O'er the Holidays We Go

Hooray for holidays. I really needed some time off. The gallery and Arts Council office are closed until January 11. However, I have a few meetings and proposals to manage before then, so I'm not really on holidays the whole time. A solid two weeks is still fabulous. I look forward to getting to know my kids again, spending some time in the studio, and eating all the amazing food that my wonderful friends have gifted us. LF makes the most amazing chocolate-nut item, DPJ makes almond roca, MC makes salsa, LF2 makes peach jam, JA makes ginger shortbread... oh I have the best friends in the world!

New Gallery Hours

Gallery hours will be changing come January 2010. Beginning with our first open day on Saturday, January 23, hours will be 11am to 4pm. This will make our volunteer host shifts 2.5 hours in length instead of two hours. There will be only two shifts per day rather than three. One staff person has had their hours cut from 12 to 10 hours per week. We have been randomly tracking attendance between 10am and 11am, and the numbers have shown us that fewer than 5% of our daily visitors arrive between 10am and 11am. Therefore, looking for places to cut, this seemed a reasonable action.

All Through the Shopping

For many people, Christmas is about shopping and buying presents for all their loved ones. I almost got sucked in this year, as I browsed the Zellers toy section looking for a Barbie radio. Nothing. I thought, "hmm, where might I find such a thing?" but then quickly caught myself and vowed not to add to the carbon output of Canada by traveling from store to store looking for a plastic toy.

That said, I am running around town promoting the Affordable Art Fair at the gallery. 120 original works by local artists, all under $200. Each of these items holds a tremendous amount of energy, wild flowing artistic energy that continues to ooze out of the work for many many years. The same can't be said for that plastic Barbie radio. I realized that shopping can be a wonderful addition to the Christmas season because you can delight in finding the perfect personal gift for the people closest to you. The art of giving has its own energy. Done well, it makes everyone feel joyful. It's only the stress of line-ups, hot malls, traffic jams and cranky clerks or shoppers that spoils it. This is the best reason to come to the gallery and do your shopping there. We're much more relaxed. The Affordable Art Fair runs until Dec. 12.

Death by Chocolate

Two main themes dominated our discussion at the Arts Council's board meeting today: the job list for the Chocolate Reception we're having after the White Lights Christmas Studio Tour on Saturday, and the multiple wounds inflicted on us by the funding cuts via BCAC and Direct Access. We've been decapitated (or, as Jaci put it "the other way around, because 92% of us is gone) by the two major sources of operating funding. Technically, we have no secure operating funds. Of course, revenue generated from fundraisers like White Lights is ours to use as we see fit, and SAGA just received its news about CSA granting some operating funds, but overall there is no light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to stable funding just to stay staffed and pay the rent. Why, then, are we all just putting one foot in front of the other, celebrating, making music, having parties... I just shake my head and laugh, because it's who we are. I love what I do, it's fun. We'd all find a way to do it anyway. I fear the only major repercussion of the funding cuts is that we can't involve the broader community - children, seniors, low-income families - we can't provide the programs to expand the arts. That is a wound that affects everyone, one that can bleed a province to death.

Council said YES!

Hooray! City Council approved SAGA's request for $7500 in operating funds for 2010! We're so happy - and Council was very positive, the vote was unanimous. I'm thrilled. It shows that this place means something to everyone in this community.

Clyde likes me!

Not that I've been feeling like a voice in the wilderness, but I've said many times that Salmon Arm needs an Arts & Culture Policy, and subsequently a Public Art Policy. We need a collective cultural vision for this community. It should be part of the OCP. Yada yada yada. I've talked to a few CSA councillors, they nod in agreement, then give me the "we have lots of priorities" routine. I haven't pushed, I'm trying to work within the system, do my job. Today, after a meeting with Clyde Tucker about a Grantor's Roundtable being planned for the new year, he told me he commented on my post on Aim High Salmon Arm. I immediately checked it (I'm not very prompt about this sort of thing) and I was delighted that he agreed with everything I said. His last statement was "Bottom line: Salmon Arm needs a Cultural Master Plan." Yay! Somehow, when Clyde Tucker says it's a good idea, it suddenly becomes a good idea. He has an amazing amount of experience in policy, planning, investing, strategizing... the list goes on. He's a community treasure. I feel rejuvenated by his comments, and want to work harder to make Arts & Culture Policy for Salmon Arm a reality.

Arts Matters

I listened with interest to CBC Daybreak's special this week "Arts Matters." Heard from a few people whose names I know from various media releases and events promotion. Today there was a public forum in Kelowna. One fellow was talking about how a new and otherwise unsellable development in Toronto brought in an arts component and suddenly blossomed to become a cultural destination. He also advocated for creating a low-cost district for artists, making it easier for them to live/work in publicly accessible studios. This plan re-invigorates communities, making them lively and interesting for everyone. Makes me think that our little cultural district in Salmon Arm (from Filiatrault's on Hudson, up past the gallery and down to the theatre) can use some attention. What would happen if the landlords in that area made space available to visual and performing artists at cost-recovery rates. For instance, that lovely little space in the bottom of the old courthouse. There are likely many little cubby-holes that can be turned into studio space for artists, thus giving that area more creative energy. More fun for both visitors and residents... with the added bonus of keeping young people in the community.