Spring is here and it is time to lift our spirits and shed our winter blahs. The Arts Council and its member groups have worked hard to give you some very good reasons to get out of the house and enjoy the Arts within our City!

The BC government has proclaimed April 20 - 26, 2008 to be Arts & Culture Week in our Province. This is an excellent time for us all to reflect on the important role that art plays in our lives.

“As a society, we must ensure that music, arts, and culture are promoted, preserved, and never taken for granted. Vibrant, diverse arts are the cultural threads that connect us all. To think of a world without music, arts and culture; is to think of a world painted without colour and vibrancy”.
(Henry KS Lee, Chairman and Chief Elected Officer, Vancouver Board of Trade )

Your Passport
Start this year’s Arts & Culture Week celebration at the Art Council’s office in Queen’s Park and pick-up your Passport to Arts & Culture Week. Your passport includes a listing of our member groups’ special Arts & Culture Week events taking place every day throughout the City.

Many events are free or by donation. For example, the Vagabond Players at the Bernie Legge Theatre will be partnering with the Arts Council to host a Raymond Burr film festival; there is a special invitation from the Silver Saddles to try square dancing at Centennial Lodge; the Massey Theatre is hosting Royal City Musical Theatre’s production of Westside Story. The “Backroom “ at the Heritage Grill is having a world class poetry workshop. Make sure you check out the Arts Council gallery to view our latest show by New Westminster artist Jessie Couzelis, just back from New York, and visit our website www.artscouncilnewwest for a full calendar of events.

Visit, participate and enjoy each day one of our sponsored events then drop-off your completed passport to the Arts Council office for a chance to win prizes!

Take this opportunity to become inspired, entertained and get connected to the community and broaden your horizons -- just for the Art of it!