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Cultural industries outside the creative clusters in times of pandemic: Three key players to ensure sustainability

Reference

Summary

The spring of 2020 was marked by an unprecedented pandemic that put cultural activities around the world, including Quebec, on hold. Theaters, exhibition halls and creative spaces were forced to close their doors. Faced with this cataclysmic event, which paralyzed the cultural industries, artists, cultural organizations and public institutions had to be inventive to ensure their survival. Public funds were allocated to these industries, and a number of initiatives were launched, mainly in creative hubs such as Montreal, Quebec. The aim of this research is to understand how local players in the cultural industries have succeeded in setting up mechanisms to ensure the sustainability of cultural industries outside creative clusters. To meet this objective, we conducted focus groups and semi-structured interviews with artists, workers from cultural organizations and municipal workers. The results are organized around three themes. Firstly, the main issues affecting cultural industries outside creative hubs are presented. Secondly, we identify the initiatives that have been put in place to address these issues. Finally, we present the pitfalls encountered between the various groups (artists, cultural organizations, municipal institutions) and the ways in which they were able to work together to promote the sustainability of the cultural industries.