The Art Machine

2009 brings exciting news from the Hope & District Arts Council. We have again received funding through the Province of British Columbia and the ‘Job Creation Partnership Program’ which will enabled us to hire two office staff and a Supervisor. Now a long envisioned dream has come true. As of January, the Arts Council started offering community arts programming for Adults, Youth and Children with instruction in painting, drawing, collage etc, and all supplies included at extremely reasonable rates.

This community based endeavor, called ‘The Art Machine’, offers drop-in workshops plus teaching sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Raising the bar even higher we also offer pre-registered, pre-paid scheduled weekend workshops in the arts such as drawing, painting with oils, acrylics and watercolors, sculpture, collage, pottery, writing and music featuring a variety of well known facilitators and presenters.

All of these workshops are held in a work area with huge windows which lets in natural light, located in Unit E at the Workforce building at 895 – 3rd Avenue and is offered every afternoon Monday through Friday. Very soon there will be an elevator installed on the fire hall side of the Workforce building so that those who can not climb the stairs to the second floor will be able to participate in the activities.

Diane Ferguson, who has taken on the job as JCP supervisor, has been in contact with Gordon Poole since the middle of 2008 discussing the need for transportation to the workshops for the many seniors who live in the Hope area. Available at a very nominal fee is a bus service provided by Hope Care Transit. This bus was purchased last year and is maintained by Envision and Gardner Motors, and is driven by volunteers. Individuals and/or groups who want more information regarding this transportation service can phone Barb at 604-869-3396.

For more information call the Hope & District Arts Council office at 604-869-3400.