General Meeting Doesn't Appeal

Today was the bi-annual General Meeting of the Arts Council. Each year, we call this meeting to hand out the co-sponsorship grants and give opportunity to arts groups to network, compare event dates, brag about accomplishments. This particular meeting was also meant to share information on the recent cuts to Direct Access and BC Arts Council. We announced that the two co-sponsorship grants given out this year would be our last. Funny thing was, hardly anyone turned out to hear the news. In fact, the two groups who were to receive money didn't show up. What this says about the Arts Council's purpose in the community, I don't know. What was decided by 6pm while Delores and I cleaned up the coffee and cookies... this was our last General Meeting.

News about Direct Access

Recent news from Rich Coleman indicates that arts and culture programs have been cut from Direct Access. He stated something about not being able to justify supporting certain programs. I wonder if he's ever lived in a community where the volunteer sector and non-profit organizations make the quality of life so vibrant. Oh well, his loss, I guess. There was a slight hint that some children's programs might still be eligible. Since the gallery's Family Saturday program is geared toward kids and parents spending some creative time together, I'm not sure that we'd qualify for any dough. I long ago gave up on Direct Access. While others said "next year," I said "they just won the lottery, why would they give it back?" The real question is, why is this government using gaming profits for essential programs, like health and education? That's a little scary, if you ask me, and certainly not fiscally responsible.