ACLD Celebrates 20 Years

Twenty years ago, a group of artists in Ladysmith had a conversation about the need for an arts council.

The first board completed a Society Act Certificate of Incorporation, and the document was issued on June 26, 2003. It was signed by the Society’s first president, Roberta Barber, along with Bonnie Cruickshank, Leonard Harrison, Lois Romanow, and Janet Marston.”

The group began meeting in homes and at the local hospital doctor’s lounge to have conversations about their dream of a Ladysmith gallery

After much conversation, the Town of Ladysmith agreed to give the Arts Council part of the upper floor of the historic waterfront machine shop for gallery, studio and office spaces.

The place was a mess, but that didn’t matter; the first board of directors was determined to open a gallery in Ladysmith. Volunteers scrubbed, painted and cleaned, and they made this dream come true.

The Arts Council of Ladysmith and District (ACLD) lived and thrived in the waterfront space for 13 years. The non-profit raised funds and invested more than $300,000 to renovate the building and gave the community an accessible place to explore, share and celebrate our local arts and culture

The waterfront building hosted countless exhibitions, classes, workshops, festivals, educational talks and concerts.

With over 15,000 people participating annually, the space was a vibrant rainbow of diversity, and established an artistic heartbeat for the community.

In September of 2019, a powerful storm blew a portion of the roof off the building, and the Arts Council was relocated to a vacant school. It was a struggle to make the space serviceable and accessible since it is out of the way compared to the waterfront location. In early 2020, COVID-19 arrived, adding insult to injury.

Despite these challenges, we’ve been resilient and resourceful in continuing to develop the arts in our region. We completed a research project with support from the Canada Council for the Arts. We bounced between online and in-person activities according to changing pandemic protocols.

“We talk about art all the time It’s in our discussions about the design of buildings or machinery, the written word, a sunset, a favourite piece of music, talks about how a play or a painting makes us feel. Art is everywhere.”

- Kathy Holmes

We taught teachers to engage differently in their work and helped them feel comfortable with digital technology. We were the first Island arts council to hold a virtual fine art show We chased innovation and hired staff that are digitally savvy, and we taught over 400 artists how to leverage digital tools.

Now, three years later, we found we must stay proactive and find a new gallery location. Attaining the grant funding required for seismic upgrades and repairs at the waterfront machine shop could take seven to ten years.

We asked our current President, Kathy Holmes, what she envisions for the ACLD in ten years. She said, “I see the Arts Council being a strong not-for-profit and fulfilling and supporting the arts in our community We'll provide opportunities for anyone to take a class, visit a gallery, and see public art in our town."

Kathy continued: "People are already saying Ladysmith is an artsy town. In addition to visual arts, we hope to see more live performances as well.”

We asked our first President, Roberta Barber, how she feels about having started such a vibrant, successful organization. She shared, “Pablo Picasso said that action is the foundational key to all success The present day ACLD members have definitely proven this to be true."

Roberta continued: "When the group set out to incorporate, never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the ACLD being as successful as it is today. It definitely gives me immense satisfaction to know that 20 years ago I contributed in some way I'm looking forward to the next 20 years. Congratulations.”

The determination and creativity of 300 members, some of whom will be celebrating 20 years of membership, and the willingness and work of dedicated boards of directors over the years have proven that art is a big deal.

We are pleased that we will soon open the Ladysmith Gallery in downtown Ladysmith Being a part of the bustling energy in the town’s center will make the gallery attractive once again for residents as well as tourist traffic. We are currently running a Capital Campaign. If you know of an individual or business who would like to make a contribution to the arts, please let us know at president@ladysmitharts.ca. Thank you for being a part of the Arts Council’s success.

The ability to be creative, to pivot quickly, to understand change and to be positive have remained at the heart of the Arts Council’s reputation and allowed us to continue to show that art is thriving in Ladysmith.