ArtsLink NB, the Association des artistes acadiennes professionnelle.le.s du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Mawi’Art: Wabanaki Artist Collective call on the provincial government to invest $12.5 million in reviving the arts and culture sector. culture. second largest economic contributor to (New Brunswick’s) GDP,” ArtsLink NB Executive Director Julie Whitenect said in an interview Friday. “It contributes more than the forestry, automotive and manufacturing industries, which I think New Brunswickers would be surprised to hear. She feels that a significant investment is long overdue. average worker. Moncton’s Capitol Theater recently made the decision to postpone its annual springtime musical, which typically brings in around $300,000, until 2023. The story continues under the advertisement For show manager Marshall Button, who is also the theater’s artist-in-residence, it’s been disappointing to see so many artists leave the industry. He believes the arts sector is at a particular disadvantage amid the COVID-19 pandemic because much of the appeal to audiences is the live experience. “People come to the shows, they eat at the restaurant, they go out for a drink afterwards, they not only contribute by buying tickets for the shows,” he said on Friday. Angela Campbell, general manager of Saint John’s Imperial Theatre, says it’s not just artists who are leaving for other jobs. “Our technicians feel we are losing a lot of expertise in the industry, so it will take time to rebuild this area of ​​work to where it was before COVID times.” She explained that the extensive planning involved in organizing live shows and tours meant it would take longer for the arts sector to see a return to normal even after the pandemic. For Button, it’s about more than money “It’s important not only for the economic factor, but also for the soul of our community,” he said, explaining that many customers of the Capitole have held on to tickets for shows that have been repeatedly postponed. The story continues under the Campbell ad echoed that sentiment. “As we saw in the time of COVID, it was really artistic creation that got us through because we were alone in our homes.” 2:01N.S. body art industry calls for reopening based on approved plan © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.