BC government announces grant funding for artists and arts organizations across B.C.
Grants are in response to such pandemic effects as temporary venue closures; help artists like Vancouver’s Davey Calderon pivot to digital
Davey Calderon is a a co-founder of New(to)Town Collective.
THE B.C. GOVERNMENT has announced it’s providing funding to artists throughout B.C. in response to the effects of COVID-19.
In the Lower Mainland, the government is providing a total of $4.3 million in grants to 189 artists and organizations. Recipients include Vancouver’s Health Arts Society, which has shifted its Concerts in Care series from in-person to digital so that seniors living in care can still experience performances by professional B.C. musicians. Artist Davey Calderon, a co-founder of New(to)Town Collective and Filipino Canadian-American actor and director, is adapting his solo drag and karaoke play into an interactive livestream performance.
“Like everyone in the performing arts, I miss performing in person,” Calderon said in a statement. “But thanks to this grant, I can adapt my show to engage audiences virtually and increase access for those that cannot attend venues anyways. This support from the BC Arts Council meaningfully helps artists like me through these difficult times.”
Elsewhere, the provincial government is providing nearly $782,000 in grants to 34 artists and organizations throughout the Interior, including the Oxygen Art Centre in Nelson and filmmaker Damien Eagle Bear.
In the North, more than $194,000 is being granted to seven artists and organizations, including the Haida Heritage Centre in Skidegate and Chilkat weaver Tina Robinson.
On Vancouver Island and the Coast, 60 artists and arts and culture organizations will receive $1.26 million in grants.
The funding is to help offset the consequences of temporary closures of venues and restricted audience sizes as artists and organizations find ways to create and disseminate work in new ways.
From April 2020 to March 2021, the BC Arts Council distributed more than 3,000 grants provincewide—a record high.
“People in the arts have used their ingenuity to find new ways to keep creating despite the pandemic,” Melanie Mark, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, said in a release. “Artists are so vital to our social and cultural fabric. These grants are empowering artists and organizations throughout B.C. to adapt their platforms so they can continue inspiring us.”
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