Vibrant city centre, thriving arts community

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This article was published 15/01/2025 (264 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Winnipeg Ballet will be among the first recipients of the Downtown Arts Capital Fund, a new $2-million initiative included in the 2024-27 multi-year City of Winnipeg budget.

Half a million dollars will be allocated annually, pending city council approval, for organizations with more than 40 years of presence downtown.

“This fund enables us to provide funding towards transformative capital projects that will ensure our arts organizations have the resources they need to remain strong and accessible for years to come,” Mayor Scott Gillingham said at Wednesday’s announcement at the ballet’s studios on Graham Avenue.

“This investment in our arts organizations is an investment in the future of downtown Winnipeg and it’s an investment in the culture of Winnipeg.”

The company will receive $87,500 for 2024 and $250,000 annually from 2025-27 for its campus modernization and expansion plan, including the refurbishment of its Founders Studio, a theatre that showcases works by emerging dancers and choreographers.

Artistic director André Lewis pointed out that the RWB has been part of the fabric of downtown Winnipeg arts community for 85 years.

“We believe, as Mayor Gillingham has shown today, that a vibrant city centre includes a thriving arts community,” Lewis said.

Other expected recipients of the Downtown Arts Capital Fund are the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Performing Arts Consortium of Winnipeg, which will receive the same level of funding as the RWB for its Pantages Playhouse Theatre renovation project.

The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is also set to receive $300,000 for its community safety and accessibility project, while Manitoba Opera will get $25,000 to upgrade its computer systems and ticketing technology.

When the multi-year budget was announced last year, there were concerns in the arts community that, for the first time in 20 years, the City of Winnipeg would not provide the Winnipeg Arts Council with funds for public art, which proponents say is also crucial to a vibrant downtown.

From 2004 to 2018, $500,000 was allocated annually to the arts council for public art projects. That amount was halved to $250,000 in 2019 and halved again to $125,000 in 2022, before being cut completely.

The Downtown Arts Capital Fund is separate from public art projects, not a reallocation, the mayor said Wednesday.

“We campaigned on restoring the grant to the Winnipeg Arts Council to pre-pandemic levels, so we’ve done that,” Gillingham added, referring to the organization’s $4.6-million annual operating grant, which is separate from its public art funding.

“Part of what we’ve also committed to do is to work with the Winnipeg Arts Council on a formula and a plan related to public art and ongoing funding for Winnipeg Arts Council as well. That’s in process right now.”

All grants are subject to final approval by city council.

jen.zoratti@winnipegfreepress.com