OK, so there's been a day of frantic emails, texts, Twitter and Facebook activity over news that the HRM cultural awards had been axed. I just spoke to Andrew Whittemore, HRM's manager of cultural affairs, who has the official word.

The news that the 2011 awards are cancelled is incorrect—according to Whittemore, this was a misunderstanding between a HRM staffer and Theatre NS. The theatre and book awards will go on as planned this year, but all future cultural award programs are under review, as is everything right now, for the following:

-what is the award program; what does it look like; and should be the money be placed there, or somewhere else such as calls for proposals.
-where does the money come from? "Who should pay?" asks Whittemore, suggesting that the private sector may be called upon to contribute. "We want to create a sense beyond art for art's sake, that culture has a real economic importance."

While I'm pleased to see the awards happening this year (bet there will be some excellent acceptance speeches), I still think that what this situation really reveals is that HRM still has a lot of work to do in terms of gaining the trust of its cultural community. These small awards, while important gestures, don't make up for the lack of other programs such as an independent arts council, grants for individuals, etc. Whittemore says that emerging artist studio program, a great pilot project from 2009 that gives recently graduated students a place to work, will be announced soon. Personally, I'd like to see more of these types of long-term sustainable projects that assist artists in creation all year around, not just for at an few minutes of clapping on stage.

For every one step forward the city makes (Khyber/Bloomfield redevelopment, Nocturne, Emerging Artists Studio Program), all that good work got shot to shit with the news that HRM is cancelling the arts awards, including:

Mayor’s Award for Literary Achievement: $1,500
Mayor’s Award for Excellence in Book Illustration: $1,500
Mayor’s Award for Achievement in Theatre: $1,500
Mayor’s Award for Emerging Theatre Artist: $500
TOTAL=$,5000

I'm not sure yet of the Contemporary Visual Art Award's status. We're having a tough time getting anyone to confirm anything. Now, $1,500 is not a lot of money, but it can make a huge difference to someone who has a low income (c'mon, no one makes art to become rich). But even more so than the dollar amount, it's the symbolic devaluing of art in a city that has no arts council or grants to individuals, as do most cities of Halifax's size. Also, when you consider all the high-profile expensive projects the mayor seems willing to throw cash at, $5,000 is like the linty pennies in the bottom of my purse.

We're going to keep on this, but until then, here are a few artists that received awards (the list on HRM's website hasn't been updated since 2008, which says a lot right there): Michael Melski, Mary Vingoe, Anthony Black and our own Mike Holmes. These are just some of the nationally/internationally recognized artists who get trotted out when the city wants to show what a diverse, culturally vibrant place Halifax is. Embarrassing.

I'm moving to Pawnee. We need a Leslie Knope.

• NSCAD's waterfront campus

Last night, as I groggily analyzed Bruce Frisko's tie on the ATV 11pm news (note to news writers: referring to "starving artists" is as cliche as saying that TV hosts are shallow), he surprised me with a piece about NSCAD University and their current financial situation. The school isn't saying anything, but provincial (operating costs) and municipal (heritage capital costs) governments confirmed that the school is looking for a major financial injection. Dartmouth councillor Gloria McCluskey suggested that perhaps NSCAD shouldn't have opened their waterfront campus, which was a major expansion and cost for the school in 2007, but that's not really helpful in hindsight.

Actually, it wasn't a surprise to hear about this, as rumours are swirling in the community about where cuts could come next. The dismantling of the Dawson Printshop this time last year, was a sad sign of things to come. Coast's Vincenzo Ravina wrote last year:

Linda Hutchison, director of university relations, alumni & development, confirms that the Dawson was closed as a cost-cutting measure. When asked if NSCAD would hire a technician, she says she doesn't know. "We're not sure when we can reopen the Dawson. We certainly hope to, when the economic climate improves. It's a wonderful opportunity to show and display the letterpress work that's created in the Dawson. I personally love it."

When asked about NSCAD's current debt and whether it's related to the building of the school's waterfront Port Campus, which opened two years ago, Hutchison says, "That's not a question I'm prepared to answer.

We don't have specifics right now, but we'll keep on the story.

It's official. On Monday, the House of Commons voted unanimously to designate Pier 21 as the country's national immigration museum. It's not just a fancy title: this means that the former immigration shed will be eligible a higher level of federal funding, as well.

Here is Sean Flinn's story from last year, when the announcement was made.

Regional council has approved funding for the Halifax Central Library, but the fate of another cultural building still hangs in limbo. The “Final Report on Future Use of the Khyber Building” (halifax.ca/crca/FeasibilityReport.html) was released a couple of weeks ago, with updated observations from the public consultation sessions that happened late last year. The majority of the report remains the same—-read an analysis of the operating scenarios here—-but consulting firm TCI Management Ltd. updated pages of photos, as per the request of Khyber ICA staff. Gone are pages of dusty staircases, graffiti and dark storage rooms, replaced with photos of art exhibitions and people actually working in the space. This might seem like a petty consideration, but the next stage for the Khyber is a staff report to council, and although TCI recommends keeping the building as a cultural centre, it’s going to be a fight to justify the investment. If Dartmouth councillor Gloria McCluskey can vote against a library because of an auditorium and a cafeteria...

Perhaps this fight will be addressed April 1, 8pm at this panel discussion “revisiting the motives, challenges and consequences of cultural programming at 1588 Barrington” with those who know best: present and former directors and board members. Plus, it’s a chance to check out the Khyber archives poster show, which is a fun walk down music, art and old-school Mac font lane.

Another example of how complex the issue is: spoken word artist iZrEAL sorts out his own feelings on yesterday's apology and announcement that almost $5 million of gov't money is going towards a new interpretive centre in Seaview Park. Is this really for the community, he asks, or for tourists?

A couple of good things happened Wednesday at the two public info sessions dedicated to the future of the Khyber building (1588 Barrington) as an artist-run centre:

1. Everyone was in the same room, hearing the same information from TCI Management Consultants, who prepared the feasibility study, HRM staff and Khyber board members, past and present. City staffers cleared up a few points, as did old Khyber supporters from back in the day who could clarify historical points. The Khyber's history is a bit like following the Old Testament. Maybe we need one of those sea-parting miracles now.

2. Khyber events coordinator Jody Zinner brought up the issue about the terrible photos inside the consultants' report, asking them to balance out photos of debris and graffiti with more appropriate and accurate photographs of events, the ballroom gallery, etc. It was clear that initially, the consultant seemed to think it was an "artists" thing until a few people brought up the point that evil, evil "graffiti" was one of the reasons that council closed down the Khyber Club space in the first place. If this is a document that council will be using as an aid to make their decision—and its clear that many of them have never been inside the building—then it should reflect all of the centre's activities.

3. Regardless of which of the five scenarios is selected, realistically it will cost $600,000-$1-million to bring the heritage building up to standards, in terms of accessibility and usability. The majority of the cost will go towards construction of an elevator and second set of stairs. However, during the meeting several people brought up alternative locations and possibilities for the elevator, based on original plans from back in the day, which could potentially reduce that cost and hopefully disruption to art activity during the renovations (it hasn't been decided yet if the gallery would have to move to another location during the construction). At this point the consultants haven't been concerned with physical design, just costs and benefits. Speaking of which, I am also curious as to why there hasn't been a peep out of Heritage Trust about these renovations. They have an OFFICE in the space. Ahem.

4. The costs in the report assume an average $20/sq.ft rental fee on Barrington. As Zinner astutely pointed out, this high cost does not reflect the street's current situation, but rather a cost of doing business on a hopefully revitalized Barrington.

Here are the five scenarios (six including a bonus). Keep in mind that regardless of outcome, the capital cost renovations need to happen.

A-HRM sells the building to Khyber Arts Society, with a buy-back clause. This is almost a break-even scenario for the city as HRM would provide subsidies to KAS for fulfilling a public service, i.e. free gallery space, art education, but would not be dealing with day-to-day costs.
B-HRM owns, but KAS operates the building. KAS receives rent subsidies; opportunity costs to the city (aprx. $100,000-$130,000)
C-HRM owns, KAS is sole tenant but can sublet; opportunity costs to the city (aprx. $100,000)
D-HRM owns, KAS is one of several tenants; opportunity costs to the city (aprx. $100,000)
E-HRM owns, leases to another organization to manage; KAS may/may not remain in the building; opportunity costs to the city (aprx. $130,000)

Not included in the report...a scenario that could happen.
F-City council decides to sell building as commercial office space; cost is eliminating the only cultural activities space left on Barrington. It's clear that there are dedicated HRM staffers working hard with KAS staff to keep this as an arts space, but ultimately it's up to council to decide.

Each one of these scenarios has its own set of risks and benefits, which you can find here, in the report. On this page there is also a link to an online survey. Read the report, then fill out the survey by January 8 (it's quick, I promise). These results will feed into the final report that is presented to council.

If you want to support the Khyber in a fun way, don't forget about Holiday Toast, the KAS/Eyelevel fundraiser, this weekend. The fun starts at 8pm, tickets are $10. For art collectors this is a must, as there will be items for sale by artists like David Askevold, Sherry Boyle, Daniel Barrows, Gerald Ferguson, Garry Kennedy, Alan Sondheim, Lawrence Wienger, Kelly Mark, UJERK5 (Jeff Wall, Rodney Grahame), Bruce Barber, Colleen Wolstenholme, Andrew Forester, John Greer and many more.

Last week’s news of NSCAD student Tyler Mumford’s photos of bouncers at the Halifax Alehouse (look for a news story tomorrow) has drawn a lot of online discussion about public space and privacy. But if this was, as what is being suggested by Mumford’s schematic illustration on a Facebook page, intentionally meant to provoke and video a bouncer’s aggression in order to capture a photo, it would be helpful if there was some sort of explanation as to his artistic intentions (Mumford is no longer speaking to media, and neither is NSCAD). Radical art interventions that pull activity out of galleries and onto the streets have a long, prominent history of kicking the establishment where it counts. Sometimes we do need waking up. Our systems need a check.

The Guerrilla Girls postered the hell out of New York, pointing out misogyny in public art institutions. In 2006, Banksy replaced hundreds of copies of Paris Hilton’s debut CD with his own work.

Closer to home, in 1994, NSCAD artist Lucy Pullen, reinterpreting a 1960s conceptual work, planted 50 packages of homemade sugar cookies in Sobeys, where almost half were sold, until the police and health authorities were notified. And I wish I was here for this one: early one morning in 1997 Sandy Plotnikoff and Pullen dropped 2,500 Superballs off a downtown Halifax parking garage. Dangerous, sure, but can you imagine how glorious that would be?

• Photo by M Donavan
• Lucy Pullen and Sandy Plotnikoff, 2500 Superballs

But Pullen and Plotnikoff articulated their purpose. It might not always be clear or easy to understand, but all these artists had motivations beyond pissing someone off. Yes, there have been some plain stupid ideas like OCAD student Thorarinn Jonsson’s bomb hoax which closed down the Royal Ontario Museum during a high-profile AIDS fundraiser in 2007, and maybe this bouncer photo stunt should be slotted in that category too. But it's still no excuse for assault, or the some of the violent comments posted on Facebook demanding that Mumford and his accomplice be tried/beaten/banned/expelled. We need artists with courage who are willing to step out and mix it up, just a little bit.

This Saturday night at 8pm, artist Jyelle Vogel has taken over the vacated upholstery shop at 5682 North Street for an installation. This is the third and last showing before she gives up the space. She describes the candle-lit installation: "There are four mobiles hanging from the ceiling. They are made from bicycle rims and fishing line. Spinning the bottom rim brings the fishing line into the center creating an hour glass shape. The mobiles can spin for up to 10 minutes, gently winding and unwinding."

It's no secret that the Khyber ICA and HRM have endured a rocky relationship, but today feels like the beginning of a whole new love affair, or the most passive-aggressive Sid and Nancy-style punch-up around.

If the last week is any indication, there's reason to be hopeful when it comes to conversations around Halifax's urban affairs and public spaces. In the past, any discussion about architecture, development, transit, etc., has been monopolized by two groups: the rigid heritage-savers vs the tall offices=economic progress crew. The debate has been shrill and uncompromising. But in between the sound of downtown wrecking balls, there's another group whose voice is emerging. People that are actually concerned about solid, sustainable design.

First there was the 4 Days un-conference, led by design visionary John Thackara and TEDx,. Last night, Spacing Atlantic launched at Eyelevel Gallery. A locally run offshoot of the award-winning Toronto magazine, the blog's editors are planning extensive coverage of "public spaces, transit, cycling, city hall, community development, urban design, green spaces, infrastructure, public art" and more. It sure will be great to have company at events.

Publisher Matthew Blackett and editor Emma Feltes (sharing duties with editor Jake Schabas) seemed pleased with last night's turn-out. A good-sized crowd gathered around a Halifax map trying to pinpoint their homes (with the aid of street names), while others sorted through a bowl of Halifax buttons adorned with major street names.

Some of the best events I've been to in the last couple months have happened in the Khyber building—like the Obey Convention and the Totally Wicked Music Festival. Well kids, just when you think that things are finally getting settled under that old turret, last week we heard from Steven James May, one of the organizers of the Salon des Refusés Atlantique, which, annually, has applied salve to filmmakers' bruised egos by screening local films rejected by the Atlantic Film Festival. Every year since 2001 the salon has taken place at the Khyber, but not this September. According to May, when he tried to book the space, he received this note back from Christine Lavoie, team lead for HRM's Culture & Heritage Development: "The Khyber is presently not available for rent (no HRM staff on site to operate it). However, we are working with a consultant who's developing a plan to address the future of the building, in consultation with the artistic and cultural community."

Lavoie confirmed her response to May, and says that the consultants—Toronto-based TCI Management Consultants—are planning on releasing their report in the late summer/early fall, for consideration to council. Let's hope the city can get their shit together (pun intended) on this one. It would be a terrible shame to lose this space, or for it to lose its raggedy, grassroots spirit. In the meantime, show your support for the Khyber ICA, which is still programming exhibitions—go see Chris Foster's Notions of Progress, on until July 24.

UPDATE: Just received an email from May stating the salon will continue on with its Khyber-location legacy, but not in the old Khyber Club, as in past years. The Khyber ICA's Ballroom is the place to be Saturday, September 19, from 7-10 pm. "Let's hope that by September 2010 the Khyber Club will be up and running in time for the Salon to celebrate its 10th anniversary."

In tomorrow's paper, Sean Flinn writes about Pier 21's 10th anniversary and its pursuit of national museum status. Already a national heritage site, Pier 21 hosts Stephen Harper tomorrow, and the PM is planning an announcement with premier Dexter at 10:30am. Hopefully this means good news for Canada's immigration museum, putting it on par with five other institutions; most located in Ottawa, including the Museum of Civilization, and Winnipeg's Museum of Human Rights. For the last decade, Pier 21 has worked toward broadening its scope and bringing stories of immigration to Canada to all Canadians. Be sure to read Sean's story tomorrow for background on its efforts, which will be updated with any news from the press conference.