The Long Road to Toilets

Methinks I predicted things a little too early. This morning brought a happenstance meeting with the contractor, and our new date of completion for the washrooms is May 31. Apparently the tile guy is a perfectionist (which we don't usually mind around here) and is therefore taking another full week to finish his part of the job. Looks like the June 3 opening reception truly will be the unveiling of the bathrooms. Do I hear $100 to cut the ribbon and have the first visit?

Bathroom Musings

My e-grammar needs work, but I've just started a Twitter account as SAGAcurator, so that people can follow the mysterious inner workings of the gallery. For instance, the floor and wall tile on one bathroom is complete - it looks fantastic despite being a week behind schedule. For those of you who are concerned about tearing out bathrooms in this historic building, rest assured. The design is very classic, not trendy, a little retro, with good quality hardware and fixtures. The various floor, tile, plumbing, drywall and electrical contractors have been coming and going, popping in and out in between six or seven other jobs. Bless them, they wander into the main gallery and say "gee, nice room. This used to be the library, ya know." Does this mean I can mark another visitor on the tally sheet? The smell of glue sent me fleeing last Friday, but I'll be back in the office Tuesday in preparation for the amalgamation meeting on Wednesday the 25th. I think we'll still be using the "Court-a-potty" but maybe by Friday we'll have one functioning toity. Ah, the joys of renovations.

CAGE conference

I have just returned from the Canadian Art Gallery Educators conference in Calgary. It was fantastic, not just because the case studies were inspiring and the tours of other facilities were wonderful, but because the other attendees were just an amazing group of people! There were only about 15 of us, but from big and small galleries all over Canada; Halifax, McMichael, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Burnaby... and then me - from little ol' Salmon Arm. The others were specifically educators, titled Program Managers and the like, there representing a larger staff at their home gallery. Still, I felt very welcomed and encouraged by this professional development organization. At the AGM, there was discussion on how to further extend the learning from each other, and whether symposia were the way to go (given lower attendance due to shrinking budgets all over the arts sector). But ultimately we decided that the networking and the sheer fun of getting together, talking, sharing, touring and getting inspired is worth the trip.

"Art Galleries are not eligible."

The sentence couldn't be more clear. It is the 2011 BC Gaming grant eligibility requirements on their website. I was directed there by Ursula Cowland from the Ministry. I asked her in a recent email "Hey, people keep asking me if we're getting our gaming money now that Christy Clark has announced she's returning the funding... so, are we?" Ursula replied "Well, that money has already gone where it's supposed to go, mainly to the "Family First" initiatives." It seemed promising that she then suggested I check out the new "Fairs, Festivals and Museums" section of the grant guidelines. But when I got there... "Art Galleries are not eligible." I blinked a few times and then gave up the faint hope that someday the province would find a way to fund us.

TONAC & Money

Yesterday I travelled to Kelowna for the annual Thompson Okanagan Network of Arts Councils meeting. A typical meeting, we gave our reports and noted the absence of more than half of the Arts Councils. Nice to see that the Kelowna group is getting some youth action, having done a very cool installation event in an old motel, the "Mad Hatter," in March with a bunch of UBC-O art students. The issue of the moment is how BC Arts Council distributes provincial money. Our per capita grant has been cut in half as of last year. Apparently they are putting more of that money into the performance grant (money for ACs that do a good job fulfilling their mandate). But I think it's all smoke and mirrors. When you change a formulated funding system, you can easily reduce the total and no one really notices. Except, of course, the little guy at the end of the line who wonders why they have to cut back their programs in order to survive.

Then we discussed the recent Christie Clark announcement "hey everybody! gaming grants are coming back!" Whee! Oh, wait a minute. Are we suddenly eligible again? That's how they dumped us two years ago, by changing the eligibility requirements to youth-only programs. Funny, but I can't seem to find that information. I'm not sure I'm willing to spend two weeks writing a gaming grant application only to get zero and find out we still aren't eligible. A little clarity would be nice, Premier Clark.

Amalgamation

The term that caught our ear was "superboard." It brought images of us all wearing a giant "S" on our blue unitards. We laughed long and hard, but then got down to business. The Shuswap District Arts Council and Shuswap Art Gallery Association (SAGA) are amalgamating. The Arts Centre has housed both organizations for the last 16 years, and it has become clear that they both have the same goals in mind - to provide excellent arts programming to this community. The benefits include greater cost efficiencies in accounting, insurance, office expenses, staffing, memberships and contracts. This is going to save literally thousands of dollars. The drawbacks, I don't know, haven't thought of any yet. Everything will look and feel the same as it did before. The gallery will continue to operate as it has done for the last 17 years. The Arts Council will continue to manage programs such as Wednesday On the Wharf (now in happy partnership with the Downtown Association). To most nothing will change. To SDAC and SAGA members, they will have one membership to pay each year and won't have to remember to which organization they belong. To me, the big plus is one board meeting a month, one AGM a year, one Annual Report to prepare, one phone to answer.... the list goes on.

Imagine a stable, secure arts organization with a full strong board of directors, financially sustainable, able to not only provide but expand its programming in the arts. That's a plus for Salmon Arm.

The Queue

This morning I arrived at 6:55am to find that I am number 28 in the line-up for late French Immersion, class maximum is 30. I wiped the sweat from my brow, phoned the next mom on my list, and settled in for a 24 hour wait. Lawn chairs, blankets, coffee mugs of epic proportions surround me. I take a moment to let it all sink in. I wonder not only if my 10-year old has any appreciation for what I'm doing for her, but also if half of Salmon Arm is shutting down today. I see construction workers, a doctor, a counsellor, two music teachers, a speech pathologist, a dance instructor, a financial advisor, and another couple of dozen people whose profession will remain a mystery because they are so deeply involved with their laptops that they may never speak. Perhaps tonight when the poker game breaks out and everyone's support network starts delivering prohibited substances we'll get to know each other a little more. Right now, the early and late immersion parents are just happy to have a secure spot for their kid in the program, a decision that may or may not have anything to do with their dedication to the French language. Many are just seeking alternatives.