It’s hardly news to say the arts don’t rank as a top-level issue in the current federal election campaign. But, when asked, each of the four local candidates vying to represent the riding of Halifax in the next Parliament can produce a platform or set of numbers relating to their party’s supposedly solid position on arts and culture (first and foremost, funding and the maintenance or restoration of program cuts).
But the candidates’ credibility might arise as much from their own experience with, and interest in, arts and culture as the party line.
“I’m a young woman riding around on my bike and going to the Pop Explosion,” says NDP candidate Megan Leslie, adding her admiration for spaces like Bus Stop Theatre. “You need to engage with the many diverse communities within arts and culture.”
Leslie has a law degree from Dalhousie and has worked with Dalhousie Legal Aid. She’s also been heavily involved in anti-poverty and climate change movements. But she’s taken a screenprinting course with the Ink Storm Collective at Anchor Archive. “They’re just doing it on their own. It’s so incredibly inspiring and so incredibly depressing,” Leslie says.
“I want to…listen, and ask what we can do to makes things better.” Catherine Meade, Liberal
Empathy for and awareness of those who regularly balance creative and administrative work (probably a couple paying jobs on the side, too) is something Green candidate Darryl Whetter brings up as well, praising the “multitasking” abilities of creative professionals in Halifax as fuel for the city’s “creative economy.”
Whetter moved here in August from Advocate Harbour to teach creative writing at Dalhousie. He’s written a novel and a book of short stories and has two more books underway, so is versed in balancing two pursuits. “It’s how I live; it’s how I make my living,” he says. “My partner’s a writer as well.”
Catherine Meade, a lawyer and Liberal candidate, has struck a balance in her life, too. “Much of my life has been about balancing music and sport,” she says.
Along with work at the Gay and Lesbian International Sport Association and the Out Games, she’s played percussion, performed in a symphony, sang with the Nova Scotia Mass Choir, the Acadia Gospel Choir and has been involved in musical theatre—all activities through which she’s met many different people with different motivations for getting involved. Though she lauds Halifax as Atlantic Canada’s major cultural centre, she knows “there aren’t the same opportunities here,” as there are in bigger cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Rather than ignore that fact, Meade plans a simple approach to working with those in the arts/culture sector: “I want to simply listen. And to ask, ‘What can we do to make things better?'”
Conservative candidate Ted Larsen already has the biggest battle because his party is in power and has formed the government people accuse of drastic reductions in arts funding. But, he maintains, “I’ll be there in a very real way,” when asked if he can work with the community and industry in Halifax and bring their concerns to government.
A small business owner and operator, a single father and former Chronicle Heraldreporter, Larsen recalls as his exploration of the city’s culture: “As a young person, it was going out to hear good music.” That was followed by attendance at Neptune Theatre productions, Symphony Nova Scotia concerts and “multicultural festivals.”
Out of all four candidates, only one (Megan Leslie of the NDP) mentions the rally for the arts being organized for this Friday at Grand Parade and her plan to attend. Perhaps all will be seen and ready to show and to talk about where they stand on arts and culture.
Go to the Vote Arts Rally, Friday, October 3rd at Grand Parade, 12:30-1:30pm. We’ll be there, covering the rally on our Dope Show blog
This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2008.
Sean Flinn, your bias and spin on this article is quite apparent and thoroughly unprofessional. You failed to report that Green Party candidate Darryl Whetter is the only practicing artist running in Halifax. He has not only written 2 books but published them to national acclaim (one he launched here in April). He has shown work at the eyelevel gallery, read at Word on the Street twice, has a Phd in literature and teaches creative writing currently at Dal. He too, like Meade and Leslie has attended numerous concerts, movies and plays even before he moved to the city. Thought your readers would like to know the facts you failed to report.
Hi Nicole, Normally I don’t respond to reader comments, but in this case I feel it’s necessary, despite my discomfort. Firstly, I appreciate you writing, taking the time to respond. You obviously care about the race for the federal riding of Halifax and how the arts factors into this campaign. Having said that, your use of the term “unprofessional” is heavy-handed. The news here, besides the rally on Friday last, was to show that each candidate had a connection to the arts and to briefly illustrate that. That was the responsibility I carried in writing the piece and that I carried out fairly and with due consideration of each candidate. In fact, I mention that Darryl moved here from Advocate to teach creative writing at Dalhousie (which I think implies an education in creative writing and literature on the teacher’s part). I also mention that he’s published two books and is working on two more. So I think Coast readers, who are thoughtful and appreciative of people who live lives connected to the arts, understand that Darryl is an accomplished writer and that’s his PRIMARY connection to the arts.I have no doubt he attends concerts, gallery openings (where I’ve been introduced to him myself) and has read at Word on the Street. I also know that Darryl launched “The Push & the Pull” here in April because I wrote a story about the book for The Coast. In no way was the article meant to run down the list of every accomplishment of each candidate. That said, I could’ve written some more on all of them. But, as stated before, the question to be answered in the piece was: what were their main connections to the arts? In the end, all the candidates were given a fair shot to represent/explain their connection to the arts because I asked each the same set of questions, including (referring to my notes now) ‘what is your main connection or experience with the arts?’ Finally, you sign your name as Nicole only. That’s your right, of course, but I can’t help wonder if this is Nicole Dixon, Darryl’s partner, also a writer. She is mentioned (though not by name) by Darryl in a quote in the piece above. And since, as a commentator on this story, you seem versed in Darryl’s career (though the information is available on his web site), I am wondering if this is Nicole Dixon, someone I’ve interviewed before for research on another story. And if this is her, I think you have/had an obligation to identify yourself as the partner of a candidate writing a jouranlist with an accusation of “unprofessionalism” and “bias.” Best, Sean Flinn