After an extensive review process involving city staff and an expert panel of local and international arts leaders, Mayor Gregor Robertson is announcing his support for a new, innovative and expanded Vancouver Art Gallery on the City-owned site at 688 Cambie, formerly known as Larwill Park.

“A new, expanded art gallery at Larwill Park is a huge opportunity to bolster our creative sector, showcase local artists from Vancouver and across BC, and make a clear statement that Vancouver makes arts and culture a priority,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson.

“We’ve done a lot of work to support the arts in recent years, but this has the potential to really elevate our creative economy to the next level. I hope that all of City Council will support the recommendation.”

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Ahead of a City Council vote on Wednesday, the Mayor is urging unanimous support from Council on plans to invest over $7.45 million in Vancouver’s vibrant arts and culture sector.

The City is recommending awarding the 2013 Cultural operating and project grants to 165 Vancouver organizations supporting dance, film, music, visual arts, literary arts and more, selected from a pool of 191 applications. This year’s grants span an impressive range, from the Arts Club Theatre (celebrating its 50th year), Bard on the Beach, the Vancouver International Writers Festival, and the DOXA Film Festival, to the Raven Spirit Dance Society and Vancouver Theatre Sports.

“The City of Vancouver is committed to using every tool at our disposal to support our vibrant local arts and cultural community, understanding that Vancouver’s leading creative sector is a substantial contributor to the strength of our local economy,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “The grants recommended to 165 organizations demonstrate the breadth of support the city shows for our local arts and culture groups, and I hope all of Council will join me in supporting them.”

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Mayor Gregor Robertson is putting out the call for the best of Vancouver’s arts and culture community, with nominations for the Mayor’s Arts Awards now open.

“Vancouver’s arts and culture scene is making a name for itself on the world stage, attracting attention and recognition from around the globe while at the same time bringing new energy, entertainment and jobs to our neighbourhoods,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “At City Hall, we celebrate our artistic community with pride, and The Mayor’s Arts Awards are a great opportunity to showcase the talent that exists right here in our city.

The Mayor’s Arts Awards recognize established and emerging artists in a wide array of disciplines that make up our creative sector – from literary to culinary arts, and visual to performing arts, as well as four unique awards for contributions to our community and a special award for Lifetime Achievement.

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City Council has approved a new program for indoor arts events, as part of ongoing work to make it easier for artists to hold events, showcase their work, and perform in Vancouver. The city is now the first in Canada to allow arts performances as a temporary use in warehouse and retail buildings.

“This is another solid boost for Vancouver’s arts scene and one that we’re going to keep building on,” said Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Vancouver’s artistic community is a major economic driver and we want to do all we can to ensure local performers thrive and people have more opportunities to enjoy music and dance in our city.”

The pilot program is the latest step by City Council to modernize and streamline regulations for artists and to make it easier to hold events. The new program, approved unanimously by City Council, will:

• Change the City’s zoning to permit indoor arts or cultural events in commercial and industrial areas;
• Exempt arts events from requiring a development permit, reducing excessive costs;
• Create a single-point of contact for event organizers when seeking approvals, avoiding costly delays.

“These changes will make it easier for artists to perform in Vancouver, and bring our by-laws into the 21st century,” added the Mayor. “Now, if people want to hold events in galleries, warehouses, or studios, it’s far easier to do so.”

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Last night Vancouver City Council unanimously approved zoning bylaw changes that will create significant new affordable artist space in Vancouver, by allowing work-only art studio uses in all of the city’s industrial districts. The potential space in which artists are eligible to rent for studios is expanding fourteen-fold, from 2 million square feet to 28 million square feet.

“Vancouver is home to one of the most talented and innovative creative sectors of any city in the world, and the City of Vancouver is committed to using every tool at its disposal to support our local arts and culture community,” said Mayor Robertson. “The median income of a working artist is about 36% below the Vancouver labour force average, so finding affordable and suitable studio space is a frequent challenge for emerging artists. These new opportunities in industrial districts will strengthen our creative community and support artists by providing an unprecedented increase in the availability and affordability of much-needed artist space in neighbourhoods all across Vancouver.”

Work-only artist studios are now allowed in all 12 of the City’s industrial districts, increasing the area of industrial lands allowing art uses from 70 acres to nearly 1300 acres. Council also approved changes to remove the 500 square-metre limit on artist work-only studios, enabling artist groups to partner on studio space.

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Mayor Gregor Robertson will support a motion at next week’s City Council meeting to identify and provide stronger protection for Vancouver’s arts and culture spaces. The motion from Councillor Heather Deal will begin a process for recognizing and mapping artistic and cultural assets in the city, including venues and spaces that may be at risk of redevelopment.

“Vancouver’s creative sector is one of the most unique and vibrant in the world, but it’s important for the City to continue to be proactive in supporting our city’s most important arts and culture spaces and resources,” said Mayor Robertson. “Many major cities face similar challenges with high land prices, but find ways to protect key cultural venues and provide strong support for artists. We should be drawing on best practices from around the world to see how we can better protect artistic and cultural spaces in Vancouver, and strengthen our creative community even more.”

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