The arts will help us survive the pandemic, and the arts will help us recover from the pandemic.
But who will help the arts?
The Arts Council of New Westminster is on a mission to make sure the city’s arts and cultural scene remains vibrant despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. It’s launching a Friends of Arts Council #NewWest campaign in connection with the worldwide Giving Tuesday, set for May 5.
The global movement is taking place as an emergency response to the unprecedented need arising from COVID-19.
Bob Crockett, president of the arts council, said the arts council campaign is being undertaken to help ensure the organization remains viable over the next year. He pointed out its work has been challenging thanks to social distancing requirements that mean no more public gatherings during the pandemic.
“What we do best is we connect people, and we can’t connect anybody,” Crockett said. “But we know we want to be back, and we want to be back in full force, because the city’s going to need a lot of healing.”
Crockett noted the arts council isn’t able to run many of its typical events. The Gallery at Queen’s Park has had to close, and live events of all kinds, from craft fairs to music, are off the table.
But it’s continuing its work with adapted programs such as the New West Craft virtual market and the Arts New West podcast, as well as weekly New Westminster Cultural Roundtable meetings on Zoom.
The arts council has set a fundraising goal of $35,000, representing $1,000 for each year since The Gallery at Queen’s Park was founded in 1985. It’s also the amount of money the arts council calculated it would need to help it get through the next fiscal year in its current, reduced operating capacity.
Crockett noted that the pandemic has necessitated some staff cutbacks, but that with government programs – including a 75% worker subsidy – available, it will be able to leverage all the money it raises into essentially four times as much.
“We are making good use of all the (government) offers that have been made to us,” he said.
Crockett and his wife, Cathy, kicked off the campaign with a $2,500 donation of their own.
Crockett said the arts council board understands fully that not everyone in the city will be able to contribute, and not everyone will be able to give high amounts.
“People can say, ‘I don’t have that much, I’ve been laid off myself,’” he said. “We perfectly understand that.”
Plus, he pointed out, the arts council is just one of many groups in need of help right now.
“There’s a lot of demand and concern for a lot of things,” he said. “We don’t pretend to be ignorant of all the issues that are around. We’re hoping some people will be able to help us and still give to the food bank and all the other things we need. .. We are quite respectful of what anybody can do to help us.”
Even if the fundraising campaign goes well, Crockett knows there are some difficult days ahead for the arts community in New Westminster. Even once the social distancing requirements are lifted, he noted, there may be some initial reluctance among people to get back out and take part in live events since we’re all now accustomed to self-isolation.
“We’re now used to it, and now when you see pictures of rock concerts or crowds of people, you kind of cringe,” he pointed out. “It will be interested to see how comfortable people will be to get back into crowds.”
But Crockett is confident that, New Westminster being what it is, the arts community will continue to thrive in whatever the new “normal” turns out to be.
“We live in an amazing city, you know. That’s one of the reasons I live here, is the vibrant local arts scene,” he said, noting New West is a community that “boxes over our weight class” in terms of the arts scene. “I can’t wait to get out and see some live events.”
The campaign runs from May 5 until July 1.
Donations of all sizes are welcome at www.acnw.ca/donate. Both one-time and monthly donations are welcome.
