CULTURAL HUB
Government funding will help Conseil des arts de Cheticamp expand.
In announcing funding for a new cultural hub for Cheticamp Saturday afternoon, the federal and provincial governments also brought a bit of romance back to this community.
Ever since the local Acadian centre closed about six years ago, couples have had to go to other communities to get married because there wasn’t a space big enough to hold a reception.
“We didn’t have a big enough community space to have a wedding,” said Joeleen Larade, general director of the Conseil des arts de Chéticamp. “Nobody can have weddings in Cheticamp anymore because there’s not a hall big enough to hold the people — people are getting married in Ingonish or Baddeck.
“This will be a renewal, it will bring the energy back. We’ll have options now that we didn’t have the past five, six years.”
The province Saturday announced it was investing $400,000 while the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency put forth $500,000 and Inverness County put in $150,000 towards the project that will see an expansion to the community cultural centre. The Conseil scolaire acadien provincial is also supporting the project. It will be known as Le Quartier Culturel de Chéticamp or the Cultural Quarter and will include a range of facilities including an outdoor classroom, an outdoor theatre, a promenade, a multifunctional space and a café. The arts academy will fill a need for arts education in the area and raise the profile of Chéticamp as an arts destination. This project will also help with the creation of social enterprises such as a full-service, year-round café and farmers’ market. Other offerings will include a boutique rental space for art showings, local entertainment and workshops as well as a mini-library for learning and skills-sharing
classes. Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner made the announcement at Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp on behalf of Navdeep Bains, minister responsible for the Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency.
“Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp’s project will not only fill a need for arts education in this region, but also will raise Chéticamp’s profile as an arts destination,” said Cuzner. “Le Quartier Culturel de Chéticamp will provide a gathering place to celebrate art and music, and stimulate a sense of community and cultural identity.”
Michel Samson, minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, on behalf of
Tony Ince, minister of Communities, Culture and Heritage, made the province’s announcement.
“For almost 20 years, the Conseil des Arts has worked tirelessly to allow the French language and Acadian culture to thrive and shine in this part of Cape Breton,” said Samson.
“Our investment in the Chéticamp cultural district project is a recognition of its cultural and educational value, but also of its economic hsignificance.”
Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp wants to preserve the
area’s French language and Acadian heritage while offering projects and programs to further artistically develop Acadian youth and the community at large.
“We have the front of the French school - our community cultural centre is in the front of the school and we have a beautiful theatre so we’re expanding towards the front more,” said Larade when asked to describe the project. “We have a big parking lot so this whole conference space will be on the ocean with beautiful views … this will be a big extension to what we already have.”
Larade said her group had been working on the project for the past three to four years and welcomes the funding.
“For us, it’s about time. We’ve been planning this for a while. We’re so excited to be able to have space and be able to teach more kids dance, theatre and music. The whole project is going to fill in where we’re going and it’s going to fill the holes and we’ll be able to expand and attract conferences as well.”