The New Brunswick Arts Board is an arm’s length arts funding agency with a legislated mandate to facilitate and promote the creation of art as well as administering funding programs for professional artists in the province.
This letter of support was published on Tuesday, March 2nd 2016 by Ignite Fredericton. The original letter can be found here: https://ignitefredericton.com/en/news/artsnb-letter-of-support/
The following letter is in regards to artsnb’s recent funding cut of $400,000 over two years and the decision to move the Arts Board inside government.
As the economic development agency for the Fredericton region, our goal is to see a thriving Fredericton community. This cannot happen without arts and culture.
In a market that grows more and more globally competitive, arts and culture is an integral part of our value proposition to attract talent and investment; and stimulate our economy through tourism and the purchasing of artistic goods. Just as government needs to create conditions for a healthy economy, they need to create the conditions for a healthy arts sector. Just as Ignite Fredericton is a not-for-profit in the economic development space, artsnb is the not-for-profit in the art and cultural space. Ignite Fredericton, Planet Hatch and Knowledge Parks’s independence allows us to seek additional funding from private sector investors. By bringing artsnb inside government, the same will not be available for the arts board and a funding cut of $400,000 will have a much larger impact.
The arts have been a valuable asset to our entrepreneurial community. With artists being entrepreneurs themselves, they provide a unique place in the business space, in their own companies and with their professional service offerings to other businesses. Arts is centered around innovation and the creation of new things. As part of our concerted effort to be a diverse and ‘Smart’ province, we need continued focus to support creativity.
Larry Shaw, CEO
Ignite Fredericton, Knowledge Park & Planet Hatch
