End of local photo festival sparks questions about arts funding in Peterborough

The Spark Photo Festival will not return in 2025, the festival announced in a press release last week. Spark’s board of directors decided to shut the festival down due to “financial pressures that do not appear to be resolvable over the next few years,” according to the press release.

For twelve years, Spark has offered photographers of all ages and levels of experience the opportunity to showcase their work. The festival’s open-call format welcomed anyone to submit their images, which were then displayed in galleries, libraries, community centres, restaurants, shops, and other locations across the region.

“What I love is the fact that Spark brings photographers out of their own little world, and brings it out into the community,” said festival director Jennifer MacKenzie. “I first came to Spark as a venue, when I owned a cafe in Lakefield and we had Spark exhibits there. A lot of people discovered it by happenstance. It was accessible and it was always free, so everybody could see the exhibits.” 

MacKenzie expressed her sadness and disappointment at the ending of the festival. “Spark was very welcoming to first-time exhibitors, to hobbyists, and everybody through students and professionals. I think that’s the part that will be missed in the community,” she said.

Spark ran its 2024 festival in April with a budget of $35,000, MacKenzie said, noting that the 2024 budget was a significant decrease from previous years. The festival’s revenues were made up of sponsorships, donations, registration fees, and grants, MacKenzie explained. She said that finding that revenue has grown increasingly difficult since she became director in 2019.

One funding source that helped in recent years was the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which granted Spark an operating grant worth $21,000 in 2021/2022. But that was only one-time funding.

Another funding source was the City of Peterborough. Spark has for years received funding through the municipality’s Community Investment Grant program. Those municipal grants have decreased in recent years. In 2022, the grant was worth $7,000. In 2023, Spark received $3,000. And in 2024, Spark’s grant from the city was worth $1,000.

MacKenzie said a recent change to the way the city’s community grants are administered also made it harder for the festival to plan for the future.

“In the past … we had been fortunate to be the recipient for three-year terms twice,” she said. “So that gave us that sustainable funding a year in advance, knowing that we could continue on. And then in the last year, it was a one-year grant only because they are changing the granting system, so that didn’t give us the grounding for a year going forward.”

Currents reached out to Sheldon Laidman, Peterborough’s community services commissioner, to ask for his thoughts on how the city’s funding changes are impacting local arts organizations like Spark. 

“Council in 2023 requested that staff review the Community Grants program,” Laidman stated by email. “One of the directions was for 2024 that no three-year commitments be given out; only one-year commitments, so that organizations would start out on the same timing schedule for the new program expected to begin for the 2025 grants.”

Laidman noted that while city staff were asked to meet with all organizations receiving funds and report back to city council on revisions to the grant program, there are currently no official decisions or recommendations. “No decisions have been made and any decisions by organizations assuming such changes is premature at this time,” he stated. “It is certainly hoped that Spark reconsiders this once the final eligibility criteria for the community grants program is reviewed by Council at the end of the summer.”

“We are certainly not alone in the struggle for sustainable funding, and I think that is certainly going to change the landscape of the arts,” MacKenzie said. “There’s huge issues our community is facing, and you know, funding has to go elsewhere. So I think we’re hopeful that maybe it’s a short term issue and things will bounce back.”

“But as a board, we talked about it and we did anticipate that it was not going to improve anytime soon,” she added. “And that’s why we decided to end on a high note and make sure we didn’t go into debt. Everything has its run, and we felt this was Spark’s run, and we did what we set out to do.”

Kawartha Youth Orchestra also facing financial challenges

Another arts organization that is facing financial challenges is the Kawartha Youth Orchestra, which runs Upbeat! Downtown, a program that offers free musical instruction to young people aged six to eighteen in addition to healthy snacks and social interaction.

“Our program gives 50 to 60 kids a chance to unwind, have a snack, and learn to play an instrument in a fun ensemble environment,” said program manager Colin McMahon. “We’re really committed to keeping this program open for these kids who are just thriving.”

“To see the accomplishment and pride in their faces is incredible,” said Lisa Dixon, who provides food to the participants at the beginning of each practice. “This is a no-charge program where children who wouldn’t be able to access formal musical education otherwise get to come and play and learn together. I think it’s absolutely essential, and I hope the community steps up to keep the program running.”

The Upbeat! Downtown program has operated since 2002, but this year it is under threat of significant downsizing due to a lack of funding, McMahon said. The Kawartha Youth Orchestra (KYO) has until the end of its fiscal year (March 31, 2025) to raise $80,000 to keep the program running at its current capacity, according to McMahon.

“It’s a very intense time. If we don’t raise the money, the reality is we will have to cut back the program, and we already have a waiting list of over 100 kids who want to register for September,” he said. (KYO accepts donations here.)

Su Ditta of the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) expanded on the funding concerns of local arts organizations. “Everything on the demand side for the arts is going up, but everything on the revenue side is iffy and going down,” she said.

“A lot of arts organizations all across the country are having financial difficulties,” Ditta added. “Some of it is related to Covid. Some of it is a nervous corporate sector culture that is not willing to spend as much money as liberally on sponsorships as it did pre-Covid, and some of it is the government not keeping up with the demand for the arts from the public.”

Ditta said governments should increase funding for arts organizations. 

“In our city, we see advanced vision and planning to build new hockey pads,” she said. “We see parks and rec deciding to upgrade their Bonnerworth Park and drop $1.5 million on pickleball courts.” (The pickleball courts and associated parking will cost more than $2 million, according to the city’s budget.)

“Why is the city investing in these other very important sectors that add to community wellbeing, add economic benefit, add social benefit, but there’s a complete resistance to new and increased investment in the arts?” Ditta asked.