Alberni artists, we were so pleased by the turnout of our past Artist Roundtable, and the engaged discussion. Your passion is clear – you care about the future of the arts in the Alberni Valley! Some people were unable to attend on a Saturday, and since it is a busy season, we get it! However, due to the great conversations, we would like to capitalize on this momentum by scheduling a follow-up. 

Join us Monday, November 17th, starting at 5 PM. Make sure to send in your RSVP!

What we will discuss at our next Roundtable:

• We will do a quick review of the past information/any new updates
• We will take a poll of who would like to discuss the artist co-op model, or what the next question for the community is.
• We will break off into groups again, answering these questions.

In case you missed the last Round table, here’s what you need to know!

What was discussed:

• Modern Arts Councils are faced with new realities and need to adapt in order to be accessible, impactful, and sustainable. Yael Wand presented some great data that showed the change of arts societies across Canada.
• Many Arts Councils in BC have been placed in old, historic buildings and expected to maintain the buildings/grounds while funding their operations, which leads to burnout, a financial deficit and not accomplishing their mission.
• Our Arts Council is planning to transition to an “arts community development model”, which means some services and programs will be suspended during this time.
• We plan to move to the Chamber of Commerce building (Visitor Centre) in order to provide sustainability and explore new partnerships. This move means that the current gallery will be closing. Any official, public announcements will be done by the board President.
• Spaces such as galleries and markets are essential for artists in our community, but with the rising costs, it is harder to ensure they survive. Many people showed interest in an artist co-op to keep a public gallery open. 

Yael asked us these 4 guiding questions:

1. What kind of opportunities do local artists need in the Alberni Valley to thrive – creatively, professionally, financially?
2. How can we ensure that more of our community is included / participates in arts and cultural activities?
3. What local partnerships and collaborations can we foster to strengthen arts and culture?
4. What kind of cultural activities do you want to see more of in our community?

These have been compiled into a survey, so you can vote on existing answers, or add your own. This information will be used to directly impact our strategic plan (2026-2029).