St. John’s poet laureate George Murray has taken a bold stand against the Newfoundland city’s “shortsighted and offensive” cuts to arts funding by resigning from the position.
According to the Telegram, Murray is responding to a new budget passed by St. John’s city council on Dec. 14, which reduced arts funding by 50 per cent, down to $100,000. The city’s $20,000 art procurement program was also cancelled.
Murray submitted a resignation letter to city council today, asking that the remaining amount of his $10,000 stipend be added to “the pool of arts funding available to the working artists and arts organizations of this city.” If council’s decision on the cuts were to be reversed, Murray says he will return to the post.