The Creative Sector at a glance
According to the WorkPEI Employment Analysis for PEI, 2,600 people worked in information, culture and recreation in 2026.
CreativePEI is the sector council working on behalf of Prince Edward Island’s arts, culture and creative professionals in collaboration with PEI’s creative industry associations. CreativePEI organizes information, networking, training, advocacy, collective action and shared services.
Jane Ledwell is the Executive Director. CreativePEI is excited to announce that The Buzz will now feature a regular contribution from Jane Ledwell called “Creative Careers”. The goal of the series is to continue a conversation about careers in the creative sector, to explore living well in arts and culture, and to lift up a sector that is essential to our collective survival.
The Buzz – articles about happenings in the Culture sector
Jane Ledwell gives an update on the the Creative/Culture sector on PEI:
Craft and Design – “Craft in Canada is experiencing a generational shift with peaks in two age brackets. There is a new group of young craftspeople who are finding a way to make a good life and, thanks to their business skills, and a decent income. At the same time, we see older workers entering the craft profession after careers in other fields. Textile crafts are growing slightly more than other media.”
Live Performing Arts – “Performing arts is growing on PEI, becoming less seasonal and more entrepreneurial. Many people who work in live performing arts juggle multiple occupations. Jobs have been increasing slightly in theatres and decreasing slightly in dance.”
Film, TV and Media Arts Production – “The PEI Film industry is poised to boom in the coming years. There is an urgent shortage of skilled production professionals that FilmPEI is addressing with a range of training programs.”
Interactive Media – “The Videogames industry is seeing downturns internationally and locally but has a strong foundation on PEI and is looking to regain stability.”
Visual Arts – “Visual arts is very lively on PEI. However, it is still challenging to make a good income solely as a visual artist.”
Music and Sound Recording – “PEI musicians are touring both nationally and internationally. A number of full-time professional musicians are making a good living but most musicians on PEI are part-time.”
Museums, Archives, Libraries, & Heritage – “Museums and libraries workers who have government jobs do well. Community museums are primarily seasonal and part-time.”
Writing and Publishing – “This industry is seeing steady growth but part-time work is still the norm.”
Arts Education – “Formal arts education programs in K-12 schools and post-secondary programs at Holland College and the University of Prince Edward Island continue to be limited but to provide full-time and year-round jobs.”
Creative/Cultural Sector Education on PEI
Holland College
- School of Performing Arts – SoPA
- Fundamental Arts
- Journalism and Communications
- Graphic Design
- Photography and Videography
- Video Game Art and Animation
University of Prince Edward Island
- Music
- Theatre Studies
- Journalism
- Art History
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (Video Gaming specialization)
- English
- PEI Department of Education Academy Diploma Program in Arts & Culture
- Music PEI
- FilmPEI
- PEI Crafts Council
- PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation
- Community Museums Association of PEI
- PEI Writers’ Guild
- Confederation Centre Arts Education
- Dance Umbrella
- Island Dance Academy
- Dance Stars Academy
- College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada
- Music Theatre School at the Guild
- Watermark Theatre
- Atlantic Presenters Association
Resources
To view the report Cultivating Growth: A Five-Year Action Plan for Culture and Creative Industries of PEI, click here.
Creative PEI funding/careers/resources
Business in the Open Podcast – Join Vanessa Smith of Refy Agency as she talks to entrepreneurs on PEI in the Creative/ Cultural sector:
PEI Creative/ Cultural news you can use:
- The November issue of The Buzz features a profile that’ll warm the heart of anyone who still gets a little thrill from the smell of paper and ink. Julie Bull sat down with Dan MacDonald- the man behind Bookmark
- Older adult loneliness will cost Canada billions – lifelong career development can change that
- Darin Foulkes, Owner Operator of Foulkes Productions enjoy the freedom & flexibility of being an entrepreneur as a videographer and now growing the business with more news to come
- Exploring careers and opportunities in the Creative sector on PEI
Occupational Profiles
WorkPEI provides a searchable directory of occupations which includes job outlooks for PEI. Use the Occupations Directory to search and download over 500 occupational profiles.
PEI Employers
WorkPEI maintains a searchable directory of its member employers. View an employer’s company profile to learn more about the business, browse active job listings, locate the business on a map and more.
Related vidoes
For more information
- For more information about the CreativePEI, call 902-367-3844. Visit www.creativepei.ca.
For Job Postings to work with employers on PEI, click here