New Community Roundtable Speaker Series presents the pre-history of ArtSpring
As ArtSpring readies to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of opening its doors this April, over a decade of petitioning, fundraising, coordinating, and building occurred in the community leading up to that big day.
Come learn more about the “pre-history of ArtSpring” at this panel discussion designed to share stories and lived experiences on how and why the dream of ArtSpring came to be. The challenges this “little island that could” faced. And won! The panel, Q and A, and coffee mingler session is free to the public Saturday March 16 from Noon-2pm. SSI Spinner and Weavers Guild and Painters Guild will have work on display.
“The story of why ArtSpring was wanted and needed and how it was achieved is an epic drama,” explains April Curtis, who served on the first Island Arts Centre Society board formed in 1989. “It’s a perfect theme to set the tone for engaging long time residents, while inviting more recent arrivals to learn about our unique history and culture.”
Panelists include: April Curtis, Sue Newman, Victoria Olchowecki, and Tom Toynbee.
- April Curtis will be touching on how the seed grants arose, fundraising events by enthusiastic groups, how the community came together with over 12,000 signatures on petitions to prove our needs and desire for a home for the arts on Salt Spring. The process of finding land, architects, design plans, and grant proposals will be touched on and the forming of the first Board of Directors.
- Sue Newman will be covering the music, dance and education contributions and needs for that group of artists, musicians, choirs, bands and students and the involvement of the community in early productions on the island which contributed to the enthusiastic engagement of many groups and families.
- Olivia Olchowecki will speak to the history of the art and craft guilds and their members. Their growth and influence in the community which was such a large part of the development of the Arts Council and whose skills spurred the early reputation of Salt Spring as the island of artists. Their members were a critical part of the strong support for the development of ArtSpring.
- Tom Toynbee will touch on the exciting drama of the difficulties and the costs of building an art centre. With critical moments of stops and starts, some doubted whether it even could be finished. He will reveal the story of how and who gave the final lift which made it possible to cross the finish line and open the doors of the Island Arts Centre.
This is the first in an ongoing speaker series to be coordinated by the newly launched Community Roundtable Committee, a volunteer group passionate about developing public programming for ArtSpring to engage and grow community creative thinking, skill sets, and involvement through local speakers, workshops, and networking cafés.