Artists and arts supporters will participate in a “flash mob” on Valentine’s Day to launch an advocacy campaign in support of better funding for the arts in Alberta.

The “I Love Alberta Art” campaign to raise public pressure to increase funding for the arts in Alberta will start with artists and supporters freezing in place in front of a busy downtown intersection on the south end of Churchill Square.

“This media event will be colourful, dramatic and fun, but it will also send a very serious message to the Alberta government that further cuts on top of last year’s 16% funding cut will stop many important arts projects in their tracks,” says Daniel Cournoyer, Chairperson of the Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton.  ”We know that most Albertans will be happy to show their love of Alberta art, we just hope that same love will be in the air when the provincial budget is delivered on February 24^th.”

The media event will take place at 12:30 PM on February 14^th [now taking place at Churchill Square]. The flash mob will only last 5 minutes followed by a media availability with representatives from various professional arts organizations.

PACE, The Professional Arts Coalition of Edmonton, represents many arts organizations and individual professional artists. To see the growing list of organizations and individuals supporting this campaign, please visit the PACE website at http://www.pacedmonton.com/advocacy/toolkit/

Click here to download a copy of this media advisory.