November 6, 2024

Dear fellow artists, arts workers, and arts supporters,

The City of Peterborough has released its draft Budget for 2025, and as feared, Artspace - among other valued community organizations - is slated to receive a 25% CUT TO OUR FUNDING.

What does this mean?

Fewer hours of staff time and reduce our hours of operation?
Paying fewer artists for their work?
Facing challenges meeting commitments to other funders thereby putting that funding at risk?  
Sadly, YES!

Sufficed to say, I and my colleagues are taken aback, and gutted at the thought of this coming to fruition. The overall budget deals a devastating blow to the arts community and sets an alarming precedent. 

What message does this send?

This proposed cut will set us miles back in our work to see the City legitimize the work of artists and the arts in general. Artspace, the Peterborough region's own artist-run centre has been working in our downtown core for 50 years. We have played a vital role in fostering the creative community in Peterborough for all that time while weathering the ebb and flow of downtown culture and community politics. We do the unique, committed, and critical work of championing marginalized artists of all stripes, fighting for equity, diversity, and inclusion, advocating for fair pay, and creating space for professional development opportunities and meaningful dialogue with our community. We provide professional experiences for emerging artists and seasoned professionals alike and we are a valued hub for arts audiences and community members at large to see and think about contemporary art.

Shifting Anti-Arts Thinking

Make no mistake, supporting the arts translates to the social well-being and economic health of a thriving community. I'll share some data points offered by the Ontario Arts Council:

• Did you know that Ontario, as a province, contributes $26.4 billion to Canada’s culture GDP. That's 45%!!! 

• For every $1 OAC invests, $25 is generated in other sources of revenue

• Ontario’s culture sector added $26.4 billion to provincial GDP in 2022

• More than 270,528 direct jobs were supported by the culture sector across the province – more than the combined jobs in real estate, auto manufacturing, forestry and mining.