April 26th was a special day for the Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Centre Society (PACS). More than 70 people from arts groups across Greater Victoria joined us to provide their wisdom and advice as we work to create the West Shore Arts and Culture Centre.
Our Building for the Future of the Arts in Our Community workshop began with a blessing from Songhees Nation member Diane Sam, and drumming and singing from the Aunty Collective. That set the tone for a high energy day!
Keynote speaker Alex Sarian—President of the Calgary Arts Commons and author of The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts and Culture—challenged and inspired the 70+ participants.Key takeways from Alex’s presentation included:
- Anyone can build a building. The real question is: what value will it bring to the community?
- Gathering spaces are essential to our civic and cultural responsibility.
- Arts and culture are not spectator sports. Whose stories are being told (or not)?). How do we balance artistic risk with financial sustainability and remove financial barriers to participation—without sacrificing the quality of programming?
- In a world of “funflation,” where people are going into debt for social and cultural experiences, meaning matters more than ever.
- Philanthropy becomes the true measure of impact — the dollars and volunteerism represent the depth of belief in the change we’re making. Where are you investing in your community? Where can you support more?
Watch the video of Alex’s presentation:
Afternoon workshops, led by Cascadia Architects, saw participants taking a deep dive into the proposed spaces and programming. The ideas were flying fast and furious! The discussions showed us that the 2022 Feasibility Study is ‘on track’, and that these spaces will serve to fill an important gap in the Capital Region’s arts ecosystem.
A huge thank you to everyone who came out and participated! Your contributions are essential and welcomed!
Photo credit: Jason Guille, Sunset Labs
