The Arts Council of New Westminster is working to make the arts a key part of the fall municipal election campaign.
The arts council is hosting two all-candidates meetings, with a focus on the arts, at Centennial Lodge in September. The first, for mayor and council candidates, will be on Sept. 18. The second, for school trustee candidates, will be on Sept. 26.
The meetings will be moderated by Stephen O’Shea, the arts council’s executive director.
A press release from the arts council notes that candidates will have a chance to meet with people from the performing, visual and literary arts community.
“Attendees will learn about the candidates’ ideas to develop and sustain the arts and the key role of the arts in our schools and the city,” the release says.
The all-candidates meetings are a part of the arts council’s Arts Vote New West campaign, which began on Aug. 12 when artists and interested citizens attended a meeting with speaker Brenda Leadlay of the B.C. Alliance for Arts and Culture sharing ideas about advocacy efforts across B.C. in advance of the elections.
Both all-candidates meetings will run from 7 to 9 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. For more information about the meetings and to RSVP, see artsvotenewwestallcandidatesmeeting.eventbrite.com.
Anyone interested in submitting questions (including short background, applicable research and local context) is invited to email [email protected].
