Azucena Rudland
What a great opportunity for the Nechako community Arts Council to host Arts Fest 2012.
Our team has embraced the organization of this event with pride and commitment.
2011 was a difficult year for the arts community in Vanderhoof. We lost our Arts Unlimited building, a space dedicated to artists and volunteer groups. We have not been able to secure another facility and believe that hosting the Arts Fest will be a good way to demonstrate the value of the arts to politicians, investors, and the public at large. We want them to understand the integral part that art plays in weaving the fabric of a community.
We are lucky to have organizations in the area that have stepped in to provide space for visual artists to display their work. The College of New Caledonia’s Vanderhoof Campus has joined the Fraser Lake Medical Clinic, the Onineca Medical Clinic and the Vanderhoof Library in installing tracking systems to hang artwork. These public spaces grant emerging and professional visual artists the opportunity to showcase their work and give residents local venues to enjoy visual art.
Arts Fest is an event tailored for emerging artists but it has proven, year after year, that it is also an opportunity for each community arts council to demonstrate the art of sharing. The Nechako Community Arts Council is no exception to this process. Our team has taken the challenge to invite other organizations to be a part of a whole week of events to commemorate BC Arts and Culture week from April 23 to April 29. We are celebrating our community’s diversity with food, music, literature, live theatre and visual arts events and we are sure these will demonstrate the magic of artistic and cultural activities in the spirit of a community.
We want to extend our gratitude to Maureen Mallais, College of New Caledonia’s Regional Director for offering the College’s space to host Arts Fest 2012. We’d also like to thank CIRAC, the Bulkley Nechako Regional District and the BC Arts Council for their financial support.
On a personal note, I’d like to extend a huge thank you to all the volunteers who have devoted endless hours in organizing this event. The Nechako Community Arts Council is looking forward to seeing all the artists and CIRAC members in our community in just a few weeks.