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There is a need for research and programming that addresses the potential for community-based arts programming to foster a sense of belonging for children and youth with disabilities in Canada. Despite this gap, there is evidence that the arts can have a positive impact for young people with physical or cognitive disabilities. For example, the arts have been found to increase intrapersonal skills (such as self-esteem, self-control, anxiety, emotional awareness, etc.) and interpersonal skills (such as communication, friendship building, empathy, etc.). Yet in the Canadian context, many social spaces are regulated by sets of norms, values, and rules that inadvertently exclude certain individuals and groups, such as people with disabilities. In response to the social and systemic barriers that many people with disabilities face, innovative strategies, such as community arts programs, are needed. The aim of this exploratory and theoretical inquiry is to understand the potential inclusiveness of community arts programs based on established research, programming, and theoretical approaches. Critical disability studies are used as a methodological approach to explore this research issue. Critical disability studies seek to dismantle both the social and structural barriers that ostracize and marginalize many people with disabilities. We intend to initiate a dialogue on the power and potential of communitybased arts programming in heeding benefits for children and youth with disabilities, as well as their families, caregivers, and communities. This paper calls for further empirical scholarship that goes beyond evaluation and quality improvement to lead to innovative research for, and with, young people with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural planning is often explained as a strategic approach to urban cultural development; an approach that involves the 'mapping' and leveraging of a wide range of 'cultural resources' (arts, culture, and heritage). However, it is increasingly being questioned whether cultural planning is anything more than a fairly traditional arts policy with a different name. In particular, it has been observed in Australia that cultural plans usually fail to address more than arts sector concerns. The objective of this paper is to investigate whether this assessment applies to cultural planning practice in Ontario, the province at the forefront of the current 'municipal cultural planning' push in Canada. An examination of all cultural plans in Ontario's mid-size cities and interviews conducted with municipal staff members overseeing these initiatives shows that whereas several municipalities do follow an arts-driven policy agenda, this is not the case with most mid-size cities in the province. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the Stratford Festival on employment within the community of Stratford, Ontario. The specific objective is to calculate the number of “secondary” jobs created in Stratford per “primary” job generated at the festival. This is achieved in three stages. First, primary employment is calculated from information provided by theatre personnel. Second, secondary employment is assessed from information collected in a survey of local business proprietors. Third, a festival-employment multiplier is derived. This reveals the number of secondary jobs created in the community per job at the festival. Results indicate that 1.6 jobs result in Stratford for every job generated at the theatre. This finding provides evidence that cultural organizations contribute positively to the economic climate of a community. The economic consequences of cultural events constitute an important argument for their continued support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2005 there has been a surge of cultural planning initiatives in Canada, especially in the Province of Ontario. However, very little research has been conducted in the more established cultural planning contexts of Australia, Great Britain and the United States let alone in Canada to support the assertions that underlie much of the movement's continued success. In particular, there has been an absence of research on the actual outcomes of the cultural planning strategy. This article examines whether the wide range of strategic goals presented in most cultural plans are being met. The method for assessing the effectiveness of cultural plans involved analyzing which strategic objectives were implemented as recorded in progress reports and as reported on by cultural planners. The research findings show that cultural plans are being effectively implemented and the majority of strategic goals contained within most cultural plans are being achieved. In addition, it is observed that the strategic objectives being implemented are not limited to traditional arts sector concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing from in-depth qualitative research of poetry communities in New York City and Toronto, Canada, and grounded in theories of gift relations and Bourdieu's conception of fields of literary production (1996), this article argues that the sustainability of the arts must include visions of sustainability that extend beyond the economic if they are to be true to the internal experience and definitions of fields of artistic production. This article argues that relations among poets can be understood as exemplars of a gift economy and that these gift relations among poets contribute to the sustainability of this artistic field and career. A model of how gift relations are patterned among poetry communities is proposed to more clearly articulate the patterns of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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