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Artists Boycott Art Show Because of Corporate Sponsor

Ruth McCambridge
February 2, 2011

February 1, 2011; Source: Winnipeg Free Press | Ottowa's National Arts Center is planning on showcasing prairie talent this spring in a series of 80 events over 13 days but more than 40 filmmakers, writers, dancers, musicians and performance artists have signed a petition and are planning to boycott the event because the Centre has accepted money from the Enbridge corporation.

Enbridge is the Canadian corporation that was responsible for a pipeline bursting in Michigan last July, "spilling an estimated one million gallons of tar sands crude into the Kalamazoo River and forcing state officials to declare a state of emergency."

Additionally, in the aftermath of the spill, the company has not covered itself in glory, stalling any reparations payments on the 2,300 claims filed by local residents who are facing serious health issues. The river remains closed.

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Calling itself Prairie Artists Against Enbridge, the group issued a statement that states in part, "By associating with Enbridge, the National Arts Centre associates itself with the company's irresponsible corporate behaviour. For the sake of the centre's good reputation and for the sake of our environment, we urge you to reconsider partnering with Enbridge as a 2011 Prairie Scene festival sponsor."

It will be interesting to watch the outcome of this effort.—Ruth McCambridge

About the author
Ruth McCambridge

Ruth is Editor Emerita of the Nonprofit Quarterly. Her background includes forty-five years of experience in nonprofits, primarily in organizations that mix grassroots community work with policy change. Beginning in the mid-1980s, Ruth spent a decade at the Boston Foundation, developing and implementing capacity building programs and advocating for grantmaking attention to constituent involvement.

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