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Province awards $100K in grants to P.E.I. artists

Thirty-two P.E.I. artists have just received word of their successful projects under the first round of funding for the provincial arts grants program.

'We have a nice mixture of established and emerging artists'

Sara Fraser · CBC News ·
Artists including Gerald Beaulieu, who created this bluefin tuna sculpture in downtown Charlottetown, will receive the provincial grants. (CBC)

Thirty-two P.E.I. artists have just received word of their successful projects under the first round of funding for the provincial arts grants program.

The artists, from a number of disciplines, have been awarded a total of $100,000 in provincial funding — money that used to be given out by the now-defunct P.E.I. Council of the Arts, which folded last fall. 

You're going to see those folks that are really committed and dedicated their lives to their arts practice but you'll also see some new names.— Michelle MacCallum

"The biggest change is that the province was able to increase the amount of funding that was available to artists in this round," said the Department of Culture's arts community liaison officer Michelle MacCallum. 

Government used a 12-member jury of peers, as the council had — the same way Canada Council hands out grants.

'Nice mixture'

They assessed 90 applications then whittled them down to 32 that will each receive amounts from $1,000 to $7,000. 

'The province was able to increase the amount of funding that was available to artists in this round,' says Michelle MacCallum with P.E.I.'s Dept. of Culture. (CBC)

Twelve are classified as emerging or new artists. About half of grants will go to visual artists — the rest to applicants for projects in music, film, theatre, writing and craft.

"We have a nice mixture of established and emerging artists. Established artists tend to have a bit of an edge over emerging artists when applying for these grants because they've already demonstrated a certain amount of committment and experience to their practice," said MacCallum. 

"People like Gerald Beaulieu and Scott Parsons, Chris Corrigan, Ahmon Katz, Louise Lalonde, Catherine MacLellan, Jenna MacMillan, Alexis Bulman," MacCallum said. 

"So you're going to see those folks that are really committed and dedicated their lives to their arts practice but you'll also see some new names." 

The next round of funding for arts grants is expected to be announced later this year.

With files from CBC Radio: Mainstreet P.E.I.

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