40 planet of the arts / december 1997

THE INSTITUTE

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INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN OF PROTEST

STOP THE EXECUTION
OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL

RALLY: Saturday, Dec. 6 © 12noon
U.S. Consulate ¢ 1095 W. Pender

INOL+LIVAWE AG UIISOd

The Discourse of Cosmic Change

by Kacey McDougall

hange is the inevitable cosmic
constant, at feast in my scheme
of things, and Emily Carr
Institute of Art and Design

more specifically has been

changing since the first day that
I walked in. The first day that I walked in, the
doors were not electric, not quite so chic, and the
people at reception did not need left over plexiglas
from GM place to stay warm. The bottom line here
is change.

It has always interested me to watch and think
about how the school has changed and the differ-
ent forces that are at the heart of the little move-
ments of people and things that goes on here at

Emily Carr. When I first started art school, nigh on

six years ago, the forces of change were largely the
same: federal budget cuts. I’m assuming that cut-
backs are still happening. Probably this time
around they are not as shocked by the word (as
when Maurice Yacowar was the “student liaison”)
— deficit, a big and scary word. Things were actual-
ly in the hole. Everyone was nervous, wondering
where the ax would fall. Faculty looking at one
another and then to the administration. Students
worried about loans, paying for beer and cappuc-
cino, and of course, the art.

Apparently, now the school is being examined
by the powers that be about how many jobs the
Institute is creating. Yes, dear artist, you are being
evaluated as to whether your art is “worth it” to
society. In some ways it is the same climate, but it
happens more as a subtext, no one’s really talking

about it. It makes for uncomfortable dinner con-

versation, “Yeah these school years are nice...]
hope it can be like this when one of us is working
for a fast food chain and the other has one of the
few jobs that seem to be available in the arts....”

Budget cuts create a litany of fear, and to me
the feeling is that there is not enough to go
around. Huge <orporations are posting record
profits; why is there so much fear around jobs?
Why are the arts in jeopardy? Maybe if you were
exploiting children to make record profits for
Nike, everything wouldn't be so tenuous...

There are shock waves being sent by the people
who decide how much money is thrown around
by business, industry, and the various forms of
government. Furthermore, | know that I’m not
doing much about it. Back in “92, the Socreds were
in power in Victoria and I didn’t do a lot of voting.

‘This year I voted NDP. They are supposed to be the

polar opposite of the Socreds, yet the same
rhetoric is floating around.

When I watch the news at night and hear about
federal cuts to health care, a rising tide of violence
in the world — I don’t hear about a ground-swell of
support by the population at large, in favour of the
arts. Those society-critiquing, life-enriching arts.
The number of independent art foundations start-
ed by wealthy patrons does not seem exactly on the
rise either.

It’s stuff we don’t like to think about, all this. As
I said, it makes for bad dinner conversation. When
I think about the people who started labour move-
ments and rights for women, | don’t think they
were negative losers who just couldn't cut it in the
increasingly competitive modern world. They had
vision. They cared about their fellow humans and

continued on page 44, see “Cooperatively Flourishing”

40 plonet of the arts / december 1997 THE INSTITUTE

INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN OF PROTEST

STOP THE EXECUTION
OF MUMIA ABU-JAMAL:

RALLY: Saturday, Dec. 6 © 12noon
U.S. Consulate * 1095 W. Pender

ANOTH1>VEWH AG ULLSOE

The Discourse of Cosmic Change