Ontario. Arts Branch

• Arts Branch

The Arts Branch was created in 1983 within the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture. The branch replaced the Arts Services Branch and formed a part of the Culture and Regional Services Division (renamed the Culture Division in 1984).

By 1985, the Arts Branch comprised two sections - the Arts Programs and Policies Section and the Arts Support Section. Responsibility for Cultural Affairs representatives in Ontario House (located in London, England) was added in 1986. In 1987, the Branch became part of the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Communications.

In 1989, the Arts Programs and Policies Section of the Arts Branch was renamed the Policy and Program Development Section, and the Arts Support Section was renamed the Program Administration Section. Also in 1989, a new section, the External Cultural Activities Section, was created within the branch.

The Arts Branch was disbanded during a 1992 reorganization of the Culture Division. With this change, its functions were distributed between the Arts, Heritage and Cultural Industries Policy Branch and the Culture Operations and Field Services Branch.

The Arts Branch developed policies and programs to encourage excellence in the arts and wider participation in arts activities in Ontario. The Branch also provided consultative services and operating grants to provincial cultural institutions and agencies, arts service organizations, and arts training institutions.

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Inventory 47 - Culture (July 1996)

Ontario Government Telephone Directories, 1983-1992

Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12- 24 lists an "Ontario. Arts Branch", however, this is for an earlier Arts Branch that had been established in 1944. If an agency history is created for this earlier Arts Branch, use date qualifiers to distinguish between the two.

Archivist(s):
G. Brown, R. Anger