New Community Arts Project

The New Brunswick Arts Board and the Town of Caraquet signed a three year contract for their program entitled “Projet d’arts communautaires” (Community Arts Project), which will allow for the development of innovative artistic projects by involving the public. The details of the contract were revealed during a news conference which was held at the Cultural Centre in Caraquet on Thursday, March 18.

This regional project for the arts entitled “Projet d’arts communautaires de Caraquet” (Caraquet Community Arts Project) will allow for the increase of funding resources for professional artists and for artistic groups in the Greater Caraquet area. Its focus is to encourage artistic projects that will reinforce links between partners and with the public, and will allow professional artists of all levels to show their talent.

The creation of this understanding was made possible with the contribution of annual funding in the amount of $40,000 from the New Brunswick Arts Board, the Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport, the Town of Caraquet and the Caraquet Cultural Centre. The fund will allow grants to be given with values of $5,000, $10,000 and $15,000.

“The government of New Brunswick is proud to increase the help to professional artists by funding this program which allows artists to engage their community in their creative process and to offer a unique contribution in their life,” said the minister of Wellness, Culture and Sport, Hédard Albert. “Projects like this one exist in other areas of the province and I am proud that Caraquet wants, with this new initiative, to diversify their contribution, which is already great, towards arts and culture.”

The president of the New Brunswick Arts Board, Benoît Duguay, is proud that Caraquet is interested in this kind of initiative which allows the program to be extended to yet another area in the province. “This project has added to the agreements already in place between the New Brunswick Arts Board and the municipalities of Edmundston, Saint John and Fredericton, and it is my wish that we continue to develop it in other municipalities,” said Mr. Duguay. The mayor of Caraquet, Antoine Landry, believes that talent and creative ideas are not lacking in Caraquet. “These grants will allow for new artistic projects to be developed and will reinforce the cultural engagement in the Caraquet area,” said Mr. Landry.

This  agreement is expected to last three years, but will be revised after one year of operation.

The director of the Caraquet Cultural Centre, Robert G. Landry, notes that the contribution from the Centre was made possible due to the interest revenue generated by the financing campaign of 2006 done in collaboration with the Fondation culturelle acadienne (Acadian Cultural Foundation).  “This is one of a number of spin-offs that result from a public investment in the arts.”