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.
Creative/ Cultural on Prince Edward Island – Hiring practices
- Fleece and Harmony Woolen Mill, Belfast
- Kings Playhouse, Georgetown
- Sara Lee Studio and Gallery, Alberton
- Shoreline Design PEI, Georgetown
- Shiny Paint Art Co.
- The Guardian, Charlottetown
CreativePEI is the sector council representing the creative industries. It focuses on empowering creative professionals to have successful careers on their own terms.
“There are no creative industries without creative people,” says Mark Sandiford, Executive Director of CreativePEI. “Our goal is to establish the conditions for creative people to flourish and contribute to the economy and quality of life on PEI.”
CreativePEI works on behalf of 10 industries on PEI
- Contemporary Art
- Craft & Design
- Dance
- Film
- Libraries
- Museums & Heritage
- Music & Sound Recording
- Theatre
- Videogames
- Writing & Publishing
- Photography
In 2017, Statistics Canada reported the number of people working in the creative industries on PEI. The breakdown of occupations in this report gives an idea of the many options. For the number of people in each discipline in this sector on PEI, click here.
Advice to career seekers
“The creative industries are highly competitive, so it is important to get very good at what you do,” says Mark. “This involves professional training and years of practice.
“There are high levels of self-employment in the creative industries, especially in contemporary art, craft, film, music, theatre and writing. It is very important to develop business and entrepreneurship skills.
“Often, it can take years to make a living from your creative work. It’s a good idea to develop another way to earn income that will support you in the early stages of building your career.”
Despite the challenges, Mark says it is worth it. “You don’t choose a career in the creative sector. It chooses you. If you get really good at what you do, learn some business skills and are persistent, you can definitely make it work.”
Creative/Cultural Sector Education on PEI
- Holland College
- School of Performing Arts www.hollandcollege.com/sopa
- Fundamental Arts www.hollandcollege.com/programs/Fundamental%20Arts.html
- Journalism and Communications www.hollandcollege.com/programs/journalism–and–communications.html
- Graphic Design https://www.hollandcollege.com/programs/Graphic%20Design.html
- Photography and Videography https://www.hollandcollege.com/programs/Photography%20and%20Videography.html
- Video Game Art and Animation www.hollandcollege.com/programs/Video%20Game%20Art%20and%20Animation.html
- 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
- Computer Science Specializing in Video Game Programming 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 www.dancestarsacademy.com
- College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada https://collegeofpiping.com
- Spotlight School of the Arts www.spotlightschoolofarts.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.
Building the capacity of the film and TV industry on PEI
Plans to grow the culture and creative industries on PEI
Third generation of musicians use community resources to help preserve traditional music on PEI
Prosper West program helps address seasonal employment needs
Welcome back to PEI: where dreams have come true
Artisans on Main is a prime example of PEI’s creative sector
Kurk Bernard, Musician/Entertainer
Entrepreneurs working on PEI in their chosen careers
Composer of music for film, television and video games
Home based business: Just a Hug Away
Rural Action Centre helps new business owner access funds
Graphic design profession draws attention on PEI
PEI Theatre Summit 2017 – CBC PEI story
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. |