The Provincial Government, through the 2010 Cultural Economic Development Program (CEDP), has invested an additional $39,096 in Newfoundland and Labradors cultural sector.

"Newfoundland and Labrador's is widely-recognized as having one of the most vibrant cultural communities in the country," said the Honourable Terry French, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. "As a government, we are continuing to implement the province's cultural strategy, Creative Newfoundland and Labrador, and to invest in a cultural sector that makes a substantial economic contribution, while also making this province a more interesting, dynamic place to live, work and play."

In addition to CEDP funding previously announced for the cultural sector, recent investments include:

• Riddle Fence – $12,000 to help offset costs associated with the production of three editions of the literary journal Riddle Fence.
• March Hare – $8,000 to assist with events marking the 25^th anniversary of the March Hare literary and music festival to be held March 4-13, 2011.
• Source Studio – $5,096 to help with costs associated with attending the February 2011 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, the largest professional conference of its kind in the world.
• Binary Dawn Interactive – $5,000 to help with costs associated with attending the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco.
• Tara Bryan (Artist) – $4,000 to help promote the artist's work at the biennial Codex Symposium and Book Fair, taking place in Berkeley, California, February 2011.
• Chris Driedzic (Multi-Disciplinary Artist) – $3,000 to help develop a website to serve as a professional marketing tool.
• Newfoundlandartistx $2,000 to offset costs associated with three workshops for theatre artists, led by Montreal-based director Emma Tibaldo, which were held October 28 to November 5.

Budget 2010: The Right Investments – For Our Children and Our Future provides over $2.5 million through the CEDP to support arts, cultural and heritage initiatives throughout the province. CEDP applications are considered based on the strength of the business plans, vision, and potential development within the sector.

For more information on the program and application guidelines for the arts and culture sector, visit: www.tcr.gov.nl.ca/tcr/artsculture/cedp/index.html.

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Media contact:
Heather May
Director of Communications
Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation
709-729-0928, 697-5061
heathermay@gov.nl.ca