Terminology
Aboriginal peoples: First Nations (both Status and non-Status), Inuit, and Metis peoples
Access: 1. The opportunity and the means of members of society to participate in the organizations established for their benefit. They have this opportunity regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, physical ability, or region of habitation. They can participate as clients, as staff, on advisory and assessment committee and boards, and as audience. 2. Canadians’ right to see works of art and cultural materials that reflect their identity.
Advisory committee or panel: A group of artists, arts administrators, and/or community members, convened by MAC, that offers advice on, or response to, issues, policies, or programs
Advocacy: The pursuit of influencing outcomes—including public and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions—that directly affect people’s lives. Advocacy consists of organized efforts and actions that seek to highlight critical issues, to influence public attitudes, and to enact and implement laws and public policies so that a vision of “what should be” in a just, decent society becomes a reality.
Applicant: A person or group who has submitted an application to a program
Apprenticeship: A period of time, whether consecutive or not, in which an individual acquires skill in an art form or in aspects of an art form or its delivery, principally through training from a mentor (may also be called “mentorship”). Also see “mentor”
Arm’s-length decision making: The making of decisions independently of political power and influence
Art form: The medium or field of art
Artist-run centre: A non-profit organization administered by a board, the majority of which are practicing artists, and which is usually created for dissemination or information-exchange activities. It may also produce, distribute, or present artwork.
Artist statement: 1. A short text written by the artist that provides background information and influences on the artist’s body of work and overall artistic philosophy. 2. A brief history of the artist’s development.
Artistic assessment: Analysis and evaluation of the artistic merit of projects, applications, practice, etc. Made be made by committees of assessors, individual assessors, and/or during on-site visits
Artistic excellence: A standard exhibited by creative work or artistic product or practice that is characterized by such qualities as vitality, originality, relevance, creativity, innovation, experimentation, and technical and professional expertise. The Manitoba Arts Council recognizes that notions of artistic merit and excellence evolve and that decisions based on aesthetic values will vary from one peer to the next.
Artists’ collective or group: Two or more people contributing to a common creative goal. It is represented by one member who takes administrative and artistic responsibility for a project. It must demonstrate accountability to the artists engaged in its activities, and must be able to receive a grant payable to its name.
Artists’ fees: Compensation paid to artists for their work or use of their work
Arts dissemination: 1. The avenues of delivery of the arts and arts opportunities to the public, including exhibition, touring, publication, performance resource centres, digitalization, etc. 2. The distribution of information about art forms and the benefits of the arts
Arts education: The learning about art forms and the benefits of the arts through study, direct artistic practice, attendance and participation at arts events, or through the acquisition of information about the arts
Arts service organization: A non-profit organization that furthers the interests of artists, creators, arts organizations, and elements of the arts community. They may serve member organizations or individuals of a specific arts discipline, or may be multidisciplinary. The arts service organization’s activities can include policy development, advocacy, marketing, provision of professional services, and production of collective projects.
Assessor: A person with expertise in a particular art form who provides a professional opinion as to the artistic merit of a proposal or creation. May also be a juror or panelist
Assessment panel: A group of professional artists or arts professionals that assesses applications and ranks the applications according to artistic merit; does not recommend grant amounts
Audience development: 1. The ways in which an audience for the arts can be assisted or informed to increase its level of understanding about the arts, or to enhance its participation in, and enjoyment and appreciation of, the arts. 2. The identification, engagement, and development of a new or modified audience for the arts.
Audio art: 1. Recorded sound artworks such as soundscapes, sound installations, and sound sculptures. 2. Documentary, narrative, conceptual, and live works for radio and the Internet.
Collaboration: The product or process of equal participation by artists working to research, create, or, produce, or present an artistic endeavour
Commission: 1. A request from an individual or organization to an artist or group of artists to create a specific artwork. 2. A financial contribution toward a commissioned work.
Community arts practice: An artistic practice based in a community setting characterized by interaction with a specific community (cultural, geographic, social, etc.)
Community-based arts: Arts activity emerging from a specific community’s experience and imagination
Community cultural development: The range of activities undertaken by artists in collaboration with other community members to express identity, concerns, and aspirations through the arts, while building the community’s capacity for action and change
Conflict of interest: A situation in which the possibility exists for the promotion of a private or personal interest that results, or appears to result, in material gain or advantage, or results in an interference with public duty. Can exist whether money is involved, whether conflict is perceived or actual, and whether benefit accrues to the individual or to another group or person as a direct result
Contemporary art: Artistic work from the present era that uses the current practices and styles of its discipline
Co-production: 1. Two or more production organizations, or production and presentation organizations, each contributing to create or present a work. Costs of the production are shared for the primary purpose of presentation/distribution through their own venues. Design and artistic elements may also be shared.
Copyright: The exclusive right to copy a creative work, or to license others to copy a creative work. This may include the right to publish, produce, reproduce, perform, translate, rent, etc.
Creative economy: A concept that acknowledges that cultural assets and arts and cultural activities are a significant sector that plays a key part in generating global socio-economic growth and development
Cultural diversity: 1. The presence and participation of many cultural communities in the overall culture of a society. 2. A characteristic of a broad spectrum of art that reflects the pluralistic nature of Manitoban society as well as a variety of arts forms at all stages of professional development
Cultural legacy: An artistic and cultural environment that acknowledges and develops from the specialized artistic skills, efforts, and activities of artists and arts organizations.
Curriculum vitae: A summary of education, activities, awards, and accomplishments as an artist
Digital arts: Creative works that combine art and technology; can be primarily a digital work or can incorporate digital elements in other art forms
Eligible application or project: One that meets specified criteria for a specific program
Emerging artist: An artist who is at an early stage in their career, who has specialized training in the art form, and who has created a modest body of artistic work
Equity: A state of fairness in approach, access, or treatment of a particular group who would otherwise experience disadvantages and/or barriers
Established artist: An artist who is at a mature stage in their career, who has specialized training in the art form, who has created an extensive body of independent work, who has garnered national or international recognition from their peers as having reached an advanced level of achievement
Exhibition: A public presentation of one or more art works by one or more artists
External assessor: An expert in a specific discipline, who is not an employee of Manitoba Arts Council, who evaluates an applicant’s work. Their assessment may be presented to panels and/or juries as part of the consideration of the applications as a whole
Final report: A narrative and financial report accounting for activities supported by a Manitoba Arts Council grant, submitted after the activity is completed
Fiscal year: A 12-month period at the end of which all accounts are completed in order to provide a statement of a company’s, organization’s, or government’s financial condition, or for tax purposes. A fiscal year does not necessarily correspond to a calendar year
Franco-Manitoban artist: A Manitoba resident artist who accesses services in French and/or creates artistic work that includes a significant French-language component
Governance: The management of policy of affairs of an organization. “Sound” governance implies adherence to high standards and principles of excellence and responsibility. “Best practices” in governance are strategies or methodologies that reliably lead to “sound” governance
Grant: 1. The financial support an individual or organization receives from MAC through a specific program; 2. The act of awarding financial support
Independent production: A production over which an artist maintains complete creative, artistic, and editorial control
In-kind donation: Materials or services donated to a project. The value of the materials or services can be estimated in financial terms
Interdisciplinary: A characteristic of artistic activity that integrates and transforms distinct art forms into a new work outside the usual framework of the contributing art forms
Jury: A group of professional artists or arts professionals that assesses applications and makes recommendations for grant amounts
Legacy: The expression of a period or community’s historic artistic identity
Mandate: A directive or official instruction given to an organization that establishes the parameters of its existence
Manitoba resident: To be eligible for Manitoba Arts Council funding, a person must:
• Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant in Canada
• Be a resident of Manitoba, established with documentation such as, for example, a Manitoba Health registration card, a Manitoba driver’s licence, or evidence of income taxes paid in the previous year as a Manitoba resident
• Have lived in Manitoba for at least one full year immediately preceding application to the Manitoba Arts Council, with the following exception: artists who live in Manitoba may be absent from the province for a period of up to one year and continue to be eligible for MAC support if the absence is temporary (due to an artistic or educational opportunity) and they do not apply for support from the jurisdiction of their temporary residence
Mentor: An artist with extensive knowledge and experience in a particular art form or practice who transmits this knowledge to another (usually less experienced) person
Mid-term report: A narrative and financial report accounting for activities supported by a Manitoba Arts Council grant, submitted midway through the start and completion of the activity
Mission: The essential activity of an organization that constitutes its primary purpose
Multidisciplinary: A characteristic of artistic activity that involves two or more artistic disciplines
New media: Artworks that use multimedia, computers, or communication technologies in creative expression
Operating grant: A grant awarded to an arts organization to help pay ongoing costs of maintaining the activities and programming, and of governing and administering, the organization
Outreach: Initiatives to provide expanded and/or new arts experiences to professional artists or communities
Peer: A professional artist or arts professional experienced in an applicant’s discipline or working in the same artistic tradition as the applicant whose work is being assessed
Policy: A principle designed to guide decisions and actions under a particular set of circumstances
Presenter: An individual or organization that selects an artist or group of artists for program purposes, assumes all or part of the artistic and financial risk, and oversees all aspects of presenting the work to its audience; may be a gallery, publishing company, theatre, etc.
Professional arts organization: An arts organization that supports, presents, or produces the work of artists who have achieved professional status
Professional artist: An artist who has specialized training in the art form, is recognized as such by peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition), demonstrates a commitment to a significant amount of time to creation, and has a history of public presentation or publication
Professional development: The increase of knowledge or skill through study, travel, research, workshops, apprenticeships, residencies, etc.
Program: A plan for artistic activity with specific objectives, guidelines, and eligibility criteria that MAC funds and to which individuals or organizations apply for grants.
Proposal: The description of a plan, its components, and its implementation
Public trust: The expectation placed upon Manitoba Arts Council to assume responsible and transparent leadership in assisting the development of a vibrant arts community and of a cultural legacy for all Manitobans
Residencies: Programs that place an artist in a community or organization for an extended period of time
Royalty fees: Compensation paid to a creator for use of their work
Traditional art forms: Tradition-based art forms, rooted in a particular culture, that have been transmitted from generation to generation and pertain to a particular people or territory. May include knowledge systems, creations, and/or cultural expressions