Before Disneyland comes to Newfoundland, let's support our youth artists first
You get home after a long, hard week of work at the office and sit down on the couch. Do you turn on the TV and watch your comfort show? Perhaps you like to listen to some music, or curl up under a weighted blanket with a hot cup of tea and a riveting romance novel?
While "the arts'' is a broad, umbrella term, it means a lot more to some people than you might think. You experience the arts everywhere, every day. For some people the arts are a lifelong career and a passion to fulfil.
You sometimes might not even recognize the arts that are around you and what they mean to some people. Like the children who dream of being the next leading player and seeing their name in the lights on Broadway. There's the kid who was always painting and drawing that someday wanted to open up their own art gallery. Maybe you were the bass player in your high school garage band 20 years ago who wanted to put out an album?
Chances are if you tried to pursue any of these dreams at a young age there was an obstacle: a lack of monetary support.
A couple of weeks back, Premier Andrew Furey, along with some of his Liberal colleagues and a representative from the film industry, held a news conference in scenic Quidi Vidi Village to announce that "Disneyland is coming to Newfoundland."
The premier seemed ecstatic to be able to announce, on a bright sunny day, that some of the next instalment of Walt Disney Pictures' slate of live-action remakes of older animated films, Peter Pan & Wendy, will be filmed in Newfoundland.
Good for Disney. But what about homegrown artists?
As part of the deal made with the multibillion-dollar company, founded in 1923 by Walt Disney, the province, through the Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, would give Disney a 30 per cent rebate — up to $3 million — on funds spent here. And that's great. A production deal like this is an astounding investment for us.
We've all seen the success of shows like Hudson & Rex, which is broadcast all over North America and Europe, or the feature film The Grand Seduction, starring Golden Globe nominee Brendan Gleeson. But what about the young artists who live here right here in our own backyard?
Last month, Arts NL, an organization that primarily gives funding to artists, released its report on who received funding this year, for what project, and how much. The list was full of promising projects and individuals, which is great to see.
Unfortunately, young artists like myself are out of luck. Those who are under 18 are ineligible for Arts NL funding. The same goes for the yearly City of St. John's arts grants, and many others.
The closest thing right now that the provincial government provides to youth artists is the opportunity to apply for the Arts and Letters Awards Program, a yearly competition run by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation. Artists of all types and ages can submit their works to be judged by panels of professional artists.
Successful applicants get the opportunity to display their work in a high-traffic public setting, and prizes of $350 are also awarded to each winner under 21 years old.
More needs to be done
This program is a step in the right direction, but it's not enough. If more funds could be offered to the younger generation of artists, everyone could be introduced to a multitude of fresh, diverse artworks. Young people are the future on all fronts. We need more opportunities to explore contemporary and unique art forms. Without the proper support, however, it isn't possible.
How can we expect the arts industry to grow and flourish without supporting the younger generation? There are so many talented young people with no platform to showcase their talents to the world. If we don't support our artists when they are young, how will their careers grow? How else will we manage to pursue these passions and dreams?
Our province has one of the best and brightest arts and culture scenes in all of the world, but if we don't start funding our future, the scene will dry up quicker than it has so splendidly grown over the past few years.
Maybe the next time you get home from a long week at the office and sit down on the couch to break open a book or turn on the television, you'll think about it: will there be such a wide array of artistic pleasures to dive into 20 years from now? Or will there be no artists left because the government only saw the value in supporting the present, and not the future?
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