and Life Editor for The Globe and Mail, was the panel moderator and summed up the situation in these words: “I note a theme of disruption in all of the panelists’ approaches. Given the current economic volatility, changes in government support for the arts, and technological shifts, it means that ‘disruptors’ like yourselves can take advantage of this disruption in order to innovate.” In other words, the cultural landscape seems to be shifting and it is more important than ever to “continue to innovate to stay relevant.” Organizations or artists that emerge or continue to stay relevant in the public imagination will be those that are able to diversify their audience base and connect with what matters the most to people in their communities.
two important themes emerged from the panel in response to the question “given the changing cultural landscape, how do organizations better engage audiences?”:
share your stories
Do you have a particularly successful partnership with the private sector or a local business that you would like to share? Please post it to culture365.
1. Building Partnerships Beyond the Usual Circle
Now more than ever, it is important for people involved in making and promoting art and culture to develop more thoughtful and creative partnerships with businesses and funders. This involves broadening the scope to include those “beyond the usual circle.” Traditional reliance on public funding is no longer sustainable for many organizations. Increasingly, groups are developing strategies that include new types of partnerships. For your next production, why not try developing a partnership with a local business that has a robust mailing list and can send out invitations in their network? Ask your new partner what types of relationships they are looking to build with clients and how your project can contribute to this. Reach out to your mayor, the local school or library, or an online blogger in your community who can help you reach a younger audience. When looking at the audience in terms of markets, there is no one cookie-cutter approach. Don’t be afraid to innovate!
2. Passion is at the core; it comes from within and extends outwards
Your organization can have the best strategy and implementation plan available, but without the passion and creativity of those involved it won’t get very far. As Branislav Henselmann, Executive Director of Ballet BC, stated: “Passion needs to start from within: it begins with the dancers, volunteers, staff, and extends to future talent and leadership that we seek outside of the walls of our institution.” This might seem obvious, but in many cases passion is pushed to the sidelines due to rigid working environments or lack of focus and support, and numerous other reasons. Keeping “passion” at the forefront drives organizations to focus on their strengths and places value on the contribution of people in their network who share their enthusiasm. To view the interview with Branislav Henselmann, please click on the video.
Click on the video to listen to the interview with Branislav Henselmann, Executive Director of Ballet BC.
robert sirman’s keynote presentation
Listening to Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts Robert Sirman’s keynote presentation reminded me of the importance of leadership. Culture Days has adopted an open, accessible and democratic platform for creating and participating in culture, one that supports a collective leadership model. This leadership keeps evolving from year to year to include new people, and this is possibly the most exciting potential of Culture Days.
To listen to the entire keynote presentation by Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, click on the video.
arts participation helps promote citizenry
Robert Sirman spoke about several important shifts taking place in the ways that arts funders like the Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) approach their mandate. The CCA “is a place that supports artists, but we forget that when it was established 60 years ago, it was not simply to serve the needs of the arts sector, but all Canadians through an active, healthy, and vibrant arts sector.” Robert Sirman continued by stating that:
Where the mandate sends us is way beyond the 140,000 arts organizations that the CCA has funded, but rather to the 35 million Canadians who are contributing taxes towards arts and culture in their country. It has to do with accountability.”
The underlying message here is that while the CCA is particularly focused on supporting professional arts practice, the primary beneficiaries of its work are the people of Canada – ALL the people of Canada (Robert Sirman’s emphasis).
so where does public engagement come in?
We are not only talking about the number of “bums in seats.” What Robert Sirman discussed is also being echoed elsewhere – within municipalities, in arts organizations, arts councils and cultural institutions – and is part of a global movement. More broadly stated:
The primary issues facing the American [and Canadian] arts at present are not financial. They are cultural and social. We have a society in which the arts have become marginal. We are not producing another generation of people who attend theatre, opera, symphony, dance, jazz and other art forms. Most of these audiences have declined in the last decade, some of them precipitously.” - Dana Gioia, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, 2006
The focus is on providing arts and cultural experiences in order to explore more deeply what matters to people, as evidenced by “increased enthusiasm, frequency of attendance, the capacity and desire to talk or write about one’s experience, or in some other way respond to the experience, the curiosity to learn about the art form and the ideas encountered, the depth of emotional response, the quality of the social connections made, and the expansion of one’s understanding and appreciation over time.” This is a quote by Diane Ragsdale of the Australia Arts Council, whose views were echoed by Robert Sirman and others at the Congress. She adds that:
Selling a lot of tickets should not be conflated with having impact.”
what exactly does public engagement in the arts encompass?
Is it the same as or different from audience development, market outreach, public education, or cultural participation? The CCA has been thinking a lot about these questions, and came up with this definition:
Public engagement is… actively engaging more people in the artistic life of society, notably through attendance, observation, curation, active participation, co-creation, learning, cultural mediation and creative self-expression.”
What about you? What is your definition of “public engagement”?
Check out some of the amazing public engagement initiatives in the Culture Days network. Click on video links to learn more:
from ambient to inventive engagement
One of the Canada Council for the Arts’ starting points to answering the question: “What exactly does public engagement in the arts encompass?” was to look at the model of arts participation proposed by U.S. arts researcher Alan Brown, who lays out five ways people engage in arts and culture:
Ambient – unconscious, accidental; this happens when you are just there, walking down the street for example, looking at architecture or a garden.
Observational – intentional, “spectating;” like going to the theatre and seeing a show, or being in a gallery.
Curatorial – more active role, selecting experience; such as selecting music for your iPod.
Interpretative – presenting a piece of music that already exists.
Inventive – creating something of your own; like writing a song, or making up a story for your child.
Robert Sirman stated: “This model resonated well with the Council’s Board and staff. It was inclusive, it welcomed everyone into the circle without being prescriptive or judgmental. It didn’t say one kind of participation was better than another, it simply said that they were all going on all of the time.”
invitation to increase your civic footprint
UNESCO is pioneering a research and advocacy initiative that aims to establish a set of indicators highlighting how culture contributes to development at the national level, fostering economic growth, and helping individuals and communities to expand their life choices and adapt to change. However, as Robert Sirman pointed out: “This won’t happen if the cultural sector – and that means you, artist, municipal worker, teacher, librarian, business person, arts enthusiast – doesn’t become more proactive in civic life, in helping to shape the consciousness and values of the public at large.” The reason why culture is important is because it is the realm in which beliefs and values are shaped and passed on – through language, song, images, movement. These beliefs and values interact with other forces to determine the way people act, and the decisions they make about what’s important.
To listen to the interview with Robert Sirman, Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, click on the video:
panel #2
marketing culture in the 21st century: challenges and opportunities, breaking new ground
contents
Introduction
Ellis Jacob Keynote Presentation
“Igniting Passion” Panel
Robert Sirman Keynote Presentation
“Marketing Culture in the 21st Century” Panel
“Culture Days Success Stories” Panel
Summary
Panel discussion moderated by Janice Price, CEO Luminato
Barry Avrich, Partner, BT/A
Eli Singer, Founder and CEO of Entrinsic
Jeannette Hanna, Vice President, trajectory
Lorne Manly, Deputy Culture Editor, The New York Times
Che Kothari, Photographer and Executive Director, Manifesto
The Marketing in the 21st Century panel was moderated by Janice Price, CEO of the Luminato Festival. She talked about a global shift with relation to audiences, especially young people, who want to participate more fully in the creative process, engage directly with art work, and who value very authentic experiences. The experts on the panel provided interesting and diverse perspectives on marketing, underlining the importance of really connecting with your audience and providing people with a genuine experience.
3 important tips were:
tip #1
begin your marketing efforts long before your creation officially opens
Arts-marketer Barry Avrich of BT/A encouraged artists and arts organizations to develop more comprehensive marketing strategies. In his words: “It is a huge disaster to not really be engaging with your audience, because the public wants to know what is going on behind the scenes and be truly engaged in the process of creation.” As someone who develops marketing campaigns with arts and cultural organizations on a regular basis, he notes that: “We need to be reaching out to and thinking about what we are doing with our theatre goers, long before the production opens.” He also talked about working with the media to give audiences an opportunity to get to know who you are and what you are doing.
For an amazing example of how the The New York Times worked in partnership with the Broadway production “Death of a Salesman” starring Philip Seymour Hoffman to build a conversation around the show, click on my interview with Lorne Manly, Deputy Cultural Editor at the NYT. He describes the way the newspaper convened the community and kept the conversation going online and through specific events that targeted different segments of their readership.
Click on the video to listen to the interview with Lorne Manly, Deputy Cultural Editor at the New York Times
tip#2
the marketing mix – to use paper or not to use paper?
One of the questions from the audience was: “Should those of us on a tight budget have to choose between printing a 40-page colour schedule for our next season, or advertise only through social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.?”
Firstly, as Barry Avrich pointed out, if you are going to incorporate social media in your marketing mix, you need to go beyond putting a Facebook logo on your website. Unfortunately, there is no 21st century audience development kit that will help organizations figure out the perfect marketing mix to win over younger audiences: Should you get rid of subscriptions? Stream podcasts? Produce videos for YouTube? Hire DJs and VJs to play in the lobby after the show? Have a Facebook page? Text patrons on their cell phones? Remake the season brochure? Host some sort of amateur art competition?
Maybe! But it isn’t possible to answer these questions until organizations answer some more fundamental ones. Yes, groups need to bring their marketing into the 21st century; but first, they need to bring their missions into the 21st century. Communities have changed, the ways in which the public consumes art and culture are changing, art and artists have changed and institutions and organizations that exist to broker a relationship between the two (communities and artists) also need to change in response. Many groups have adopted a “mixed marketing strategy” to reflect the divergent interests and needs of their audience base.
Click on the video link to hear Kevin Walters discuss the marketing strategy for Culture Days Manitoba
tip#3
the audience is in the driver’s seat
Che Kothari of Manifesto, a group that engages with young people across the Greater Toronto Area around hiphop, spoke about a more holistic way of framing or “marketing” culture. Hiphop is not curated, but expresses raw creativity, and ingenuity. The analogy he used was that “rap is CNN for the black community,” and holds within it an oral tradition and message of kinship and unity. The authenticity of that draws people in. “Marketing” was not a word that Che used to describe the relationships Manifesto builds with the young hiphop artists they work with or the people who attend their events, and as for promoting the event, “the rooms are already full, and youth already engaged.”
Che’s perspective on arts promotion reminded me of something Maribel Alvarez, professor at the University of Arizona, spoke about when she gave a talk in Montreal in 2011. She spoke of another system of art that is self-generated, self-designated, self-fashioned and self-authorized, and “happens” because the community supports and invests in it, not because it is publically funded or sanctioned. Examples include drumming circles, spoken-word jams, community gardens and digital video-making. She identified these art forms as non-institutional art expressions, taking place in church basements, libraries, and public spaces, and said that they often tended to be socially invisible or undervalued. Che Kothari also alluded to this form of art production when he discussed the genesis of the Manifesto Festival, which was developed in collaboration with various partners and audience members. He explained that “an entire strategy came out of a series of dialogues with people.” It was the power of convening those who were specifically affected by certain barriers that led to the creation of a movement in which people engage more as direct producers of art, and less as audiences for art programs. Important characteristics of this model are that it is hands-on, casually organized, shared in groups, and temporary. This contrasts with a more formal art model in which space is publicly labeled, there is paid admission, art exists in a formalized financial system and is governed by rules and an administrative culture, and in which the focus is on the public solely as ticket-buyers.
To listen to the Q&A session from the "Marketing Culture in the 21st Century" panel click here:
panel #3
culture days success stories: effective models of cultural engagement
Panel discussion moderated by Henk van Leeuwen, Executive Director, CulturePEI and Chair of Culture Days PEI Task Force
Louise Sicuro, C.M., President & CEO, Culture pour tous, QC
Jean Giguère, Co-Chair, Culture Days Manitoba Task Force
Liesl Jauk, Manager, Cultural Development, City of Richmond, BC
Rosemary Polegato, MBA, PhD, Professor of Commerce, Mount Allison University, NB
Shannon Thunderbird, Coast Tsimshian First Nations, Artistic Director and Educator, Teya Peya Productions, ON
Danica Lorer, SaskCulture Culture Days Animateur, SK
sharing success stories
One of the interesting questions that emerged out of the Culture Days Congress on Culture was: “Whose job is it to ignite passion in the public consciousness?” Through Culture Days people have seen the great appetite in our communities for authentic cultural experiences – ones that excite, inspire and provide an outlet for creative expression.
the culture days success stories panel highlighted six models of cultural engagement. panelists played a lead role in “igniting passion” in their communities.
1. culture pour tous (qc)
It all started in Québec. The flagship event Journées de la culture gives Québec’s population an opportunity to discover and appreciate arts and culture, free of charge. Journées have been carried out voluntarily by artists, workers and cultural organizations since 1997. Louise Sicuro, C.M., President and CEO of Culture pour tous, spoke about their mission, which is “to help ensure that arts and culture are recognized as essential aspects of individual and collective development by promoting citizen participation in cultural life.” Culture pour tous now runs over nine different programs including Culture in Business, the Cultural Logbook, Cultural Mediation and Les passeurs de rêve. A veritable cultural hub of activity and inspiration, Culture pour tous continues to be at the forefront of policy development and innovative action with respect to culture and citizenship. Click on the video link to listen to my interview with Louise Sicuro.
Click on the video to listen to the interview with Louise Sicuro, C.M., President and CEO of Culture pour tous
2. culture days manitoba
Culture Days Manitoba has been a pioneer when it comes to finding innovative and effective ways of involving the vibrant artistic community in Winnipeg and building relationships with partners elsewhere in the province. Reaching beyond the immediate circle of arts and cultural organizers is something that Jean Giguère, Co-Chair of Culture Days Manitoba does naturally. She was amongst the early Canadian Arts Summit leaders to support and develop the idea of launching Culture Days, and saw the value of fostering broader partnerships as a way to build a sense of ownership of Culture Days celebrations in Manitoba. It has been challenging for many Culture Days organizers hosting events in large cities to attract attention because there are already so many arts and cultural events taking place on a regular basis. That is why organizers in Winnipeg chose to host Nuit Blanche on the same weekend as Culture Days, thereby combining efforts and drawing on different audience bases to bring more people out to both events. Another successful part of the strategy to create a strong base for Culture Days in Winnipeg, was to bring together the Marketing Directors of the major arts organizations, including the Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Through a Culture Days Marketing committee, they played a lead role in helping to ignite the buzz for all the activities taking pace across Winnipeg. To listen to my interview with Jean Giguère, click on the video link.
Click on the video to listen to the interview with Jean Giguère, Co-Chair of Culture Days Manitoba
3. city of richmond (bc)
Liesl Jauk, Manager of Cultural Development for the City of Richmond, B.C., has embraced Culture Days from day one, describing it as “the perfect festival in a box.” Richmond has used the occasion as an opportunity to mobilize its residents. After three years, it is now inspiring other communities in the GVA to do the same. Liesl’s list of the Top 3 things that need to be in place for public participation in Culture Days to be a success is as follows:
A coordinator willing to take charge.
Like-minded partners.
A well-designed communications plan.
Please click on the video link to listen to the interview with Liesl Jauk, Manager of Cultural Development, City of Richmond, BC
4. mount allison university (nb)
Rosemary Polegato is a professor at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. She works with Business and Arts students to share their talent and creativity with the people of Sackville as they shop, eat, do their banking, and pick up their groceries. In her Arts and Cultural Marketing course she teaches students about timelines, budgets, the unique needs of the arts and cultural sector, community values, municipal by-laws, corporate restrictions and public interaction. She has recruited 10 local businesses to host events in September during Culture Days, which have become key partners who collaborate on the project to make it a success. Rosemary states:
The Culture Days project presents a context for experiential learning, that is learning by doing. The events are real; the artists and performers are real; the money is real; issues are real; and how to protect the integrity of the art and how to engage the community is real.”
Click on the video link to hear Rosemary Polegato describe some lessons she has learned from her Culture Days projects
5. artist shannon thunderbird (on)
Shannon Thunderbird is an artist, educator, Coast Tsimshian Elder and founder of Teya Peya Productions, which provides a platform for the celebration of the richness of First Nations cultural diversity, and serves as an educational and cultural bridge between Native and non-Native people. Shannon spoke of the practice of “Coming back to the drum,” as a way of bridging the gap between youth and elders, which is an important component of her work with Teya Peya Productions. She explained that it is a prophecy, one of the “old” stories recited in First Nations communities that talks about coming back to the traditional teachings in order to repair a fractured world. Youth in First Nations communities are encouraged to reconnect with their ancestry, and young people in the broader community are made aware of traditional teachings as way of promoting Aboriginal culture and history, but more importantly in order to reinforce respect and understanding between cultures. She stated:
I carry the name Thunderbird for a reason (yes, it really is my last name!) In my world, Thunderbird is a great communicator and protector, unafraid to bring changes to the world and to speak the truth when something needs to be said.”
Click on the video to listen to my interview with Shannon Thunderbird, Founder of Teya Peya Productions
6. artist-animateur program (sk)
As a 2012 Culture Days artist-animateur in Saskatchewan, Danica Lorer used her storytelling talents to engage audiences in interactive cultural activities. She developed 44 workshops in 15 communities at 22 different venues, and involved over 1,000 participants. SaskCulture is an arts funder and has developed an interesting model for cultural engagement through their artist-animateur program, which involves hiring artists to work directly with citizens across the province, connecting communities and helping people develop an event for Culture Days.
To listen to Danica’s description of the animateur program, click on the video link
One of the Congress participants stood up at the very end of the day to share his own initiative. Three years ago, Greg York decided to organize cultural outings with some colleagues. Today, Greg’s Culture Club has over 3000 members. Every week at least 50 people get together to participate in a cultural event together. Proof of his own dedication to cultural engagement, Greg told me he had to dash out after the Congress was over, as he was biking uptown to hear Will Alsop, architect of the Ontario College of Art and Design give a talk with the rest of his group. Click on the video link to listen to Greg give a description of his inspired Culture Club.
Click on the video to listen to the interview with Greg York, Culture Days National Congress participant
summary
I asked Henk van Leeuwen, Executive Director of CulturePEI and moderator of Panel #3 Culture Days Success Stories: Effective Models of Cultural Engagement to sum up his panel, but he also provided an interesting summary of the Congress. Some of the themes he pointed out were:
Team-building.
Identifying and leveraging partnerships.
Building communities and the growing importance of the role of cities, local businesses, schools, universities, and libraries, in mobilizing and developing a sense of community.
Generosity.
Civic responsibility through cultural development.
Using Culture Days as a platform and tool to build community, economic, and educational capacity.
People who are igniting passion are just as likely to be found behind the desk in a municipal office, as dancing up Main Street in Flin Flon, Manitoba.
The focus is providing arts and cultural experiences in order to explore more deeply what matters to people.
The audience is in the driver’s seat – get to know who those people are and what they want to experience.
Click on the video to listen to Henk van Leeuwen, Exucutive Director of Culture PEI’s summary remarks on the National Congress
One final note: storyteller Danica Lorer related a story about her experience travelling across Saskatchewan for Culture Days, speaking to people about their own experiences with culture. This example highlights the importance of art as a way to engage people and help build a sense of interconnectedness.
Click on the video to listen to Danica Lorer tell the Pig Story
View or download the PDF version of the Summary of the Inaugural Culture Days National Congress on Culture here!
This blog was made possible thanks to the generous support of The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation and the Canada Council for the Arts.
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