12 projects receive $830,000 from Trust’s new venue grants program

Arts and culture venues are an important part of the fabric of life in the Columbia Basin: they’re where we hear professionals sing, watch our children dance, marvel at artwork and more.

To support and enhance the sector, Columbia Basin Trust is helping 12 facilities renovate, relocate or upgrade with nearly $830,000 in support through its new Arts and Culture Venue Grants and more than half of that funding is going to Cranbrook’s Key City Theatre.

“Realizing the importance of arts and culture to Basin residents, we have committed to meeting community needs for venues through these grants,” said Wayne Lundeberg, Columbia Basin Trust. “These 12 projects will contribute to keeping the region a vibrant place to live and visit.”

The Trust announced this granting stream in December 2017, with a commitment of $3 million over two years. Learn more at ourtrust.org/venuegrants.

Key City Theatre Society is receiving $487,015 to upgrade the theatre’s roof structure to provide lasting access to a safe, fully functional, live performance space.

“Currently the venue hosts over 45,000 attendees per year, with over 100 events,” said Galen Olstead, Managing Director. “This venue has had a significant impact on regional arts and culture over its 25-year history, and through this project we anticipate the continuation and growth of these benefits into the future.”

Two other East Kootenay projects are receiving Trust funds.

The Edgewater Recreation Society is getting $5,000 to improve acoustics at the Edgewater Community Hall by installing purpose-built sound-absorbing panels on the walls of the hall and the walls and ceiling of the performance stage.

And the Columbia Valley Arts Council is getting $2,165 to move the audiovisual system, currently installed in the kitchen at Pynelogs Art Gallery and Cultural Centre in Invermere, into the gallery’s main room.

The Golden District Arts Council, also known as Kicking Horse Culture, is receiving $48,000 to replace the flooring in the Golden Civic Centre’s Great Hall.

The original 1948 hardwood flooring was refinished during a complete building restoration in 2010/11. “At the time we knew we only had a few years of life left in the original floor, but it was important to reveal it to the community to share the stories it held,” said Bill Usher, Executive and Artistic Director. “The replacement of the floor will bring back both the functionality and the ‘wow’ factor as people enter and experience the overall grandeur of the Great Hall.”

These grants are part of the Trust’s recent $11.6-million, three-year commitment to arts and culture, and to heritage. Other aspects include a new heritage professional located in the Basin and the new Heritage, Museum and Archive Grants. The Trust is also continuing the Arts and Culture Program delivered by the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance and its Built Heritage Grants, a partnership with Heritage BC.

Learn more at ourtrust.org/artscultureheritage.

Columbia Basin Trust supports the ideas and efforts of the people in the Columbia Basin. To learn more about the Trust’s programs and initiatives, and how it helps deliver social, economic and environmental benefits to the Basin, visit ourtrust.org or call 1-800-505-8998.

Lead image: Cranbrook’s Key City Theatre Society will be upgrading the theatre’s roof structure with help from a Columbia Basin Trust Arts and Culture Venue Grant. (photo credit Sioban Staplin)

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