Good morning.
I have been the executive director of the Society for Arts and Technology, the SAT, for five years now. This organization is celebrating its 30th anniversary this week.
Since 1996, the SAT has been dedicated to creating, disseminating and researching digital arts and electronic music in the heart of Montreal's Quartier des spectacles, or entertainment district. Over the years, it has become a pioneering site that has inspired many other spaces, both here and abroad.
I am here today because I would like to talk about the fundamental role that cultural spaces play in our society. Before a work exists, before an artist can meet their audience, they first need spaces to let their imaginations flourish, to experiment, to collaborate, to create and to take risks.
Places like the SAT are much more than buildings: They are essential cultural infrastructures. These are places where artists develop their practice, where disciplines meet, where communities come together and where the artistic practices of tomorrow are built.
For close to 30 years, the SAT has supported artists working at the intersection of arts and technology. We manage specialized infrastructure, including an immersive dome, creative research labs, studios and advanced technology equipment, which remains difficult to access elsewhere. These spaces not only support artists, but also contribute to the international profile of Canada and Montreal as hubs for digital creation, immersive experiences and electronic music.
However, these places are facing significant challenges today. Operating costs are rising rapidly. The findings are the same, whether we are talking about dance, theatre, music, circus or digital art: the evolution of costs related to the operation and maintenance of cultural venues far exceeds inflation.
A study conducted by Théâtres associés recently found that average costs related to the management of performing arts venues increased by 53% between 2017 and 2024, while inflation was around 20% over the same period. So there is a major lag, a gap of 33%.
Cultural organizations often have no choice but to prioritize the maintenance of their infrastructure, often at the expense of their mission, which is to support creation and present works. In the case of technological infrastructure, the challenge is even greater. Equipment is aging rapidly, and technologies are constantly evolving.
While programs support the creation of projects, they have a harder time supporting the maintenance, modernization and operation of the infrastructure itself. The result is that, to maintain this infrastructure, we have to reduce our programming, our activities and our artistic support.
Our infrastructure is permanent. It therefore requires long-term support mechanisms, because it becomes extremely difficult to plan for the future when funding remains ad hoc and subject to intense competition.
These issues are particularly important when we talk about the next generation of artists. We provide residences, mentorship, training, specialized equipment and, often, their first opportunities to present their work. The next generation is evolving in a particularly difficult context: growing economic insecurity, limited access to professional spaces, increased challenges related to the development of an artistic career, and so on. Supporting cultural infrastructure means directly supporting current and future artists, as well as our collective ability to innovate and shine.
Lastly, we also need to talk about another issue: the growing concentration of the cultural sector. We are operating in a context where a few major players occupy an increasingly important place. Independent venues and cultural non-profit organizations play a vital role in our ecosystem, as they develop new talent, take artistic risks and ensure cultural diversity. They provide spaces for artists who don't always find their place in more commercial models.
Canada's cultural vitality depends precisely on this balance, on the coexistence of small, medium and large players and on the diversity of voices, models and spaces. Cultural spaces are not expenses; they are key levers. They enable artists to create, communities to come together and Canada to remain a leader in creation and innovation. Supporting these spaces today means investing directly in the next generation of artists and in the cultural vitality of tomorrow.
Thank you.