About ACI

ACI History

Established in 1998, ACI has served as a unified voice for the artists and cultural workers of the province to foster the growth and development of our cultural resources and industries. ACI has sought to be an inclusive organization open to individuals, corporations and businesses in all areas and disciplines of the sector, including creation, production, distribution, conservation and education. This broad mandate and representation allows ACI to address those necessary and crucial demands that cannot be met by individual discipline-specific associations.

ACI represents a province-wide membership of professionals from all areas of the cultural sector. Through the development of working contacts and partnerships, ACI acts as a conduit for information and communications relating to the cultural arts community and for initiating necessary research efforts. Besides numerous unaffiliated individuals and artististic sector organizations, the four recognized provincial-level sectoral associations (Craft Council, MusicNL, VANL-CARFAC, and WANL) have joined ACI, thereby conferring de facto membership to each individual registered as a member of their organization. This puts ACI's total membership at well over 1000 individuals. ACI also has relationships with the Provincial and Federal agencies and departments involved in the arts, culture and heritage and finally with national arts organizations; specifically the Canada Conference of the Arts (CCA) and Cultural Human Resources Council (CHRC).

ACI Objectives

The past two decades have witnessed unprecedented growth in every aspect of Newfoundland and Labrador’s cultural sector. As a direct and indirect source of jobs and wealth generation, the art has become a vital and active partner within the provincial and national economies*. These years have seen our cultural legacies, products and producers play an ever more global role in their respective crafts.

Across the country, the cultural sector is playing an increasingly visible role. In the 2001 national Speech from the Throne, culture and its social and economic benefits, was mentioned for the first time in years. Culture within this province is being accorded the status it deserves on a Federal level, with the Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, remarking that Newfoundland and Labrador is a cultural “capital” of Canada. Certainly proof that as a sector and an industry, the business of “culture” is quickly taking its place amongst the province’s traditional economic powerhouses.

As the cultural industries gain increasing profile, it is the collective responsibility of the community to ensure wise resource management for the present and the future. It is the mandate of the Association of Cultural Industries to voice the concerns of the industry and lobby on behalf of the community. To this end ACI has developed a set of specific objectives, amongst them:

Developing a strong voice for the cultural industries;
Aiding the human resource development of the cultural industries;
Promoting the image of the industries to government and the public;
Raising the profile of cultural workers;
Maintaining dialogue with government regarding policy and programs;
Enhancing the quality of life of cultural workers;
Ensuring the long term sustainability of a healthy, dynamic, diverse and self-renewing cultural sector;
Facilitating and promoting artistic and economic development within the cultural industries province-wide and
Ensuring that public funding polices and programs have the flexibility and foresight to encourage initiatives that deepen the interaction of the arts and society.

* One of ACI’s major initiatives was the production of an in-depth economic study of the economic impact and growth potential of the sector which eventually led to the government plan: Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture

ACI Achievements

Since it's inception in 1998, the Association of Cultural Industries has produced several key reports and papers, as well as spearheaded several projects, that have influenced and shaped cultural literacy and policy in Newfoundland and Labrador. Included among these:

2007 Export Without Borders: a report and recommendation set on the challenges and opportunities NL artists and cultural practioners face when trying to market their work outside the province (recommendations delivered to government and currently under review and development)
2005-06 Careers in Culture: a visitation program to secondary schools to speak with students about the opportunities and benefits of a career in culture
2003-05 Cultural Human Resources Board: a joint venture with the Association of Heritage Industries (AHI)
2000 Proposal for a Cultural Policy: became the main groundwork for the provincial government's comprehensive arts document Creative Newfoundland and Labrador: The Blueprint for Development and Investment in Culture)

ACI Board of Directors

The Association of Cultural Industries is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, elected at the association’s AGM.

The Board of Directors is responsible for electing the Executive at the first annual Board meeting. Executive positions include President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. A Past-President position may exist for any former President who remains elected/appointed to the Board but whom does not form a part of the new Executive.

As of 2007, the Board structure has changed to promote diversity and representation from all artistic sectors. Therefore, the four provincial-level sector organisations (Craft Council, MusicNL, VANL-CARFAC, and WANL) will each be represented by a Board member, as will the Performing Arts and New Media sectors, with an elected Board member from each. Three Board members will represent the areas of Eastern and Western Newfoundland and Labrador, and two more members will represent the Francophone and Aboriginal communities.

Each year the Board of Directors holds 3-4 meetings, either in person or by teleconference.

ACI Board of Directors (2008-2009)

The current Board of Directors was elected at ACI’s 2008 AGM (September 26-7, 2008), in Gander.

Executive

Chair: Amy House
Vice-Chair: Sara Tilley
Treasurer: Xavier Georges
Secretary: Théa Morash

Arts Subsector Reps

Craft: David Hayashida (Craft Council)
Dance: Catherine Wright (Dancer)
Film/New Media: Jean Smith (NIFCO)
Literary Arts: Théa Morash(WANL)
Music: David Chafe (MusicNL)
Theatre: Aiden Flynn (Theatre Practitioner)
Visual Arts: Sara Tilley (VANL-CARFAC)

Area Reps

Central NFLD: Michael Pittman (Visual Artist)
Eastern NFLD: Amy House (Theatre Practitioner)
Labrador:
Western NFLD: Tina Dolter (Visual Artist)

Cultural Sector Reps

Francophone: Xavier Georges (FFTNL)
Aboriginal:

Ex Officio

Past-President: Audrey Feltham

ACI Offices and Staff

George Murray - Executive Director

ACI’s current Executive Director, George Murray, joined the Association in February 2007. His position was previously held by Danielle Irvine (2005/06), Francis Fagan (2001-2005), and Eleanor Dawson (1998-2001).

ACI's offices can be found at:

197-199 Water Street
Second Floor – Commercial Chambers Building
St. John’s, NL
P (709)738-4333
F (709)738-4334
email: execdir@aci.nfld.net

ACI’s mailing address is:

Association of Cultural Industries of Newfoundland and Labrador
PO Box 218, Stn C
St. John’s, NL
A1C 5J2