The latest news on BC's arts, culture and heritage sector.

We want to hear from you!

The 2022 Municipal Elections are just around the corner and the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture wants to hear your opinions about the current state of your local arts and culture community!

The 2022 Civic Election Advocacy Survey has been created in partnership with 221A, ArtsBC, BC Museums Association, Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance, Le Conseil culturel et artistique francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, and Vancouver International Film Festival. The survey aims to identify key priorities of the BC Arts and Culture sector leading up to the municipal election. 

Your Participation in the Civic Election Advocacy survey will help shape the Candidate Survey, which the Alliance will conduct leading up to the first day of the campaign period of the Municipal Elections.

The survey will close on September 12. The results of the survey will be released on September 19.

Click here to fill out the survey.

May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit people (MMIWG2S)

May 5 is the National Day of Awareness for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women & Girls. It is widely recognized as Red Dress Day but officially known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two Spirit people (MMIWG2S). This is a day for us to recognize, honour and raise awareness about the lives of Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people that were lost to violence.

The movement began in 2011 with an art installation called the REDress Project by Jamie Black, a Métis artist from Winnipeg. Black used the red dresses to symbolize “both the violence that women are experiencing, but also the presence and power of Indigenous women.” Since then, red dresses have become a powerful symbol for the movement and a way to commemorate the women, girls and Two Spirit people who have gone missing or have been murdered.

This day is an opportunity for all of us to reflect, both privately and publicly, on our commitment to creating a safer society for indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people, who are statistically and historically the most in danger of violence and harm than any other population in Canada.

On this day we reflect on ways in which we can support, see and hear those affected by MMWIG2S+. In order to educate ourselves and our community at large, we invite you to read the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ final report, Reclaiming Power and Place, and it’s 231 Calls for Justice to raise awareness, broaden your understanding, and learn how to take further action. 

We also invite you to wear red to raise awareness about this important issue among your community, and to hang a red dress in your window or your yard.

If you would like to show your solidarity through social media, use hashtags such as: #MMIWG2S, #RedDressDay, #WhyWeWearRed, #EndTheViolence, #NotForgotten and #NoMoreStolenSisters.

You can also make a donation to an Indigenous organization which works with Indigenous Women, girls and Two Spirit people such as the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre or Pacific Association of First Nations Women(PAFNW).

The Alliance recognizes that this day can be triggering for those affected by MMWIG2S+ loss. The MMWIG2S+ free crisis line is 1-844-413-6649, and it operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Below is a short list of some associations and organizations which you can support and learn from on this important issue, as well as some educational videos:

Data For Indigenous Justice

Native Women’s Association of Canada

National Indigenous Women’s Resource Centre

Walking With Our Sisters

Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters

Protect Our Future Daughters

Butterflies in Spirit Video Collaborations

National Centre For Truth and Reconciliation

We invite you to take the time to self-educate and learn about our shared history of colonization and how it continues today.

[Hero image credit: CHF BC]

Here is how you can celebrate, honour and support Asian Heritage Month

Here is how you can celebrate, honour and support Asian Heritage Month

During this month we take the opportunity to learn, reflect on and celebrate the many achievements, cultures and traditions of the members of our artistic communities who claim Asian heritage. We must also find ways to fight racism and support the organizations which make it their focus.

Below are some some resources, upcoming events and workshops, as well as causes and organizations to which you can donate to to show your support:

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Applications Are Open for Arts Infrastructure, 150 Time Immemorial Grants

Applications Are Open for Arts Infrastructure, 150 Time Immemorial Grants

BC Arts Council’s Project Assistance: Arts Infrastructure grants enable eligible organizations to develop and enhance arts and cultural spaces. Meanwhile, the 150 Time Immemorial grant program, administered by the First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation and Heritage BC, supports reconciliation, learning, diversity, inclusivity, and resiliency through cultural heritage infrastructure, awareness, and planning.

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Introducing the Art for Social Change Network

Introducing the Art for Social Change Network

Led by community-engaged arts organizations acting as regional hubs, ASCN is designed to connect and support hundreds of arts for social change organizations and independent artists across Canada.

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Hill Strategies Releases Research on Anti-Black Racism in the Arts

Hill Strategies Releases Research on Anti-Black Racism in the Arts

The latest issue of Hill Strategies’ Arts Research Monitor tackles equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization — specifically, the signs and effects of anti-Black racism in the arts.

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Hill Strategies Releases Arts Research Monitor on Deaf and Disability Arts

Hill Strategies Releases Arts Research Monitor on Deaf and Disability Arts

Hill Strategies has released a new volume of its Arts Research Monitor, focusing on Deaf and disability arts. The issue features insights into the arts practices of Deaf and disabled peoples, their accessibility challenges, and suggestions for improvement, based on four recent reports from Canada and the United States.

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Women: Yoko Ono Wants Your Story

Women: Yoko Ono Wants Your Story

Yoko Ono invites self-identified women to send a testament of harm inflicted on them, along with a photograph of their eyes, to be displayed at the Vancouver Art Gallery as part of the exhibition GROWING FREEDOM: The instructions of Yoko Ono, which starts in October.

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Applications Open for City of Vancouver 2022-2025 Artist Studio Awards Program

Applications are now open for the City of Vancouver’s Artist Studio Awards Program, which leases seven studios at below-market rates to artists who are Indigenous, Black, or people of colour. Apply by August 4.

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Nominate an Indigenous Artist or Businessperson for the B.C. Achievement Awards

Nominations are now open for the Indigenous Business Award, the Fulmer Award in First Nations Art, and the Carter Wosk Award in Applied Art and Design.

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Canada Council Releases 2021-26 Strategic Plan: "Art, Now More Than Ever"

Canada Council Releases 2021-26 Strategic Plan: "Art, Now More Than Ever"

The new strategic plan prioritizes investing in rebuilding and innovation, amplifying the benefit of the arts in society, and nurturing and expanding collaborations and partnerships.

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How Can Our Job Listings Reflect Our Values and Build Connections?

How Can Our Job Listings Reflect Our Values and Build Connections?

Joyce Wan administrates the BC Alliance’s job board, so she sees a lot of job listings every day. Here’s the story of one that stood out.

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Applications Now Open for $300,000 Vancouver Music Fund

Applications are now open for the second round of the Vancouver Music Fund, which provides direct support to Indigenous and underrepresented musicians, artists and groups in Vancouver’s music sector. Apply by April 28.

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Introducing Our 2021 Spring Workshops!

Introducing Our 2021 Spring Workshops!

Want to learn the nitty-gritty of writing Gaming Grants or filing taxes? Tackling new ways of creating and marketing your art? Do you want to improve your knowledge and approaches around gender diversity? Let’s learn together.

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Canada Council Launches Diversity Recruitment Campaign

Canada Council Launches Diversity Recruitment Campaign

The Canada Council for the Arts has announced a recruitment campaign, with an emphasis on Indigenous, Black, racialized, Deaf and disabled applicants.

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SEARA Power Share Fundraiser Supports BC's BIPOC Artists

SEARA Power Share Fundraiser Supports BC's BIPOC Artists

In the wake of COVID-19, the Sector Equity Alliance for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA) aims to raise $500,000 to $1 million for BC-based BIPOC Artists facing financial hardship, with $350,000 coming from arts organizations. Donate now to support equity in the arts!

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On October 20, Join Us for "Black Artists Matter"

On October 20, Join Us for "Black Artists Matter"

On October 20 at 2:00 p.m., join artist Naomi Gracechild and four other Black arts leaders from Metro Vancouver for Black Artists Matter, an online conversation and call to action to explore commitments that organizations can make to become actively anti-racist.

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New Survey to Quantify Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Performing Arts

New Survey to Quantify Workplace Sexual Harassment in the Performing Arts

The survey, called The Change You Want to See, was designed by Hill Strategies and Rosa, and polls Canadian union and non-union contract workers in the performing arts, film, and television industries. Complete it by October 23.

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City of Vancouver to Host Virtual Town Hall on Anti-Black Racism

City of Vancouver to Host Virtual Town Hall on Anti-Black Racism

On September 24, the City of Vancouver will host a virtual town hall focused on addressing anti-Black racism. Click through to find out more.

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Guest Editorial: "A Matter of Choice" by Judith Marcuse

Guest Editorial: "A Matter of Choice" by Judith Marcuse

As we reflect on how best to rethink the roles of arts and culture in a post-pandemic Canada, Judith Marcuse advocates for a ‘whole systems’ approach.

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