A blow for Christchurch's arts community, with a savage cut to the Christchurch Art Gallery's fund for purchasing artworks.

Under wide-ranging budget cuts for the arts, proposed in the Christchurch City Council's long-term plan, the gallery will see the fund fall from $250,000 a year to just $80,000.

Gallery director Jenny Harper says with the cuts, the gallery will be forced to have fewer exhibitions.

"This is funding to, I guess, our core activity which is building the city's collection and unfortunately Christchurch has quite a long history of poor funding for its arts."

Harper says her job will be increasingly focused on fundraising.

"I guess in general we're just going to become increasingly reliant on our community to support our activities directly."

Jenny Harper says the gallery will still have the Challenge Grant, where the council matches funds raised by the galley up to $220,000 a year.