Accountability

It seems that the only time I write is when something disturbing happens. The last exhibit was a success on a few levels, the press, the turn out, the sales. All three are important when trying to expand a career and anyone who says you dont need all three is missing something.

The truth of the matter though, there is a fourth element. That counts as everything else outside of that. It doesnt matter how much of a success my art show was or will be in the future if I am still dissatisfied with the way that things are in my community. There are a number of issues popping up repeatedly. Repetition without intention is probably the most annoying thing you can imagine. People who repeat themselves twice as if you werent listening or capable of catching their drift, double negatives, etc. I have realized a couple of things from attending local AGM's at non profit orgs.

First, the board cannot hide behind a poor ED. It is up to the Board to keep the ED in line and make sure that they are doing their job. This is not limited to balancing the books and making sure the building they occupy doesnt burst into flame. It is more than that and must take several key factors into play. Community feedback is perhaps most important. If you find the community asking again and again where is the accountability you have to wonder. If the community seems to be perpetually complaining and worrying about the future of something they have not been included in the discussion at large.

Important changes are being implemented. These changes will allow us to take the first steps towards creating places to gather that have cultural and social importance. This week coming there is a panel discussion where a draft of the public art policy will be released to the general public. Port Credit is one of the possible chosen sights for something to take place. The community in this area have wanted something for a while now and have even worked to have a few of their own pieces installed to date. A mural, a totem pole.

In past entries I lamented the lackluster performance of ED's and non profit organizations in Mississauga. A number of them are currently flagged for various issues but non seem to be truly interested in changing for the better (I am simplifying and certainly do not mean every non profit in the city but the most visible to date).

Last week I attended two AGM's. Two very visible non profit orgs in Mississauga held their meetings on the same date. Not only does this seem strange (though April is a busy month for them as it is the end of the fiscal year), it seems almost planned to a paranoid mind. I wouldnt go so far as to say that it was but this certainly didnt help matters. The first meeting was fine, but when questions were asked they were dealt with in a reasonably trite manner by the ED. Clarification was needed and for someone like myself who is just starting to read accounts and balance sheets its important to ask questions. Although the meeting was fairly exhaustive and the printed material covered everything you could ask for they still missed out on something very important. Direction.

The second meeting was unfortunately only caught half way through as I had to travel from the city centre to a nearby parks and rec' area. When I arrived they were entertaining suggestions and questions from the membership. It is difficult to relate exactly how this meeting was going but chaotic would describe it. Instead of acknowledging the members ideas and noting them in the minutes the president instead chose to back peddle and act in a defensive way. If the president didnt blame a short coming on the previous ED who had left recently they chose to say that they had tried and failed before. In short any idea that was brought to the plate was met with resistance and ignored. This org also lacks direction. some of the suggestions should have been entertained and follow up could easily have been enacted through a town hall style meeting at a later date in the year. One member suggested that the logo be changed, link the location of the org to other areas of Mississauga as well as get more volunteers to help out with the operations of the board. If this was dealt with differently an observer could interpret the meeting as successful. Instead a very large defensive was raised and most suggestions passed over. This could lead observers to believe that the board does not want feedback, does not want members to care about what is going on, and eventually give the full impression that they do not care what the members are interested in. Unfortunately this is not very effective at producing long term positive feelings about the org and could force people to other orgs and locales like Nielson Park Creative Centre (which has a very good reputation).

So where did this rant come from? It doesnt matter how decent I am doing or how happy I am as a producing artist, it still affects me desperately that the overall health of the arts in Missisauga is sickly. If our orgs were interpretive, intervened in the affairs of the public and communicated with us through outreach we would see a vastly different landscape today. I will continue to work towards a time when these orgs can be held accountable in some way. Until then they can expect to see me at their events, their AGM's and various places of business so they know someone is keeping an eye on them, if only for my own interests.