Mayor releases Arts & Culture To Do List for Spring '08
Posted on May 13, 2008
To mark the conclusion of the second annual Vancouver Creative City Conference at the Playhouse Theatre, Mayor Sam Sullivan will release a "to do list" of arts & culture initiatives over the next 30-45 days. It includes:
- approve funding for community celebrations - including annual Pride Parade, Celtic Fest, Chinese New Years Parade, Vaisakhi and Canada Day Fireworks
- promote Vancouver arts & culture on Board of Trade mission to Hong Kong
- support the campaign to keep the CBC Radio orchestra in Vancouver
- encourage Vancouver's participation in Quebec's 400th anniversary celebration
- introduce measures the City of Vancouver can support to make 2009 Juno Awards the best ever
- unveil details of first annual Mayor's Arts Awards
- get final cultural tourism plan to Council for review and vote by end of July
- institute street closures to restore public order to downtown entertainment district
- work to further increase number of taxi licenses by end of 2008
- resume construction on Queen Elizabeth Theatre improvements
The Creative City Conversation is taking place throughout the day today and focused on four items that will help shape a Cultural Tourism Plan that Council can review and approve this summer:
- Facilities Review - including recommendations on how to convert boarded-up buildings to art studio space for students
- Public Art Reviews - including how to leverage over $1 million from Olympic Celebration Fund
- Multi-Year Grants - focused on how to provide increased certainty for community organizations
- Cultural Tourism Strategy - review best ways to allocate and leverage $1.5 million Cultural Tourism Fund and 2010 initiatives
During his address to the Creative Cities Conference, Mayor Sullivan highlighted a number of accomplishments over the past two years, including:
- $60 million for theatre/facility upgrades at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Playhouse Theatre and Pacific Coliseum)
- dramatic increase to arts & culture grant programs
- helped secured provincial funding for art gallery & new East End Cultural Centre
- $10 million for revitalization our historic neighborhoods in Vancouver
- $20 million Olympic Celebration Legacy
- Approved plan to secure the future of BC Place Stadium
- Initiated planning to celebrate Vancouver's 125th birthday celebration
- Commitment to ongoing consultation with arts & culture community
Greetings from Sam Sullivan
