Prince George is striking a pose for the arts.
Everyone from local celebrities to elected officials to random residents are lending themselves to a Community Arts Council marketing campaign. Instead of a campaign promoting the local arts organization specifically, however, organizers are showing off grassroots connections to the arts in general.
The CAC is aiming a camera at anyone willing to hold their simple sign. I Support the Arts is emblazoned on it, and local faces are stepping into the frame. It started at the CAC flagship event, Studio Fair, last fall and plans are to continue it on through 2015.
"It gets us through the Canada Winter Games, the discussions about the performing arts centre project, the municipal election, the city's 100th anniversary - all those things," said CAC project co-ordinator Lisa Redpath. "We want to show off the firm community support for the arts, no matter what form that may take."
Many of the faces already on display on the CAC's social media locations are well known. Many are professional artists or high-end arts hobbyists, many can't draw stick figures or strum a single note on purpose, but they recognize the ways the arts impact their lives. The arts encompasses everything from the design of you vehicle to the construction of your home to the shoes on your feet, as well as the consumable arts like the music on the iPod or the painting on the dining room wall to the book on the shelf.
"With funding cuts to arts and culture groups like they are, lack of music in schools, public art in short supply, professional arts organizations struggling to survive but providing so much to the community, it brings up a lot of questions about what the community should invest in," Redpath said. "A show of support from individuals like this really demonstrates a lot. A person holding that simple sign really says it all."
Professional photographer Philomena Hughes is responsible for a large number of the images. She and other CAC supporters will set up their cameras at various arts events, and Redpath said she is considering an outreach effort whereby businesses, families, community groups could call them in to snap the people at their respective places of work or at a meeting, for those who want to express their support.
"And they are timeless snapshots, so it's great to have that as a photo album for the whole community," Redpath said. "It is part of our portfolio of who we are at the Community Arts Council."
