Gabriola has made a great contribution to the BC-wide “Face of the Arts” Flickr campaign. See all their photos in their Flickr set here! The Face of the Arts campaign was kicked off in Golden, BC, and is spreading around the province via Flickr. Vancouver participated in the project last night at The Wrecking Ball political theatre revue, and those photos will be forthcoming. If your community wants to get involved in this campaign, Golden’s Kicking Horse Culture site explains how to start. Flickr has been a very useful tool in this fight against the BC arts cuts, and speaking of Flickr, please take a look at this really fun new BC-wide art project and contest – The “Arts Cuts Memo” contest. Please participate in these BC-wide projects – they’re beginning to have an impact on the government, on public attitudes toward the arts, and on future BC cultural policy.
Who are we?
This blog is an extension of the website Stop BC Arts Cuts. We are a loose affiliation of arts supporters, artists, curators and arts workers in British Columbia who are fighting to overturn the abrupt, severe, unwarranted, and socially and economically unwise cuts to BC public arts funding. Even before these cuts, BC's arts funding was already well below that of all other provinces of Canada: the national average for provincial arts funding is $26 per capita; BC is now at approximately $6.50 per capita, even after the recent $7m restoration of funds. Ultimately the cuts still stand at approx 50%, amounting to a giant blow for the BC sector and one that will make us uncompetitive. Many organizations are already closing their doors. Meanwhile, every other industrial sector in BC receives substantial subsidies - why make an example of art? Arts funding is not only a crucial component of a homegrown culture industry in a relatively remote region with a small population (and relatively small corporate activity). It's also a lucrative investment that has been proven to fatten, rather than impoverish, the BC tax base (see here), by bringing large returns on every dollar given. Let's not find ourselves with a BC culture consisting of nothing but American TV. Check back regularly to read news about this issue, and to keep informed about our efforts to campaign for the return of these funds, which are: a) promised BC Gaming monies, and b) regular tax base funding for the BC Arts Council. Thank you for reading. To contact us, click here.Twitter
- Thank you @JamesMoore_org for reviewing support for @QAFVancouver cc @bifnaked 2 weeks ago
- RT @ArtsAdvocacyBC: "Cuts at Capilano U: Is Worse to Come?" Tyee thetyee.ca/Opinion/2013/0… #bcpoli #vanpoli 2 weeks ago
- RT @ArtsAdvocacyBC: Please Like/visit our Facebook page! Thanks, everyone! #bcpoli #cdnpoli 2 weeks ago
- RT @ArtsAdvocacyBC: "The Drought Continues" - See p 157 for state of B.C. arts (pdf). BC ALWAYS LAST IN CANADA ccarts.ca/wp-content/upl… #bcpo… 2 weeks ago
- RT @ArtsAdvocacyBC: Thanks @SChandraHerbert & NDP for promise to raise BC Arts Council to $29m by 2015, highest level in BC history. ... 1 month ago
Arts Cuts Links
- Alliance for Arts – video PSA
- Alliance for Arts – Write a Letter! Easy Webform Here
- Alliance for Arts and Culture – campaign toolkit
- Artists' and Citizens' Response to Funding Cuts
- Arts Advocacy BC
- BC Arts News
- BC Budget Visualizations – DIY Transparency & Local Government
- BC Gaming Funds Belong To Communities – Stop The Cuts!
- Christy Clark – Audio interview on Gaming funds
- Coalition for a Better BC
- Coalition for the Defense of Writing & Publishing in BC
- Dan Mangan: Thoughts on Arts Funding
- Decimating the Arts in Canada
- Facebook Group: Organizing against Campbell's cuts to the arts
- Grey Square
- Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres
- Prominent British Columbians speak out against the arts cuts
- Put A Face To The Arts – Golden, BC
- Restore Arts Funding Now Stickers – see "Active Links"
- Vancouver International Writers Festival
- Wells, BC opposes the cuts!
Meta
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Recent Posts
- Dan Mangan’s “Post-War Blues” video dir. by Kevin Eastwood – statement against government attack on arts
- BC municipal elections – who are your arts candidates?
- Some Spirit Festival” money directed to BC Arts Council, but little & late
- Federal arts cuts coming?
- Dutch political theatre around arts cuts – ad in the New York Times
Archives
- April 2012 (1)
- October 2011 (1)
- July 2011 (2)
- June 2011 (2)
- January 2011 (1)
- December 2010 (2)
- November 2010 (6)
- October 2010 (3)
- September 2010 (6)
- August 2010 (7)
- July 2010 (1)
- April 2010 (1)
- March 2010 (2)
- February 2010 (4)
- January 2010 (6)
- December 2009 (10)
- November 2009 (29)
- October 2009 (1)

