Our Promise to You

​A strong Arts & Culture mandate is a critical component of a livable city. TEAM will ensure that all artists and performers have access to safe and affordable work, exhibit ,and performance space, and that they can continue to flourish in Vancouver, and contribute to accessible arts programs and public events across city neighbourhoods..

 

How We Will Get There

TEAM will promote Vancouver as an affordable city for artists and performers, providing support and opportunities by:

• Ensuring arts programs, events, and spaces are sufficiently funded 

• Fostering the success of visual and performing artists through better collaboration with the community

• Supporting and encouraging events for artists, and exploring additional initiatives to support and enhance commercial opportunities for artists and performers

• Protecting and enhancing affordable rehearsal, performance, and arts spaces, including incentivizing the retention and upgrading of art spaces in older buildings

• Incentivizing the building of more affordable arts and performance spaces

 

The Issues

Arts and culture, including all facets of media production, is one of the city’s most important social and economic sectors. Artists have been forced to leave the city due to the loss of affordable studio space and public venues, which are primarily found in existing older buildings. Vancouver needs innovative ways to ensure the retention and replacement of affordable spaces for artists. Attracting and keeping artists in Vancouver builds vitality and ensures Vancouver remains the creative hub of British Columbia. 

 

TEAM Perspective & Action Plan

TEAM believes it is important that artists have affordable spaces to live, work, rehearse, and perform. 

Vancouver needs to be a destination for artists who should see this city as a supportive and affordable place to work and thrive. Arts and culture support livable city principles, particularly as part of a diverse and resilient local economy that contributes to a vibrant society and public spaces.  TEAM will support and promote creative industries so they can thrive. 

 

Action Items:

​Priorities to support arts and culture

1. Support, promote and encourage Vancouver as a creative hub of British Columbia;

2. Review and encourage program funding for arts and culture;

3. Make arts spaces and housing for artists more affordable to preserve a strong arts community;

4. Support existing events such as the Eastside Culture Crawl;

5. Support arts programming, especially for youth and seniors;

6. Develop new initiatives to support and enhance commercial opportunities for artists;

7. Encourage and facilitate street festivals (Greek Day, Powell Street, Italian Day, Khatsalano, etc.) which bring together and strengthen our communities;

8. Support the media production industry, and opportunities for collaboration with communities and businesses;

9. Build an arts and culture page on vancouver.ca including promotion of all event listings;

10. Create and publish an inventory of arts spaces on vancouver.ca 

11. Take action to protect and enhance existing affordable performance and arts spaces;

12. Support retention and conservation of heritage buildings, many of which are home to artists and community arts organizations

13. Keep Community Centres and other Park Board facilities  affordable for  the arts community; 

14. Provide incentives for retention and upgrading of creative spaces and disincentives for their demolition;  

15. Ensure the replacement or retention of City-owned creative space by pursuing a one-for-one replacement and retention policy, and repurposing existing unused or underutilized properties, including Park Board and School Board facilities; 

16. Encourage minimum space requirements for cultural amenities where neighbourhoods are densifying;

17. Examine how Vancouver’s civic theatres could be made more suitable and affordable for the local arts community.