In an effort to save money The National Gallery of Canada has cancelled several art education programs for children, teenagers and seniors. They used to have summer and March break camps for students, offer special tours for seniors and Family Fundays.
What are they using the money for instead? To help fund the development of a more comprehensive website and offering better information next to artwork.
"We can't be all things to all people," he said, "so we've got to make some sacrifices to our local audience in order to serve our national audience — and that really is our mandate."
Well, the local audience is really who pays with 27 job cuts and the removal of locally cherished programs. Blaming the economy for fewer visitors this year, is pinning the gallery’s hopes on a website the best idea?
Tamara Doleman, a visual arts teacher in Ottawa, nailed our thoughts on the head.
"Ultimately the support [for the gallery] comes from the community which lives here, and if we want to build a community of students that know how to look at art and understand culture, we need to make sure that we're addressing the people that live in the neighbourhoods," she said.
Read the full article at CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/artdesign/story/2010/05/17/ott-gallery-funding.html
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