Proposed cuts to arts upset staff, students

By Jessica Hinds

hind0028@algonquincollege.com

While cuts to arts and heritage are nothing new to those who choose these career paths, Algonquin staff and students in affected fields are retaliating against the proposed City of Ottawa’s budget trimming. 

According to The Council of Heritage Organizations in Ottawa the cuts include 42 per cent to all cultural funding, 100 per cent in funding to all three heritage service organizations (CHOO/COPO, Heritage Ottawa and the Ottawa Museum Network), 100 per cent to historical societies and all heritage project grants, 100 per cent in funding for festival, special events and fairs, and 24 per cent to budgets at all eight community museums.

“Here we go again,” was co-ordinator of applied museum studies Katherine Pattillo’s reaction to the budget cuts. “Arts and culture and heritage unfortunately, are the first things to be cut no matter what.”

Pattillo has been part of the effort to reverse these cuts, an effort that has been successful in the past.

“I think they’re sort of seeing these cuts and wondering what they’ve got themselves into,” said Pattillo of the students who have been coming to her worried about their futures.

The proposed cuts make Graham Iddon, a third-year applied museum studies student fearful for his future in an industry he said is tenuous at the best of times.

Iddon said he wasn’t surprised to hear about the budget plans.

What “shocked and appalled” Iddon however, was the expanse of the cuts.

“It just seemed to be done so brutally,” he said.

The applied museum studies student said he believes the drastic cuts are a bluff, so that when arts and heritage organizations rally to salvage some funding they will be happy with whatever small amount they get.

Though those in arts and heritage are rallying together to present a joint front against the cuts, the level of anxiety is not equal for all students.

Neil Hunter, one of the co-ordinators of the animation program, wrote in an e-mail that he thinks the arts cuts will have little effect on animation students getting jobs through established studios who are reliant on little or no money from the city.

However, Hunter noted that animation students may be affected if they apply for grant money to finish films.

Additionally, the loss of the Ottawa International Animation Festival could be one of the most negative effects the cuts could have on students, he stated, citing Algonquin students’ volunteer work at the festival, which affords them the opportunity to meet animators from around the world.

“We are very fortunate to have this festival right here in Ottawa … it gives us an opportunity to bring people into the college to lecture our students that we would otherwise be able to make happen,” wrote Hunter, providing the examples of Oscar nominated David Polonsky, and guest speakers from ILM and Pixar.

Managing director of the Ottawa International Animation Festival Kelly Neall said that the organization gets $45,000 of funding from the city.

“I think trying to recoup those extra funds would be really difficult for us,” she said.

Those to be affected by the budget cuts spoke of the particular importance of investing in culture in the capital city.

Neall said local festivals were incredibly important for the Ottawa economy. 

Iddon on the other hand saw the situation from a less financial standpoint.

“The capital city has a role in that sense to be that showplace of heritage, that showplace of the nation’s history,” he said.