Guest post from David Jordan, Executive Director of the Vancouver International Fringe Festival. (First posted on the Fringe Fest website, but we loved it so much we had to re-post it here. Well said David!!)
Dear faithful reader,
As you know, I have taken it upon myself to keep you informed about what your government has been doing with your money. Here’s an update. But first, here’s a recap.
Over the past year the BC Liberals have:
- cut the BC Arts Council budget by 50% (reduction of over $7M)
- pretended that the budget for the BC Arts Council had been restored to its previous funding levels by moving the $12.2 M allocation for the Royal BC Museum into the BC Arts Council budget
- changed the eligibility of activities for BC Gaming to exclude adult arts
- denied funding to professional arts festivals applicants to the BC Gaming Fairs and Festivals category, saying that festivals (like the Victoria Fringe Festival) “do not reflect the community, regional or cultural characteristics of a community.” (Click here or here for more info)
- And finally, they earmarked $10M in the budget and didn’t say what it will be used for.
The Georgia Straight used this image of Kevin Krueger when they reported that he walked out of an interview with them when asked about the massive cuts to the arts in October, 2009.
Kevin Krueger, BC’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and the Arts, recently announced that this $10M (curiously similar to the amount missing from the BC Arts Council operating budget) will be allocated to 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy Fund and the creation of “Spirit Festivals.” There are still no details regarding these festivals. Minister Krueger says “[The Spirit Festivals] are intended to build on the phenomenal success of the Cultural Olympiad.” (Read the coverage here or here.)
You know what would be a perfect way to build on the success of the Cultural Olympiad? Not cutting core funding to the professional arts organizations that actually made it happen. Call me crazy.
“I don’t know how they can call something new money when they have cut the same amount from existing programs,” Amir Ali Alibhai, executive director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, recently said.
Maybe you’ve been thinking about writing a letter to your MLA about some of the above items. Now would be a good time to let your MLA and Minister Krueger know how you feel about how they are spending your money.
For more coverage on how the arts community feels about these Spirit Festivals, read this.
Yours in Fringe,
David Jordan
Tags: BC Arts Cuts