Five years later, vital work on Vancouver’s 2019 Cultural Infrastructure Plan is back on track

VANCOUVER (Musqueaum, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories) – Since 2010 Vancouver has lost more than 400 artist production spaces, music and performing arts venues, and art galleries. Working with arts and culture leaders, OneCity Councillor Christine Boyle’s motion to protect arts and culture spaces passed unanimously today. The motion is a vital step in protecting and expanding affordable arts and culture spaces in Vancouver, and fulfilling the actions outlined in Making Space for Arts and Culture: Vancouver Cultural Infrastructure Plan.

“Arts and culture are vital to maintaining a livable city and to show more artists that they belong in Vancouver. Council unanimously approved a Cultural Infrastructure Plan plan in 2019. Now we need to follow through, providing the support, alongside regulatory and zoning changes, to create an affordable city for arts and culture to thrive,” says Christine Boyle, City Councillor, OneCity Vancouver. “OneCity campaigned on championing artists and cultural organisations and we will continue to ensure the preservation and expansion of cultural spaces in Vancouver”.

The most critical challenge facing the arts and culture sector is affordability, which, paired with a complex regulatory environment, causes artists to be pushed underground and makes finding cultural space for non-profits nearly impossible. A tangible loss since 2010 of more than 400 artist production spaces, music and performing arts venues, and art galleries in Vancouver has inhibited creativity and culture. With more artists and cultural workers being priced out of Vancouver than ever before, Boyle’s successful motion means these workers will be supported with practical solutions to remove red tape and direct support to arts and culture groups so they can benefit the most from this plan.

This motion will re-task existing City of Vancouver staff with unique knowledge and skills to support arts and culture groups in navigating complex City processes relating to permits, renovations, and development. Other cities like Seattle and Austin have dedicated staff to these sorts of projects to assist arts organisations and non-profits in navigating complex regulations.

The motion also directs staff to take the lead from local arts organisations like 221A to form an interdepartmental working group and provide recommendations for how the City of Vancouver can support the development of a Cultural Land Trust. A cultural land trust would transform the arts in Vancouver creating a new model for artists and cultural organisations and include diverse Vancouverites to create an independent organisation with strong governance to provide these spaces for artists.

“We can't afford to lose one more venue. Arts and Culture in Vancouver can only thrive if the right tools are made available to us and this motion is a great starting point.” said Alen Dominguez, Board Chair for Vancouver Creative Space Society. “If we had had a central contact within the permitting department to guide us it would have meant we could save time and money and get back to providing a hub to showcase the city’s talented performers.” said Brent Constantine, Executive Director for Little Mountain Gallery.

This motion marks an important turning point toward a vibrant arts and culture resurgence within Vancouver.

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Support from local arts organizations:

“Councillor Boyle's motion addresses these challenges head-on by proposing several critical initiatives. removing regulatory barriers, providing support for arts and culture groups,navigating permitting and development processes, and exploring zoning reform tools to create and retain arts and culture spaces would be immensely beneficial to many organisations including Beaumont. The establishment of an independent, not-for-profit Cultural Land Trust in Vancouver, would be a significant step forward in not only protecting but expanding our arts and culture spaces.”

Jude Kusnierz
Executive Director
The Beaumont Studios

“Sustainable, affordable and appropriate cultural space is essential for Vancouver’s arts communities. Arts infrastructure across the city is being lost to development and recreating that space is extremely costly and complicated for arts groups that don’t have the expertise to lead a capital project.  This motion will especially help small arts organisations that don’t have the capacity to navigate the City of Vancouver’s permitting, licensing and development processes. When we were developing our space, the amount of work needed to understand the City’s systems was costly and frustrating and almost ended our project several times. If we had had a central contact within the permitting department to guide us it would have meant we could save time and money and get back to providing a hub to showcase the city’s talented performers.”

Brent Constantine
Executive Director
Little Mountain Gallery

“On behalf of the Vancouver Creative Space Society (C-Space) and the thousands of performing artists that create work from our facilities, I wholeheartedly support Christine Boyle's motion to protect and expand Arts and Culture spaces that are the backbone of the live arts industry. We can't afford to lose one more venue. Arts and Culture in Vancouver can only thrive if the right tools are made available to us and this motion is a great starting point.”

Alen Dominguez
Board Chair for Vancouver Creative Space Society (C-Space)
Managing Director for Neworld Theatre