Blog — BC Alliance for Arts + Culture

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

Applications are open for the Arts Impact Program

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Arts Impact Grants program is now accepting applications.

Brought to you by the BC Arts Council, the program is a responsive and flexible initiative created in response to the continued need for financial support following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grant allows applicants to prioritize a specific project or group of related activities that will provide the most meaningful impact to their organization, practice, or community, and lead to significant outcomes during this time of recovery, renewal, and change.

Register here for a free information session on November 1, 2022 @ 3:30pm.

For info or to apply, visit their website.

Deadline: December 1, 2022.

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Farquhar set to amplify Indigenous voices

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Farquhar set to amplify Indigenous voices

The University of Victoria and the Farquhar at UVic have launched Voices in Circle: Amplifying Indigenous Cultural Voices, a presenting and engagement series featuring established and emerging Indigenous artists.

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Call for Applications: BC Arts Council Operating Assistance Program

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Call for Applications: BC Arts Council Operating Assistance Program

The BC Arts Council’s Operating Assistance program is now open for professional arts and culture organizations!

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BC Arts Council to Provide Accessibility Supports and Information Session May 2

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The BC Arts Council is now providing two new accessibility programs, Application Assistance and Access Support, to address barriers for artists and arts and culture practitioners who are Deaf or have a disability.

Join BC Arts Council staff for an overview of these programs, as well as Project funding programs, at an online information session and Q&A on Monday, May 2 from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. PT (1 p.m. – 2 p.m. MT)

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Applications open to join Capital Regional District Arts Advisory Council

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Live in the greater Victoria area and interested in supporting decision-making in arts funding?

Apply to join the Capital Regional District (CRD) Arts Advisory Council. This volunteer group adjudicates arts funding programs and provides advice on issues relating to arts in the capital region. This year’s initiatives include continuing implementation of equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives on funding programs.

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British Columbia Arts Council Announces Action Plan for 2022—2024

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British Columbia Arts Council Announces Action Plan for 2022—2024

On April 8th, 2022, the BC Arts Council announced its Extending Foundations: Action Plan 2022—2024. The plan focuses on reconciliation, equity, diversity, inclusion and access. The BC Alliance for Arts + Culture team will work together to address the needs of the community arising from these recently announced changes.

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At Post-Budget Meeting, A Call for Visionary Advocacy Strategy

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The NDP Government’s increased investment to the arts is cause for celebration. But there’s much more advocacy work to be done by our community. 

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Supplemental funds

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artscouncil-logo By now, many of you have received supplemental funds from the BC Arts Council for your organizations and/or practice. Since there is so much uncertainty in regards to the financial future of the council, we have asked the staff at the arts council for clarification about this money.

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The provincial election - and opportunity for change

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As we gear up for a provincial election, it is more important than ever to engage with our provincial leaders (and aspiring leaders) to let them know that arts and culture are a vital part of a sustainable future for British Columbia. As you know, there are significant and potentially devastating cuts to arts and culture in the 2009 service plan for the Province of BC. The Alliance has sent a letter to Minister Bill Bennett about the issue, and we are urging all our members to write their own letters to Minister Bennett and your local MLA, and to please copy the Alliance on any correspondence.

We are advising everyone to adhere to the following talking points:

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An open letter to Kevin Krueger

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As you know, during the cabinet shuffle the Honourable Bill Bennett was supplanted by the Honourable Kevin Krueger, MLA for Kamloops-South Thompson, as Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts. We have written the following letter to Mr. Krueger, whose Ministry is facing a forty percent cut in the service plans for the next two years.

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Meeting with Minister Krueger

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We have just returned from a frank and productive meeting with Minister Krueger at his Vancouver office. It was an excellent opportunity to communicate the concerns of our community to the new Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, and to offer to help him in trying to reverse the cuts to the BC Arts Council. He wanted everyone to know that both he and the Premier are both very committed to the arts, and that they will do their utmost to ensure that the community is not "hung out to dry" next year when the supplemental funding runs out.

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Local Communities Benefit From BC Arts Council Grants

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Artists and cultural organizations, including community arts councils, will share $8.36 million in the latest round of BC Arts Council grants, Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Bill Bennett announced today.

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NDP rolls out their platform, and the Alliance responds

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ndp-campaign The NDP rolled out their provincial campaign platform this weekend, and the Alliance responded:

Reaction to arts pledge cautious By Mary Frances Hill, The Vancouver Sun April 11, 2009 An arts and culture lobby group is taking a cautious approach to the New Democratic Party's campaign promise to restore funding to cultural programs across the province and create a capital plan for the B.C. Arts Council. In Take Back Your B.C., the NDP's 46-page campaign platform, the party devotes half a page to pledges to aid arts, culture and tourism. Leader Carole James promised to restore the provincial government's arts funding cuts for this year, increase the B.C. Arts Council's budget, and award the council -- a government agency -- a $50-million capital fund to invest in cultural projects. Alliance for Arts and Culture executive director Amir Ali Alibhai said he was pleased to see a mention of arts and culture in any election platform. "The arts are part of stimulating growth and recovery," he said. But he was wary of campaign promises. "I'm cautious because of the track record of the NDP," Alibhai said. "The last time they were in, there was a 25-per-cent cut in the B.C. Arts Council's [budget]." That was during the recession of the early 1990s. The Alliance advocates for the interests of about 350 arts and cultural groups in B.C., such as theatres and dance companies, and individual artists. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts' 2009-2012 service plan shows the projected base funding for arts and culture programs dropping from $19.5 million in 2008-09 to $11.9 million in 2009-10 and $9.6 million in 2010-11. Alibhai said history has seen governments consider arts and culture spending as a frill. Spencer Herbert, NDP MLA for Vancouver-West End, said arts funding acts as an economic stimulus, generating about $1.36 in taxes for every dollar spent, "just from the multiplying effect of keeping the dollars in the economy locally."

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BC ARTS COUNCIL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TO RETIRE

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BC Arts Council Executive Director Jeremy Long will retire from the BC Public Service early in the New Year, Council Chair Jane Danzo announced today. 

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For immediate release

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Help spread the word. Send this release to anyone you know in media. We need to make some noise on this issue!

Arts community extremely concerned by cuts to the BC Arts Council

The arts and cultural sector in British Columbia is facing an imminent crisis. The Service Plans for the next two years show a 40% reduction in funding for the BC Arts Council. The BC Arts Council is the largest funding body in the province; last year, more than 224 communities throughout British Columbia depended on it for support.

"The impact to the province will be devastating," said Amir Ali Alibhai, the Executive Director of the Alliance for Arts & Culture. "The BC Arts Council supports a sector that employs 80,000 people and generates $5.2-billion annually. It is bigger than the forestry and fishing industries combined. At a time when the government is doing everything they can to create and retain jobs, why are they implementing measures that will trigger layoffs and cause organizations to reduce programming?"

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Let's keep those letters coming!

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A big shout out to the many artists and arts organizations who have sent letters to Minister Krueger in the past few days. To all those organizations who haven't participated yet... now is the time to act. We all know how much we depend on the BC Arts Council, and how damaging the 40% cut will be to our organizations and artistic practice.

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$2.6 Million in Provincial Funding for Youth & Early Arts Career Initiatives

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Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Coralee Oakes announced today the launch of two new government-funded BC Arts Council programs focused on providing opportunities for youth to take part in the arts and on early career initiatives in the creative sector.

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BC Lags in its Response

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Perhaps it is because of the election, but according to the latest report from the Canadian Conference of the Arts, which gives an overview comparing different Canadian provinces’ responses to the economic crisis, only BC has made cuts in their budget for arts and culture.  

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Record Level BC Arts Council Budget for 2013-14

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VICTORIA – Last month, Community, Sport and Cultural Development Minister Bill Bennett announced that the BC Arts Council (BCAC) will receive a budget of $24 million in 2013-14. This represents the highest level of funding in BCAC history. The funding includes $5.25 million for BC Creative Futures, a recently announced three-part strategy to support sustainable, long-term success for the province’s creative sector.

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Info Sessions on BC Arts Council Grants for Youth & Early Arts Career Initiatives

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Earlier this month, two new BC Arts Council programs were announced, focused on supporting the development of artists and arts administrators across the province and on supporting opportunities for youth engagement in the arts. 

These new programs, the Early Career Development Program and the Youth Engagement Pilot Program, have upcoming deadlines in January.

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