SOFA

On the evening of Thursday, September 8, PC Leadership candidate Gary Mar spent an hour at a meeting hosted by SOFA to discuss his views on education and the role of fine arts. In his opening remarks, it was evident that he strongly believes that fine arts have not only an intrinsic value, but also an economic one, and that they are vital to our future prosperity. He talked about his various ministerial portfolios that he has held and how the arts tied into every single one of them. In the early nineties when he was the Arts and Culture minister and the provincial budget was being dramatically cut, he made sure that there were no funding cuts to the arts. He said that the “arts reflect who we are and what we aspire to be.” He also noted that more Albertans go to cultural events than sporting events and that there is a good return on investment in the arts. Throughout the evening, he repeated that while the question, “Are we spending too much?” is a valid question, equally valid is the question, “Are we spending enough?” In the case of fine arts, he believes that we need to spend more.

Fine arts and mental health

Gary Mar stated that arts can change the way we think and that it could be key in helping people deal with mental health issues. It is a way for people to express themselves and deal with issues in a personal way. He talked about the Calgary CHEERS project which teaches people with mental illness to speak about their personal experiences in a humorous way. A student in the audience later told his story about how he was often bullied and marginalized in school, which often led to depression. This student firmly believes that he would have become a terrible person if it was not for the fine arts.

The arts are key to global business success

Mar believes that the key to expanding global business is a firm understanding of the culture in which you wish to do business. He used the example of a property developer in Beijing, China who had never heard of Feng Shui and would have lost a lot of money on a project, had it not been for Mar’s educating him on the importance of Feng Shui in China. Mar also believes that Albertans should maintain their heritage languages and that we must make second language learning a priority in our schools. He said that the arts also have a role in helping other countries understand our culture, just as we must try to understand theirs.

The rise of the creative class

Gary Mar greatly admires the work of Richard Florida on the rise of the creative class as the driver of our economic engine. Mar stressed that we not only need to attract the creative class, but we need to ensure that our students are being well-educated so that we can transform our economy, which is based on non-renewable resources, into a sustainable knowledge-based economy. He used the example of how Finland, which is similar to Alberta in many ways, invested strongly in education and how this helped Nokia reinvent itself from its roots in paper and rubber to become the world leader in mobile phones. Mar is convinced that we can also reinvent ourselves, but it will require creative people, and creative people do not want to live in places that do not invest in arts and culture.

Fine arts funding in schools

During the question period, it was noted that fine arts programs are often the first to get cut when school budgets are tight and how the PC caucus has not demonstrated that they support greater funding for the arts. In response, Gary Mar returned to his roots, saying “What is past is prologue,” and stated that he has a strong track record of supporting the arts. He said that because of his extensive experience in various portfolios, he is able to see how the arts is connected in all of them, something that others may not be able to see. He is determined to come up with something that works for school boards, as each board has its own priorities. He especially wants to see First Nations education become much more culturally relevant and help those students gain an equal footing with other Albertans. With regards to an unsupportive caucus, Gary Mar used the following quote: “Whatever interests my boss always fascinates the hell out of me.” He firmly believes that caucus will follow whatever direction the premier wants to lead the province in and that just as he values the arts, so will an Albertan government led by him. He is not one of those who “know the cost of everything, but the value of nothing.”

Tom McCabe, president of Theatre Calgary and Chair of the Premier’s Arts Council, stood up and endorsed Gary Mar at the meeting, affirming that when Mar was the Arts minister that he was very supportive of the arts. Mar ensured that McCabe got the funding that he had requested and actually had him speak to the Alberta treasury board about the value of the arts in Alberta.

Bill 44

A student brought up how the passing of Bill 44 is limiting the fine arts, especially drama, where many works deal with complex social issues that would require parental notice before being able to be studied in schools. Gary Mar said that repealing Bill 44 is not on his list of priorities, but could be looked at in an overall context with other matters. However, he again pointed to his record and stated that he was in support of gay marriage and is a strong supporter of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. He says that it is especially important that schools be encouraged to have discussions about controversial subjects where students can explore these issues in a safe environment.

Is fine arts as important as math?

The last portion of the meeting was devoted to this question and will be the subject of a future blog post.

Thank you, Gary Mar!

SOFA wishes to thank Gary Mar for taking the time to meet with us and discuss the role of fine arts in our society and in our schools.