Oscar-nominated artist says funding cuts will harm events, festivals in Cape Breton

Tamara Deverell poses with the award for outstanding production design for a narrative period or fantasy program (one hour or more) for "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet Of Curiosities" in the press room during night one of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Tamara Deverell, who will be competing for an Academy Award in less than two weeks, says the Nova Scotia government’s cuts to arts and tourism funding could have devastating impacts for her Cape Breton community.

Deverell is a board member with the Inverness County Centre for the Arts and she says they are slated to lose 20 per cent of their provincial funding in the 2026-2027 budget.

“It will amount to more than 20 per cent because some of the other grants we’ve applied for we won’t get,” Deverell said. “It’s going to cost us. We have an incredibly modest staff and we may have to reduce their hours. We may have to limit our operating hours.

“All of it is in jeopardy.”

Last week the provincial government revealed its $1.2-billion deficit and said it would be making cuts to public services and community groups. On Wednesday thousands of people rallied outside Province House in Halifax to protest the cuts to arts and culture programs.

Deverell said due to the cuts, the Inverness County Centre is cancelling its Sunset Series, an annual outdoor concert, this year.

“We had to increase our membership fees modestly,” she said. “We’ve got a fundraiser coming up in April and we’ll see if that helps.”

Deverell said her team his working with other arts and culture groups across Cape Breton to write letters to MLAs and the premier.

“It’s quite desperate across the board for all of us,” she said. “We’re all in a state of shock.”

Deverell is nominated for an Oscar for Best Production Design for her work on the movie “Frankenstein.” She credits public programs for getting her involved in the film industry and says other Canadian artists rely on them.

“I started my career with government assistance and government grants and I couldn’t have done it any other way,” she said.

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