A Message from Our Executive Director

Dear members and friends of the BC Alliance for Arts + Culture,

Last week, I spoke to NDP MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert (Vancouver-West End). He told me that the NDP plans to keep their election platform promises. He also said that the new budget will be released in September, so we’ll find out at that time just how the planned increases will be implemented at the BC Arts Council. I suspect the increased investment will happen over their four-year term.

Over the summer, the BC Alliance will be arranging for a fall meet-and-greet in Vancouver with the Honourable Lisa Beare, the new Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture. I encourage arts, culture and heritage organizations around the province to get together and organize similar events to introduce the new minister to your communities. 

Moving forward, let's express our gratitude, but also make sure that we are united in our message. This is where the BC Alliance can help most – by coordinating that message and organizing our sector to work together year-round on an arts, culture and heritage advocacy strategy.

That strategy includes an Arts Day at the Legislature, which we will begin to organize in September. We will need to work together to make this a reality. It is vital that we sustain our advocacy efforts until arts, culture and heritage are recognized not as special interests but as essential to the health, vibrancy and sustainability of BC's communities.

If you haven’t already, please take the time to read the ArtsVote BC website to see the recommended priorities for the new BC Arts Council funding.  

I hope you are all as excited as I am about the possibilities ahead.

Respectfully,

Brenda Leadlay
Executive Director
BC Alliance for Arts + Culture