Statement on Proposed Funding Cuts to NEA, NEH and CPB

Over the past few years, we have been privileged to receive four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and several more from the NEA-supported Maine Arts Commission. These funds have been a critical part of the growth of the Camden International Film Festival and the establishment of the Points North Institute. They’ve helped us bring hundreds of filmmakers and artists to Midcoast Maine, creating a public forum that connects the rural communities we serve to diverse stories and storytellers from around the world. Many of those stories might never have been told without the additional support and infrastructure created by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for Humanities.

These public agencies help artists and arts organizations, in every corner of America, create more livable communities with more informed, compassionate and creative citizens. We hope that our elected officials recognize and defend the value of the arts and civic engagement, which we believe is essential to preserving the American way of life.

— Points North Institute Staff