Community Arts Education
All our programs are grounded upon a foundation of public education and involvement in the arts. Our work cultivates creative citizens in the Comox Valley at all ages and stages. Anyone is welcome to attend these opportunities, with or without previous experience or understanding of art. Our community education components are low-barrier (free and delivered at low-cost to the public).
Community Partnerships
As a small-staffed organization with outsized impact, we can do even more through partnering with other nonprofit organizations, businesses, institutions and local government. Some of our partnerships this year include working in concert with the Downtown Courtenay Business Improvement Association (DCBIA), the Comox Valley Farmers Market, the Immigrant Welcome Center, The SID Williams Theatre, the Comox Valley Art Gallery, The Courtenay Museum, Hornby Arts, The Home-based Business Association, Elevate the Arts, The Denman Gathering Space, The Comox Airport (YQQ), the Chamber of Commerce, the Vancouver Island Public Libraries and the City of Courtenay.
Community Need
Public support for arts and cultural resources in the Comox Valley is strong. We know our community seeks out opportunities to engage in arts learning. Surveys (including the City of Courtenay’s OCP and Cultural Planning Process) have found that there is ongoing and increasing demand for additional arts-based experiences and many residents as well as visitors to our area benefit from access and exposure to the arts.
Inclusivity and Accessibility
We aim to lead efforts in our region by ‘walking the walk’ to decolonize and offer truthfully inclusive and accessible art-based experiences for the public. We do this by evaluating our program through a JEDI + decolonization lens (Justice, Equity Diversity and Inclusion) and by reducing barriers to participation by people who are not traditionally served by Arts Councils (such as LGBTQ2S+, those in rural communities, people experiencing homelessness, Indigenous people and people of colour).
We use our robust virtual channels to amplify voices not yet at the table and see it as pivotal to the success of our organization to contribute in a meaningful way to reconciliation. All staff have taken cultural safety training sessions and extend themselves into the community as volunteers in adjacent spaces such as the Immigrant Welcome Centre and organized efforts to confront the toxic drug crisis.
Through our programming, we provide free and low cost avenues for the public to engage with the arts. We do outreach and targeted communication to difficult to reach populations and are listening and learning about ways we can improve and do a better job.
Our Strategic Priorities
Partnership
- Foster a strong arts, culture and heritage community;
- Exceed expectations of partnership agreements.
Equity
- Foster EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) throughout CV/Arts programs;
- Actively participate in decolonization and reconciliation initiatives;
- Advocate for equitable access to arts and culture funding and programs for underrepresented and/or equity seeking artists, organizations and community members;
- Support and create programming that promotes social inclusion and addresses important social issues.
Promotion
- Grow and Promote the Comox Valley as an arts and culture hub;
- Increase community investment in CV/Arts;
- Increase CV/Arts profile within the Comox Valley.
Impact
- Represent and advocate for local artists and patrons;
- Foster opportunities to experience arts, culture and heritage.
Capacity
- Build staff ad organizational capacity and cohesion;
- Enhance volunteer engagement;
- Ensure sustainable and diverse funding.