The Capital Regional District Arts Development Service has announced a series of Community Workshops as part of the ongoing community consultations for the CRD Arts Strategy: Building our #ArtsFuture Together.
Ten community workshops in seven different locations throughout the CRD will be held from September 19 to 23. A mix of day-time and evening public workshops are being offered on the Westshore in Colwood, on the Peninsula in Sidney, on Salt Spring Island, as well as in Sooke, Saanich and Victoria.
SEAPARC Leisure Complex will host the art workshops on September 21.
The workshops are designed to engage the local and regional community in identifying priorities and actions for the CRD Arts Strategy. They will also feature a discussion of the most recent findings from local research that has been undertaken during the summer months.
Each 2.5 hour, interactive workshop will use the same design to provide the following opportunities for participants:
- Hear information about public consultation activities so far.
- Review research results to-date (online survey; interviews; discussion forums, emails)
- Consider priorities for action and define major initiatives
- Identify missing information for decision-making
- Help to inform content of the Arts Champions Summit in November, a summit to evaluate and formulate a strategic arts action plan for the CRD
Those interested can simply select a location, date and time that is most convenient.
Registration information can be viewed online at https://surveys.crd.bc.ca/artsfuture.survey
Community members in the thirteen municipalities and electoral areas can visit the www.placespeak.com/CRDArtsFuture online platform for discussions, resource materials and updates on the consultation and engagement process.
Workshop dates, times and locations:
Monday, September 19, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Burnside Campus gym, 3130 Jutland Road, Victoria
Monday, September 19, 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Coastal Offices, 328 Wale Road, Colwood
Tuesday, September 20, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at SEAPARC Leisure Complex, 2168 Phillips Road, Sooke
Wednesday, September 21, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon and 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Burnside Campus gym, 3130 Jutland Road, Victoria
Thursday, September 22, 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Mahon Hall, 114 Rainbow Road, Salt Spring Island
Thursday: 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave, Sidney
Friday, September 23
9:30 am to 12 noon- Cedar Hill Recreation Centre,3220 Cedar Hill Rd, Saanich
Friday, September 23
2 pm to 4:30 pm – City Hall, Victoria, 1 Centennial Square
The Capital Regional District Arts Service is developing an action plan that will guide the implementation of the CRD Arts Strategic Plan for the next few years.
The CRD Arts Development Service is supported by eight municipalities: Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay, Esquimalt, Metchosin, Highlands, View Royal and Sidney.
In 2016, the CRD Arts Committee awarded $2,121,240 in Operating grants to 31 organizations, and a total of $175,985 in Project and IDEA grants to 49 organizations in the Capital Region.
For more about the CRD Arts Development Service, please visit https://www.crd.bc.ca/service/arts-funding.
In its 2015 to 2017 Strategic Plan, the CRD said it will assist in increasing arts and culture tourism to economic development in the region, as well as enable sustainable growth of the arts and arts organizations in the region.
Artists, arts organizations, arts administrators, board members, volunteers, donors, corporate sponsors, the business and tourism communities and interested not-for-profit organizations are encouraged to participate in this initial stage of this project.
“Art is the fuel of vibrant communities,” Inga Petri, Lead Consultant, Strategic Moves.