The Evolution of Municipal Government Arts Policy in Vancouver
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THE POLITICS OF LOCAL CULTERE: THE EVOLUTION OF MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT ARTS POLICY fM VANCOUVER Susan Juliet Stevenson B.A., McGiil University 1985 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFiLLMENT OF REQUIRmNTS FOR THE DEGREE OF OF ARTS in &he Department of Communication O Susan Stevenson SIMCIN FmSER UNIVERSITY September 1992 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. 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ISBN 0-315-91089-5 APPROVAL NAME: Susan Stevenson DEGREE: Master of Arts (Communication) TITLE OF THESIS: The Politics of Local Culture: The Evolution of Municipal Government Arts Poky in Vancouver EXAMlNfNG COMMITTEE: CilAl R: Dr. Catherine Murray Dr. Alison Beale Assistant Professor Senior Supervisor Dr. Robert Anderson Professor Dr. Evan Alderson Dean of Arts, Simon Fraser University DATE APPROVED: 4;,#&- . 2%/'iJ- PkSTZAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE 1 hereby grzln", to Simon Fraser University the righr rs lend ~nythesis or disser~ation (the title 05 which is showrl below) to users of the Simon Frsser University Library, and to make partial ox single copies only for such users or in response to a reqaest from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduatt* Studies- It is unclerstosd chat copying or pub1ication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed witliout- my written permissicn, Title of Thesis/Dissertaticn: The Politics of Local Culture: The Evaiution of --- - - - - - - Municipal Gavernnent Arts Policy in Vanccuver --- - "-. Author : signature ..,--<"can Stevenson name September 28, 1992 date iii ABSTRACT This thesis is a sttidy of the development of government arts policy at tke imnicipal level in the ci~yof Vancouver. It a4Gresses the f~ifowingresearch question: "What factors ha3rc; influerteec3 the city government's ability to meet its stated goal cf improving citizen access to che arts?" Access Is discussed riot only in terms of working in the arts or aetending arts events, but also in terms of citizen participation in the civic arts policy-making process. The specific areas of cultur2i policy which are examined include ethnicity and the arts, women and the arts, and art in public pf aces. T~Ethesis includes an overview of historical in•’luences which have shaped cultural practices and policy in Canadian cities, and in "Jar,couVer in particular. It traces the emergence of "cuftural.planning" and programs in the Vancouver city bureaucracy, along with the changes in policy discourse and priorities which have occurred from the early 1970s through to the early 1990s. This study examines policy goals of citizen access and democratic participation, in light of canfiicting political, economic and social influences. The Ii5stsx-y and structure of municipal government is also considered, in order to determine how these structural influences limit or permit the Zevelopment of arts policy at iv the l~calln5eL. 'I3e zesearc;? methads incfuee intervi~sq.-;wit t.1 ciky cf f icials an2 cultural. xorkers, docarnr?ntary ~indauclii vCll research, a~ldan onalysis of the discourse used in policy dscwment s . The city gavermenE Vancouver has in recent years ~li~lcle attertapts to breaden access r,o the arts amcng the dive~sc. e'khnic populatiors. of the city and Lo encourage improvsi! rdcc> relacions tkirrough cross-cultural programing in the .Irts. This study concludes, however, that the role of social eldss and gender has generally been overlooked in municipal arts policy in Vancouver, It also suggests that policy-makers will be under increasing pressure to redefine some of the centrdl concepts which infom their work - such as "conununity," "culture, " "art," and "policy" - as a result of shif tiny soc:ic~l values. v ACrnOWLEDGEMENTS Many people cofitributed to the research for this thesis by sharin.; their knowledge of contemporary issues and local histay. 3 would like to thank all of those who were intecriewed for this thesis (whose names are listed in Appendix 1) , My seni~r s~pervisor Alison Beale has advised and encouraged me throughout the research and writing process and my supervisor Eob E~lclerssnoffered insightful comments in the early stages of planning this research, as well as with the final draft . i would also like to acknowledge Sharon Fuller, Yasmin Jiwani, David Skinner, Bryan Newson and Alice Niwinski who read and critiqued drafts or portions of this thesis. Of course, any shortcomings are my own responsibility. Yhanks also to Alix Sales for help with my research of city documents and for producing most of the statistical tables which appear in ~heappendices, and to Tim Guay, Matt Rogalsky and Bill Richards for contributing their technical zssistance. The friends I've made at SFU have offered me a great deal of encouragement, particularly Ian Chunn, Wu Xue, Karen Wall, Sam Black and Sharon Fuller, I am also grateful for the support my parents and grandmother have given me over the years, Edward Starkins served as my editor and conputer consultant throughout and was supportive in many other ways. And Algernon helped simply by being there, . Approval ....................... :L 1. Abstract .................... iii Acknowledgements ................ v I. INTRODUCTION * * . * e * * . * ........ 1 1 . Methodology ............. ........ 4 2. Definition af Terms and Discussion of Concepts: . 8 (if Culture ........... ........ 8 fii) The Arts .......... ........I1 fiii) Policy ........... ....-12 (iv) Comnity .......... ........ 14 (v) Cities and M~nicipalities . ........16 Notes ............... ...18 11 . CITIES A2.I THE ARTS: KISTORICAL INFLUENCES ....19 1 . Influences from Western Civilization ........19 2 . Early Canadian Influences .............23 (i) Private Patronage .............. 23 (iij TheMasseyCommission ............25 fiii) The Development of Arts Policy in Canadian Municipalities ................2'7 (~vfCanadian Municipal Government ........32 Notes .......................38 III . THE STRUCTURE AND HISTORY OF MUNICIPAL ARTS POLICY IN VAIICOWER .........39 1 . Civic Politics and Economic Interests .......39 2 . Structure of Vancouver Municipal Government ....43 (i) Vancouver City Council and Civic Bureaucracy ..........44 fii) The Vancouver Board of Parks andRecreation ................47 (iii) Vancouver School Board ............52 (iv) Greater Vancouver Regional District ..... 55 3 . History of the Arts and City Government Involvement in Vancouver ............57 ti! Building the Infrastructure: 1886-1950 ...57 Cii) The i..T eed for Municipal Arts Policy: 1951-1970 ..............64 (iii) Culrural Planning in the 1970s: "Cormunity Development" ...........68 !iv) Cultural Planning in the 1980s: The Economics of "The Cultural Industry" .....76 Notes .................86 IV. COMTEMPORAIZY ISSUES IN ?TANCOWER