Devon MacKenzie
News contributor
The Saanich Peninsula plays host to many arts-related events throughout the year, but not often is the team behind those events talked about.
Between the ArtSea Gallery at Tulista Park, the bi-annual Studio Tours, the Lantern Festival and the Sidney Fine Art Show, the volunteers (including executive members) of the ArtSea Community Arts Council are busy year-round – and they’re looking to add more events to their calendar for 2018.
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“Community engagement is our focus for this year,” explained ArtSea President, Diane Thorp.
“The Lantern Festival was a huge success with the community last year, so we will continue to expand that, as well as continue with the other programming we’ve always offered.”
The ArtSea council will be working towards a new event – a plein air arts event – that will be held in concurrence with the B.C. Boat Show which runs May 3 to 6 at Port Sidney Marina.
At its core, ArtSea is a volunteer-run umbrella arts organization that helps makes it possible for residents to continue to enjoy local arts programming through their support of all forms of the Arts and cultural activities on the Saanich Peninsula.
“The board is working in a new direction,” explained Thorp, adding that instead of having board members working on events, they support the work of the whole organization and the dedicated committees for each event.
“They report to us, but the respective committees spend their energies on their own projects rather than having to spend their time at the table with us,” she laughed.
All the board related business like the organization’s finances and capacity are taken care of by the board, she added, but the rest falls on the committees.
“We’ve really moved into a different phase of growth by working to increase the support and promotion of all forms of the arts and cultural activities on the Saanich Peninsula,” she explained.
“We have people on the board who have spent a long time with us, but we are always in need of new members, especially with our eyes set on innovation and growth.”
ArtSea Community Arts Council actually rebranded from the Community Arts Council of the Saanich Peninsula last year, Thorp added, another way they are aiming to up their presence within the community.
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Thorp encourages anyone with an interest in the arts who enjoys working as a team, learning new skills and being involved in community activities, to consider joining the board.
“When you become involved with ArtSea and its programs, you are really helping to nourish the arts here on the Saanich Peninsula,” Thorp added.
If you are interested in joining ArtSea, call 250-656-6609 or email dcthorp@telus.net.
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