About Us
Formed in 2005 the Hope and District Arts Council had a vision to provide affordable, accessible arts and cultural programming to the community and surrounding area.
A small group believed in the powerful impact of arts and culture on a community and were interested in re-establishing an arts council in Hope. Thanks to their dedication The Hope & District Arts Council was created.
From 2007-2009 we received provincial funding for administration and were able to hire staff members who worked endlessly to get the council “off the ground.”
We put community interests first, fostering and promoting arts and culture by offering affordable, accessible arts programming and cultural activities.
The Hope & District Arts Council is an arts and cultural non-profit society with over 50 members.
MANDATE:
To enhance the quality of life in Hope, British Columbia and District by
- fostering and promoting Arts and Culture
- increasing and broadening opportunities for residents to participate in and enjoy cultural
activities
MISSION:
● Celebrate, preserve, support and advocate for the Arts in an inclusive way, bringing together the community’s artists and artistic organizations;
● Enrich the community’s quality of life by fostering public interest in, appreciation for and understanding of the Arts;
● Bridge cultures through the Arts;
● Promote the vision, creativity and energy of the community through the Arts;
● Encourage creative participation and excellence in artistic development; and
● Act as a clearing house for information and a forum for communication in the field of the Arts.
CORE VALUES :
To further its mandate, mission and goals, the Hope & District Arts Council will, at all times, be guided by the following core values:
1. Pursuit of Excellence
2. Celebration of Diversity
3. Leadership and Innovation
4. Communication and Consultation
5. Commitment
6. Respect and Inclusiveness
7. Integrity and Transparency
We believe that Arts and Culture:
• gives active participants the opportunity to experience the Arts as the creator or as part of the audience;
• is part of our spirit, soul, history and future;
• is absolutely necessary to the vibrancy, health and well being of individuals, our community
and society as a whole.
Current situation in our community:
Hope is a small community with a population consisting of families with young children and a high percentage of seniors, many of them with low incomes. Although we don't have an arts and cultural facility enjoyed by larger communities, we do have the Hope Arts Gallery and The Art Machine community arts program, where participants of all ages can participate, learn, experience, share and be creative either free of charge or at an affordable cost. They have become community gathering places for arts, culture and education. For these reasons, the Hope & District Arts Council feels the need to continue having an active role in directly providing arts and cultural events and programming in our community. HDAC feels that we are fulfilling a very real need in the area for arts based programming and we will continue in this capacity.
HISTORY:
• A small group of people interested in the arts and its place in our community held the first
meeting on June13th, 2005 at the Hope Arts Gallery.
• The Hope & District Arts Council (HDAC) was incorporated on August 29, 2005.
• HDAC became members of both the British Columbia Arts Council & Arts BC
• As HDAC grew in numbers and experience we applied for funding which has enabled us to
provide a variety of arts related programming to the community.
PROGRAMS:
1. Art Bus:
Day trips to various arts and cultural events in the lower mainland popular with seniors
2. Concerts in the Park:
Concerts held in Memorial Park on Saturdays during July and August
3. Hope Arts Gallery :
Open February-December, 6 days per week, free to public, featuring a variety of artists
and mediums as well as special monthly exhibits
4. “Retrospect ” Art Exhibit:
Opening reception and art exhibit featuring work by Art Machine participants of all ages
held at the Hope Arts Gallery
5. Special Events:
-Special workshops and art events presented with funding for specific projects such as Embrace, BC and Capacity and Sustainability grants
6. The Art Machine:
-Year round drop-in arts programming for adults, children & youth with over 2,000
participants per year
-Saturday workshops with instruction by professional artists
7. WinterFest :
Seasonal celebration during December featuring a candle light churchwalk, art exhibit and
opening as well as arts and crafts events for children and adults