Debate livestreamed on Thursday, November 20 at 2:45pm EST: http://ckx.org/summit/schedule/ (navigate to the CultureShock Debate page where you will see the livestream) or click here: live.ckx.org

How can we assess and understand the value and consequent impact of arts and cultural participation on citizens and communities of all sizes across Canada?

Are the intrinsic and intangible benefits and impacts on the human spirit, creativity, education and other socio-cultural factors the most important to understand? How do we best capture, frame and share these benefits and impacts?

Or, are the benefits and impacts best served by a deeper understanding of the economic and data-driven metrics of a thriving arts and cultural sector?

Presented by CAPACOA and Culture Days, this provocative Oxford-style debate will be moderated by Simon Brault, Director and CEO, Canada Council for the Arts, and pit Alain Dubuc, award winning economic journalist from La Presse up against Shawn van Sluys, Executive Director of the Musagetes Foundation.

The debate will generate profound insights and ignite discussion on how we understand and assess the value and consequent impact of arts and cultural participation on citizens and communities of all sizes across Canada.

Moderator

Simon Brault, O.C., O.Q., began his five-year term as Director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts on June 26, 2014. He comes to the position with a full understanding of his role, having served as Vice-Chair of the Council’s Board of Directors from 2004 to 2014. Mr. Brault has been active in the cultural sector for over 30 years and has been a driving force behind a number of major projects.

Speakers

Alain Dubuc, O.C., is a national affairs columnist for the Montréal daily La Presse and Le Soleil of Québec City. He has been chief editorialist at La Presse and publisher at Le Soleil. Alain Dubuc obtained his master’s degree in economics at the Université de Montréal.

Shawn Van Sluys is the Executive Director of Musagetes, a philanthropic foundation that experiments in small Canadian and European cities with ways to connect communities more deeply with the arts and creativity. The foundation’s mandate is to make the arts more central and meaningful in people’s lives, in their communities and societies. He joined Musagetes as its first Executive Director in January 2009.