RCCAPV: Caring through Culture: Public Value and Arts-Based Participation in Canada

Abstract:
In contemporary Canada, the concept of public value has undergone significant transformation, shifting from traditional state institutions to new spaces such as universities, where the arts play a vital role in fostering community and care. This evolution is evident in both historical and current initiatives: from the training National Film Board’s tripartite model in the 1970s—emphasizing production, theory, and distribution—as a blueprint for cultivating engaged media practitioners, to present-day programs aimed to support accessibility for different populations. Together, these examples highlight how arts-based education and community engagement can serve as powerful tools for addressing social needs, nurturing public value, and shaping inclusive cultural futures within and beyond the university.
Dr. Scott MacKenzie will share insights from his current research project, examining one aspect of the history of public value and cultures if through a brief consideration of the National Film Board of Canada/Office national du film in the 1970s, at the height of the Canadian welfare state project, and looks to this history to provide models forward for media education, public value, and care in the contemporary Canadian university context. Attention will be paid to the role of tripartite training in production, theory, and curation/distribution and the role this training plays in generating new models on engagement by graduating students in the contemporary Canadian mediasphere.
Dr. Julia Brook presents research on two Singing+ programs: Rise, Shine, Sing! and SWAY. Rise, Shine, Sing! is a weekly virtual singing and dancing program for older adults across Canada, especially those facing barriers such as rural isolation, mobility issues, or long-term care. Caregivers and family members often participate alongside loved ones. SWAY is an in-person program at a local hospital, offering creative engagement and social connection to patients and families during difficult times. Using a community-based case study approach, Dr. Brook explores how these programs enhance older adults’ well-being, sense of place, and sustained engagement through arts-based participation.

 

About the Speakers:
Julia Brook is Associate Professor of Music Education and the Director of the DAN School of Drama and Music at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. She is a pianist and music educator who has taught students across the lifespan in community and school contexts. Julia’s research examines the intersections between community contexts and teaching and learning in the arts, and she explores ways that music-making can support one’s sense of place and well-being. Julia’s research has been generously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and the Ontario Foundation for Innovation.
Scott MacKenzie is Professor of Film and Media and Acting Vice Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science, Queen’s University. Some of his most recent books include: Film Manifestos and Global Cinema Cultures (2014); Films on Ice: Cinemas of the Arctic (w/ Anna Stenport, 2015); Arctic Environmental Modernities: From the Age of Polar Exploration to the Era of the Anthropocene (w/ Lill-Ann Körber and Anna Stenport, 2017); Arctic Cinemas and the Documentary Ethos (w/ Lilya Kaganovsky and Anna Stenport, 2019); Process Cinema: Handmade Film in the Digital Age (w/ Janine Marchessault, 2019); Mapping the Rockumentary: Images of Sound and Fury (w/ Gunnar Iversen, 2021)and New Arctic Cinemas: Media Sovereignty and the Climate Crisis (w/ Anna Stenport, 2023).