ARTFUL BLOGGER: New Elgin Street gallery will put a smile on Stephen Harper’s face
Artful Musing

ARTFUL BLOGGER:  New Elgin Street gallery will put a smile on Stephen Harper’s face
BY Paul Gessell
POSTED June 20, 2014 10:00 am

BY PAUL GESSELL

The new gallery at is a bright, airy space.
Ajagemo, located at 150 Elgin St., is a bright, airy space that is also suitable for musical performances. Pictured are Eleanor Bond’s “IV converting  the Powell River Mill to a Recreation and Retirement Centre” (background) and Kim Adams’ 3-D tabletop miniature town called Artists’ Colony.

Stephen Harper likes the Canada Council for the Arts. Since first being elected in 2008, the Conservative government has always favoured the Canada Council over other agencies. While museums and other cultural organizations have tended to experience cuts, the Canada Council’s budget has generally grown although its current parliamentary appropriation, frozen in 2012 for three years, is $181.2 million. Still, a freeze is better than a reduction.

The prime minister has never really said why he likes the Canada Council. Maybe because the agency is efficient and puts most of its money into the hands of real artists rather than public servants. (more…)