The Government/Non Profit Initiative (GNPI) will host an information session on Monday, February 13 regarding proposed amendments to the Society Act.
The session will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Choi Hall (S.U.C.C.E.S.S. at 28 West Pender Street).
The Society Act outlines the rules that govern B.C.’s more than 26,000 societies. Societies are non-profit corporations organized primarily for social purposes.
There will be one in-person session in Vancouver and one '...
The City of Vancouver is conducting an online survey to get a sense of what services, including the Cultural Services branch, are most important, or not important at all, to citizens. This is an opportunity to let City management and Council know how important to us both Cultural and all City services are to us as individuals and organizations.
The survey can be found here.
Quantum Accounting has announced the launch of their new Arts Administration Services, available to Alliance members at a 20 percent discount as part of our Members’ Advantage Program.
Quantum also announced the addition of arts management specialist Cheryl Hurd to their team, bringing over 17 years of experience in special events, arts administration, program management, and human resources to the new Arts Administration Services initiative.
The new services at Quantum include:
Project Based...
Window Spaces, Contemporary Art Gallery, Feb 3-Apr 15. Yaletown-Roundhouse Station, Canada Line.
The Contemporary Art Gallery presents the first major exhibition of Vancouver artist Scott Massey.
Famous Canadian visual artist, Douglas Coupland, created the latest installment of 10 seconds, the year-long video project currently playing on Canada Line video screens.
Business for the arts is Canada’s national association of business leaders who support the arts, with a mission to:
Connect private sector funders and volunteers to arts and culture organizations in their community through our programs.
Communicate the value of business investment in arts and culture through our surveys, research, advocacy and publications.
Recognize outstanding business leaders who support arts and culture through our annual Awards.
Thursday, November 10, 7pm
Artspeak is pleased to present a panel discussion on Thursday, November 10th at 7PM at SFU Woodward’s. The discussion participants will address two Vancouver-based curatorial projects: the Artspeak exhibition Finite + Infinite, and the contemporaneous bibliographic research initiative Close Connections (Emily Carr University of Art + Design Library/Vancouver Public Library/The University of British Columbia Art, Architecture + Planning Library/Vancouver Art...
Shore, Forest and Beyond: Art from the Audain Collection reveals for the first time one of the most important private art collections in Canada, a stunning group of works assembled over the past 25 years by Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa. Generously loaned to the Vancouver Art Gallery for this special exhibition, the Audains’ collection features a vast array of art – from exceptional 19th century masks by First Nations artists, to an outstanding set of paintings by Emily...
The Alliance for Arts and Culture is now planning its 2012 workshop series.
Previous workshops have included such topics as:
Introductory and advanced Social Media.
Managing through Hard Times.
The HST and Non-Profit Organizations.
Strategic Grant Writing.
Communications By Design: Brochure and Poster Creation.
To be notified of upcoming workshops sign up for the Alliance News email newsletter here.
A world-renowned festival of performing arts for young audiences, the Vancouver International Children's Festival has been educating, entertaining and inspiring young audiences since 1978.
The Festival has been emulated around the world, helping to enhance the reputation of Vancouver and Canada as a leader in the presentation of performing arts for young people.
VICFS Mission Statement
To provide the finest quality performing arts programs to young people in an environment that...
Creative Capital Gains: An Action Plan for Toronto was presented to Toronto's Economic Development Committee on May 4 by Co-Chairs Robert Foster, Karen Kain, and Jim Prentice. Many artists and arts organizations participated in the numerous consultation sessions contributing to the preparation of the report. The report is an update to Toronto's 2003 Culture Plan and is the work of both the Creative Capital Advisory Council Co-Chaired and City staff. TAC's Executive Director, Claire...
The Bill Reid Foundation has gifted its entire collection of Northwest Coast art, worth more than $10 million and consisting of 158 works (including 112 masterworks by Bill Reid) to Simon Fraser University.
In return, SFU will contract the Bill Reid Foundation to continue to manage the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, located on Hornby Street in downtown Vancouver.
The Neighbourhood Matching Fund supports projects by neighbourhood-based groups who want to make creative improvements to local public land. It supports projects which actively involve people in developing community and building neighbourhood connections while improving parks or other public spaces.
I am now about half-way through the public fora and I continue to be very pleased with turn-outs and participation. In most fora, I am being greeted by about twice as many people as expected and listening to two or three times the number of oral presentations that were pre-registered. I have also received well over 100 written submissions and about 90 people are following me on Twitter @skiptriplett. My thanks to all of you for your time, energy and ideas.
For 30 years Richard Rose of Toronto has brought new and award-winning plays to life on stage. Today, the Canada Council for the Arts announced that he is the winner of the 2011 Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
Statistics Canada recently released a brief overview and data regarding government spending on culture in 2008-09. The data includes direct government support for culture through operating expenditures, capital expenditures and grants. Excluded are indirect support instruments, such as tax credits . Hill Strategies has analyzed this data for this issue of the Arts Research Monitor.
Vancouver‘s anniversary celebrations continue with the Vancouver 125 Poetry Conference Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Brad Cran, announced details today for the Vancouver 125 Poetry Conference which will be an unprecedented collaboration among [...]
“Het moet niet gekker worden!” (“This is the limit!”) were the words spoken last February from the chancel of the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam at the annual Valentine’s day friends evening. The speaker was Ernst Veen, who for the past 30 years has been the director of this historic church which doubles as a venue for music and exhibitions. Veen is also the founder and director of the Hermitage Amsterdam, which opened in 2009 with no government subsidy, and is widely admired as an...
“I would like to sleep, in order to surrender myself to the dreamers, the way I surrender myself to those who read me with eyes wide open; in order to stop imposing, in this realm, the conscious rhythm of my thought,” artist and poet André Breton wrote in his 1924 Surrealist Manifesto. Influenced by the teachings of Freud, the complexities of the human psyche and the exploration of dreams, Breton’s writings initiated a movement that would revolutionize the art world,...
Summer Live will be held in Stanley Park—one of Vancouver’s most treasured places and a space that is steeped in history. This multi-disciplinary, outdoor event will be presented on multiple stages and spaces—all of it free to the public. Summer Live celebrates Vancouver’s vibrant cultural community, drawing on the city’s rich ethnic diversity, First Nations heritage and contemporary creative focus.
Back in November I was contacted by the wonderful folks at the Vancouver Opera about doing a series of images for their 2011 season. I'd like to send a humble thanks to both Doug Tuck and Annie MAck at the VC for giving me such rich material to work with and a creative environment that is truly rare.
Mayor Gregor Robertson today launched Vancouver’s 125th year-long anniversary celebrations by announcing a series of exciting cultural events and celebrations. The celebrations coincide with Vancouver’s designation as a Cultural Capital of Canada this year.
Book Launch and Performance. Sunday, May 29 from 2-4 pm (free), Satellite Gallery, 560 Seymour, Vancouver. Peter Morin’s Museum (exhibit on view thru July 3, 2011) weaves together familiar practices of museum display with a series of performances and an evolving installation to create a space shaped by Tahltan knowledge.
35 works of art will be disappearing from Vancouver this summer, including Chinese artist Yue Minjun’s popular A-Maze-Ing Laughter pictured above. If you’ve noticed a favourite sculpture wrapped in yellow tape, get ready to say your goodbyes.
“I am an artist living in your riding and I am still very upset about the cuts to the arts. As a young artist still trying to establish myself in the community, these cuts have cut my opportunities in half. This is what cutting the arts in half looks like.“
Taikotroniks brings together seven prominent Vancouver-based taiko groups, with the newly formed Vancouver Electronics Ensemble for this unique event! Taikotroniks celebrates both Vancouver’s historically significant taiko community, as well as a slice of its newer, collaborative electronic community. Featuring special performances by each of the groups, as well as a breakaway taiko and electronic improvisation piece, Taikotroniks showcases the rich variety of taiko styles and approaches...
Now in its 12th year, Arts and Culture Week turns the spotlight on the vital contribution that arts and culture make in learning and in life. Music, films, media arts, dance, books, theatre and visual art are a part of daily life, and have a lasting impact. They inspire us, challenge us and broaden our horizons and help us to become informed, aware and contributing members of society.
Presenting the work of eleven artists and collaborators, this exhibition refuses to deliver. It offers artworks sent via national postal systems addressed to the gallery as “Poste Restante”. Typically relied upon by travelers and lovers, “Poste Restante” is a request for a post office to hold a letter or package until picked up by its recipient. The works are exhibited as received, in unopened envelopes or parcels, accompanied by any paperwork generated during transit, including customs...
Vancouver’s 125th birthday is on Wednesday, April 6, 2011 and the City of Vancouver will host “Birthday Live” – a free public celebration from 2pm to 10pm at Jack Poole Plaza, site of the Olympic Cauldron.
Last week’s challenge was to call the Finance Minister (and Deputy Premier) Kevin Falcon and thank him for arts funding you have received in the past from the Province. I must admit, the idea of picking up the phone to call a politician terrified me, but it actually turned out to be quite thrilling. And it felt like it had more impact than simply sending an email out into the ether.
“Brave New is the perfect place to experience distinctly unique voices in the Vancouver theatre community” – Emily Urness, 2011 Festival Playwright.
“Seeing your words come to life for the very first time, there’s some magic in that. This is where theatre makers get hooked” -Wade Kinley, UBC joint Creative Writing/theatre grad student, festival playwright and director.
‘Dialogues between First Nations, Urban Aboriginal and Immigrant Communities in Vancouver’ (the Vancouver Dialogues Project) is seeking expressions of interest from Event Producers who are interested in planning and coordinating the Project’s closing celebration event. The event will be the culmination of a 19-month long unique process engaging Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal/immigrant communities in Vancouver. It will be held at the new Musqueam Cultural Centre and will include...
Submission deadline March 18, 2011School programs in the arts help young people establish an interest in theatre and community involvement. The arts help build citizens who have the opportunity to contribute to their community. Darlene Howard* is one such person and The Darlene S. Howard Award for Excellence in the Arts recognizes and fosters others who themselves demonstrate the same inspired participation in the arts as Darlene Howard has done and continues to do.
Background: There are very few evaluations of the effectiveness of leadership development programs. The purpose of the study was to examine whether an art-based leadership program may have a more beneficial effect than a conventional one on leaders and their corresponding subordinates mental and biological stress.
“Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits,” proclaims the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Simon Brault takes these words to heart and goes one step further. In No Culture, No Future, he establishes that arts are not just a right but a necessity. A longtime advocate of the arts in Montreal, Brault has taken action to re-establish that city as one of the most...
Dare you is about challenging yourself and others to contribute to the arts by undertaking an act, ranging from courageous to outrageous. Dare yourself, and challenge everyone you know to pledge money for you to go through with it. Know someone who's a bit of a daredevil? Dare them, and raise the money on their behalf.
So, those of you who missed speaking of dance missed a treat. Wen Wei Wang, who was home for 24 hours between Under the Skin shows, showed up and answered questions from the audience. He was very articulate, gracious and sweet, and if I can figure out how to suck the audio from a video file, I’ll post his remarks here and on Facebook.
Executive Director David Jordan sat down with “Fringe God” TJ Dawe for a short interview about his work. They began to talk about Totem Figures and how this concept had started.
Town Centre Open Houses
You are invited to attend the first in a series of six Surrey Town Centre Open Houses to learn about the City’s new Cultural Plan and to provide your input towards its development.
On Tuesday, we celebrated the completion of our Granville Island Revitalization Project with an official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony!
The ceremony, held in the Backstage Lounge and lower lobby of the Granville Island Stage, honoured the amazing individuals, businesses, and governments whose generosity contributed to our recent renovations at the Granville Island Stage and the Revue Stage. The fundraising campaign for the project began in September 2007 and the...
Walking, Square, Cylinder, Plane features a new body of paintings that have come out of Eli Bornowsky’s dedicated studio practice in the past six months. Compared to his previous works, a turn can be seen in the artist’s output. The newer works have expanded in size and visual vocabulary.
Robert Arndt’s most recent video work, Placeholder, uses a commercial documentation shoot for a series of homogenous blocks as the setting for an absurdist theatre of critical dialogue.
Paul Hung brings a new meaning to “YouTube famous”. A 3rd year flute student at the UBC School of Music studying with Lorna McGhee, Paul is one of five Canadians selected to perform in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 in Australia from March 14 to 20.
In BC we find ourselves in strange political times, and strange times call for unusual methods. Arts advocacy tactics have lately taken a new turn, one that may seem counter-intuitive at first. However, we think it’s the best way to focus public attention on the damage the arts cuts have inflicted on our sector, and the best way to bring pressure to bear on the BC government.
You know what a big nerd I am. So when I heard that a local theatre company was using IPods to create PodPlays, I was intrigued. So I sat down with Adrienne Wong, Artistic Producer of New World Theatre, who explained to me what exactly they are.
The PuSh Festival “What is your Vancouver?” photo contest reflects this year’s prevalent theme: the concept of ‘cityness’. 2011 is Vancouver’s 125th anniversary, and is a time to reflect on who we were, who we are now and who we want to be in the future. This is a time of reclaiming, envisioning, planning and reshaping identities. We are interested in the heart of the city, its margins and its intersections. We want to explore how people’s subjective experiences create new...
Who were Richmond’s industrial pioneers? Were they the “geeks” of yesterday upon which today’s hi-tech industry is built? The Cutting Edge: A History of Technology and Richmond, a new exhibition about Richmond’s hi-tech companies and the industrial pioneers who have led them, opens Tuesday, December 14, at 7 p.m. at the Richmond Museum.
Western Front Media Arts is pleased to welcome Michael Turner as inaugural Western Front Media Archive researcher-in- residence, as part of Past is Prologue, an ongoing research project considering the Western Front Media Archive.
This is a crisp, smart urban comedy about modern relationships in crisis and Vancouver playwright Melissa James Gibson received critical acclaim for its recent off-Broadway production.
VICTORIA - The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services released its report today on the Budget 2011 consultations. The report contains 59 recommendations for the next provincial budget, based on the 1,300 submissions received from the public.
"We heard many suggestions on how to spend additional resources for existing programs and services, as well as new ones, at the 17 public hearings and in the written and on-line submissions," said committee chair John Les,...
Bah! Humbug! is a unique adaption of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, a seasonal classic that celebrates the transformative vision and power of human redemption.
Produced as a staged reading and musical event, this timeless story continues to speak to us today, especially in light of parallels between the economic disparities of Victorian London and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Come celebrate the returning of the sun with a glowing constellation of lanterns shining in five neighborhoods. The event begins with a lantern procession lead by drummers, greeted at the end by fire performances, hot chocolate, dancing and other festivities. These five festivals are community based and reflect the unique nature of each neighborhood.
Two feuding families. A love that could never be, as an emotionally fragile girl is forced into a marriage that ends in tragedy.
Here's Lucia di Lammermoor as seen through the eyes of manga artist Lily Dai and editor Roy Husada.
When I was living in London one of my theatre friends took me to this event called Devoted and Disgruntled. It’s organized by Improbable Theatre and uses Open Space Technology as a way of creating dialogue about issues and getting many people to come together.
In his lecture/performance I Am A Laser/Scream Like a Baby, Jeremy Shaw discusses state-of-the-art laser technologies using comprehensive diagrams and schematics to illustrate the rigour and speed at which they are shaping current surgeries, weaponry, theory, and arguably even thought. This will serve as a stepping-off point for a dramatic proposition that links the laser’s advanced scientific capabilities to that of its aid in the transcendence-seeking activities of popular culture from the...
By Neil Monckton
Can city council move all in on the province’s much-expanded gambling plans for Vancouver? Last March, the province announced a new “destination casino” in one of the city’s most rapidly growing areas.
Exploratory readings of plays by three dynamic new voices from Catalonia, Spain.
The primary purpose of this project is to introduce playwrights and their work to audiences and theatre professionals in the international arena and to create interest in producing their plays. We will co-present three discovery readings of three Catalan plays in Vancouver. The plays will also be read in Saskatoon and Montreal and next year three Canadian plays will be read in three Catalan cities.
We invite you to join us in creating a 2011 City operating budget that reflects your priorities. City Council wants to hear from you on issues relating to budget planning and spending priorities.
Share your ideas and find out what it takes to run one of the most livable cities in the world. Visit vancouver.ca/budget to read more about this year’s budget process and fill out the online survey.
Alliance for Arts and CultureMonday, November 15, 2010 from 1 to 3 pm100 - 938 Homer Street...
A theatrical inquiry during 2010/11 about our need to create the other that builds into Headlines' 30th Anniversary mainstage production in 2011/12. About 90% of Headlines' work happens as a response to an invitation from a community or an organization. The original impulse for this project is personal, and we now have tremendous support from a broad diversity of community organizations.
The title Cyrillic Typewriter is an acknowledgement of the idiosyncrasies of Zumpano's compositional relationship to the components of his work: the main instrument, a keyboard, may be familiar, but its interpretation is decidedly foreign. The music is unwritten, the playing technique is manipulated through multi-tracked recording to emulate a more virtuosic performance, and the product is a tumbling, at times cinematic, expression of tone.
Theatre has long been associated with superstition. So long that we often find ourselves honouring rituals and using terms despite having no idea what the origin might be. We decided to do a little research on some well known superstitions and put together some fun facts.
The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance (GVPTA) is changing the scenery, rethinking the direction and recasting the roles in their longstanding annual Making a Scene theatre conference. This year’s theme is “Devoted & Disgruntled: What are we going to do about theatre?”
Whatever your connection to theatre; on stage, back stage, off stage, on a board, as a critic, in the audience - you are invited to play a starring /supporting /cameo role and join the theatre community of BC in...
In its 14th year, the Eastside Culture Crawl is an annual FREE 3-day visual arts phenomenon. This event involves more than 10,000 people visiting artists in their studios in the area bounded by Main Street to Victoria Drive and from First Avenue north to the waterfront of Vancouver, Canada.
A new documentary takes you behind the scenes of the Canada Council's prestigious Musical Instrument Bank and the intense competition to borrow its magnificent instruments. CANADIAN BRAVO PREMIERE October 24 at 8pm ET.
This animate was adapted from a talk given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education and creativity expert and recipient of the RSA's Benjamin Franklin award.
Diwali is a time to celebrate the universal light that exists in everyone, so come “Light Your Sprit!” at the 7th Annual Vancouver Celebrates Diwali Festival. Enjoy the best in South Asian arts & culture from across Vancouver, the Lower Mainland and beyond!
We can remain a faceless, medium-range economic power, or we can invest in our imagination.
By Alberto Manguel, Today, Geist Magazine
When I first arrived in Canada from Argentina in the late 1970s, to work with the editor and publisher Louise Dennys on a monstrous project that became The Dictionary of Imaginary Places (in those days before electronics I had to travel with a knee-high pile of carbon-copy type script), I discovered that Utopia really existed.
Video of interview with Christine Benty, Mayor of Golden, BC, Caleb Moss, Councillor and David Allen, Chief Administrative Officer with the Town of Golden. The video tells the story of the Town of Golden, BC's investment in arts and culture. Elected officials and staff explain why they invest and why they consider important to Golden. Special thanks to Bill Usher, Executive Director of Kicking Horse Culture and Rider Media for producing this video. Funding for the video was provided by the Arts...
Founder of Kokoma African Heritage Ensemble, MaObong Oku is a renowned percussionist and performer. This special performance of Dance Allsorts will trace the global journey of music, tradition, language and rhythm from the Calabar region of Nigeria all the way to Cuba.
Listen as renowned American theater director Peter Sellars discusses topics in arts and economics. From the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston lecture, "Cultural Leadership in Difficult Times (Fighting off a Depression) or the Economics of Transcendence" presented on February 4, 2009. Part of The Ruth and Carl J. Shapiro Celebrity Lecture series.
We have finished our rehearsals and our first week of the tour. We are about to embark on our second week. And we are excited! We've decided to try our hardest to share at least one blog post a week and rotate who writes the post.
Cornelia Oberlander, the pre-eminent Canadian landscape architect noted for long collaborations with Arthur Erickson and Moshe Safdie, designed the landscape for Erickson’s famed Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia. The Museum was completed in 1976, but Oberlander’s reflecting pool was never filled due in part to the city’s concerns about earthquakes and about the unstable cliffs between the museum and the beach below.
Advance sales are over. Almost sold out! Only a few seats left. First come first served.
A celebrated pioneer in the IDM and Electronica genres, Austria’s Christian Fennesz employs guitar, electronics and laptops to create dense, dynamic and visceral live performances.
The curatorial staff at the storied Guggenheim Museum has handpicked four VFS student films – two from Classical Animation and two more from Digital Character Animation – for the shortlist of YouTube Play, billed as “A Biennial of Creative Video.” The four made the list of just 125 videos out of a staggering 23,000 submissions, meaning they represent the top 0.5 percent of all entries!
I've been involved in an interesting discussion on my facebook page, about why Western Edge has declined to participate in the BC Spirit Festival. Part of what makes it interesting is that Kevin Krueger, BC's Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, is taking part.
Western Front is pleased to welcome Toronto-based artist Deirdre Logue, as Media Art artist-in-residence. Deirdre Logue’s film, video and installation work focuses on self-presentational discourse, the body as material, confessional autobiography and the passage of ‘real’ time. Logue’s work often take the form of collections of small performance, accumulated over many years, such as the widely exhibited works “Enlightened Nonsense” (2000) and “Why Always Instead of Just Sometimes” (2006). Since...
Sarah Ruhl gets off on quirk. The acclaimed American playwright behind “The Clean House” and “Melancholy Play” offers a bizarre and playful look at death and our dependency on cell phones with “Dead Man’s Cell Phone.”
by Michael Wheeler
I wonder if this is what embedded journalists feel like?
After two trips to Vancouver to participate in both the filmed and theatrical execution of this project, it is impossible to provide anything approaching an unsentimental analysis of it. I really like the show, the people who made it, and I sincerely hope it comes to Ontario someday so I can show it to people.
Please join Knowledge in supporting and celebrating BC artists and storytellers at the public screening of The 5ifty. Knowledge will be hosting free public screenings on Monday September 13th at 7:30 and 9:00 pm at Pacific Cinémathèque (1131 Howe St), with filmmakers in attendance.
Our friends at Rival Schools are planning something pretty spectacular. You know them as the super talented and creative bunch who designs all of ouropera mangas. But mangas are just the tip of the iceberg. Rival Schools are also a much in-demand strategic design and content firm, having created campaigns for Puma, Xbox 360, YVR and Translink.
Public Dreams and NADATODO.COM present Public Dreams 25th Birthday Party . . . A fundraiser for Parade of Lost Souls!
In honour of our 25 year history, Public Dreams is throwing a party not to be missed! Set at W2 Storyeum, the night will be filled with live music, roving performances, art installations, an indoor labyrinth, raffle and prizes for the best ‘silver-themed’ costume.
On August 27th, Pi hosted our first ever Pi Dinner Circle. 16 lucky guests enjoyed a spectacular six course meal under the stars in the beautiful rooftop garden of the Performing Arts Lodge. Hosted by our Artistic Director Richard Wolfe, guests enjoyed wine and conversation by candlelight. As a special treat, emerging violinist Mecca Menard played a brief program during appetizers. Pi would like to thank everyone who attended for coming out to support us. Money raised on the evening will...
This must be seen as good news, and the arts sector will be guardedly grateful for it. There are many questions: since it seems to be for “operating” clients rather than those who receive project funds, we don’t know if it will benefit larger arts organizations at the expense of smaller ones.
This has been taken from all of us, the audience. These are the things the government is stopping you from having by cutting arts investments and by withdrawing the commitment of Gaming funds for Arts and Culture. Read more ...
Last year one of my personal highlights of the PNE was an innovative display of art in a series of shipping containers. This year is the PNE's 100th anniversary, and I'm pleased to say that the Container Art has returned. One of the featured artists just so happens to be a friend of mine, artist and photographer Rachael Ashe. Rachael has put together an extra special treat for the cultured bibliophile, transforming an entire encyclopedia set into a large scale work of art.
I suspect that this Sunday, August 22, will be a challenging one, as it is supposed to rain. Peter Bingham and John Korsrud will join me, and maybe Delia Brett and Rob Kitsos for a brief visit. Peg Campbell will come and video, after which I hope to lay this text as part of a soundtrack to her footage. Any feedback is welcome ...
UBC study: Kelowna's creative sector a $144M economic driver
Kelowna's creative sector generates $37.8 million in wages annually and has an annual economic impact of $143.8 million. Those are just two of the key findings in a new economic impact study led by Bernard Momer, associate professor of geography at UBC's Okanagan campus.
The Creative Sector in Kelowna, British Columbia: An Economic Impact Assessment follows up on a 1998 assessment of the contribution of arts and culture to the...
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Arts Summit last week. We believe that important ideas and some practical action plans were discussed and hatched. It was great to see everyone who turned out; there were so many arts leaders in the house. Special thanks to Arlene Goldbard for her keynote and workshop. We look forward to sharing the text with our members as soon as we can. It was great to see Spencer Chandra Herbert attend this event and we regret not being able to convene a...
I’ve had the weekend to reflect, and have had several conversations about and received feedback on Arts Summit 2010, which was held June 24/25 at the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre in Surrey, BC.
Thanks again to all of you who participated as presenters, volunteers, and registrants.
Vanessa Richards guided us in her charismatic and gentle way through the two days, and for that, I am grateful.
I wasn’t able to attend all the sessions and I hope that this reflection of mine leads to further...
Deadline: September 10, 2010
Cultural Services is pleased to announce a new pilot program which provides grants to community groups to support projects that celebrate and promote Vancouver's communities and neighbourhoods through arts and cultural activities ranging from amateur to professional practices.
Non-profit organizations, artists, community leaders, businesses and residents alike who are interested in celebrating the diversity of their communities, connecting with other people and...
Financial support for costs related to pre-planning, feasibility assessments, acquisition, renovation and development of cultural spaces.
Deadline: Friday, September 24, 2010, 4:30pm
A new Cultural Infrastructure Grant Program has been created as part of the 2008 - 2023 Cultural Facilities Priorities Plan with increased levels of support for a greater variety of projects. Projects can now include pre-planning and feasibility studies as well as acquisition,...
The TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival and Galaxie are proud to announce the Pugs and Crows Band and Very Good as the winners of the 8th annual Galaxie Rising Stars Awards. Chosen from the artists competing for the Award as the new artist of the year, the winners will each receive a $2500 grant.
Led by guitarist Cole Schmidt, The Pugs and Crows Band play dramatic and cinematic music that draws inspiration from experimental forms of Eastern European folk and modern jazz. Combining a...
I’ll start by clearly identifying myself as a non-expert. I claim no special training or even any particular exceptional skills with respect to advocacy. I leave that to others. What I can claim is a few years of experience lobbying, begging, prodding or screaming for support for the arts which I believe is or should be a pillar of any reasonable society.
I should also, given the current sport climate draw a parallel to the world cup, advocacy like soccer may have room for the star...
Over the past two years the Alliance for Arts and Culture has had the privilege of offering keynote addresses by two very interesting thinkers. Last year Diane Ragsdale gave us her "Surviving the Culture Change" keynote, and this year Arlene Goldbard gave us an extremely valuable workshop and a keynote entitled "Art and Public Good".
By their permission we are offering these keynote and workshop addresses for those of you who were unable to hear them speak. We hope you will find...
With support from the Province of BC and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Vancouver Community College (VCC) Aboriginal higher learners are supported through the development of Aboriginal Gathering Spaces "to assist public post-secondary institutions develop and enhance infrastructure that reflects the cultural characteristics of their Aboriginal students, community, and traditions". Vancouver Community College has a total...
Many artists and groups are receiving word of even more severe BCAC program cuts than expected, in addition to the effective elimination of gaming grants to the arts sector. This will hurt all members of the sector badly, and some will sustain mortal wounds (the Western Edge Theatre in Nanaimo has cancelled their 2010/11 season and may fold). The BCAC and the Assembly of BC Arts Councils have both been forced into a devil's choice in circumstances with no good options.
In the case...
Wanna know more about Lillian Alling opera?
Our podcasts are now up!
Recorded at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, General Director James W. Wright talks about the upcoming world premiere, Lillian Alling.
Can’t get enough of Still Life? Now you can take it home with you! This Saturday we will be launching the second publication in our petit genres series, in conjunction with Triumphant Carrot: The Persistence of Still Life. Join us on Saturday afternoon from 4 – 6 pm for the launch event (many of the artists in the exhibition will be here too!) This book features essays by Curator Jenifer Papararo, and artists Evan Lee and Trevor Mahovsky.
The BC Cultural Crawl is a self-guided tour of community-initiated events: music, theatre and dance performances, visual arts, festivals, museum and heritage exhibitions, culinary arts, community art walks and more.
Your self-guided exploration of supercultural British Columbia begins here. Browse August-long events, local cultural crawls, and community art walks. Download itineraries, maps and find all of the resources you need to plan your own exploration on www.art-bc.com.
With the provincial government's arts cuts continuing to damage BC's cultural community, Western Edge Theatre artistic producer Frank Moher has launched a series of public video "letters" to Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon.
Have a question you'd like to ask Vancouver Opera? Well, you're in luck!
Presenting the Vancouver Opera blog, now with the super-shiny Formspring feature.
With this feature, you can ask absolutely anyone in the company for the answer to the questions burning in your mind. Read more ...
Photo courtesy of Dan Fairchild.
Today, in the second part of my week-long series on the State of the Fringe, I interview David Jordan, the Executive Director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival.
Don't miss the final weekend of the Neanderthal Arts Festival.
Upintheair Theatre and Left Right Minds are winding up an exciting new summer theatre festival for Vancouver. From July 21 to August 1, 2010 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, you can see new and innovative theatrical works.
The festival has brought you four local shows, two national shows and the Walking Fish Showcase of Emerging Artists. You gotta be here... after all, the Cultch does...
The Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance's "Vancouver Theatre Guide" is your source for theatre listings in the Lower Mainland. See what's onstage now!
The University of British Columbia School of Music is presenting a special concert series in BC’s lower mainland in collaboration with the Taipei National University of the Arts from July 16 to 25. The TNUA is the most prestigious training institution for the arts in Taiwan, and has enjoyed a formal partnership with UBC since 2007. The series includes performances with the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and what’s billed as a “the largest gathering of bassoonists to play on a...
AN EVENING WITH EVELYN LAU – Intrepid Pens (DTES Reading & Writing Program) invites you to join us for an evening with Evelyn Lau. All proceeds will go to the group. Saturday, July 31st, 7pm. (Suggested donation $10 — sliding scale, no one turned away.) All Women Welcome!
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The understanding the creative workforce survey is a way for artists and researchers to collaborate from three cities: Vancouver, Canada; Perth, Australia; and Glasgow, Scotland. We are committed to bridging the gap between artists and creators and policy makers by developing a clearer picture of artists’ work and its critical role in communities.
The Government/Non Profit Initiative (GNPI) will host an information session on Monday, February 13 regarding proposed amendments to the Society Act.
The session will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Choi Hall (S.U.C.C.E.S.S. at 28 West Pender Street).
The Society Act outlines the rules that govern B.C.’s more than 26,000 societies. Societies are non-profit corporations organized primarily for social purposes.
There will be one in-person session in Vancouver and one 'virtual' session. These sessions will provide an opportunity to learn more about the proposed amendments from Ministry of Finance officials, and help you to consider the comments you may wish to send to Ministry of Finance by their submission deadline, April 30, 2012.
Two Ministry of Finance policy and legislation specialists, Tona Hetherington and Jill Sinkwich, will be available to answer your questions:
There will also be a conference call session on Thursday, February 16 from 2 to 4 p.m. for those unable to attend the February 13 event in person. Register here to receive dial-in details.
On A Related Topic: Artists’ Legal Outreach and Charity Central will present a workshop, Road To Accountability, examining issues around what the board of a charity is accountable for and to whom.
The workshop will take place March 5 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the board room of the Alliance for Arts and Culture.
This free interactive workshop will explore accountability issues of registered charities to stakeholders and will emphasize both federal and provincial legal accountability. Areas of legal accountability include reporting, maintaining books and records, issuing donation receipts, fundraising and other requirements.
During the workshop, the participants will have a chance to use resource materials to determine how these tools may enhance their accountability practices. The resource materials include a self-diagnostic pack, a handbook, calendar, tip sheets, Office in a Box and materials on B.C. legislative requirements.
If you are a board member, executive director or a senior manager of a small or mid-sized registered charity, this workshop is for you.
Community Gaming Grants officials have confirmed that the first phase of processing Special Intake grants is now completed. Groups in the Restored Funding Category (which were automatically processed based on their existing 2011 applications) will have their grants deposited within the next week.
Over 300 groups will receive $3.23 Million in this category.
Groups in the other two categories (Funding for Reinstated Programs Category and Reinstated Eligibility Category) may apply to the Special Intake until February 13. For detailed information on the categories and how to apply, click here.
Last month Premier Christy Clark announced the Province was increasing its annual community gaming grant base budget to $135 million – $15 million more than originally budgeted for 2011-12. As a result, the Province is holding a special intake between Jan. 16 and Feb. 13 so that previously ineligible groups can apply for grants this fiscal year.
These groups include non-profit and charitable organizations that deliver services related to adult arts and culture, adult sports, the environment and animal welfare. Animal shelters, fish and wildlife associations, lake and stream stewardship societies, district arts councils, museum societies, theatres and other similar groups are now eligible to apply online.
“This special intake allows previously ineligible groups to apply for community gaming grants during this fiscal year," said Ms. Chong in making the announcement.
"Broadening the scope of these grants and assuring that the base funding remains intact from year to year clearly demonstrates our commitment to supporting non-profits in the important work they do for B.C. families."
The City of Vancouver is conducting an online survey to get a sense of what services, including the Cultural Services branch, are most important, or not important at all, to citizens. This is an opportunity to let City management and Council know how important to us both Cultural and all City services are to us as individuals and organizations.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is inviting the community to nominate exceptional women throughout Metro Vancouver for its 29th annual Women of Distinction Awards, including nominees in the Arts, Culture & Design category, sponsored by TD Bank Group.
Nominees in this category should be women who enrich the community through their talents and commitment to visual, literary, media, architectural and/or performing arts, excelling as a creators or performers, facilitating or promoting the artistic efforts of others and broadening community engagement in the arts.
Recognized nationally as one of the most prestigious awards for women, the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards honours women whose outstanding activities and achievements contribute to the well-being and future of our community.
Nominees must live and work within the Metro Vancouver region bounded by and including Hope, Pemberton, Sunshine Coast and the United States border.
Deadline for submissions is Monday, March 5 at 5 p.m.
Nomination forms and information can be obtained online here or by calling 604 895 5768.
YWCA Metro Vancouver is a registered charity providing a range of integrated services for women and their families, and those seeking to improve the quality of their lives. From early learning and care to housing, health and fitness, employment services and leadership, YWCA Metro Vancouver touches lives in our communities.
Registration is now open for the 2012 Celebrate the Arts – Celebrate Volunteerism Conference. The conference takes place Saturday, February 18th and participants will connect with like-minded arts volunteers, listen to local artists share about their craft with the theme of “Passion, Actipon, Impact: The Arts and Social Change.
The goal of the Celebrate the Arts – Celebrate Volunteerism Conference is to promote volunteerism in the arts in Vancouver and recognize contributions of volunteers in the arts by providing opportunities for education, networking and renewal.
Each year the conference provides arts’ volunteers the opportunity to connect with like-minded volunteers, local arts organization and artists. With the very generous donation of the space at the Museum of Vancouver and donations from local businesses and organizations, we are able to keep our costs low and provide an exceptional day for attendees.
Quantum Accounting has announced the launch of their new Arts Administration Services, available to Alliance members at a 20 percent discount as part of our Members’ Advantage Program.
Quantum also announced the addition of arts management specialist Cheryl Hurd to their team, bringing over 17 years of experience in special events, arts administration, program management, and human resources to the new Arts Administration Services initiative.
The new services at Quantum include:
Project Based Human Resource Management: Developing job descriptions and providing staff recruitment services such as: job postings, resume vetting, initial interviews and recommendations, scheduling final interviews, preparation of employment contracts, and final contract payment arrangements.
Grant Writing Assitance: Assistance identify applicable funding resources and potential partnerships, understanding program guidelines and eligibility criteria, satisfying financial statement requirements, statistical information, and application deadline reminders. Although not a grant writing service, Quantum can help clarify the process so that you can confidently create timely, viable funding applications.
Grant Reporting Assistance: Help in understanding report requirements and advice on collecting valuable statistical information, and help ensuring that your final reports are completed in a timely manner and assistance with provisions of financial and statistical reports.
Volunteer Management Consultation: Identifying your volunteer needs and providing assistance with resources available for volunteer recruitment and orientation. For more extensive volunteer requirements Quantum can provide you with a personalized "how to" manual outlining the steps to take when recruiting larger groups.
Board Governance: Assistance with regular reminders for board meetings, AGM notifications, timely reports for the Society's Act and recruiting board members.
For Further Information: Call Cheryl at 604.662.8985 ext 23 or email cheryl@qas.bc.ca to book your free one hour personalized consultation today!
About the Alliance Members’ Advantage Program: Your Alliance for Arts and Culture has negotiated substantial discounts for our full members with a number of goods and services providers like Quantum Accounting. We will feature one of these in a regular “Members' Advantage Program Spotlight”. For information about becoming a Members' Advantage Program goods or service provider, contact member services administrator Melissa Flagg at 604.681.3535 (207) or memberservices@allianceforarts.com.
Evelyn Lau, the City of Vancouver’s third Poet Laureate, invites emerging poets to apply for a free one-to-one manuscript consultation at VPL’s iconic Central Library.
"I look forward to meeting with poets - aspiring or published - to discuss their submitted work and answer questions about the editing and publishing processes,” said Ms. Lau. “I am happy to offer editorial and publication guidance and provide insights into the writing life.”
Those selected for a consultation are encouraged to bring questions regarding submitting to literary magazines, entering contests, giving readings, putting together a poetry manuscript: in fact anything related to the poet's life.
Consultations will be held the first Monday of the month beginning in March at the Central Library and will be held most months during Ms. Lau’s three-year term as Poet Laureate.
To be considered for a consultation, interested poets must submit the following two requirements in the body of an email to poetlaureate@vancouver.ca. Do not submit attachments.
A paragraph of no more than 200 words stating why you would like to meet with the Poet Laureate and what you hope to gain from the consultation.
A writing sample of up to three poems.
The deadline for applications is Monday, February 13. Those chosen for a consultation will be contacted directly by VPL staff with the date and time for their 40-minute meeting with the Poet Laureate.
Evelyn Lau was born in Vancouver in 1971 and is the author of five volumes of poetry, two works of non-fiction, two short story collections and a novel, with works translated into a dozen languages worldwide. She is currently at work on her sixth poetry collection.
The Poet Laureate is an honorary position that celebrates literature and poetry in Vancouver. The position is funded by a generous endowment established by Dr. Yosef Wosk.
More information and a full biography of Ms. Lau can be found at vancouververse.ca.
This week’s announcement that last year’s top-up of $15 million for gaming grants for social profit community groups will be repeated in the current fiscal year and, in Premier Christy Clark’s words, be “baked in the budget” for the next three fiscal years received some mixed reviews across the social profit sector.
However, the Alliance for Arts and Culture is seeing the announcement as a positive development, opening the door to further progress.
"We have heard from many of our members about their sense of relief upon hearing that their eligibility is restored for Community Gaming Grants”, said Alliance executive director Rob Gloor in responding to the announcement. "While the total funding amount does not reach the levels allocated in 2008, before the cuts occurred, it represents a significant increase to the arts and culture sector compared to where we stood last week.
“We wish to thank the government for taking these positive steps based on the Triplett recommendations. His report also contains many further options which have not yet been addressed, and we look forward to a dialogue on continued improvements,” Mr. Gloor continued.
Mr Gloor promised that the Alliance for Arts and Culture will provide service and support to its many members who are now eligible for the special round of applications.
Applications for gaming grants can be online here.
“The funds added to this year's allocations will benefit those organizations that received reductions or became completely ineligible for grants. This group includes the majority of arts and culture organizations that had received Community Gaming Grants for several years. Therefore, the restoration of eligibility is a major boost to the arts and culture sector.
"At the same time," continued Mr. Gloor, "it has no negative impact on those organizations which were already eligible and received grants this fiscal from the existing budget of $120 Million.
“The Alliance is eager to review the details of the funding and associated allocations process in the context of Mr. Triplett's recommendations. The arts community has endured tremendous funding challenges over the past three years, and we are grateful to receive some news of positive steps,” Mr. Gloor concluded.
ANNOUNCEMENT HIGHLIGHTS
The Province has increased gaming grants in its annual base budget to a total of $135 million, beginning this fiscal year.
That will mean $15 million more in gaming grants than originally budgeted for 2011/12.
This funding will reach right across the province with a large part going outside of the Lower Mainland to more than 2,000 organizations in hundreds of communities.
Groups focusing on adult arts and sports, animal welfare and environmental concerns will be eligible for community gaming grants.
These reinstated groups will receive a total of $8 million. The Province will conduct a special intake of applications from Jan. 16 to Feb. 13 to ensure these groups are eligible for funding this fiscal year. Interested organizations will be required to apply online.
Of this $8 million, $6 million will be allocated for adult arts, culture and sport organizations, while environmental organizations will be allocated $2 million.
This funding will benefit non-profit organizations that deliver key community services such as animal shelter organizations, fish and wildlife associations, lake and stream stewardship societies, district arts councils, museum societies, and theatres.
The remaining $7 million will be used to increase funding to groups that have experienced reductions during the past three years, including those responsible for fairs, festivals, youth arts and culture, community service, the B.C. Senior Games and community education organizations.
Funding will benefit community-focused organizations such as Kiwanis and Lions Club, heritage and folk music societies, non-profit child development societies, youth music schools and pipe bands.
The Province is also exploring options for introducing multi-year funding in the coming years for groups that have achieved earned independence through sound fiscal practices.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Media coverage of the January 11 announcement reflected the mixed responses throughout the community. Some of the major coverage included:
canada.com: "Funding puts wind back in sails of B.C. gaming grants"
Pete McMartin in the Vancouver Sun: "The government's sleight of hand doesn't fool charities"
Georgia Straight: "Norman Armour greeted the news with relief. "Reinstating adult arts within the eligible criteria for Provincial Gaming support recognizes the important role that the arts play in the lives of British Columbians ..."
Tri-City News:“It’s not as good as it could have been,” said Jane Matthews, executive director of the PoMo Arts Centre Society, “But I think that we have to be realistic in that everyone is still feeling the recession.”
THE REVIEW: Between August 11th and Sept.16th, 2011 Mr. Triplett held Community Forums in 19 locations across BC. A total of 1,229 British Columbians attended these forums and 336 people made oral presentations
The full Community Gaming Grant report can be found here.
Dance Victoria is inviting applications for the 2012 Chrystal Dance Prize of $14,000 from dance artists who are at different stages of their career and who have an international focus.
The prize is named for Dr. Betty “Chrystal” Kleiman whose bequest to the Victoria Foundation in 2009 created the prize.
It was Chrystal’s desire that dance artists from western Canada have the opportunity to learn from and work with the best professionals in the world and that they bring these influences and new works back to Canada.
A much loved pediatrician in Victoria known for her extraordinary work with troubled youth, Kleiman was fiercely individual. She loved the arts and pursued interests in poetry, pottery, painting and dance. She was also an avid kayaker and environmentalist.
One of her proudest achievements was getting arrested when she protested against the logging of Clayquot Sound on Vancouver Island in 1993. The Chrystal Dance Prize is awarded to individual artists who share Chrystal’s generosity and passion for self-expression.
Dance Victoria is inviting applications from dance artists who are at different stages of their career and who have an international focus.
The SFU sponsored Philosophers' Café will tackle the questions “does art matter?” and “if so, how much, and what would our world be like without it?”
The discussion will take place Tuesday, February 7at 7:30 p.m. at Byng Arts Mini-School (3939 West 16th Avenue.
The conversation moderator will be Pnina Granirer is an artist and co-founder of Artists in our Midst Open Studios. Her work has been documented in print and film. It has also been exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally.
The event is co-sponsored by Byng Arts Mini-School and Artists in our Midst, and admission is free.
“Thinking the unthinkable, imagining the impossible, and discussing the improbable”, SFU’s Philosophers’ Café is a series of informal public discussions in the heart of our communities. Since 1998, this award-winning program has engaged the interests of scholars, seniors, students, philosophers, and non-philosophers through stimulating dialogue.
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