Market Access Framework

1. Objectives
2. Synergy between national and international markets
3. The Council's International Role
4. Next Steps
5. The changing environment for market access support
6. Background

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Objectives

The Council’s focus on the arts marketplace is intended to help expand national and international access to high-quality Canadian arts, in order to strengthen the ability of Canadian artists to succeed and prosper within and outside Canada. To achieve this outcome over time, the Council has identified three mutually reinforcing objectives:

• Objective 1:

  Contribute to the development of new national and international markets for Canadian arts

   

  Anticipated results include an increased diversity in travel grant destinations; increased and higher-quality invitations and bookings; and an increased presence in new and emerging markets.

• Objective 2:

  Strengthen the ability of Canadian artists to succeed outside their home market

   

  Anticipated results include a more diverse range of artists and arts organizations gaining new skills and reaching new markets; and partnerships with different sectors and levels of government, resulting in greater investment and new opportunities for artists.

• Objective 3:

  Expand international access to high quality, market-ready Canadian arts

   

  Anticipated results include an increase in international activity; an increased capacity by grantees to maximize international opportunities; or in some cases, higher revenue and audience numbers.

While these objectives are stated in terms of strengthening market access for artists, it is clearly intended that they will also strengthen the public’s access to Canadian arts both in Canada and abroad.

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Synergy between national and international markets

The Council recognizes that national actions and initiatives can, over time, lead to a greater Canadian presence on the international stage. Certain activities in the national arena, such as participation in touring workshops or interaction with international artists and buyers at Canadian festivals, can have long-term implications for global success. As well, performing or exhibiting on a local level supports the development of high-quality artworks, builds an artist’s confidence and increases market-readiness.² Furthermore, a healthy home marketplace can provide a stable platform from which to launch international activities, while also contributing to an artist’s competitive edge in those broader markets.

Conversely, while artists have at times needed to succeed at home before moving further afield, for many artists this is no longer the case. Increased mobility and changing methods of access mean that artists can first define their markets abroad, or reach them through digital means where national and international borders are no longer relevant. This increasing porousness between markets holds particular advantages for the many Canadian artists whose market or audience is defined as niche—one that may be small in Canada, but could be substantial internationally. For these and other reasons, the Council includes the continued development of a strong domestic market as part of its approach to the international arts marketplace.

Furthermore, digital distribution has disrupted traditional methods of accessing markets and opened up the capacity to reach a “borderless” market. How artistic product is brokered is also shifting and the once distinct roles of creator, producer and presenter are now more fluid.

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The Council's International Role

Despite potential diplomatic and trade implications, the Council’s international investment is driven entirely by its artistic mandate and guided by its core commitment to arts practice.  This approach is intended to ensure that artists have more choices and control over their careers; the potential to expand and diversify audiences and revenue; and opportunities to dialogue with international colleagues and develop their practice in relation to global standards. Simultaneously, it aspires to expand public access to quality Canadian art on a global scale.

Going forward, the Council’s actions will continue to be guided by a clear understanding of its distinct role in the international cultural sphere. The Canada Council for the Arts:

• responds to a diversity of artistic interests that arise from the community;
• draws on the success of its core commitment to prioritizing artistic quality;
• reinforces a competitive peer assessment process and responsible decision making;
• places a high value on favouring artists with appropriate collaborators and audiences;
• focuses strategically on building relationships and networks;
• works in harmony with international partners and with other funders and government departments; and
• possesses expertise in working with “connectors” (e.g., agents, art dealers, distributors, presenters and others).

This understanding will guide the Council when acting either independently or in tandem with others. Given that relationships and networks are the cornerstone of market development, the Council will prioritize working with a number of key Canadian and international networks and players, as well as its provincial and territorial funding partners. It will also work with national arts service organizations to ensure that the Council’s services are effective and compatible with existing resources. The Council will build on its relationships with the Departments of Canadian Heritage and Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and invest more strategically in the development of relationships with international partners.

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Next Steps

The Canada Council for the Arts is expanding its investment and activities in the market access sphere and working to increase the impact of its involvement. This framework is designed to function as a living document. While its objectives are ongoing, the strategies adopted by the Council to meet those objectives will change and evolve over time as results are achieved, or as the market environment shifts. The Council recognizes that national and international strategies are unique and specific to different artistic disciplines, and accordingly embraces that diversity in its approach. Currently, the Council offers a suite of opportunities in all disciplines designed to support market access activity.

Consistent with the evolutionary nature of its work, the Council's current grant programs will likely change over time to keep pace with changes in national and global conditions. In order to effectively shape and reshape its efforts, the Council will conduct ongoing reconnaissance—looking internationally and here at home to changes in the cultural marketplace. Consistent with the Council's overall philosophy and as part of this renewal effort, the organization will continue to liaise with its stakeholders to assess how well its programs are working and how they might be improved. It is also expected that the objectives and strategies outlined in this framework will be revisited as part of the development of the Council's next Strategic Planning cycle beginning 2016.

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The changing environment for market access support

In recent years, the landscape of support for market access has changed in Canada, presenting new challenges and opportunities. There are fewer federal programs and resources available, making the Council’s activities that much more important. Simultaneously, many provinces and territories are investing more robustly in artist mobility and market development. The approach and distribution of funds across the country varies: some regions have more developed market infrastructure than others.

These changes in Canada have occurred at a time of significant global economic shifts and unprecedented technological change. While Europe and the US continue to be important networking hubs and markets for Canadian artists, parts of Asia and South America are emerging as new, largely untapped markets that merit exploration.³

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Background

Since its inception, the Canada Council for the Arts has supported Canadian artists reaching out to national markets and engaging on the international stage. Our country’s artists are acclaimed worldwide and are an inspiration at home. But to stand out in today’s crowded marketplace, Canada needs a more competitive edge. This requires adequately resourced strategies to strengthen relationships to those markets.

Supporting Canada’s international presence in the arts is an essential component of the Canada Council’s work as a public agency dedicated to encouraging and promoting Canadian arts and artists. In June 2012, the Council announced an increase of $2 million in spending on international market access. Between April 2013 and March 2015, the Council will invest an additional $3 million in this area, bringing its total new investment in international market access to $5 million and its ongoing-targeted investment to approximately $10 million.¹ This is a doubling of the Council’s targeted investment over three years.

Global markets are critical to the success and public appreciation of Canada’s arts sector. International market access helps artists expand their audiences and diversify revenue streams beyond what is possible in a country of only 35 million people. At the same time, it strengthens arts practice in Canada by providing artists opportunities for exchange and exposure outside their home markets. International artistic activity also fosters an understanding of Canadian and other cultures, creates an environment of national pride, and prepares Canadians to fully participate in the global economy and society. The success of our artists abroad transmits value back to Canadians at home and contributes to their self-awareness as citizens of the world.

Within this framework document the Canada Council wishes to reinforce the important link between national and international market success. Given that activities in a national arena have long-term implications for global success, national and international markets must be promoted and strengthened hand-in-hand.

The Council’s investment in market access spans a range of programs, services and initiatives:

• Programs: every disciplinary Section and Office at the Council manages grant programs that provide support for national and international activities.
• Services: targeted market initiatives, tools and information resources.
• Corporate initiatives: the Council’s international involvements as an agency (such as its participation in the work of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA)).

Well-established mechanisms such as these enable the Council to support market access activities that prioritize artistic quality, and build on Canada’s public investment in artistic creation by connecting a broader audience to the arts. The arts practices can range from more conventional models to relatively niche or experimental and hybrid practices. Notions of “market” and “marketplace” are malleable — and can be any national or international forum within which artworks are disseminated or experienced. This can include commercial, trade, and economic opportunity, as well as any sphere where artistic concepts and creations vie for recognition.

The ideas described in this framework are in keeping with the directions and themes of the Council’s 2011–16 Strategic Plan, Strengthening Connections; in particular, the synergy in creating market access opportunities, the impact of borderless digital platforms, the need to promote access for distinct and diverse art forms and the Council’s articulated priority around public engagement in the arts.

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