ABOUT

Salt Spring Arts Council

A VIBRANT CREATIVE COMMUNITY ON SALT SPRING ISLAND

Curiosity — We spark creativity and human expression

Imagination — We believe arts and culture can expand experience and perspectives to transform individuals and communities

Connection — We create opportunities to inspire a healthy community and sense of belonging

Respect — We honour the spirit, stories, peoples, past and future of this place

Salt Spring Arts (SSA) is a charitable society serving Salt Spring Island and the Southern Gulf Islands in British Columbia, Canada since 1968.

Our activities enhance connection, inclusion, participation, celebration and economic vibrancy in our community. We deliver a broad range of programs and initiatives with the aim of promoting participation in, and access, to the arts. Our work includes advocacy and collaborations to support community cultural development. We operate out of and manage historic Mahon Hall as a community cultural centre.

For more than 50 years our initiatives have served emerging and professional artists, our broad community, young people and visitors.

Established as the Gulf Islands Community Arts Council (GICAC) in 1968 and registered as a society under the BC Society's Act in 1970, the name Salt Spring Arts Council was adopted in 2006 when the other Southern Gulf Islands were regrouped under the Tricomali Community Arts Council. Proudly serving as our Island's Arts Council, we adopted the shorter Salt Spring Arts (SSA) in 2021.

Salt Spring Island (SSI) has long been home to artists, artisans and performers of every stripe. As the the artistic community and its resources have evolved over time, so too has the understanding of the importance of the arts to the social, cultural and economic health of the island.

First serving as the Gulf Islands Arts Council (1968) and subsequently operating as the Salt Spring Community Arts Council, the Council has always been dedicated to promoting artists and their work, to enhancing the education of artists and others and to facilitating the needs of the arts community.

From its inception, the Council provided local artists and craftspeople an opportunity to show and sell their works through an annual summer show. By 1978, Artcraft had grown from a small display to a distinguished show – the largest and longest-running show of its kind in British Columbia – featuring over 100 participants. Commission collected from sales provided grants to local guilds and performance groups, funded renovations and maintenance of Mahon Hall, and supported various cultural initiatives such as seed money for the development of ArtSpring.

In 2003 the Council sealed an agreement with School District 64 for a long-term lease of Mahon Memorial Hall, an historic building first envisioned in the late 1890's as the SSI Agricultural Hall. The Council preserves and operates the Hall for the benefit of the community, recognizing the significance of the Hall's use for local arts. Today the Hall houses SSA offices, provides facilities for programming and is utilized by many other local arts groups.

ArtSpring

The Gulf Islands Community Arts Council (GICAC) formed the Island Arts Centre Society in conjunction with local visual and performing artists and artisans and the Salt Spring Island Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission (PARC) in 1989. The Island Arts Centre Society undertook the construction of the ArtSpring, a performing arts facility which opened in 1999. ArtSpring is an 11,800 square-foot, two-level heavy timber structure with a 5,200-square-foot exhibition/ multi- purpose area and a 6,600-square-foot, 265-seat theatre.

Salt Spring National Art Prize

In 2014, the Arts Council launched a bold new initiative to position SSI on the national stage. The Salt Spring National Art Prize (SSNAP) is a biennial exhibition aimed at advancing public appreciation of Canadian visual art and encouraging artists whose practice demonstrates originality, quality, integrity and creativity—resulting in significant work with visual impact and depth of meaning. Under the guidance of the Council, SSNAP enjoyed three acclaimed events, celebrated the work of over 150 Canadian artists, awarded thousands of dollars in prize money. Given the national scope of the endeavour, in 2020 the Salt Spring National Art Prize Society (SSNAPS) was formed to continue stewarding the program and deliver the biennial exhibition and events.

Artcraft

ArtCraft is an annual, juried display and retail venue for over 100 local artists. It is the largest and longest running exhibit of its kind in British Columbia.
Open from June to September, Artcraft (Summer) has operated at Mahon Hall since 1968. This was due mainly to the inspiration and efforts of Nita Brown. In 1996, the Arts Council also took over the running of the annual Christmas Guilds Sale, later known as WinterCraft and now as Artcraft (Winter). In 2022, SSA launched Artcraft Online, connecting Southern Gulf Island artists and artisans with a world-wide audience.

This is the article that appeared in the Gulf Islands Driftwood on June 27, 1968, which heralded the beginning of ArtCraft.

ARTS CENTRE TO OPEN
Artists and hobbyists are invited to exhibit, demonstrate and enjoy their arts and crafts, and those of other workers, at Mahon Hall, on Salt Spring Island during the summer.
The arts centre will be open from July 2 to September 3. There will be no charge.
Gulf Islands Community Arts Council is seeking to encourage all local artists by the establishment of the arts centre. Trustees of Gulf Islands School District have co-operated by granting the use of Mahon Hall during the summer months.
The arts council has a director on each island and residents may learn more about the project from the local member or from Mrs. A M. Brown at 537-5360. Entries may be made by the same means.
This is not a commercial venture, the arts council emphasized, but exhibits may be sold. The council feels that many people abandon their work for fear of the cost of materials. The work may be sold in order that the artist may carry on with other work.
Demonstrations of all crafts will also be welcome.
Directors of the arts council are not paid for their contribution to this community project.

By 1978, Artcraft had grown from a small display of 'mostly pictures' to a true arts and crafts show featuring over 106 participants, who now paid a 15% commission on sales. This enabled the Arts Council to now give grants to the Potters, Weavers and Painters Guilds, as well as the Salt Spring Players and to promote the arts through many other endeavours. Membership is the Arts Council was required to show at Artcraft. The membership fee was $2. More than 4500 people visited the show in 1978.

During this time and for years after, the show was run exclusively by volunteers. However, as Artcraft expanded and responsibilities became more complex, a manager, who reports directly to the Artcraft Committee, was hired. Over the years, membership fees, registration fees and consignment rates increased. As the responsibility for Mahon Hall moved from the School District to the Arts Council, it was possible to lengthen the duration of the show, which now runs from mid-June to mid-September. Jurying was formally initiated in 2008 (?) although an informal process had been in place for years.

From the 1970's, the Guilds were organizing an annual Pre-Christmas sale that ran for three days. It was originally started by the Potters and then the Painters and then joined by the Weavers, the Jewellers and the Woodworkers. In 1996, this became Wintercraft. Wintercraft [now known as Artcraft Winter] is more informal than Artcraft. It is not a juried show and there is more of a 'market' feel. Quality is nonetheless a top priority. It is overseen by the Artcraft manager.

The Salt Spring Arts thanks Suzanne Prendergast for documenting the history of the Council.