This issue of ARCCO's e-bulletin contains an update on the Artist- Run Working Committee Meeting with Canada Council, NEW Health Benefits available NOW to ARCCO Members and your Members, reminder of Special Hotel rate at Quality Hotel downtown Toronto, statistics on our Member organizations, ARCCO's 2002 Administrator results, input from our members, and the new member application. As directors of artist-run centres, we hope that you find this latest edition of ARCCO's e-bulletin useful, and that you will pass this information along to your membership! arcco e-bulletin vol.1 #3 contents:
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| ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Do YOU need Health Care and Dental Benefits? In ARCCO's 2002 Administrator Survey, 20% of our administrators, who responded, received employee benefits. This is an extremely low figure considering that these figures are a lot less that all non-unionized employees in Canada! (See Kelly Hill's Report). This is also an indicator that there are potentially 80% of you who are working without any health or dental benefits! To respond to this need, ARCCO made it a priority this year to research health benefits on behalf of our membership. Most recently ARCCO joined an Association Plan through Ingle Insurance. In reviewing the packages that Ingle Insurance promotes, there is a particularly attractive package through Liberty Health, the Association Plan. This Plan is available to you as a member of ARCCO. It allows for 8 tiers of benefits that can be geared to what you can afford and fashioned to suit your own priorities and needs for health care. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity. Through Ingle Insurance, Liberty Health's Association Plan is offered at a 10% discount on the usual rates of Liberty Health's Individual Benefit packages. This means that, if you are between 21-44 years of age, you (as an individual) can receive a Base Plan as low as $40.20 a month! They also offer couple and family benefit packages. So check it out, and remember to talk to your Board about your need for Health Benefits. And, please, share this information with your members! The following information is provided by Ingle Insurance: ARCCO MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS! New Health and Dental Plan Available for YOU and Your Organizations' Members! ARCCO and Ingle Insurance / Imagine Financial Ltd. have worked together to provide ARCCO members' access to Health, Dental, Disability and Travel insurance services. A range of plans with several options and payment levels are available. Ingle Insurance will find the right coverage for your group or individual needs, from your choice of the best insurance companies in Canada. ARCCO members will have access to advice, savings and in depth health information all from one source. This insurance plan was initially developed for The Travel Media Association of Canada, The Editors’ Association of Canada and The Periodical Writers Association of Canada to address self-employed consultants and writers need for benefits. ARCCO member organizations and their members can now purchase the Health, Prescription Drug & Dental Association Plan and save up to 10%. As an ARCCO member you can have Ingle Insurance compare health insurance benefit programs and find the best price and benefits to cover your employees or your members. If you are a member of ARCCO, you must identify your organization before you can register for the plan. Other plan options include travel insurance with a savings of up to 10%. This program also offers medical supplies at significant savings and the ability to purchase online and have the items shipped directly to you. To see the various types of plans available, go to www.mediabenefits.com. Click on "Log On" and register as a new member. Within hours your registration will be confirmed on your email. Then you will be able to log on and get quotes for various types of programs. You can also call Ingle Insurance directly at 1-866-729-2355. Disability Insurance Health & Dental Insurance Travel Health Insurance Term Life Insurance Critical Illness Insurance Long Term Care Insurance Home Medical Equipment Employer Group Health Insurance BENEFITS Low Association rates on good and services you need todayA membership to ARCCO gives you and your family valuable bargaining power. This group leverage makes you automatically eligible for money-saving benefits. HOW TO GET THEM Visit www.MediaBenefits.com or call toll-free 1-866-729-2355 Do YOU need Health Care and Dental Benefits? In ARCCO's 2002 Administrator Survey, 20% of our administrators, who responded, received employee benefits. This is an extremely low figure considering that these figures are a lot less that all non-unionized employees in Canada! (See Kelly Hill's Report). This is also an indicator that there are potentially 80% of you who are working without any health or dental benefits! To respond to this need, ARCCO made it a priority this year to research health benefits on behalf of our membership. Most recently ARCCO joined an Association Plan through Ingle Insurance. In reviewing the packages that Ingle Insurance promotes, there is a particularly attractive package through Liberty Health, the Association Plan. This Plan is available to you as a member of ARCCO. It allows for 8 tiers of benefits that can be geared to what you can afford and fashioned to suit your own priorities and needs for health care. We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity. Through Ingle Insurance, Liberty Health’s Association Plan is offered at a 10% discount on the usual rates of Liberty Health's Individual Benefit packages. This means that, if you are between 21-44 years of age, you (as an individual) can receive a Base Plan as low as $40.20 a month! They also offer couple and family benefit packages. So check it out, and remember to talk to your Board about your need for Health Benefits. And, please, share this information with your members! The following information is provided by Ingle Insurance: ARCCO MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS! New Health and Dental Plan Available for YOU and Your Organizations’ Members! ARCCO and Ingle Insurance / Imagine Financial Ltd. have worked together to provide ARCCO members’ access to Health, Dental, Disability and Travel insurance services. A range of plans with several options and payment levels are available. Ingle Insurance will find the right coverage for your group or individual needs, from your choice of the best insurance companies in Canada. ARCCO members will have access to advice, savings and in depth health information all from one source. This insurance plan was initially developed for The Travel Media Association of Canada, The Editors’ Association of Canada and The Periodical Writers Association of Canada to address self-employed consultants and writers need for benefits. ARCCO member organizations and their members can now purchase the Health, Prescription Drug & Dental Association Plan and save up to 10%. As an ARCCO member you can have Ingle Insurance compare health insurance benefit programs and find the best price and benefits to cover your employees or your members. If you are a member of ARCCO, you must identify your organization before you can register for the plan. Other plan options include travel insurance with a savings of up to 10%. This program also offers medical supplies at significant savings and the ability to purchase online and have the items shipped directly to you. To see the various types of plans available, go to www.mediabenefits.com. Click on “Log On” and register as a new member. Within hours your registration will be confirmed on your email. Then you will be able to log on and get quotes for various types of programs. You can also call Ingle Insurance directly at 1-866-729-2355. Disability Insurance Health & Dental Insurance Travel Health Insurance Term Life Insurance Critical Illness Insurance Long Term Care Insurance Home Medical Equipment Employer Group Health Insurance BENEFITS Low Association rates on good and services you need todayA membership to ARCCO gives you and your family valuable bargaining power. This group leverage makes you automatically eligible for money-saving benefits. HOW TO GET THEM Visit www.MediaBenefits.com or call toll-free 1-866-729-2355
SPECIAL HOTEL RATE, year round ARCCO has set up a Corporate Account with Quality Hotel Downtown Toronto, which allows Our MEMBERS and YOUR Members to use this flat rate year round. As this is a privilege designed for ARCCO's Membership the Corporate Account number will not be released on email. To get the Corporate Account Number, please call the ARCCO office at 519-672-7898. The Quality Hotel Downtown 111 Lombard Street , Toronto (Close to Jarvis Street and Adelaide, a 10 minute cab or streetcar ride to Richmond & Spadina.) RATE: $99 + taxes = $109 This includes queen size beds in most rooms, (please specify) and continental breakfast. Call 416-367-5555 or toll free 1-800-228-5151 to make a reservation. Members must use their own credit card to hold their room and pay their bill in full at time of check-out.
A NOTE FROM OUR PRESIDENT: Gary Hall, ARCCO's Loan Conversion Campaign ARCCO wishes to thank members for the start-up loans received in the year 2000. These funds were instrumental in supporting ARCCO during a crucial developmental phase. With this money, we were able to hire part-time staff for the task of formalizing the organization, and carrying out two major projects! A special thank you goes out to the following members who have elected to convert their loans into donations: Artcite Artspace CARFAC Ontario Definitely Superior Ed Video Galerie 101Gallery Galerie du Nouvel- Ontario Gallery TPW Modern Fuel Niagara Artists Company Open Studio Galerie SAW Gallery YYZ The Loan Conversion Campaign continues until June 30, 2003, the end of ARCCO's fiscal year. The retention of these funds has and will continue to assist ARCCO during this planning year. As many of you know, ARCCO has survived mainly through project support, our lottery account, membership fees and countless hours of volunteer support. Please see the loan form that is attached to this email. We hope that we can count on our member organization's support to make it through ARCCO's year of consolidation!
STATS ON OUR MEMBERSHIP Prepared by Lisa Wohrle at the Ontario Arts Council with a note from Jewel Goodwyn, ARCCO Executive Director If you ever find yourself wondering what you are doing for the community, while you are working late into the night on grants, pulling together a show, or tearing down one, or writing another proposal, here is a statistical snapshot of what 20 of ARCCO's members accomplished in 2000-01. At the beginning of the New Year, as a special favour to ARCCO, Lisa Wohrle spent a couple of hours collating the data with those artist-run centres who are also ARCCO members. Thanks Lisa! Hope this is a note of encouragement to those who are in the crunch of grant season! Your work is much appreciated! The following statistics are gathered from forms submitted to the Visual & Media Arts Artist-Run Centres & Organizations program last year. The statistics are from 20 of ARCCO's members. These stats do not include: Art Engine, GNO, Gallery 1313, Gallery 96, Globe Studios, H.O.T. and OKWA, or Galerie du Nouvel-Ontario. GNO's file is funded in another section; the others are not operating clients, and are not required to fill in OAC stats pages. The stats are for the last completed fiscal year at the time of application, i.e. 2000/01. ARTISTIC ACTIVITIES/PROGRAMMING 213 exhibitions originated by the ARCs 10 originated exhibitions toured to other locations/venues 102 performances 130 new works commissioned 76 film/video/media screenings 12 community arts projects 17 artists in residence projects 29 catalogues and 67 other publications published 118 artist talks/lectures 96 classes/workshops/seminars 5 conferences organized/presented ATTENDANCE 160,117 attendance at exhibitions 13,415 attendance at performances 12,395 attendance at screenings 402 participants in community arts projects 302 participants in artist residency projects ARTISTS AND VOLUNTEERS 831 artists were paid artists' fees 1,527 volunteers including board members 3,192 members Note: in Kelly Hill's speech to the ARCCO membership on September 16, 2002, Kelly stated that "33 ARCs paid out more than $800,000 in artist fees in 1999/2000." Lisa didn't have access to the database to calculate how this figure relates to the 20 ARCCO members.
ARCCO wishes Janice Carbert all the best on her new career move! On behalf of ARCCO and our Membership,we wish Janice Carbert all the best in her recent career move! Janice left her position as Director at Open Studio, Toronto, on Jan. 30, after devoting 14 years to Open Studio, with 3 years as Director and 11 years as the Associate Director. Her dedication to artists and artist-run centres has been greatly appreciated over the years!! She has taken a position at a small graphic design firm in Toronto and will hopefully have more time to concentrate on her on art practice. All the best Janice, you will be missed!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Welcome to Newest Member Applicant: Propeller Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts is ARCCO's Newest Member Applicant in January 2003 for Associate Membership: For those of you who are not familiar with Propeller, Propeller Centre for the Visual Arts is an artist-run, cooperative gallery. Founded by OCAD graduates in 1996, Propeller is an arts collective designed to support vital contemporary art practices and initiatives by emerging artists. Propeller's mandate is to provide a professional venue for exhibitions along with technical support and promotional assistance. The collective encourages innovation among artists of diverse media and approaches. Disciplines include, but are not limited to, painting, sculpture, installation, print-making, textiles, ceramics, photography and mixed media. Propeller gives the artists full curatorial control over their own exhibitions and is receptive to all visual arts. Propellor Centre for the Visual Arts 984 Queens Street West Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H1 416-504-7142 email: gallery@propellerctr.com www.propellerctr.com Contact: Ian Revell
Artist-Run Centre Working Committee Meeting with Canada Council for the Arts March 3, 2003 Thank you to those of you who provided input into the upcoming meeting with the Canada Council. The following proposed agenda was submitted to Canada Council on February 14, 2003. The Working Committee is still awaiting Canada Council's reply.Here is the proposed agenda, the list of Working Committee Members, Observers, as well as the Canada Council Officers who will be attending the meeting. PROPOSED AGENDA For 2 hour morning Artist-Run Centre Working Committee Presentation to Canada Council for the Arts 1) Impact of cancelled programs on Artist-Run Centre community - Dissemination - Visiting Artists Program 2) Professionalism at Artist -Run Centres - Definition of Professionalism - Impact on disadvantaged centres - Employment conditions - Need from Canada Council, in collaboration with other national funders, for ongoing support of professional development 3) Aboriginal Representation 4) Diversity & Outreach 5) Visual Arts Funding: - Canada Council for the Arts future commitment to Artist -Run Centres - Canada Council for the Arts expansion to include Architecture, in the Visual Art Program 6) Technical Support 7) Regional Disparity - representation, communication and support 8) Canada Council's communication with and between Artist-Run Centres Artist Run Centre Working Committee Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres, PAARC- representative: Lorna Brown, Artspeak Regroupement des Centres d'artistes autogérés du Québec, RCAAQ Representative: Daniel Roy, SKOL; Observer: Bastien Gilbert, RCAAQ General Director Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario, ARCCO representative: Gary Hall, Director, Toronto Photographers Workshop; Observer: Jewel Goodwyn, ARCCO Executive Director South Asian Visual Arts Collective, SAVAC representative: Rachel Kalpana James, Director Plains Artist-Run Centre Alliance, PARCA representatives: Cindy Baker, AKA; Reona Brass, Sakewewak Atlantic Region, representatives: Chris Lloyd, Khyber Arts, Anne Gamberg, St Michaels Printshop, Observer: Andria Hickey, Eastern Edge Gallery Coordinator Alberta Region representative: Diana Sherlock, Independent Curator, previous Stride Director Canada Council Staff John Hobday, Director (attending part of the day) Micheline Lesage, Director of the Arts Division (attending part of the day) François Lachapelle, Head, Visual Arts Section Jim Logan, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section Michel Gaboury, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section Donna Gazale, Coordinator, Visual Arts Section Marriane Heggtveit, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section Melinda Mollineaux, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section Doug Sigurdson, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section Brigitte Desrochers, Program Officer, Visual Arts Section
Let's discuss the state of Artist-Run Culture in Ontario by Milly Ristvedt, Modern Fuels' Vice-President As posted in Modern Fuels' January 2003 Newsletter, in review of ARCCO's September 2002 meeting: Back in mid-September I spent two days in Toronto attending a Member's Forum, Funder's Forum and Annual General Meeting of ARCCO/Artist-Run Centres & Collectives of Ontario. As its name indicates, this organization is composed of non-profit corporations, associations and collectives, whether incorporated or not, which are artist-initiated and controlled and pay fees. ARCCO plays an important role for its membership by providing opportunities to exchange information, discuss issues and develop solutions to common problems. This two-day event was no exception, bringing representatives of ARC's together with resource people and representatives of funding bodies to present information and respond to questions. I was somewhat dismayed to find that I was one of only two board members of ARC's in attendance, the rest of the participants being paid staff. I know that most board members volunteer a substantial number of hours already and somehow have to find a way to support their art and live a life at the same time, yet it seems to me important, for a balanced perspective, that a more equitable division of paid staff and volunteer board be in attendance at such gatherings. Day One began with a presentation entitled Economic Impact as an Advocacy Tool, by Kelly Hill, Research Manager for the Ontario Arts Council. This talk focused on how to assess a centre's economic impact and ways to make the case to private and public funders, government representatives and the community. Kelly discussed the model put together in 1997 by the OAC, still relevant today and available as a handbook to help arts organizations compile credible date to demonstrate the economic value of the arts. He stressed the need to form partnerships with other arts organizations in the community when undertaking an economic impact study. Amongst all of the facts and figures in this well-prepared presentation, one that stuck out for me was the $11.80 per hour figure assigned to unpaid volunteer hours. A credible survey of the hours and tasks of board members and key volunteers in any centre would undoubtedly add an impressive amount of dollars to the picture of it's economic impact. The next presentation was from Ontario Blue Cross on Why You Need Health Benefits and was basically an overview of individual health and dental plans, an important consideration for self-employed artists. Check the OHIP website or Ontario Blue Cross for further information. The third presentation, by Greg Woodbury, Ontario Regional Director of the Independent Film and Video Alliance covered the organization's main objectives in improving means and access for film, video and electronic media producers, distributors and exhibitors from all parts of Canada. After a very short lunch break and the opportunity to compare notes with other participants, Sandra Tulloch, Arts Consultant for the Arts Facilities Group, gave a presentation entitled Spaced Out - Addressing the Crisis in Affordable Facilities. ARCCO is a participant in this cross-disciplinary group that has developed a proposal to establish a permanent fund to support capital projects for small and mid-sized arts organizations in Ontario. Sandra discussed ways in which ARC's can participate in the advocacy campaign, directed at all three levels of government. The rest of the afternoon consisted of a roundtable discussion on the feasibility of artist-run centres buying their buildings with government funding, and of how partnerships can be formed within communities with architects and developers, and a second roundtable on potential conflict of interest situations within ARC's. Both of these roundtables, although short, were valuable in the opportunity they offered to exchange information and models from one ARC to another. Day Two began with ARCCO's Annual General Meeting, at which the major item of business was a bylaw change proposal put forward by Paul Coulliard, [on behalf of the ARCCO Board] to create a new membership category, that of Associate Membership, for artist-run organizations and collectives that support ARCCO principles but are not able to demonstrate payment of artist fees. The reason given for this bylaw is the current financial climate in which there are many newer organizations and collectives not able to meet the payment-of-fees criterion, even though they support ARCCO principles. The by-law proposal (which provides a lobbying voice but does not provide voting rights), was approved and passed. At this point CARFAC resigned as a member of ARCCO, citing conflict of interest, and will re-apply once policy is developed around this issue, which should be done by the next AGM. The afternoon consisted of presentations by funders - Canadian Heritage, Ontario Trillium Foundation, The Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council in which programs were explained, program changes were addressed, and information on assessment processes was provided. As anyone who has ever applied for a grant knows, our funders are constantly redesigning the hoops we have to jump through, and it is important that we know when and why. Quite often, it is because the funders themselves are jumping through redesigned hoops, as governments and economic situations change. Altogether it was a jam-packed two-day information package, ably put together by the tireless energies of Jewel Goodwyn, Executive Director, and hosted by Gary Hall, President, in the Women's Art Resource Centre graciously provided for the occasion. [Special thanks to Linda Abrahams, Irene Packer and Georgia Abrahams].
Milly Ristvedt 2002 Administrator Survey Report Artist-Run Centres and Collectives of Ontario prepared by Hill Strategies, 2002 15 artist run centre administrators responded to the 2002 ARCCO Survey, representing 54% of the ARCCO membership. The primary administrative staff person was asked to fill out the survey during the 2002 ARCCO Annual General Meeting. Not all centres were represented at the meeting. This report summarizes the responses to the 2002 survey, including comparisons of administrator working conditions to general labour force data. The summary will start with the most general information about centre activities, and will progress to more specific information about working conditions and administrator professional development preferences. A few comparisons will be made between the 2000 and 2002 Administrator Surveys. 13 centres responded in both survey years. 2 centres responded in 2002 but not in 2000, and 8 centres responded in 2000 but not in 2002. Given these differences, detailed comparisons between the surveys cannot be made. By necessity, therefore, the comparisons presented below are quite general. Centre budgets, attendance, membership and staffing. The 15 centres reporting had combined budgets of $2.5 million. Individual centre budgets ranged from $60,000 to $480,000, with the average budget size being $168,000. For the 14 centres reporting attendance figures, total attendance was nearly 80,000 per year. Attendance ranged from 500 to 12,000, with average attendance per centre of about 5,700. The 15 centres reported having about 2,500 members. Membership at the individual centres ranged from 42 to 550, with the average membership being 165. Nearly 2,100 (or 84%) of the centres' members are artists. The centres with the largest budgets generally employed more staff members. For example, the centre with the largest budget employed 2 full-time and 5 part-time staff members. This trend was also noted in the summary of the 2000 survey. In total, the 15 centres reporting in 2002 employ 18 full-time and 17 part-time staff people. -3 of the 15 centres (20%) do not employ a full-time staff person. 2 of these centres have only one part-time staff person. -7 of the 15 centres (47%) have only one full-time staff person. In 5 of these centres, this is the only staff person. -5 centres (33%) employ more than one full-time staff person, including one centre with 3 full-time staff people. Administrator responsibilities Given the small number of staff members at each centre, it is not surprising that the main staff member (the administrator) has a wide range of responsibilities. All 15 of the administrators surveyed are involved in general centre administration and grant applications. Almost all (12-14) of the administrators are also involved in programming, bookkeeping, marketing and promotion. Eight of the administrators are also involved in curating or organizing exhibitions. Almost all administrators reported having other responsibilities, including strategic and business planning, fundraising, staff and volunteer supervision, financial management, community outreach and advocacy, and gallery maintenance. The 15 administrators collectively prepare about 80 grant applications per year, for an average of 5.3 applications per administrator. Given this range of responsibilities, it is not surprising that ARCCO members are interested in a wide range of professional development possibilities, with the highest number (10) reporting interest in publishing. Interest in other professional development opportunities is as follows: -fundraising (9) -marketing (9) -web development (8) -board governance (7) -programming (7) -grant writing (6) -computers (6) Other professional development interests mentioned include human resource management, residencies, and arts accounting for complex budgets. Although 10 of the centres have a budget allotment at their centre for travel for professional development, a number of respondents commented that the amount available is "minimal", "modest", "limited" or "spread thinly" over their staff. Administrator education, age and artistic activity Artist run centre administrators are highly educated: all 15 administrators reporting in 2002 have completed a college or university education. -2 (or 13% of the 15) have completed a college education -8 (or 53%) have completed a university undergraduate program -5 (or 33%) have completed a university graduate program In the 2000 survey, all 21 administrators who responded indicated that they had completed at least a college education, with a slightly higher percentage reporting a graduate level university education than in 2002. It is possible that some of the administrators who indicated having completed a graduate level program in 2000 either were not able to respond in 2002 or had left their centres. 7 of the 15 administrators (47%) reported having an educational background that included both artistic and administrative concentrations. 4 other administrators (27%) have completed an arts-focussed program, and 3 (20%) have completed a program with an administrative concentration. One administrator had a different educational concentration (not indicated). The administrators range in age from 26 to 52. The average age is 41. Almost all of the administrators (14 of 15, or 93%) are practicing artists. This is higher than the 71% of respondents in 2000 who reported being a practicing artist. Administrator work hours 11 of the 15 administrators (73%) reported working full-time, while the other 4 administrators (27%) reported working part-time. The percentage of full-time administrators is higher in 2002 (73%) than the percentage reported in 2000 (57%). This may be due to the differences in centres reporting in 2002 vs. 2000, or may indicate a shift to more full-time employment of administrators. 9 of the 11 full-time administrators are paid on a salary basis. 2 part-time administrators are also paid on this basis. 2 full-time administrators and 1 part-time administrator are paid on an hourly basis. One part-time administrator is a volunteer. A number of administrators stated that they were full-time employees but were scheduled for fewer than 30 hours per week (which is Statistics Canada' s definition of full-time). The statistics above reflect administrator interpretations of "full-time", while the figures below will use 30 hours per week as a benchmark of full-time employment. Paid work time ranges between 20 and 40 hours per week, with an average of 30 hours per week. This is very close to the average of 29 hours reported in the 2000 survey. This indicates that the larger percentage of administrators reporting full-time work in 2002 than in 2000 may just be a function of the differences in centres reporting in the two years. 8 of the 15 administrators (53%) work 30 or more scheduled hours per week. The other 7 administrators (47%) work between 20 and 28 paid hours per week. All 15 administrators reported working extra unpaid hours. This unpaid work time ranged from 4 to 25 hours per week, with an average of 11 hours per week. These results are again very similar to what was found in the 2000 survey. When the paid and unpaid hours are combined, work time ranged from 29 to 60 hours per week and averaged 41 hours per week. Using these combined figures, 14 of the 15 administrators (93%) reported working 30 or more total hours per week (i.e., full-time). The other administrator reported working 29 paid and unpaid hours per week -- just under the threshold of full-time work. Administrator pay In order to compare salary and wage levels between individuals paid on a differing basis (i.e., yearly salary vs. hourly wage), the assumption was made that administrators are paid for 52 weeks per year. Hourly wages for the administrators reporting an annual salary were calculated by dividing the annual salary by 52 (weeks per year) and by the number of paid hours worked per week. Similarly, annual salaries for the administrators reporting an hourly wage were calculated by multiplying the hourly wage by the number of paid hours worked per week and then by 52 (weeks per year). Using the assumption noted above, administrators' annual salaries ranged between $17,200 and $42,000, with an average yearly income of $27,500. Some of the wage variation can be attributed to the fact that administrators are paid for differing numbers of hours per week. Administrators' hourly wages ranged from $11 to $28, with an average hourly wage of $18. This average wage is exactly equal to the average hourly wage for non-unionized employees in Canada ($18)[1]. However, only 40% of all non-unionized employees have completed a college or university education (vs. 100% of artist run centre administrators). Also, the average non-unionized hourly wage is for all of Canada, and wages (and the cost of living) are generally higher in Ontario. Given that almost all of the artist run centre administrators have completed at least a university undergraduate program, a more appropriate comparator might be the average annual employment income of Ontarians with a university education. This figure is $45,000.[2] Even the highest paid full-time artist run centre administrator earned less than this average amount. Although it is possible that some administrators could earn income from sources other than artist run centres, including possibly their own artistic activities, it is unlikely that they would make up the 60% gap with the average annual employment income for Ontarians of similar education. Generally, the highest paid administrators tended to: -have full-time, permanent positions; -be located in Toronto; and -have been at their centres for the longest period of time. The lowest paid administrators (based on the hourly wage calculation) tended to work the most unpaid hours per week. Unlike the finding reported in 2000, staff wages do not appear to be strongly correlated with the centres' budgets. That is, the largest budget centres do not necessarily have the highest paid administrators, while the lowest budget centres do not necessarily have the lowest paid administrators. If all paid and unpaid hours worked are included in the hourly wage calculation, the average hourly wage drops from $18 to about $13. This calculation, which could be called the "effective" hourly wage, varies between $7 and $22. At the low end of this range, the "effective" wage of some artist run centre administrators is around the level of Ontario's minimum wage ($6.85). Wage increases and decreases in the past 2 years In terms of wage changes in the past 2 years, 8 of the administrators (53%) have received a wage increase in the past two years. Percentage increases ranged from 2% to 100%. Most of the increases were 5% or less. However, 2 of the administrators reported a decrease in wages or in paid hours, including one who reported a 25% decrease. The average annual income reported in 2002 ($27,500) is about 9% higher than the average of $25,336 reported in 2000. However, it is not clear from these averages how much of this change is "real" and how much is due to the differences in centres reporting between the two surveys. Employment benefits Only 3 of the administrators responding to the survey (20%) receive health benefits, and the same number receive other work benefits. The 2000 survey found that 33% of the centre administrators reporting in that year received health benefits, and 29% received other benefits. These figures are well less than the percentage of all non-unionized employees in Canada receiving benefits: 45% receive medical benefits, 43% receive dental benefits, and 41% receive life/disability insurance. In addition, 27% of all non-unionized employees in Canada receive an employer-sponsored pension plan.[3] 12 of the administrators expressed some interest in a group health policy, depending upon the benefits and costs of the policy. Administrator contracts and length at centres of the 13 administrators responding to the length of contract question: -2 have contracts of less than one year (15%); -4 have one-year contracts (31%); -1 has a two-year contract (8%); and -6 are permanent employees (46%). The percentage of administrators having permanent positions is somewhat higher in 2002 (46%) than in 2000 (26%). Again, it is not clear from these percentages how much of this change is "real" and how much is due to the differences in centres reporting between the two surveys. The length of time respondents have worked at their centres ranged from 6 months to 22 years, with an average of just over 4 * years. These figures are basically the same as those reported in 2000. ARCCO Forum preferences Some administrators marked multiple answers to the "Forum preferences" questions. The totals will therefore be greater than 15. Administrators expressed a preference for a forum during April or May (10 administrators) rather than between September and December (4) or between January and March (2). A similar preference was expressed for a forum between Monday and Wednesday (11) rather than between Wednesday and Friday (5) or on the weekend (4). Overall, the administrators did not express strong preferences between the possible forum formats that they would be interested in attending: -11 of the administrators indicated an interest in workshops; -10 administrators indicated an interest in presenters (with an open forum); -9 administrators indicated an interest in round table discussions; and -8 administrators indicated an interest in panel discussions. Websites and newsletters All of the 12 centres with a website expressed an interest in having a link from the ARCCO site. 13 of the centres reported having a newsletter. Collectively, the centres produce 63 newsletters per year, with an average of 4.8 newsletters per centre. Some of the centres reported producing (or moving towards) electronic newsletters rather than paper versions. [1] Statistics Canada. Perspectives on Labour and Income, September, 2002, p. 3. [2] Statistics Canada. 1996 Census Nation Tables, as reported at http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/labor50b.htm. [3] Statistics Canada. Perspectives on Labour and Income, August, 2002, p. 5-6. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ARCCO P.O. Box 44026, Market Tower Lane Postal Outlet 141 Dundas Street, London, Ontario N6A 5S5 email: jewel.goodwyn@sympatico.ca
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