Arts and cultural organizations in the Okanagan and beyond are invited to attend the 2013 Arts & Culture Summit, Wednesday, June 12 to Friday, June 14 at the Rotary Centre for the Arts. This year’s theme, From Volume to Value – Building Engagement, Capacity & Resilience, is designed to get organizations thinking about how they can expand their reach into the community and become stronger partners with their funders, supporters and audiences.

“Every two years we have the opportunity to bring together our creative community through the Arts & Culture Summit,” says Sandra Kochan, Manager, Cultural Services. “This is a chance for cultural workers to step back from the everyday demands and spend a day or two thinking and strategizing at a higher level. At the last Summit in 2011, the most consistent piece of feedback we got was how much attendees appreciated a chance to spend time with each other talking about things that matter to them. The Summit is a place where new ideas have some room to take hold.”

The first two days of sessions on June 12 and 13 are focused on how cultural organizations can expand their reach into communities. The Canada Council for the Arts is respected worldwide for the work it does supporting and celebrating Canadian arts and culture. A keynote presentation from Howard Jang, a Director of the Canada Council, will get organizations thinking about how their programming can be more meaningful for audiences and how their planning can be focused on positive community outcomes. Organizations can also learn more about the national Culture Days initiative, understand the importance of strategic recruitment for their Boards, and meet in a roundtable setting with federal, provincial, municipal and foundation funders.

A major feature at this year’s Summit is the launch of artsVest™ for the Central Okanagan on Thursday, June 13, and the first full-day artsVest™ workshop on Friday, June 14. artsVest™ is a national sponsorship training and matching incentive program created by Business for the Arts and funded in the Central Okanagan by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Province of British Columbia, TELUS and the City of Kelowna.

Over the next 12 months, organizations will receive intensive training to build strategies and proposals designed to stimulate long-term sponsorship support from the private sector, and as an incentive, organizations are eligible for matching grants of up to $10,000. artsVest™ will operate in the Central Okanagan for 2013/2014 and is anticipated to inject approximately $300,000 of new money for Central Okanagan arts, culture and heritage organizations.

Pre-registration is required for the Summit. The $25 per day fee includes all sessions, lunch and an evening reception. The full Summit program, with more information

News from © iNFOnews, 2013