Kevin Krueger says arts-funding threats were "no different than a junkie waving a needle"
Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Kevin Krueger isn't backing off his claim of being threatened.
For the second time in just over a week, Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Kevin Krueger has claimed he was threatened by the Alliance for Arts and Culture.
In late August, he alleged that an unknown arts organization in Vancouver basically practised "extortion" against him in a meeting.
The alliance offered a radically different version of events.
On September 1, Krueger was at it again, this time on a C-FAX Radio show hosted by Adam Stirling,
"They have since said a couple of times publicly through their senior spokespeople that they were the organization that I referred to in a CBC interview as having threatened me," Krueger said, according to a transcript on the Stop B.C. Arts Cuts blog. "I was threatened in a meeting with them in a way that didn’t seem that much different to me than a junkie waving a needle if I was confronted by somebody on skid row who was high. It was just blatant. It was an outright threat. 'You give us more money or else.' I told him it was inappropriate, didn’t accept it, was not willing to carry their threats to my colleagues and my Premier, as they had said that I should."
(In a blog posting today on the HST, I mentioned a book, The Invisible Gorilla: And Other Ways Our Intuitions Deceive Us, which explains how politicians can sometimes develop distorted memories.)
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Comments
Kevin, we know you're upset. It's clear that you're hurting -- it really shows. As a friend, I'm telling you that you need to take some deep breaths and relax. Think of a happy place. Stop, and count to ten, before you say even more things you are going to regret.
Oh, and stop interfering politically in the work of the B.C. Arts Council, and increase their funding to the per-capita levels found in other provinces. We'll help with that.
p.s. Put the Gaming $$ back and restore the capital tax on banks. Were they really hurting?
www.claireart.ca
Minister Kreuger keeps talking about himself, but this is not about him. It is about the future of our culture, our society and our economy.
A strong minister goes to the Cabinet table and advocates for his ministry and services and programs. A strong minister is more interested in his ministry than in his own not very interesting subjective experiences.
Our future hangs in the balance. Strike another one for the weakest cabinet in BC history.
The man is ridiculous. He has lost ALL credibility. No one in the arts community will talk to a man who compares us to junkies waving needles. No one should. His views are, well, demented.
In a democracy, Kevin, you work for us.
At least until the next election. With your latest tirade you have made yourself a joke, and no politician can endure the ridicule which -- even now -- follows.
Perhaps you confused Bramwell Tovey waving a baton with a junky waving a needle? Hard to tell. You are really, really out of the picture. Pitiful.
However, Mr. Krueger has done a great job of discrediting himself with this one, and for that I'm grateful. It may shift the public's attention away from that shell-game re-announcement of already-announced arts money the other day.
The second meeting was designed as a "heads up". If you don't fight to keep your Ministry alive, we will go to our audience and appeal to them. He took it as a threat and unfortunately equated artists with homeless drug addicts, using whatever weapon was at hand. He did not even have the decency to thank the visual artists of BC who, at the end of that so called "vicious" meeting presented him with a beautiful basket brimming with hand-made art cards (blank inside with a short biography of the artist and envelope) that he could use to respond to the flurry of letters he was complaining about receiving. We gave him many chances to become our hero, but he continues to play the court fool.
From the Alliance's blog post on this topic:
“Minister Krueger opened that meeting last November by telling us that we should “stand down” our advocacy efforts, and that if we didn’t we could be doing “more harm” to ourselves and our cause. The implications of that comment seemed clear, but we never considered accusing the minister of threatening us.”
But never mind setting the record straight. Minister Krueger's remarks are not just imbalanced and ill-befitting a minister of the crown, they're defamatory. Full stop.
Mr Campbell, please locate an individual competent to deal with this portfolio.
The meeting the minister talks about happened 9 MONTHS ago. What has possessed him to bring it up in the middle of the only decent news cycle the government has had with the arts sector in a year?
Is he hoping to divert attention away from Jane Danzo's incendiary letter of resignation? Does he like getting on the radio? Is he trying to goad the sector into full confrontation?
None of this makes the slightest sense. There is something inexplicable about this whole tempest in a teacup.
Kamloops has been a swinger in the past -- and both Zalm and NDP will be up there --- Recalling one - why not both?
Get the Coquihalla highway footage out --replace Krueger's picture with one of a sasquatch - and your off to the Recall races.
"Like junkies waving a needle" he says.
Really...
The Minister has become goofy. Not merely offensive, and busy uttering slanders. He has become positively goofy.
As he is arguably the worst Minister of Culture in memory, does he feels inadequate and ashamed?
Perhaps one day there will a Minister of Culture with a job description noting this sector employs 80,000 workers and attracts audiences of hundreds of thousands - all current or potential voters.
And yes, it is a job for a grown-up adult.
Let us hope his constituents are aware of his comments.
Is the Kamloops media aware of this bufoons response to professionals who are responsible for the Arts in BC?
Shame Minister.Resign Minister.
An incompetent ignoramus!
If here were an MLA without a portfolio, I could see stupid comments coming from him to help him in his own riding, but when he's a Cabinet Minister, he should be reflecting ALL the people of BC, not just people in his own riding.
The fact that most of the professional creators of "the arts" are in metro areas, is no reason to hate them. I know it's popular in many non-big-city ridings to dump on the the big city voters, but the fact is, we are citizens too.
I was very encouraged by Krueger when he let the $7M come back into the BC Arts Council and was composing my thank you letter to him when he uttered his stupid remarks about "junkies."
I'm afraid I've written off any hope of him ever moving. We have to advocate to have him replaced or bide our time until the next election. It will be a long dry spell if that happens.
In the meantime, I will no longer feel proud to be British Columbian http://johnmclachlan.ca/2010/09/03/no-longer-proud-to-be-british-columbia/
1. Most public art and contemporary visual in this city is indecipherable. It's conceptual? Okay... what's the concept? I'm not sure even the artists know.
2. Audience numbers are pathetic, for almost anything that isn't a "blockbuster" (White Christmas at Arts Club; The Modern Woman at VAG). Most artists don't seem to see this as a problem.
3. The $52 million reno at MOA looks like it bought a can of paint. A $450 million VAG? Seriously?
4. Going to see art and going to festivals is too effing expensive in this city.
5. Artists, we really need you right now. We're all frenzied with the constant change and instability that is the 21st century. Instead of seeking solace in drug and shopping addictions, I was kind of hoping we'd all be led into a new inspired understanding of the world, with artists at the helm. No? You're busy producing $25 shows for your mom and three friends to pretend to enjoy? Okay. I'll just stay home tonight, drink a Pepsi and watch Dancing with the Stars.
KK is clearly a bit of a clown. But this needle thing is detracting from the real issue: a B.C.-bred chasm between arts and audience.
Have you ever considered that most of the 20th C artists now so celebrated as accessible were utterly reviled in their own time? Picasso, Manet, both fully satirized in editorial cartoons and articles in all the papers and publications of their time and criticized for getting in the way of their audience's pleasure. One of the unfortunate effects of BC's chronic underfunding of the arts is the lack of supportive infrastructure that would have allowed the BC public more time and space to actually encounter the deluge of art that actually does do exactly, precisely, 100% what you are asking for. You haven't seen it. Why? Because there's no damn money to promote it, show it, talk it up, and get it to you.
Thank you for throwing some needed cold water into the collective faces of BC's insulated art's community.
Their sense of entitlement from the public purse is astonishing. Such money is better allocated to education, health care and infrastructure rather than a make work project for some out of touch, wealthy retiree's wife.
Regardless of how you feel about the government role in funding arts, the kind of behavior exhibited by this Cabinet Minister is inappropriate and he should resign. It is an outrage that someone who commands such a high office would be allowed to remain in that position, especially after making such unsubstantiated claims and ad hominem attacks on an entire community.
Also, you make it too easy to dismiss your points when you don't even sign your real name to your comment. You could be a paid hack for all I know. If you really have something serious to add, please show the decency and courage to put your real name. You have nothing to fear. Artists are not "needle-wielding junkies" as Mr. Krueger has implied. (No offence meant to anyone out there struggling with addiction).
As far as long term sustainability of the arts goes, there definitely has to be multiple sources of funding but I firmly believe the state has a role to play in direct (but arms-length) funding and in fostering an environment to encourage other kinds of funding such as by donations. It is a myth that we live in a purely capitalist society as we have many companies from Sun-Rype to Suncor that have been receiving state funding and support for years. Sometimes when a particular industry is vital to an economy or society, the state has a role to play in supporting it, through incentives, tax breaks and funding research and infrastructure. If suddenly society decides it is not the role of government to fund private endeavours, then let them start by cutting off all corporate welfare first. Then you can talk to me about arts cuts.
And as far as health and education goes, I'm sure most artists would agree those should be given a priority but let's not fall into this false choice argument that you can't do both. Because if there's tax dollars available to fund corporations who are already wealthy to begin with, then we definitely should have the money to fund arts and culture, which as has been mentioned by the governments own studies, benefit us economically and socially.
Please help me understand the following Vancouver public art (this is the stuff we all see; no promotion or delivery dollars needed):
http://vancouver.ca/PUBLICART_NET/ArtworkDetails.aspx?ArtworkID=488&Neig...
http://vancouver.ca/PUBLICART_NET/ArtworkDetails.aspx?ArtworkID=431&Neig...
http://vancouver.ca/PUBLICART_NET/ArtworkDetails.aspx?ArtworkID=365&Neig...
I'd posit that Ken Lum's Monument for East Vancouver sign was so well-recieved because:
a) We get it!
b) It's cool-looking
c) It's a clear articulation and furthering of a movement East Vaners are familiar with.
d) There's more to get out of it, each time we see it.
Thank you Ken Lum! Also love your Four Boats Stranded, and Tale of Two Children. So beautiful, so relevant, and so understandable.
Thanks for posting those links. I would never have seen those pieces if you hadn't. Also by doing so you are demonstrating the power of art to create discourse in our society.
The fact that you dislike them is great! They have provoked a strong response from you. All art should do that. I absolutely loathe Cats (the musical, not the animal) nor do I really understand the show; but I would never suggest that the show shouldn't have been created for millions of people around the world to enjoy. And I often enjoy discussing the show with people who do like it, because it leads to greater discussions about art, people, our humanity, our interests, our differences... whatever.
I don't think you can now honestly point to those pieces and say that they are ineffective pieces of art. You may not like them, or understand them. But they provoked a feeling in you. And they asked you to consider them, think about them, and look to others for feedback and insight. To that end, they are brilliant pieces of art.
Thank you for proving to everyone the value of art.
You simply do not understand. I am not defending some asshat politician. I aimply disagree that any substantial amount of public funds should be allocated to the arts.
Regarding my wish to remain anonymous does not negate my argument. Ironic you refer to ad hominem attacks. I am simply an individual with my own opinions. If you read my other posts on other topics, you would see I am not a liberal shrill.
Further reference to corporate welfare clouds the issue. Reflect on that for a time.
Also, think of the consequences of no arts funding from the public purse. Here's a list of things that will disappear or greatly diminish without public funding: Symphonies, Festivals, recital societies, galleries, museums, concerts, public art, etc. Do you really think a community without any artistic institutions will be an attractive place to live? Will we attract the best talent that way?
Also, think about certain industries like Film, and Gaming, which depend on a pool of talent: actors, musicians, dancers, composers, etc. When our talent pool shrinks, won't some of these firms simply relocate to where it's easier to contract the appropriate talent pool? Think about our tourist industry which benefits naturally from our investments in arts and culture. If Victoria loses the Fringe and one other festival, that will translate to less hotel bookings down the line, fewer overnight visits, less money for restauranteurs and service workers. Artistic activity and festivals are a magnet for tourist activity, as cities like Montreal, Toronto, and others have realized for years. Take away the arts and you will starve the revenues of hospitality and tour operators.
Artists are not some dead weight on our fiscal balance sheet. Rather, they provide an environment for people to get together, be inspired, entertained. The right wing ideologues want to paint all artists into a corner. I've met the odd artist who is pretentious, elitist, anti-populist, etc. But that's by far in the minority. Most artists I've met are pretty normal, down to earth people. They want an audience. They want to engage real every day people in their work. They want the arts community to grow and be inclusive. Enough with these anonymous lurkers who spew their ideological rants online.
British Columbians, I'm sure, don't want to have Cabinet Ministers who behave so inappropriately as Mr. Krueger has. He misspoke several times here. He seems to have an antagonistic attitude towards the community his portfolio is supposed to represent and he is out of line. That's the issue here. He should apologize and resign.
It's a myth to believe that funding arts is money taken away from funding health or education. As has been proven, by our own government, arts funding brings a greater return back in taxation. It's actually a money maker for the government. More money than they had before to reinvest in health and education.
Corporate welfare doesn't cloud the issue. The Arts and Culture sector is being targeted unfairly. We give direct handouts to billionaires and someone is complaining about subsidizing artists, who generally live at around the poverty line.
How many tax dollars are spent per British Columbian on the Arts? Just a few dollars per person per year. Less than the price of a lunch at McDonalds. For the whole year! It's less than one tenth of one percent of the budget. Please don't try to equate the modest amount we invest in arts as money that could have been better spent elsewhere. When you look at the facts, that kind of logic just doesn't add up.
Krueger's out line, doesn't understand his job. Fire him and put someone in this portfolio who can get the job done.
Obviously, art should be provocative. My quibble is that, usually, it should provoke feelings other than,"My god, what is that hideous thing?" and "How long will it be cluttering up the landscape? Is it part of the biennale, or is it permanent?"
I concede this kind of reaction is stimulating a few times, but not every time one stumbles across public "art" in this city.
We had this conversation on a national scale when the feds bought Voice of Fire. Can we move on and be provoked by something specific, now?
I case you're tempted to use this exchange as proof that Vancouver art is doing its job by creating this conversation, let me pop that balloon. This is a boring, sodden conversation that hasn't changed much since the giant paper clip was installed at Vanier Park.
Time for some new provocations, eh?
Someone who spends $1000 a year on cable TV would begrudge the extra 12.5 CENTS PER WEEK this government is meting out to the arts? and then complain that live performances are too expensive? Consider this: If nobody bought BC wines, the prices would skyrocket, or the industry would just die. Not long ago, people would have been embarassed to bring a bottle of BC wine to a dinner party. The wineries will admit they had much to learn and improve in their art. Those efforts were repaid with international awards and recognition - and healthy sales at home and abroad. We criticize Canadian actors or musicians that reach a larger audience in the US for "selling out", but not products like wine or beer.
If you think Arts funding money were better spent on "education and health", don't forget: Artists pay rent, buy groceries, take their children to school, pay off their student loans and mortgages, eat in restaurants, live next door to you, and believe it or not - PAY TAXES!
The arts provide us with creative expression, which stimulates thought and encourages the sharing of experiences. That IS Education and Health! You may not agree with everything you see, but the same holds true for television or the internet, so let's not be hypocrites.
Kevin Krueger may or may not be as idiotic as his comments. His words offended and galvanized so many artists and citizens to stand up for their true values. He demonstrated a lack of compassion and tact in comparing hard-working artists to junkies. He has obviously never worked in the arts, so he thinks it's easy. It is not easy. In fact, it's bloody hard work with little recompense - and everyone's a critic!
I will not allow my government to dictate cultural values to me. The Arts matter as much as Freedom, Truth, and Compassion. Take away the arts, and we ALL lose.
We need to do everything to ensure Kevin Krueger, Rich Coleman, and Gordon Campbell understand the value of local arts, and why they won't be re-elected. Maybe they could all get a job working in a safe-injection site.