Many different strands coming together in arts funding cuts protest

It's interesting the variety of approaches to responding about the federal cuts in arts funding.

• There is the enlightened Bay Street approach of Business in the Arts which says "the cuts send the wrong message to the arts community, the business community and to all of our citizens that Canada doesn’t value or appreciate the social and economic benefits our artists bring to our country". It acknowledges that some of the cuts may have been necessary to enhance effectiveness, but asks the government to re-invest the $60 million back into culture.

• There is the youthful enthusiasm of the Department of Culture which is planning to work to unseat Conservatives in marginal constituencies across Canada. The site has a couple of very powerful personal video statements and should put paid, once and for all, to any suggestion that young adults are disengaged from the political process.

• And the passionate prose of playwright Majdi Mouawad, whose letter to Stephen Harper has been reproduced many times across many sites.

The Conservatives may have misjudged the situation and energized the usually scattered arts community and arts supporters into a creative and dangerous (in the electoral sense) opposition.

Related posts:

• Over-capacity crowd at town hall on funding cuts
• Canadian Heritage releases confirming list of cuts to the arts
  
• Fuse magazine rallies the troops to oppose federal arts funding cuts
• Industry CMF support program cut by 20%; what else is in play? Who knows?
• Government arts funding cuts baloney, no matter how you slice it