It’s been a very hectic couple of weeks here, but I would be remiss (and not much of a scene analyst) if I didn’t mention BC Scene, which landed in Ottawa at the end of April and left at the beginning of last week. I didn’t get out to catch much other than the Beat Nation event about Hip Hop as Indigenous culture (go figure), but on the whole I found the initiative to be pretty innovative.
From the website:
As part of its mission to be a truly “national” arts centre, the National Arts Centre produces a series of biennial festivals designed to showcase the artistic talents and culture of the many different regions of Canada.
The instant and resounding success of the first of these festivals, the Atlantic Scene in 2003, demonstrated the importance of this innovative multidisciplinary cultural festival format…Two years later it was Alberta’s turn. The Alberta Scene featured more than 600 artists in 95 events from April 28 to May 10, 2005, the largest celebration of Alberta culture ever held inside or outside the province…And in 2007 it was Quebec’s turn. The Quebec Scene featured more than 700 artists from every discipline, including n exciting mix of new works, some co-produced by the festival.
In recognition of the spatial challenges of bringing together a country as vast as Canada, the efforts of the National Arts Center, the Provinces, and the stakeholders really make a lot of sense: creating professional experiences for scene contributors, while showcasing the talent and range of experiences that might draw someone to the area – creating a sense of place, outside of the actual location. At the same time, provincial cultural diversity is being celebrated, which can only be better for the whole country. Initiatives like this can be really instrumental in creating connectivity nationally and affirming identity locally. Also, there were great collaboration opportunities between artists from the two regions, which often leads to more opportunities for sharing and cross-pollination. I only thought that it was a shame that Ontario, and Ottawa specifically, is the only place that gets to experience it. Perks of place I guess 
Still, has anyone considered a tour?
And now, from BC, some music.