August 26, 2010

Dear Mr Durrie,

Thank you for taking the time to write to us regarding the BC Spirit Festivals funding announcement and the Assembly of BC Arts Council’s role therein.

As you may know, the Assembly aims to “advance arts and cultural development in the Province of British Columbia through the furtherance of the respective objectives of B.C.’s community and regional arts councils and other similar organizations”. To this end, one of the Assembly’s key activities is advocacy on behalf of its members.

We hope the attached Q&A document and press release will provide you with further information regarding our role in administering the BC Spirit Festivals funding.

We are pleased to work with the Ministry and the BC Arts Council in increasing funding opportunities for our members and are optimistic that the Spirit Festivals will help mobilize community and regional arts councils and cultural organizations to showcase the best in arts and culture that our communities have to offer. For information on becoming a member, please visit our website: www.assemblybcartscouncils.ca

Yours sincerely,

Joan Richoz

President

Assembly of BC Arts Councils

For Immediate Release

August 5, 2010

ASSEMBLY OF BC ARTS COUNCILS ADVOCATES FOR

BC COMMUNITIES

NANAIMO- Building on its success in administering BC Arts and Culture Week and BC 150 funding programs, the Assembly of BC Arts Councils (the Assembly) has been asked to administer the BC Spirit Festival’s $3 million funding program in partnership with the British Columbia Arts Council.

The result follows months of advocacy work on behalf of its members with Ministry staff.

“Advocacy is our number-one purpose” noted Joan Richoz, President of the Assembly of BC Arts Council. “Over the past year, we have significantly increased our advocacy activities and are encouraged that our efforts have indirectly led to increased funding for our members, and in turn their communities, by the creation of the BC Spirit Festival grants.”

The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts announced last week $3 million in funding would be available for Assembly members, Aboriginal cultural organizations, Aboriginal Friendship Centres or Band Council applicants. Not wanting to administer the project themselves, the Ministry has asked the Assembly, in partnership with the British Columbia Arts Council, to employ a peer assessment process for determining program funding support.

“The Spirit Festival grants will help mobilize and strengthen arts councils and cultural organizations throughout the Province” said Assembly Executive Director, Junko Sakamoto. “As a result, they will provide the opportunity for individual arts and cultural organizations to work collaboratively in showcasing the best of what their communities have to offer.”

“Having strong regional and community arts councils is a great benefit to arts and cultural organizations and their communities over the long-term. The BC Spirit Festivals are a positive way to get individual organizations to work together with their arts councils and other cultural organizations.”

As an umbrella group, the Assembly brings to the attention of all levels of government the needs and concerns of its members, namely B.C.’s community and regional arts councils and other cultural organizations. An apolitical non-profit society, the Assembly is dependent on government grants for a significant portion of its budget. Its funding sources include the BC Arts Council, 2010 LegaciesNow, ArtsNow, and BC Gaming funds (Ministry of Housing and Social Development) to name a few.

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For more information on the Assembly of BC Arts Councils, please visit:

http://www.assemblybcartscouncils.ca

Contact: Junko Sakamoto, Executive Director, Assembly of BC Arts Councils

1-888-315-2288


ASSEMBLY OF BC ARTS COUNCILS

BC SPIRIT FESTIVALS GRANT ADMINISTRATION

Q&A

Q. 1 Does the $3M go directly to the Assembly? What is your organization’s role vis-àvis the British Columbia Arts Council in terms of administering this grant?

No. The money does not go directly from the Ministry to the Assembly of BC Arts Councils. The money goes to the British Columbia Arts Council who has asked the Assembly to provide third-party delivery of the funding.

This is not a new undertaking for the Assembly. In 2008, we were asked to administer the BC 150 funds to community arts councils. We also partnered with the British Columbia Arts Council to deliver this program. For the past 11 years, the Assembly has been the provider of third-party delivery of funding for Arts and Culture week in partnership with the British Columbia Arts Council and ArtStarts in Schools.

Q.2 a What advocacy activities has the Assembly carried out over the last year?

Over the past year we have significantly increased our advocacy efforts.

In July 2009 when Gaming funding cuts were announced which heavily impacted arts organizations, we carried out an in-depth survey with our members to gauge the impact of the cuts. We then sent letters to Premier Campbell, Ministers Krueger, Hansen and Coleman, demonstrating the value of arts and culture in our communities and describing the consequences of the cuts. We also urged our members to write to the Premier, Ministers and their own municipal governments. Members also attended pre-budget Finance Committee consultations which led to the Finance Committee’s decision to put forward the recommendations of members and community arts organizations to government. As such, we set up a dialogue with the Ministry and we are pleased with our leadership on behalf of members.

Q.2b How does this fit with your organization’s purpose?

The Assembly of BC Arts Councils is a provincially incorporated society and federally registered charity dedicated towards advocacy , resources and community .

The Assembly is the voice for the arts in BC: it is the largest representative body of community and regional arts councils (and in turn, their member arts and cultural organizations) throughout BC and works in partnership with other agencies, organizations and individuals to advance arts and cultural development in the Province of British Columbia.

Q.3 How did the Assembly propose the idea of the BC Spirit Festivals funding?

In January 2010, the Assembly invited Minister Krueger to attend our 31st annual conference in Richmond in May. During his keynote speech, he spoke about the $30 million 2010 Arts and Legacy Fund his government had created and he asked our members to send him their ideas and proposals for how to spend the money.

Many members spoke to him personally at the conference and others sent him their ideas and proposals. The Assembly also sent 4 proposals including one to increase the funding for Arts and Culture Week, a program we have been co-producing with ArtStarts in Schools. All our proposals caught the eye of the Minister and he requested a meeting with our Executive Director, Junko Sakamoto, to further discuss the ideas.

Q.4 How will the BC Spirit Festivals help individual organizations?

Funding is available to assist BC Spirit Festivals in communities across BC. Each community is encouraged to work collaboratively to develop its festival program.

Preference will be given to festival programs that build local partnerships, work with professional arts organizations, and engage professional artists and diverse communities.

The deadline for applications is : October 6, 2010 at 1:00pm. For more information on applications, who can apply and how to apply please visit:

http://www.assemblybcartscouncils.ca or contact our office directly by calling 1-888-315-2288 and we will be happy to discuss your application proposal before you make a submission.