The Sunshine Coast Arts Council will issue an invitation to an Arts Round Table Nov. 15 in Sechelt.
It's an exploratory meeting, says council past president Dick Harrison, to share ideas for improving communication and collaboration among the many local arts groups.
"We want the advantage of co-operation without surrendering any autonomy," says Harrison. "We also don't want to step on each other's grant applications."
For example, the District of Sechelt has its own arts advisory group and he feels that others in the community should know what goals the town will be pursuing this year to avoid duplication.
The Coast Cultural Alliance, an arts and culture marketing organization, could also benefit from co-operation, says CCA president Jan Jensen.
"It's a window of opportunity," she says. "There's so much going on in the arts community. I'd love for the experience to be more collaborative."
The Round Table will open with reports on two works in progress. Don Basham of the Community Foundation will present information on two subjects: the advantages of building an endowment for organizations and the B.C. Arts Renaissance matching endowment fund. Artist Jan Poynter, who has been working closely with the Spirit of B.C. Community Committee, is seeking funding for a cultural scan, a kind of inventory of all organizations, facilities and people devoted to arts and culture on the Coast. She will explain this project. The meeting will break into smaller groups to share ideas and common concerns and then reconvene to gather ideas and assess support for a continuing round table.
Co-operation among the various groups has not always been good in the past, Harrison admits.
"Sometimes I think that arts groups formed for the sole purpose of disagreeing," he says.
But on this occasion, he feels that the will is there.
"Groups are eager to see something like this happen," he adds.
The initiative also reflects recent changes in the decades-old organization in order to make it more relevant to today's arts community. It's been in need of refreshing for some time but has tended to shy away from other groups. A new Arts Council board under president Dorothy Fraser is open to co-operation and building momentum in the arts.
The Arts Council receives regular funding from the B.C. Arts Council to run an arts centre and gallery in Sechelt, sponsor awards for artistic achievement, publish a member magazine, Artistry, and organize annual craft fairs.
The Round Table takes place Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. at the Seaside Centre in Sechelt.
