Patrons
admin June 14th, 2008
Established in 2005, the Sidney Fine Art Show Patron Program is designed to give individuals an opportunity to support this prestigious show. The Show is totally run by volunteers – funds from Patrons help to pay for renting the facility, promoting and advertising the show, mounting a celebratory Opening Night, and hosting a “Meet the Artists” evening on the Saturday of the Show. In addition, patrons are supporting local artists. Over $110,000 from the 2009 Show sales went back to individual artists. Patrons are also supporting the broader arts community as any surplus funds from the Show go to the Community Arts Council of the Saanich Peninsula (CACSP) to support their many diverse art programmes.
The CACSP, whose mandate is to encourage public awareness and appreciation of the richness of cultural life on the Peninsula by providing a collective voice for the arts community, and being an advocate, information source and support resource for all forms of artistic expression, has used surplus funds raised from the Show to directly support such programs as:
* Art in the Schools (SD63 – Saanich)
* Via Choralis
* Palm Court Concerts
* Deep Cove Folk
* Parkland High School Band
* Plein Air Painting Event
* Peninsula Celebrations Society
* Saanich Pioneers
As you know, and has been extensively reported in the media, provincial grants to the arts been severely cut. Without the Show contribution in 2009, the CACSP would have been unable to operate the Tulista Arts Centre, and many of its programmes, including the summer children’s and seniors art classes, the First Nations fall show, Artisans, as well as the many grants provided to member groups, would have been in jeopardy. With no increase in provincial grants in sight, the funds from the Show are now critical for the CACSP to continue to fulfill its mandate.
As illustrated below, in 2006, the funds received from provincial grants and surplus funds from the Show were split 95% provincial grants and 6% from the Show. By 2009, provincial grants had been reduced to 52% of the 2006 level, and the split between grants and surplus funds from the Show was 35% grants and 65% from the Show (2010 figures are an estimate.)
When you become a Patron, you ensure the Show – one of the largest and most anticipated shows in British Columbia and a highlight on the cultural calendar of Vancouver Island – will continue for many years to come, and that our local arts community remains vibrant.
In return for your help, we offer an evening of first-class entertainment, and recognition of your contribution in the catalogue and on show signage.
Patrons are invited to a special Preview Reception the evening of Thursday, October 14th, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Bodine Family Hall. Here you and a guest can view the art, see who won the prizes (before even the artists know), drink fine wine, nibble on tasty food, and have first opportunity to purchase the art chosen for the Show! At 7:00 pm you will be escorted into reserved seating in the Charlie White Theatre where you can watch the awards ceremony and listen to the (always entertaining) guest speaker. Following the ceremony you are invited to mingle with the artists in the Hall and ask them everything you want to know about their art and their passion.
The Sidney Fine Art Show is a gem of an attraction for Sidney, a venue where our artists can shine, and a significant contributor to our broader arts community. We need your help to make it as wonderful as we possibly can. Patron forms are available by clicking the link below, or at the CACSP office at 9565 5th Street., Sidney or call 250-656-7412 and the forms will be happily mailed to you.
For more information contact or visit our office at the phone number and address provided above.
Download our Patron Form Note that you will need Adobe Reader – if you don’t have this, it can be downloaded free using the link below.
Download Adobe Reader
[...] work for the Show. All artwork is for purchase. To avoid disappointment consider joining the Patron Programme and be among the first to see and buy work at our October 15th preview reception. Filed under: Art [...]