B.C. arts and culture organizations receive $34.5 million boost from the Province
One-time recovery funds will support safe and accessible arts spaces, post-pandemic economic recovery
Kidd Pivot. Photo by Christopher Duggan
THE PROVINCE OF B.C. today announced that it is providing a total of $34.5 million to arts and culture organizations “to support resiliency and economic recovery for people working in the sector”.
As part of the provincial government’s year-end funding, $30 million will be distributed to 337 arts organizations through the BC Arts Council via Arts and Culture Resilience Supplements.
The one-time funding comes in response to the industry’s call for support as it continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, with effects like loss of audiences, increased costs, staffing shortages, and reduced revenues from sponsorships, memberships, admissions, and space rentals. (The Province provided similar support in February 2023, with a $30-million investment in the Fairs, Festivals and Events program. See Stir’s coverage here.)
In response to the need for arts spaces that are safe, affordable, and accessible, the Province is providing another $4.5 million in one-time funding to BC Arts Council for its Arts Infrastructure Program grants. This is in addition to the base budget of $4 million, meaning that a total of $8.5 million will be distributed to 128 arts and culture organizations for infrastructure.
“The past three years have been incredibly challenging for people earning a living in the arts and culture sector,” Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Lana Popham says in a release. “This funding is intended to help bolster resiliency of organizations in the industry and make a difference in addressing rising costs, so we can provide an arts and culture sector that benefits everyone, including our visitors.”
Among the recipients of the most significant Arts and Culture Resilience Supplements are Vancouver Art Gallery ($1,581,952), Vancouver Symphony Orchestra ($1,530,604), Arts Umbrella ($1,201,393), Arts Club Theatre Company ($1,066,207), Vancouver Opera ($710,849), Museum of Anthropology at UBC ($500,264), Ballet BC ($568,511), Pacific Opera Victoria ($492,996), Squamish Lil’Wat Cultural Centre ($283,539), Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery ($246,775), Museum of Vancouver ($244,845), Coastal Jazz & Blues Society ($243,964), Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society ($178,870). Richmond Gateway Theatre Society ($176,301), Surrey Art Gallery ($170,095), PuSh International Performing Arts Festival ($161,130), Kidd Pivot ($130,681), Early Music Vancouver ($129,483), Burnaby Art Gallery ($123,146), and Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art ($106,841).
Grant recipients of the Arts Infrastructure Program, meanwhile, include Vancouver International Film Festival ($250,000), Chinese Canadian Museum ($250,000), Massey Theatre Society ($206,670), and Little Mountain Gallery ($125,000).
“Affordable, accessible and appropriate space is essential for the continued existence of the arts in British Columbia,” Little Mountain Gallery executive director Brent Constantine says in a release. “We're thrilled to have received this funding, which will allow Little Mountain Gallery to serve as an artistic hub that cultivates an equitable, diverse and accessible comedy community in Vancouver for all. This much-needed infrastructure will foster the local comedy community and help independent artists develop their work and entertain local residents, as well as visitors from around the world. This funding affirms comedy as a distinct art form and an important element of the province's vibrant cultural scene."
Demi London, executive director of Gallery Gachet, which received a Resilience grant for $28,287 and an Infrastructure grant for $800, says in the release: "This grant will make a substantial difference in placing Gallery Gachet in a stronger position to support our community of artists in the Downtown Eastside. Alongside our community and juried exhibitions, the gallery is using this funding to develop an auxiliary media/digital arts platform for emerging IBPOC artists and to increase our volunteer program, where we foster a spirit of mentorship and skills development, encouraging community engagement in all facets of the gallery's operations and ecosystem."
The Province has provided approximately $47.5 million in one-time recovery support since the beginning of the pandemic.
More information is at BC Arts Council.
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