N.S. government cuts to arts will hurt economy, Oscar winner Tamara Deverell says

One of Nova Scotia’s newest Oscar winners says the provincial government’s decision to cut funding for arts and culture will hurt the economy.

Tamara Deverell won the Academy Award for production design along with Nova Scotia’s Shane Vieau over the weekend for the pair’s work on director Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.

Her win comes a few weeks after the province tabled a budget that announced millions of dollars in funding cuts for the arts and culture sector.

Cape Breton-based Deverell says tourists flock to the island to go to concerts, attend festivals and see artisans at work, all of which boosts the economy.

She says she wouldn’t be where she is without government funding, and worries that the reductions will hurt the development of young artists.

Deverell says Cape Breton arts groups and non-profits are banding together to fight the cuts and find new sources of funding.

“If you want to look at it economically, the tourist trade in our province is huge and we should take advantage of that and welcome visitors,” Deverell said in an interview.

“And how else do you welcome visitors? By sharing your culture and your arts.”