This text is part of the special section Arts and culture in Quebec
30 years ago, the Caisse de la Culture Desjardins was created, at the instigation of the Union des artistes. Its founding coincided with a period of excitement within the Quebec cultural sector: in 1992, the Quebec Cultural Policy was established under Minister of Cultural Affairs Liza Frulla; in 1994, simultaneously with the Caisse, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, its eternal partner, was born; and in 1995 the Society for the Development of Cultural Enterprises appeared.
“The community was equipping itself with tools and structuring itself,” summarizes the general director of Caisse Desjardins de la Culture, Marie-Christine Cojocaru, in an interview. For more than 30 years within the Desjardins Movement, she participated in the establishment of the Caisse de la Culture, where she has worked for 16 years.
She remembers that at that time, self-employed workers, artists moreover, struggled to receive support from financial institutions due to their fluctuating income. The Caisse de la Culture was thus set up by and for the artistic community, to which it is entirely dedicated.
Today it brings together nearly 10,000 members, a high proportion of self-employed workers from all disciplines (dance, theater, music, literature, cinema, humor, visual and digital arts, etc.), but also businesses, professional associations and cultural organizations, not to mention traditional and digital media.
And who better placed than people working within the Quebec cultural sector to understand its unique needs? This is why they make up the Caisse’s board of directors.
Exceptional support
In culture, the financing challenges are major. Since it is anchored in the community, the financial cooperative deploys a range of personalized tools and services adapted to the atypical reality of its members, a model that is unique in Quebec.
“Being a specialized institution, we have a detailed understanding of their needs. We offer them adapted solutions and flexible support, explains M.me Cojocaru. We don’t approach risk in the same way as someone more general. »
She wants to emphasize one essential thing: “At the Caisse de la Culture, members honor their commitments; it’s a great pride for us. It can go against preconceived perceptions. » The Fund has always been efficient, she says. And the more members the Caisse brings together, the more they invest in it, the more it is able to redistribute profits in the industry and distribute sponsorships.
Pride and eco-responsibility
At the helm of the Caisse de la Culture, Marie-Christine Cojocaru has reason to be proud of the successes of the cooperative, which every day dedicates itself to finding solutions together with its members so that their projects can be realized. It also unwaveringly supports the next generation as well as the entrepreneurial and professional development of artists.
Testimonials of recognition with regard to the commitment of the Caisse, Mme Cojocaru hears it frequently. “Just yesterday, I met people in a theater and they told me: ‘It’s the Caisse de la Culture which really changed everything for us’,” she recalls, delighted. “I am told that the Caisse de la Culture is a reassuring presence. »
And the fact of changing the situation “on a daily basis in people’s lives” delights her to the greatest extent. “By founding the Caisse, we started from nothing to meet the needs of the cultural sector. And for the community to recognize our expertise and our local support makes me very, very proud. »
The Caisse de la Culture also promotes eco-responsibility, not only by providing its members with a range of green and supportive products, but also by facilitating access to training on sustainable management and by supporting eco-responsible projects.
“We support an initiative from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, our major partner, which allows 90 organizations over 3 years to have access to training and tools from the Creative Green platform, which helps organizations change their practices to be more eco-responsible, she gives as an example. We help the community equip itself. »
Finally, noting the staggering sums that Quebec invests in international companies, in the battery sector in particular, so that they can establish themselves in our territory, Marie-Christine Cojocaru would like them to participate financially in local culture.
“We inject money into their sector so that they can settle down; in return, perhaps they should pay cultural royalties, then inject money into our culture? » she says. “Culture is an immense factor of social cohesion,” concludes Marie-Christine Cojocaru. It nourishes the soul. It is also our identity. »
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