This text is part of the special section Arts and culture in Quebec
Actors in the cultural sector recall the need for financing to ensure its prosperity here and elsewhere.
For the composer Pierre-Philippe Côté, alias Pilou, the financial support of the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture enabled him to purchase the church of Saint-Adrien, in Estrie, in 2017, which he has since transformed into hub creative. “The fund was very attentive to our needs when the time came to acquire the building. It was a financial institution that changed things,” he said. He believes that having done business with a traditional bank, he would not have been entitled to a similar amount. “We would not have had the same sensitivity and the same attentiveness to our cause. »
This is also what Guillaume Aniorté, general director of Quartier des spectacles (QDS) International, notes. His non-profit organization is affiliated with the Quartier des Spectacles Partnership. Its mission is to enliven public spaces through sound and light installations and also takes care of the distribution of these installations. “Although we are an NPO, we must generate our own income. We are not subsidized by government subsidies, except for certain specific productions,” he explains.
For him, Caisse Desjardins de la Culture remains a partner attentive to the needs of his business. “As we are focused on the international market and marketing abroad, we need to work with financial institutions that are capable of understanding this model of cultural diffusion and supporting us in certain risk-taking,” says he.
Find funding sources
In order to help those in the artistic sector find the solution best suited to their situation, the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture also collaborates with other organizations in the context of customer referencing. This is among others the case with COOP Raquette, based in Rimouski, which supports independent artists and cultural organizations in financing and structuring projects.
The services offered by the cooperative and the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture are complementary, believes Audrey-Ann Allen, co-founder and responsible for communications and artistic financing of the Lower Laurentian organization. “It is very important for us to have this environment where we can also create a network of exchanges. And this, to be able to support artists and cultural organizations in a more complete way,” she explains, emphasizing that the financial institution also supports projects outside the greater Montreal region.
The importance of institutions for the cultural environment
In 2021, the Provincial and Territorial Culture Indicators estimated the province’s cultural GDP to be $11.1 billion. The sector accounts for approximately 3.2% of jobs and 2% of Quebec’s total GDP, according to the Statistical Portrait of Quebec’s Cultural and Creative Industries published by the Ministry of Culture and Communications in 2022.
Furthermore, exports of cultural goods and services in Quebec experienced annual growth of 5.1% between 2015 and 2019, amounting to $2.8 billion that year.
For Mr. Aniorté, it is essential that the various institutions continue to subsidize artistic circles. “If we do not support culture in its ability to cross the ages, to adapt to new distribution platforms, to understand changes in cultural consumption habits, our culture will die by itself, become sclerotic and lock yourself away,” he pleads.
These different actors not only support artists and cultural organizations in carrying out their projects, but also in their influence here and elsewhere. “It’s important to help culture in the region and allow cultural businesses to emerge,” emphasizes Pierre-Philippe Côté. Cycles in culture are not the same as in traditional industries. »
Last April, demonstrators took to the streets to demand “decent funding” for culture, following the announcement of the most recent provincial budget on March 12.
“We have always seen changing models: the arrival of tax credits, their elimination, certain funds which will offer financing, others which will withdraw. At some point, this impacts us on short-term strategies. Projects that we could have and which were based on this support could be compromised,” argues Mr. Aniorté.
“We need to be able to root our business models, when we talk about the cultural economy, on a long-term vision,” he adds. We must be supported by political, public, but also financing institutions, which have the patience and understanding of the formula so that we can go further and continue to exist. »
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