On behalf of Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Peter Fassbender, Cariboo North MLA Coralee Oakes congratulates the Island Mountain Arts Society for receiving $40,000 as part of the 2016-17 Collaborative Spaces program, which encourages co-operation between arts organizations through the sharing of space and specialized equipment.

Funding will support improvements to an interdisciplinary arts residency facility to address a wide range of art forms and community uses. The improvements will make the space more appealing for regional, provincial, national and international artists and their projects year round.

Collaborative arts spaces are an important contributor to British Columbia’s growing creative economy. These creative clusters, or ‘hubs’, are mixed-use, flexible spaces that blend educational, recreational and cultural engagement uses.

By investing in arts and culture spaces, the Collaborative Spaces program generates new artistic opportunities, facilitates collaboration, enhances accessibility for artists and audiences, and strengthens local economies throughout B.C.

The Government of British Columbia is investing approximately $60 million in arts and culture in 2016-17 to support a thriving creative economy. As part of the Creative Economy Strategy, Government is targeting $1.5 million towards collaborative spaces over three years.

Quotes:

Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development –

“Cultural infrastructure is the foundation of a thriving creative sector. By investing in space and equipment for B.C. artists, and encouraging collaboration amongst artists to maximize the benefits of these resources, our government is supporting cultural activity that leads to healthy, vibrant communities and a strong creative economy.”

Coralee Oakes, MLA for Cariboo North –

“The Island Mountain Arts Society has been serving northern B.C. for almost 40 years and represents an anchor for our local arts community in Wells. The upgrades to the facility will go a long way toward attracting new talent and artists to our region.”

Quick Facts:

• The Collaborative Spaces program is investing $499,500 in 13 arts organizations in 2016-17. The 2015-16 Collaborative Spaces pilot project invested $436,300 in 11 arts organizations.
• Launched in February 2016, the Government of British Columbia’s three-year Creative Economy Strategy is supporting and growing the creative sector. This strategy focuses on four key areas:
  • Leveraging talent and creative clusters.
  • Accessing new markets.
  • Maximizing investment.
  • Enriching communities.

• The United Nations has identified the creative economy as one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors for income generation, job creation and export earnings.

Learn More:

• Creative Economy Strategy: http://www.gov.bc.ca/creativeeconomy