Putting the Creative/Cultural sector in the spotlight
The Creative / Cultural sector includes visual and performing arts, music, media, writing, heritage and more, which are collectively known as the creative industries.
PEI Cultural Human Resources Sector Council (CreativePEI) is the umbrella organization for the creative industries. It empowers Prince Edward Island’s arts, culture and creative professionals to improve their outcomes and incomes.
Creative PEI works on behalf of 11 industries on PEI:
- Contemporary Art
- Craft & Design
- Dance
- Film
- Libraries
- Museums & Heritage
- Music & Sound Recording
- Theatre
- Videogames
- Writing & Publishing
- Photography
According to Statistics Canada for PEI, 2,500 people work in information, culture and recreation in 2021.
Mark Sandiford, Executive Director, PEI Cultural Human Resources Sector Council (CreativePEI) provided the following information about the economic state of the Creative Sector on PEI:1. Crafts and Design – “2020 was a very rough year for craftspeople with the almost complete shutdown of tourism. Local markets filled some of that gap as did a shift to online sales. 2021 was better as tourism picked up. Design continues to grow with a steady stream of excellent new designers graduating from Holland College.”2. Live Performing Arts – “This industry was really hit hard by COVID. Most people in this sector are looking at 2022 before things are anywhere near back to normal.”
3. Film, TV and Media Arts Production – “This industry has been quite busy right through the pandemic due to very strict on-set safety protocols. With the announcement of expanded provincial film production support programs, PEI is looking at a period of rapid growth over the next few years.”
4. Interactive Media – “This industry was relatively unaffected by COVID. Employees worked from home with no drop in productivity. Worldwide markets for videogames continue to do well.”5. Visual Arts – “Artists have been relatively unaffected through COVID since many work from home. The PEI Arts Grants and the Canada Council for the Arts have continued to support artists through this period. Opportunities will only increase as things open up.”6. Music and Sound Recording – “The bright spot has been local venues that have booked PEI musicians and attracted good audiences.”7. Museums, Archives, Libraries, & Heritage – “Many museums and libraries are open again but visitor numbers are down.”8. Writing and Publishing – “This industry was relatively unaffected by COVID since most writers work from home and the market and funding opportunities for writing are relatively unchanged.”
- Skygate Videography Inc., Slemon Park
Creative/Cultural Sector Education on PEI
- Holland College
- University of Prince Edward Island
- Music www.upei.ca/arts/music
- Theatre Studies www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/theatre-studies
- Journalism www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/applied-arts-journalism
- Art History www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/fine-arts
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences (Video Gaming specialization) www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/mathematical–and–computational–sciences
- English www.upei.ca/programsandcourses/english
- PEI Department of Education Academy Diploma Program in Arts & Culture http://adppei.weebly.com
- Music PEI www.musicpei.com
- FilmPEI www.filmpei.com
- PEI Crafts Council www.peicraftscouncil.com
- Community Museums Association of PEI www.museumspei.ca
- PEI Writers’ Guild www.peiwritersguild.com
- Confederation Centre Arts Education https://confederationcentre.com/arts–education
- Dance Umbrella https://confederationcentre.com/arts–education/dance–umbrella
- Island Dance Academy www.islanddance.ca
- Dance Stars Academy dancestarsacademy.com
- College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada https://collegeofpiping.com
- Music Theatre School at the Guild www.theguildpei.com/mts–summer–camps
- Watermark Theatre http://watermarktheatre.com
Resources
- I Choose Arts – So you want to work as a Writer? Dancer? Musician? Design Video Games? Visit ichoosearts.com
- Careers in Creative Industries videos: creativepei.ca/careers–in–culture
- To view the report Cultivating Growth: A Five-Year Action Plan for Culture and Creative Industries of PEI, click here.
PEI Creative. Cultural news you can use:
New Executive Director coming to FilmPEI
Chandler Coaches – Julie Ann Gauthier
Creating a business with the right entrepreneurial support
How a creative side hustle grew from a job in information technology
Kings Playhouse interns receive training that could be transferred to many workplace
CreativePEI is funded in whole or in part by the Canada-PEI labour market agreements.
 | For more information about the CreativePEI, call 902-367-3844. Visit www.creativepei.ca. |
 | To explore careers further, check the career booklet Careers in Culture. |
 | Click to watch Creative/ Cultural career videos. |
| Click to watch videos of the many arts programs Holland College offers. |
 | Click for related articles on Creative/ Cultural. |