re:generation / BC Cultural Roundtable 2016: Facing The Future of Arts & Culture Leadership

More than 150 BC arts, culture, and heritage community workers gathered last Thursday, June 9, at the Anvil Centre in New Westminster to address the challenges of the changing landscape of leadership in our sector.

Participants in re:generation: BC Cultural Roundtable 2016 attended from as far as Fort St. John, Williams Lake, Nakusp, the Cowichan Valley and the Okanagan, and included more than a dozen students in the Arts and Entertainment Management Certificate program at Capilano University.

They were joined by dozens more around the province watching by live stream and submitting questions and comments via email and Twitter, including groups in Nelson, Kelowna, and Nanaimo.

Panelists, presenters, and breakout session moderators ably represented the generational, cultural, and experiential diversity of our communities.

Setting the tone for the day was an excellent and interactive keynote address by Emiko Ono, a program officer with The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation’s Performing Arts Program. Ms. Ono’s research on the Canadian and British Columbian arts and culture scene enabled her to give local context to her recent study, “Moving Arts Leadership Forward: A Changing Landscape”. 

The afternoon breakout sessions, guided by facilitator and graphic recorder Sam Bradd, delved deeper into the day’s two themes of Engagement & Support and Transition & Legacy, and asked participants to identify what was most important to them in the context of those themes, what they saw as the opportunities at hand, and what they believed it would take to create meaningful change.

The day concluded with a celebratory reception at nearby el Santo restaurant and a farewell diner for Alliance for Arts + Culture departing executive director Rob Gloor.

A summary report of the day’s proceedings and outcomes will be available shortly. Footage from the live stream is available online here and photos of the gathering can be viewed on the Alliance's Facebook page here. 

Comments on this year’s conference and ideas for themes and topics for BC Cultural Roundtable 2017 can be sent to Kevin Dale McKeown at kdm@allianceforarts.com.