NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2008TCA0114-001689 Nov. 7, 2008	Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts BC Arts Council
PROVINCE FUNDS NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR B.C. ARTISTS

VICTORIA – The Province is providing $350,000 in grants to 20 arts organizations to support their participation in significant cultural events like the Cultural Olympiad, announced Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett.

 

“These grants will help some of British Columbia’s most talented individuals showcase their work and our province on a national and international level,” said Bennett. “Events like the Cultural Olympiad are especially important as we build towards hosting the world with the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

 

The grants were made possible through the Province’s $150-million BC150 Cultural Fund, an endowment fund created in the 2008 budget, and distributed through the new BC Arts Council program for special project assistance and unique opportunities. The program was created to support the production costs of participation in significant national or international cultural events. 

 

“Over the next few years, artists from across B.C. will astonish audiences with their versatility and virtuosity through appearances during the Cultural Olympiads and BC Scene,” said BC Arts Council chair Don Shumka. “The BC Arts Council is pleased to be supporting opportunities that take our artists to important national and international events.”

 

In addition to funding participation in the Cultural Olympiad, the grants are also supporting artists involved in the BC Scene, a two-week celebration of contemporary B.C. arts and culture to be held in Ottawa this spring. This latest round of funding also included $50,000 towards the 10^th anniversary of Arts and Culture Week in April 2009, through the BCAC’s community arts development projects program.

 

The BC Arts Council was established by the Province with the mandate to provide encouragement and support to the arts and cultural community. Since 2001, it has distributed over $85 million in funding to assist artists and arts organizations throughout the province. For more information on the British Columbia Arts Council, visit www.bcartscouncil.ca.

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Media contact:	David Greer Communications Manager Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts 250 387-2799
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