My departure

As most of you know by now, I am leaving the Alliance for Arts & Culture in August. I have the unique opportunity to return to my first love, theatre, by doing my MFA in Victoria under the tutelage of the incomparable Joan MacLeod, one of Canada's finest playwrights. Although I am saddened to leave the Alliance and my wonderful colleagues behind, I am very excited to begin this new chapter in my life.

In a few hours I will post information about my successor, who will be very familiar to many of you, but first I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience and support. When I started this job, I quoted Margaret Mead, who famously said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Advocacy is a slow, frustrating endeavour that often feels futile. Most of the time it seems as though you're running full tilt but still never getting anywhere. But I believe it's worth it. If this job has taught me one thing, it is that if we pull together, we can change things.

I'd also like to thank my colleagues - Bev Edgecombe, Florene Belmore, and Amir Ali Alibhai (also Angela Friesen, Martha Rans, Sharon Mah, Lori Knoll, and Andrew Wilhelm-Boyles... many of whom have since come and gone). They are kind and committed people. Be kind to them.

There are a few things we did during my time here that I am especially proud of - the event at the Stanley Theatre last October, the rebuilding of the website and the rebranding of the organization, the recent Vancouver Arts Summit... I will carry these memories with me for a long time. Thank you to everyone who made them possible, especially Sheryl McGraw and the rest of the gang at 2010 Legacies Now, my good friend Leif Miltenberger and the gang at Hired Guns Creative, and the committee who helped organize the All-Party Forum and Wrecking Ball cabaret.

It's been fun.

Sincerely,

Peter Boychuk
Director of Communications