Here, There: Canadian arts funding a buttress against southern neighbors

By
Here, There: Canadian arts funding a buttress against southern neighbors
The Canada Council for the Arts supervises the Art Bank, which has the largest collection of modern Canadian art in the world. Courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts
Here, There: Canadian arts funding a buttress against southern neighbors
The Canada Council for the Arts supervises the Art Bank, which has the largest collection of modern Canadian art in the world. Courtesy of the Canada Council for the Arts

Here, There: Canadian arts funding a buttress against southern neighbors

By
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

Today, we return to our occasional Here, There series with a look at arts funding around the world.

Canada’s population is concentrated along the border with the United States, which remains its dominant cultural influence. In the 1950s, Canada worried its southern neighbor was overshadowing national culture. To strengthen a unified Canadian identity, it developed a sophisticated system of government support for the arts. We talk to Anna Upchurch, who studies the country’s model as an assistant professor of Cultural Industries at the University of Leeds.