Last month we learned how the TBay Two Degree Rule works in the automotive sector. This month we looked at another of the Money-Back Guarantees attached to every TBay purchase: Thunder Bay’s arts scene.
Leaving aside opinions on music or art, let’s just talk jobs. According to the Two Degree Rule, you probably already know a talented young person with the potential to become a professional musician or a visual artist. Ever wonder how they’ll make a living if they stay in Thunder Bay? The short answer is that they’re going to depend on your support if they’re going to have a career in the arts here, because TBay’s arts depend in a lot of ways on TBay business.
The Thunder Bay Art Gallery and the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, cornerstones of the arts in our city, only receive a portion of their operating funds from the Provincial and Federal governments. They depend on funding from the City of Thunder Bay and community fundraising efforts for the rest.
The loss of much of our resource industry has already affected fundraising in Thunder Bay. TBay’s other businesses, many of which are small retail, restaurant and service operations, have been heroically stretching their resources to continue to support local organizations, but there are only so many of them, and they can’t donate what they don’t earn. Even though we as shoppers can’t really affect the resource industry, we CAN choose to support the local businesses that are supporting our arts organizations and all the jobs depending on them.
The Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra currently employs 30 full-time musicians, two conductors and four music-loving administrative staff, while the Thunder Bay Art Gallery , with three full-time administrative positions, exhibits art from over 300 different artists every year. By supporting the TBay businesses that make this possible we support the exceptional quality of life that a thriving arts community provides as well as the potential for a future in the local arts for that talented young person you know.
#ChooseTBayFirst! By supporting TBay business, you’re helping to support jobs for TBay artists.