Some important addresses to write to: http://tinyurl.com/ykkc6sh
British
Columbians and Canadians Speak Out Against Funding Cuts
" Government
is gambling with other people's money", The Province
"Flex
Your Muscles, BC Arts Community", The Tyee
"Budget
Cut Blues' Played for Politicians", The Tyee
"Government
cuts steal colour from life" canada.com
Article
in The Straight including reactions from individual artists
Visualize
the cuts (CARFAC BC on Facebook)
Cariboo farmers Janet Allen and Murray Boal want the BC government to restore arts funding to pre-election levels.
Both farmers are angry that the BC government claimed that culture was the "second pillar" of its bid for the 2010 Olympics, and now has slashed arts funding by up to 90% over the next two years.
“We work hard producing nutritious food, but we know people also need the nourishment of books, art, dance, theatre and music,” said Allen.
“Our economy needs it, too,” she said. Allen notes that every dollar invested by the province in the arts returns between $1.05 and $1.36 directly to provincial treasuries through tax revenues. “Surely it makes sense to invest in this sector during the recession, especially considering the growing importance of cultural tourism for jobs.”
Boal says the government ought to be ashamed of devoting the lowest percentage of all provinces of its operating budget to culture in spite of having the largest percentage of its labour force in arts occupations. “We’re investing less than half the national average,” he says. “Québec invests nearly four times what we do. We need to narrow this gap, not make it worse.”
Dragon Mountain Farm was established in 1979 and has supplied 120 North Cariboo households with vegetables every summer since 1997. It is located 35 km southeast of Quesnel, BC on the Quesnel River.
As well as farming, Murray Boal has worked as a woodworker and a musician. He has recorded four CDs, the latest with Bob Campbell as the “wingdamramblers”. Janet Allen has a keen interest in social justice issues and is involved in local economic development. In her spare time she enjoys working with horses and border collies. For his part, Nick loves chasing the ball.
For further information, contact Bill Horne at Amazing
Space Studio, Wells,
BC
250-994-2332
mazing at claireart dot ca
photo by Bill Horne
You can see more images of Solidarity with
the arts from:
forestry
mining
small town small businesses
vs HST
pulp workers
hunting
Sled dog
mushers
Train drivers
Backhoe drivers
Home page of claireart.ca
To support the production of this series you can...
If anyone wants to reproduce this or any other photos
in this series,
please contact me before doing so. In most cases I am happy to give
permission, but out of respect for the people in the photographs,
I like to check with them first. Thanks!
