OTTAWA — CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts have created a new funding initiative to help the country's arts community pivot work to online audiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Canada Council will provide a total of $1 million in funding to successful applicants in the Digital Originals initiative for artists, groups and arts organizations.
The money will go toward developing, creating and sharing original or adapted works with Canadian audiences online.
Applicants can get a maximum of $5,000 in funding per project.
The Canada Council will fund approximately 200 projects.
CBC/Radio-Canada will curate and feature select projects in a digital showcase on its platforms.
The showcased projects will receive a $1,000 grant supplement.
On Tuesday, the public broadcaster also announced its new Art Uncontained initiative, which includes new original content aimed at inspiring audiences and supporting the Canadian artistic community during the pandemic.
The initiative includes new series, music, podcasts, artist resources and curated art recommendations.
"The Show Must Go On" podcast, for instance, features adaptations from Canadian playwrights whose projects have been disrupted by the pandemic.
And "COVID Residencies" are video diaries from artists sharing how isolation has affected their art.
Online:
https://www.cbc.ca/arts/artuncontained
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2020.
The Canadian Press