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School of Communication PhD student Mariane Bourcheix-Laporte recently successfully defended her thesis titled, "Institutionalization of Artist-Run Centres in British Columbia: Intersecting Developments in Federal and Provincial Cultural Policy and Artist-Run Governance in the Twentieth Century". We caught up with her to learn more about her time at SFU, her research, and her future plans! 

-Could you tell us about why you picked the SFU School of Communication?

The main reason why I picked SFU鈥檚 School of Communication to do my PhD is because my dissertation research pertains to cultural organizations in British Columbia, and I wanted to remain in Vancouver to facilitate primary research into local archives and possibly do interviews. I moved to Vancouver from Montreal in 2010 to do an MFA at SFU鈥檚 School for the Contemporary Arts. In 2017, when I was thinking about doing a PhD, my personal life and professional network were well established in Vancouver, so the School of Communication seemed like the best option. I also really wanted to work with Alison Beale, who agreed to be my Supervisor, because of her expertise in cultural policy studies and in BC cultural policy specifically.

-Could you explain your research in layman's terms?

My dissertation looks at the evolution of artist-run centres (ARCs) in British Columbia in relation to the evolution of cultural policy frameworks at the federal and provincial levels. Artist-run centres are small, non-profit organizations in the visual and media arts that are characterized by a 鈥渂y artists, for artists鈥� model. Artist-run centres are a specifically Canadian phenomena and have had a significant impact on the cultural ecosystem since the late 1960s. The first artist-run centre to receive funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, and therefore to be institutionally recognized as such, is a homegrown product of Vancouver, BC. Intermedia Society (1967-1972) has been mythologized as having put into motion the artist-run centre movement as we know it today. Starting with the foundation of Intermedia, my research considers the tensions that have existed between artist-run centres 鈥� as cultural organizations that are based on the principles of self-organization and self-governance 鈥� and the federal and provincial cultural policy frameworks that have underscored and influenced the activities of artist-run centres. From their inception, ARCs have been in conversation with state-defined cultural policy frameworks as they developed new practices in arts and arts administration. The very emergence of artist-run centres derives from an engagement with cultural governance, in this case, through a rejection of existing models for the administration of culture and a desire to develop new models of cultural management. Working through these tensions, my research looks at the inherent friction that exists between the administrative logics of artist-run centres and the administrative logics of government with regard to culture.

-Why was this research important to you?

I came to the PhD in Communication program at SFU after having been involved in the Canadian and BC ARC communities for several years as an artist, curator, critic, project manager, board member, advocate, and consultant. When people asked me why I was interested in doing a PhD, I responded that I had been frustrated with the lack of information that could support the advocacy work that I had been doing through the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres, of which I had been Board President from June 2016 to June 2018. In the Fall of 2018, when I became a graduate student again, this was a true statement. Thankfully, in the process of completing my coursework and comprehensive exams, my critical knowledge and perspective were expanded in ways that I had not imagined possible. I am incredibly grateful for the intellectual challenge that my early years in the program have constituted for they have opened my critical horizons and research interests. My dissertation has much benefitted from the critical perspectives and rigorous approaches to research that I have assimilated along the way. The work that I have completed here is a testament to my growth as a scholar as much as it is to my belief in the importance of sustaining artists and their communities for all their contributions to our world.

-What do you think people can learn from your research?

My dissertation makes a number of contributions to the field, starting with the development of a timeline documenting provincial and federal cultural policy developments in relation to the emergence of artist-run centres, their closures, or their continued existence. In contrast to the numerous studies dedicated to Canadian federal cultural policy, there are few academic texts that have historicized and analyzed cultural policy developments in BC. My dissertation contributes a detailed analysis of key moments and key policies in the history of BC cultural policy. In particular, I have identified instances of cross-influence between artists鈥� advocacy initiatives and provincial governmental frameworks.

One of my dissertation chapters maps the prehistory of BC artist-run centres. This narrative provides new insights into local art histories and complicates the idea that artist-run centres emerged in opposition to, rather than alongside or in the lineage of, cultural institutions like museums, university galleries, and commercial galleries. These findings shine a new light on a pivotal period in Canadian art history and help to establish the historical contributions of the BC cultural sector to the development of what we now know as Canadian artist-run centres.

Finally, I have developed a theoretical model that maps out the institutionalization processes that occur via interactions between artist-run centres and artist-run centre networks and provincial and federal governments, agencies, and funding bodies. Throughout my dissertation, I identify and analyze several instances in which ARCs have interfaced and dialogued with apparatuses of governmental cultural policy. My research shows that ARCs have necessarily had to modulate their operations and governance practices to conform to shifting governmental frameworks at both provincial and federal levels. However, my research also shows that ARCs and their networks have actively engaged in cultural governance and have influenced, in some regards, governmental policy frameworks and funding programs.

-What more do you think can/should be done in this area of study?

There is still lots of research to be done! I plan to rework various elements of my thesis and broaden its scope in order to develop a book manuscript. On the one hand, I would like to broaden the historical framework of the research by developing an analysis of organizational models and cultural policies from 2000 to today. On the other hand, I plan to profile artist-run centres in British Columbia that have had a brief or ephemeral existence or that have closed their doors after several years of operation due to a lack of funding or internal problems. This research will document the structural problems faced by artist-run centres over a period of sixty-some years and shed light on organizations that history has forgotten. Beyond completing the historical narrative that I have developed in my dissertation, the book will introduce new configurations of the ARC model, new dynamics between ARCs, ARC networks, and governmental structures. Additionally, the twenty-first century has introduced new cultural policy parameters such as the creative industries paradigm and digitalization and deepened the cultural sector鈥檚 engagement with equity, diversity, and inclusion policies and anti-colonial practices.

-Could you talk about your relationship with the faculty in the School?

I am grateful for all the support I have received from my Supervisor, Alison Beale, who from day one has shown unwavering faith in my work and who has been my ally and my advocate. I am also grateful for the insight of my Committee Members, Zo毛 Druick and Fr茅d茅rik Lesage, who have gently pushed me in directions of growth. I also wish to recognize those who work in the academic shadows, but who have made an imprint on my time in the PhD program. Thank you to Graduate Coordinator Jason Congdon, who has been a reassuring force throughout my doctorate. Thank you to Liaison Librarian for Communication & Contemporary Arts Sylvia Roberts, whose enthusiasm and support of my research has been immensely helpful. Thank you to all the SFU Library and Interlibrary Loans Office staff who have helped me access and locate hundreds of books, primary documents, and textual material over last seven years.

-What is your most cherished memory as a student at SFU?

Getting through coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation is a grueling process, but it is also an immense privilege to be able to dedicate thousands of hours to reading, thinking, debating, and writing. Bumps in the road and bigger challenges aside, I will always look fondly upon these years that I was able to dedicate to my self-development as a scholar and to the pursuit of my research.

-What is your plan now that you鈥檙e graduating?

In May, I am starting a SSHRC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at McMaster University鈥檚 Department of Communication Studies and Media Arts. I will be working under the supervision of Sara Bannerman on a project titled 鈥淢icro-online broadcasters and the new Canadian broadcasting regulatory regime: A study of regulatory and non-regulatory policy measures to foster diversity and the participation of micro-online broadcasters in the online broadcasting system.鈥� The Broadcasting Act was modified in 2023 to modernize Canadian broadcasting regulation and account for various forms of online broadcasting (i.e., streaming platforms like YouTube or Netflix). The mainstream Canadian audiovisual sector is expected to benefit from the Act, with 鈥渁n estimated $200 million per year in new funding鈥� (CRTC, 2024) and the mandated increased visibility of Canadian content online. Controversially, the new Broadcasting Act captures a broad spectrum of online audiovisual distribution outlets, which have traditionally operated outside of the mainstream broadcasting system. This includes hundreds of 鈥渕icro-online broadcasters鈥� who engage in a range of activities which are now considered to be online broadcasting under the Act. However, because they operate on a small scale, these micro-online broadcasters will likely be exempted from the regulatory framework that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is developing (CRTC, 2023). My research will engage multi-level stakeholders in the Canadian audiovisual sector to evaluate the implications of micro-online broadcasters鈥� likely exclusion from the broadcasting regulatory framework. I will evaluate existing needs in the non-profit audiovisual sector and assess how cultural and broadcasting policy structures and programs can be mobilized to support micro-online broadcasters鈥� participation in the larger Canadian broadcasting system. I plan to explore how such participation could support the newly expanded diversity objectives of the Broadcasting Act, increase the public鈥檚 access to independent content that reflects diverse Canadian realities, and boost capacity in the sector.