This year, VANL-CARFAC made five recommendations to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for the up-coming 2014-15 budget:
As self-employed professionals, visual artists and other cultural workers are asked to provide their professional services and expertise by sitting on juries, committees and boards. These activities require a considerable amount of time.
Some of the bodies on which artists currently provide their expertise to the provincial government are:
- The Arts and Letters Committee
- The Board of The Rooms
- The Board of the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council
- The Federal-Provincial Committee on Cultural Initiatives
- The Art Procurement Advisory Committee
Self-employed artists are providing their professional expertise to the province but they are not receiving any remuneration for the time spent on these activities. In addition, the time that self-employed artists spend on board and committee work is time that they are not able to produce the artworks by which they make their living. For this reason, and in acknowledgement of their professional expertise, we ask that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador implement a policy to pay standard fees for the work performed for the government by self-employed arts professionals. Status of the Artist Legislation, if passed, would outline rates of payment for these types of services provided to the government, and would encourage similar remuneration for work done by artists on other non-governmental committees, councils and advisory boards.