Chair Anne Bertrand Announces Arts Stabilization Funds for Fredericton Arts and Learning and the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival

July 24th, 2008

Anne Bertrand, Chair of the New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts, was in Fredericton this morning to present the Fredericton Arts and Learning and the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival with each a $25,000 technical assistance commitment, as part of the New Brunswick Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program. This program will support the Fredericton Arts and Leaning’s initiative to acquire a good concert piano and produce a new bilingual brochure that will highlight the Charlotte Street Arts Centre accomplishments. It will also support the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival’s initiative to develop funding diversification strategies and marketing tools for audience development.

“The New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts is investing to help build a healthy and dynamic infrastructure and to preserve a rich mix of cultural expression for New Brunswick,” said the Chair. “Today’s announcement recognizes the FAL and the NBSMF ambitious plans in this area, and provides support for measurable progress that benefits arts and culture.”

Fredericton Arts and Learning President, Penny Ericson, and the Chair of the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, Steven Strople, are thrilled with this announcement and what it will mean for their organizations and the region. “This new stabilization funding will help the FAL make optimum use of the auditorium as a concert venue adding an approximate $4,000 annually in net revenues through further rentals for such events as chamber music concerts. Organizations such as the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, the Fredericton Playhouse and Debut Atlantic are already showing interest in partnering with the Arts Center for possible recordings and presentations,” said Mrs. Ericson. Speaking for the New Brunswick Summer Music Festival, Mr. Strople said: “This announcement means the Summer Music Festival will be able to develop a new and independent website as well as other promotional tools to better sell the Festival provincially and nationally. As the Festival moves closer to its 15th anniversary in 2009, a market study will do much to help it reach new heights and build new audiences.”

The New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts’ funding under the Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program is intended to support projects that will help build communities while helping the province as a whole build on its proud heritage. It will allow organizations to develop strategic and financial planning that will provide real results. The Foundation is pleased to have received applications from all regions of the province which will put this fund to good use.

The New Brunswick Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program would not be possible without the generous contributions of the federal and provincial governments, as well as the Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Foundation and generous donations from the private sector. The resources for the Arts and Heritage Stabilization Program consist of 1.7 million dollars.

Established in 1992, the New Brunswick Foundation for the Arts is a public charitable foundation created to encourage and promote the artistic and cultural life of New Brunswick.