The Southampton Arts Centre is hoping for financial support from the Town of Saugeen Shores
They made a presentation to council’s Committee of the Whole this week proposing rent relief, or an operational subsidy or donation next year and in the years to follow.
Board member Fred Kuntz told councillors, “Mainly we’re looking at this as a way to support our operational costs including attracting and keeping good staff.”
The Southampton Arts Centre offers about 120 art classes annually and a gallery full of work by local artists.
They say, right now, they don’t receive direct funding from the Town.
Kuntz noted in his presentation, the centre barely survived the pandemic, because it didn’t get visitors and people didn’t take art classes. He says they were helped by a federal COVID-19 emergency loan of $40,000, but notes, “We’ve had to repay that this past January so, the cupboard is bare.”
He says that’s led to them having to lay-off staff because they couldn’t afford to pay them.
When asked by Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt, Kuntz said the Centre’s ideal amount of support would be about $100,000. Meanwhile, if rent were to be relieved, that would be about $8,000 in savings.
Kuntz says they have a full slate of courses this year. They’re also applying for a grant to bring back their art bike which rides around the community with free art supplies and activities to hand out to kids.
He told the committee, “Parents tell us often that they value the art classes for their children on March break and in the summer and it’s a free attraction to tourists. So all the people who come here in the summer can just walk in and enjoy two floors of tremendous, beautiful local art, many of it representing what you see around our community and on the beach.”
They also just updated their website thanks to a grant and Kuntz says that allows them to do more online commerce. They also plan to put their whole art inventory online.
The centre is working to sell memberships, which Kuntz notes are a 100 per cent tax-deductible charitable donation.
Vice Deputy Mayor Mike Myatt noted the Town generally contributes hundreds of thousands of dollars to local sports and feels there’s merit to contributing to the arts, saying, “It is a community benefit. That’s a wonderful facility we’ve got over in Southampton and we don’t want to lose it. It’s a very important part of the fabric and culture of our community.”
Mayor Luke Charbonneau noted councillors will wait for a staff report based on the request put forward this week, and it will come back for consideration later in the year when grants and support for local organizations in the 2025 budget come before council.
