Monday June 22, 2020 ~ VICTORIA, BC
by Mary Brooke, editor ~ West Shore Voice News
The Capital Regional District (CRD) has announced a broad-based community engagement and consultation process about regional performing arts facilities.
The engagement is called STAGE ONE: A Public Conversation about Performing Arts Facilities in the CRD.
To assist with this process, the CRD Regional Arts Facilities Select Committee has hired Strategic Moves, of Whitehorse, Yukon, under the leadership of Inga Petri.
Four meetings over four days:
They will hold several pre-consultation sessions via password-protected Zoom Meetings from June 23 to 26, 2020.
Leadership in the arts community is invited to register for one of the following sessions. Sessions will be capped at about 25 participants, as a way to ensure effective dialogue about the proposed process.
To register for one of the sessions, choose a date and click on the link:
Tuesday, June 23, 3 pm to 4:15 pm | Wednesday, June 24, 1 pm to 2:15 pm | Wednesday, June 24, 5 pm to 6:15 pm | Friday, June 26, 12 noon to 1:15 pm
“We encourage everyone with an interest in arts facilities in our region to participate in this initial stage of this project: artists, arts organizations, arts administrators, board members, volunteers, donors, sponsors, the business and tourism communities and interested not-for-profit organizations,” it was stated in a CRD news release on Friday.
What to expect:
The pre-consultation sessions are promoted as a unique opportunity to ensure the project’s focal points are relevant and meaningful to the performing arts ecosystem in the CRD. At each session participants will:
· Learn about the purpose, scope and timelines of this community-engaged work
· Meet the consultant team led by Inga Petri of Strategic Moves
· Review and offer input to the consultation process itself
· Meet and work with others from the performing arts communities
Strategies and Corporate Plan:
During public consultations to inform the CRD Arts & Culture Support Service Arts Strategy Implementation in 2016, members of the arts communities made clear their desire for more varied performance spaces, and a wider range of affordable work and creation spaces. While some community groups have brought forward specific ideas to build new venues in their communities, none have advanced.
As part of their 2019-2023 Corporate Plan, the CRD Board has created the Regional Arts Facilities Select Committee and engaged Strategic Moves to facilitate a discussion on the region’s arts facilities’ needs, develop an analysis of those needs, and develop recommendations for future work.
Topics for discussion:
Issues to be considered in the discussion may include but are not limited to:
· the current inventory and oversight of performing art facilities, their functions and roles within the current ecosystem
· gap analysis
· equity including demographic and geographic equity
· considerations related to the intersection of local and regional interests
· funding and sustainability
· challenges
· suggested modifications and improvements (short and long term)
· partnerships
· other relevant issues as may arise
===== RELATED:
Performing Arts Centre proposed for development in Langford (February 25, 2020)
Performing Arts Centre proposed for development in Colwood (May 15, 2020)