Arts sector gathers in Montreal for major pan-Canadian summit
Canada Council for the Arts set to unveil new $88.5M digital fund

Montreal, March 16, 2017 – The Canada Council for the Arts is welcoming close to 300 arts leaders from across Canada and abroad – including representatives from other funding agencies – to a unique, two-day summit in Montreal. The event is focused on helping Canada’s arts sector scale up its capacities to innovate, connect and share work with citizens in today’s digital world.

The Canada Council is also set to unveil the first details of its new $88.5 million “Arts in a Digital World Fund, 2017-2021.”

The event and fund are part of the Canada Council’s digital strategy, a key commitment in the organization’s most recent Strategic Plan, Shaping a New Future 2016-2021.

About the Canada Council’s Commitment to Digital:

• The Arts in a Digital World Summit takes place at Montreal’s Arsenal on March 16-17. The event is a combination of keynote speeches, interactive sessions, brainstorming moments and more. Select sessions will be broadcast live via Canada Council’s Facebook page Website: www.artsinadigitalworld.ca Twitter: @canadacouncil.ca #ArtsinaDigitalWorld
• The event’s keynote speakers include Simon Brault, Astra Taylor, Jackson 2bears and Sylvain Carle. See the full list of participants.
• The Arts in a Digital World Fund will launch in Fall 2017, and will run until March 31, 2021. It will support a wide range of projects, including short-term, small-scale projects for under $10,000, and large-scale initiatives with funding up to $500,000.
• The Fund will have three broad components:
  • Digital literacy and intelligence: projects that foster digital knowledge and competencies in the sector
  • Citizen access to the arts and cultural engagement: digital approaches to increasing access and public engagement
  • Transformation of organizations: support for arts organizations to transform the way they work so that they are in a better position to address challenges and seize opportunities: structure, governance, and processes

Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is Canada’s national public arts funder. We champion and invest in artistic excellence so that Canadians may enjoy and participate in a rich cultural life. In 2015-16 we allocated $157.4 million dollars towards artistic creation and innovation through our grants, prizes and payments. We also conduct research, convene activities and work with partners to advance the sector and help embed the arts more deeply in communities across the country. We are responsible for the Canadian Commission for UNESCO which promotes the values and programs of UNESCO to contribute to a more peaceful, equitable and sustainable future for Canadians. The Canada Council Art Bank operates art rental programs and helps further public engagement with contemporary arts. Art Bank operates art rental programs and helps further public engagement with contemporary arts.