West Vancouver Community Arts Council
Grant Program: Give Where You Live 2023
Funded by: Community donations and the Howard Martin Memorial Fund
The West Vancouver Community Arts Council was honoured to be the selected Arts & Culture recipient for the 2023 Give Where You Live matching campaign through the West Vancouver Foundation. With a matching grant of $7,500, this unique opportunity enabled us to raise $15,295 that supported our Summer 2024 Community Arts Initiatives.
This past summer we offered a free outdoor jazz concert as part of Jazz Waves, an extended Singing by the Sea, and our collaborative community art project ‘Grassqawtch’.
Being part of the GWYL matching campaign provided a stable funding platform for the planning and delivery of these events.
Art encourages community cohesion, reduces isolation and increases self-awareness.
Although all these events take place in July and August, planning begins in February including: identifying and contracting musicians for the outdoor concert that would be a good fit for our park setting while providing an opportunity for up and coming local musicians to be introduced to our audience; contracting the vocal coach to lead Singing by the Sea; selecting and commissioning the artist for the Community Art Project; organizing the required park permits from the District of West Vancouver to present these outdoor events.
- This summer’s outdoor jazz concert featured the Jason de Couto Trio with musicians Jason de Coutu, Alvins Brendan, Nino DiPasquale. Providing a free outdoor concert provides an opportunity for audiences to access live music without financial barrier while showcasing the musical talents of local musicians.
- Singing by the Sea offers the general public the opportunity to sing with an impromptu choir led by professional vocal coach, Sandi Melody. Originally scheduled for 4 Tuesday evenings in July, with the support of this matching grant we were able to add 2 additional evenings in August. Being able to confirm this program in advance allowed for greater research time, leading to innovative theme nights such as ‘South African Songs’ and ‘Indigenous Songs’ in addition to more popular and familiar music. Cultural education is a fundamental component of our arts programming with the goal of introducing different perspectives in an engaging and respectful way.
- This year’s community art project was selected from a Call to Artists in May following a shortlist of 3 applicants who presented their concept proposal to the selection panel. Each shortlisted artist receives a $200 presentation stipend. We commissioned North Shore artist Robert Turriff to create his ‘Grassqawtch’. The installation was unveiled at the opening of the Harmony Arts Festival with the artist sharing his inspirations and artistic process. Kolten Grant, Squamish, Icelandic, St’at’imc, Kwakwaka’wakw & Tlinglit artist performed a blessing song to commemorate the unveiling.
Every weekend in August, the community was invited to be a part of the creative process and help Grassqawtch come to life by planting native grasses into the sculpture, raising awareness of the benefits of using and preserving native plants. This innovative and compelling grass-covered creature has captured the hearts of locals and visitors alike with many people taking photos alongside it every day!
Outdoor programming broadens our reach to our community offering free opportunities for all including all ages, newcomers, various cultural backgrounds, people with limited incomes to engage in art making and live music performance in a welcoming, accessible and safe outdoor setting.
