Only the Strong Survive

It's been nearly 18 months since the first of the devastating cuts hit the arts sector in BC. It's no longer front page news, and therefore has fallen out of people's minds, replaced by terrorist attacks, riots and earthquakes. Perhaps this is the government's intentions, that people will forget what happened, pick up the slack (once again) and do what we all enjoy doing, making it happen with volunteers and bake sales. However, this is the point where I'm starting to feel weary of the hard uphill climb with less money. This is our second year with the much-reduced operating budget. Scramble scramble, looking at all options, partner here, partner there. What would it look like if the two arts organizations, SAGA and the Arts Council, became one? Some dollars saved, for sure. The vision and the mandate? What would that look like? Together, both could have more impact, more sustainability. Apart, they could continue to struggle just for survival. While the population of the Shuswap continues to grow, who is going to expand arts programming to meet the demand? Not two small organizations just struggling to stay afloat. One bigger arts organization with a beautiful vision of art for everyone... maybe!