The Community Arts Council will use its share of $200,000 in new city funding to add a key new position.
Eli Klasner, executive director of the Community Arts Council, said he was pleased with the positive result of a Sept. 25 delegation to city council to request the increase in funding.
“What I’m really excited about and this has been my goal for the city – we need an arts and culture co-ordinator,” Klasner said.
“Most cities have that person on staff at municipal government and we don’t here. I feel there’s an opportunity now for the Community Arts Council, with this additional funding, to create that position.”
Klasner added that the person could also focus on membership coordination as members encompass the entire spectrum of arts and culture here in Prince George.
“There’s value of that position to the City of Prince George, as well,” Klasner said.
“To have a person who could be really focused on bringing together opportunities for artistic collaboration, coordinating cultural events in the community, being out there making connections so that we really have an optimized and enhanced city wide arts and culture scene and that one person who would serve as that resource of knowing what’s going on, what’s coming up, finding ways of improving scheduling of events, finding those opportunities for enhancement and collaboration. With our additional funding that’s going to allow us, in part, to create that position and support it in an ongoing way.”
Very often in the arts a position like this would only get temporary funding to help get it established.
“And this is great because this is now ongoing funding,” Klasner said. “So I think the financial value for the city is pennies on the dollar because we’ll be able to have that position and financially support it much more cost effectively than if it was a city position.”
The unanimous support from council is a good start,” Klasner said about the funding.
“As our presentation to council stated, we have work to do to on supporting something like arts and culture which is key, an integral part of our ability to attract people to come and live here, to attract tourism, to attract investment, so it’s not just about what our groups need as far as funding. This is about what our entire city needs to focus on.”
Four local arts organizations sent representatives to council to ask for a boost to their annual funding on Sept. 25.
The council vote was unanimous, although the issue will come back before councillors on Monday, Oct. 7 as staff asks for clarification on some of the wording in the Sept. 25 resolution.
In addition to the arts council, the delegation included Theatre Northwest, the Prince George Symphony Orchestra and the Coldsnap Music Festival, all of which have shared their plans for the increase funding.
Look for coverage of their plans for the additional funding in the days ahead.
