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New provincial support for arts and culture
Alliance encourages long-term investment in BC's cultural sector

At a reception held earlier this week, attended by representatives of the province’s arts community, BC Premier Gordon Campbell revealed details of the BC government’s recently announced boost of $28 million for the province’s arts and culture sector.

Three million represents an annual increase to the BC Arts Council, the first significant increase in more than a decade. The other $25 million is for an arts and cultural endowment fund to be called the BC Arts Renaissance Fund.

The Vancouver Foundation will use the proposed $25 million to establish an endowment and development fund to support the arts in all regions of the province. The BC Arts Renaissance Fund will leverage funding from the private sector to establish additional endowments, creating long-term sustainability for the province’s vast arts community, and will enable smaller organizations to access new opportunities for growth.

An independent advisory board will be established to provide advice on criteria for approving applications to the BC Arts Renaissance Fund. The founding chair will be Michael Audain, a long-time supporter of BC’s arts community. BC Arts Council chair Donald Shumka has also been asked to serve on the founding board, and the Vancouver Foundation will appoint additional members.

"We are thrilled to see this major investment in the future stability of BC’s arts community," says Heather Redfern, executive director of the Alliance for Arts and Culture. "We are awaiting more details about how the funds will be distributed and are encouraging the independent advisory board to ensure these funds will be accessible to both small and large organizations from all disciplines."

"Arts and culture play a critical role in defining and enriching our communities, our unique BC identity, and the lives of all of us wherever we live," Premier Gordon Campbell said in a government news release. "The arts are also important contributors to our economy as well as to our society."

The Alliance for Arts and Culture also congratulates the province on the $3 million investment for the BC Arts Council and encourages the government to continue playing a pivotal role in the health of BC communities by increasing this investment in the coming years.

Last Updated: Friday, March 18, 2005