With the Canada Games now clearly in view on the winter horizon, it is time for artists and downtown businesses to form some Artnerships.
These mini-mergers are part of a Community Arts Council / Downtown Prince George co-initiative to enliven and animate the city core during the biggest tourism frenzy in northern B.C. history. Shops and boutiques are wishing to put their most attractive foot forward during this buying blitz, and the city in general wants to show off the many colours of its complex culture. Artnerships brings all those forces together.
"We will be creating an art walk and an art map during the Games for people to tour the business district, come inside businesses and not-for-profit agencies, meet the city's artists, and see their work on display in a unique way," said Raine Gould of the Community Arts Council. "We are doing this for reasons that go beyond the Games period. It is supporting our artists by getting their name out there, getting their work out there, getting them interacting with the public directly, which will build connections on into the future. But we are also supporting our downtown businesses by promoting them whether they are official Games partners or not. They can definitely do this, and join that Games movement that is making us all excited. We have a golden opportunity here, so let's link up and make the most of it."
Some downtown businesses are already doing this, even before the Artnerships program was suggested. Books and Company, Zoe's Coffee Shop, Pageboy Books, Ohh Chocolat and others were featuring local, original art on their walls to say nothing of the ones fully dedicated to original art like Groop Gallery, the Tourism PG showroom, Angelique's Native Arts and the Two Rivers Gallery.
These locations are anticipated to be part of the program, but Gould is hoping businesses and agencies will join that do not typically have local art for display and sale in their public areas. Topaz Beads has signed on as the first of these, linking up with artist Wendy Young.
Artists like Cliff Mann, Cara Roberts, Laura Chandler and Tess Healy have stepped forward to be paired with some lucky location who calls in a request.
"For the business, it is a drawing card. For the artist, it is a resume booster," said Gould. "Some artists don't have large artwork or a big body of work, so we are open to the idea of grouping some artists together so they can still be part of Artnerships, and we are willing to think about which artists might be a good fit with your business. We just want to cover the city in art."
It is up to the artist and the business how they want to arrange things like how to display the art, if live demonstrations will happen, if a group of artists wants to rotate, if the artist wants to rotate what's on display from their own inventory.
"There is a real need for it because there is such a rich artistic base here," said Gould. "From events we've done like Art Battle, the Six-By-Six Art Auction and Studio Fair, we can see just how deep our artistic portfolio is as a city. We have a chance, with the Games, to show Canada and show the world - and maybe most importantly of all, show ourselves - that we have a high level of talent, widespread across many art forms, and we are proud of it."
A short application package is required for both artists and businesses. The details are available on the Community Arts Council website under the Programs heading, and also on the Prince George & District Community Arts Council page on Facebook.
The ongoing opportunity for businesses is to substitute some generic off-the-shelf piece of mass-produced art, or spaces with no art at all, with something original done (and for sale) by someone who lives in your own community - artists who then use the money from their sales to buy from local shops and boutiques and cafes. It creates economic cycles, especially important during the Games when new investment dollars will be available to Prince George from all parts of Canada.
"Wouldn't it be cool, and totally realistic, to be known as the city where you can buy art anywhere you go? We have the ability to put together our business networks with our art networks and show Canada that we are a place that has the arts in the fiber of who we are, and a place where we support the arts."
Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up for Artnerships.
