More cultural loss in Canada. Bad news that Parachute is closing down.
It's hard not to become discouraged when a publication such as Parachute, which is internationally recognized and connected, no longer has the funding to continue in Canada. Once again we have the paradox : it seems that to 'make it' we need to prove that we have an impact in Europe and the USA; and yet, when we do have that impact funding agencies nonetheless fail to see the value (and that , in fact, we've made the leap they want). The Canada Council was supposed to be formed in part to enable Canadians to compete internationally because it was recognized that we didn't have the private means to do so. The apparent dismissal of this intent bodes badly for us.
yup, very good comment CG. There's also the big problem of burnout in cultural work: publishing=owie! It's incredible how much art and art-related work gets done on such tiny amounts of money, due to big huge efforts by individuals putting in time and energy. This is true across the spectrum, from individual artists making their work, to curators, organisers, administrators and publishers.
Yup. And guess who is going back to school to re-enter the system. It's hard not to be bitter. I know you've been through all of this publishing and that you worked through the ethics of advertisers etc. to support Lola. Looking at Canadian Art which has successfully incorporated big corporate sponsors BUT has watered down content and geared it's articles to collectors and dealers, I wonder if it is possible at all to maintain a serious art-and-issues focused publication at all. While Parachute was often highly theoretical and written by academics I'm discouraged to see that there is no sustaining power for it to remain within the larger Canadian art discourse. Again, we're doing ourselves a big disservice and paradoxically proving that we are indeed unable to act on an international and other-than-mainstream stage. It's ironic in a country that posits itself as diverse.
One thing it is important to keep in mind is that none of the ideas magazines (including the US bigwigs like Harpers & Utne) are financially viable in the free market - everybody needs external resources of some kind, be it philanthropy or state support. The art mags are particularly challenged, particularly in Canada, by having a small demographic of readers. But we ain't alone. Publishing is cruel.
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More cultural loss in Canada. Bad news that Parachute is closing down.
- sally mckay 11-24-2006 9:39 pm
It's hard not to become discouraged when a publication such as Parachute, which is internationally recognized and connected, no longer has the funding to continue in Canada. Once again we have the paradox : it seems that to 'make it' we need to prove that we have an impact in Europe and the USA; and yet, when we do have that impact funding agencies nonetheless fail to see the value (and that , in fact, we've made the leap they want). The Canada Council was supposed to be formed in part to enable Canadians to compete internationally because it was recognized that we didn't have the private means to do so. The apparent dismissal of this intent bodes badly for us.
- cg (guest) 11-27-2006 8:23 pm
yup, very good comment CG. There's also the big problem of burnout in cultural work: publishing=owie! It's incredible how much art and art-related work gets done on such tiny amounts of money, due to big huge efforts by individuals putting in time and energy. This is true across the spectrum, from individual artists making their work, to curators, organisers, administrators and publishers.
- sally mckay 11-27-2006 8:45 pm
Yup. And guess who is going back to school to re-enter the system. It's hard not to be bitter. I know you've been through all of this publishing and that you worked through the ethics of advertisers etc. to support Lola. Looking at Canadian Art which has successfully incorporated big corporate sponsors BUT has watered down content and geared it's articles to collectors and dealers, I wonder if it is possible at all to maintain a serious art-and-issues focused publication at all. While Parachute was often highly theoretical and written by academics I'm discouraged to see that there is no sustaining power for it to remain within the larger Canadian art discourse. Again, we're doing ourselves a big disservice and paradoxically proving that we are indeed unable to act on an international and other-than-mainstream stage. It's ironic in a country that posits itself as diverse.
- cg (guest) 11-28-2006 7:50 pm
One thing it is important to keep in mind is that none of the ideas magazines (including the US bigwigs like Harpers & Utne) are financially viable in the free market - everybody needs external resources of some kind, be it philanthropy or state support. The art mags are particularly challenged, particularly in Canada, by having a small demographic of readers. But we ain't alone. Publishing is cruel.
- sally mckay 11-28-2006 8:35 pm