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Bill 95, or the Arts Board Act, proposes that a corporate, government-sanctioned body be established for the purpose of administrating the arts in the province, a job previously done by the Council. The board, consisting of 10 appointed members serving three-year terms, would develop and control a program of grants for artists and initiate public awareness and education, among other duties. MLAs from the legislaturešs standing committee on social development heard presentations on Oct. 22 during public hearings on the proposed arts board legislation. Individual artists as well as groups voiced their concerns about the effects a new provincial board would have on the arts in P.E.I. Holland College Visual Communications instructor Nigel Roe told members of the committee the only people who should be controlling the direction of the arts on the Island are the artists themselves. "Artists and the arts are the primary producers of culture, just like farmers and fishers are our primary producers of food in Canada,˛ he told the committee. "I am sure that the organizations that represent these producer groups would not want the government creating their boards.˛ Himself a former chair of the P.E.I. Council of the Arts, Roe expressed concern that the proposed provincial arts board would lack the "arms-length˛ approach to funding grants that the current council practises. The council has a membership elected from the arts community, while the proposed board would have members appointed by government committee. He questioned whether some artists might be denied funding because of the nature of their work. "The proposed arts board would be able to distribute funds as available,˛ Roe said. "This would be done by the board, a group basically controlled by minister and committee. Anyone whose work might be controversial, or outside the traditions of the discipline, could find themselves without funding for projects or operational activity.˛ Another presenter disagreed with the idea that government funding for the arts should be administered in a more "arms-length˛ fashion. Nils Ling, a well-known journalist and playwright, said government in P.E.I. is directly related to culture. "Donšt let people tell you politics is separate from culture,˛ he said. "P.E.I. political life is part of our culture.˛ Ling used his presentation not to tell the committee whether or not to establish an arts board, but to stress the importance of realizing and nurturing culture in everyday life. He questioned the fairness of having any one body, whether it be the Council of the Arts or a new board, deciding who gets funding and who doesnšt. Ling called the Council, "a broken institution.˛ The current chairperson of the P.E.I. Council of the Arts, Karen Lips, told the standing committee the timing of the proposed legislation was premature, in light of the councilšs 20-year mandate in the Island arts community. "While endorsing in principle a clear statement of governmentšs commitment to the arts, we feel that Bill 95 recommendations concerning ongoing support of an arts adjudication management body cannot be made independently of a larger strategy which also acknowledges and supports the meaningful renewal of the existing Council of the Arts,˛ she told the committee. Lips said that while the Council applauded the Ministerial Steering Committee on Culturešs commitment to the cultural sector in general, they are "dismayed at the confusing manner in which the members of the steering committee appear to have deserted and sidestepped the history and reputation of the council.˛ The Council of Arts was created by volunteers in 1974, and was incorporated as a non-profit institution in 1978. Lips pointed out the many accomplishments of the council, including the fact that it is the only arts council in the country not created by legislation. Lips said she fears that the roles of the proposed Arts Board and the current Council of the Arts will overlap substantially, leading to the question of whether there would be sufficient commitment, funding and volunteer resources available to sustain both. "We propose that the council, with its long history and its more arms-length, membership-based accountability, may in fact be the most proven and logical institution to meet most, if not all, of the cultural development objectives and strategic vision proposed for the arts board,˛ she suggested.
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