Axing art gallery betrays PCs’ underlying values
The cancelling of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia project is a great example of the contradictions within the Progressive Conservative government in this province.
The PCs were elected with a majority after positioning themselves as the responsible and progressive alternative to the status quo. They campaigned on slogans and promises of solutions, saying that they would fix health care, that they were different than other Conservatives, and that they were committed to developing a province where people could thrive. They are progressive after all. (I’ve added the italics for sarcasm.)
Premier Tim Houston and the PCs say on their website that “Words matter,” so I will be paying close attention to the words used in this and future decisions that seem aligned with austerity measures.
This week, Houston was quoted as saying, “I’m a big believer in the value of arts to society and to our community.” That was followed by, “But I’m an even stronger believer in making sure that we run an effective government that focuses on the everyday needs of Nova Scotians as they sit now.” When the news release was sent out saying that the art gallery project had been put on hold, Houston is quoted as saying, “Now is not the time.”
What I read into this is that arts and culture are not a current need for Nova Scotians. Houston was speaking specifically to the art gallery project, but I believe this indicates a sign of things to come. We are in a period of multiple crises across our health and social systems, with many people struggling to make ends meet and receive appropriate care. But is art the problem? Is art in competition with other programs and services? I can understand that costs are rising and that tough decisions need to be made, but what I can’t understand is positioning arts and culture as being outside the “everyday needs of Nova Scotians.”
THE ARTS AS A HAVEN
As a young queer person growing up in the Annapolis Valley, I turned to the arts for safety. The arts are where I found resistance and hope. As I grew older and moved to the city, the arts were where I made friends, found community and expanded my awareness about complex social issues. I’ve come a long way from drawing superheroes as a means of escaping homophobia and bullying, but I still know that the arts are a vital part of a thriving community and province.
I also know that pausing the art gallery doesn’t mean that the arts are cancelled, but it does point to the underlying values of the party governing Nova Scotia.
To be honest, I am not even that passionate about the new art gallery project, even though the design is beautiful and I think it would be a lovely addition to the downtown. I am, however, very critical of any public official who uses language that contributes to arguments framing arts and culture projects as being in competition with other programs and services. Again, “words matter.” Using this art gallery as a way to hint at further austerity measures is a dangerous move. Saying “now is not the time” implies that in a moment of crisis where things are getting harder for so many, the arts don’t matter and that they are not necessary contributors to social infrastructure or community well-being.
In the last few months, the Nova Scotia government has released its largest ever capital project budget “with over $1.5 billion in spending for hospitals, schools and roads in the 2022-23 fiscal year.” Five hundred million dollars of this alone is dedicated to highway expansion and repair, even though we know that the climate crisis is happening all around us and that doubling down on the use of singleowned vehicles is greatly contributing to climate change.
POLITICAL POSTURING
Now is exactly when we need the arts. Pausing the art gallery project is pure optics. This is a moment where the premier and the PCs get to say, “Look, we are making tough decisions,” as if their only agency is in prioritizing some forms of social infrastructure over others. More than ever, we need creativity, hope and innovation. We need expanded social and civic infrastructure that embraces the arts.
The challenges we face today have been created by generations of poor policy and decisions made by government. This decision is a litmus test for future measures, and how we respond to this will dictate how the government moves forward with austerity measures. Having read the words used by Premier Houston to justify this recent decision, I can’t help but wonder what cuts are coming next. What other justifications will there be for reduced expenditures in arts and culture? How will this time of multiple crises be used as fuel and justification for the PC agenda?
We have a government that is committed to sounding good and doing poorly. The premier campaigned on being a politician with bold and innovative solutions. However, this recent “solution” sounds like an old one, one that has been used by Conservatives and Liberals alike for a long time. A solution that positions arts as being outside the everyday needs of citizens is a solution that is narrow in scope and lacking in creativity.
The arts are not in competition with other services and programs, and we must push back when politicians imply that they are. There are enough resources; there just isn’t the political will to deal with the hoarding of wealth that prevents us from finding real solutions that will make a difference.