Thank you for your continued support of our public art
At our last Annual Report, the Gallery was celebrating our 20th anniversary and in the process of completing a community survey & strategic planning project.
This survey reviewed the visitor experience, community engagement, inclusivity & reconciliation, building improvements, the exhibiting artist experience, and organizational capacity & sustainability. We received such amazing feedback and so many great ideas and suggestions! When we started this exercise, we wondered if the deteriorating facade of our building would lead us to the need to plan for a whole new building. We learned that the community supports keeping the building, and favours introducing various adaptations to make the space more welcoming and serviceable to the community. The Gallery has begun to implement many of these recommendations, and has drafted the Strategic Plan included with this report. This plan will inform all of our
This Gallery exists because of our volunteers, administrative team, members, sponsor, donors and artists. Thank you for everything you do for creating this place for our community!
President, GPAG Board of Directors
Squamish Nation and Indigenous Arts & Culture
As we celebrate community arts and culture at Gibsons Public Art Gallery, we respectfully acknowledge that we are located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). We also respectfully acknowledge that our work extends throughout the territory of the shíshálh Nation (Sechelt Nation), and that we have a role to play in supporting the greater Indigenous arts & culture community.
This year the Gallery worked with Cory Douglas, a Squamish Nation member and Indigenous art & culture consultant, to review the results of our community survey and help define specific goals for realizing our objective to support Indigenous art & culture. These goals are now included as part of the Gallery strategic plan.
In June GPAG hosted “Preparing for the Potlatch”, a co-curated exhibition by Candace Campo (a shíshálh artist & founder of Talasay Tours) and Sandy Buck (a Métis artist & co-founder of Deer Crossing The Art Farm). This exhibition included a community barbecue opening reception and artist talks. In October 2024 (during Art Crawl), GPAG will be hosting ‘Echo from the Ancestral Land - past and present’, a collaborative exhibition created by shíshálh artist Jessica Silvey and Miyuki Shinkai. We are pleased to announce that our feature exhibition for June 2025 will be the acclaimed Heiltsuk artist Bradley Hunt!
Work also continues on the creation of a Digital Museums Canada exhibition with Ta na wa Ns7éyx_nitm ta Snew’íyelh, the Squamish Nation department of Language & Cultural Affairs. This project will create a stand-alone website that will highlight a selection of cultural teachings that can be shared with visitors through an interactive online portal. Progress on this project has been slow, but we are hopeful that the site will be ready for public preview in 2025.
The Gallery continues to look for new ways to create exhibition opportunities for Squamish Nation artists and artists from other Indigenous Nations. Please contact GPAG if you have a referral for an emerging or established Indigenous artist whose work would resonate with the Sunshine Coast community.
GPAG strategic plan
1. MORE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MORE EVENTS. Host more public events to boost membership, volunteerism, donations, network contacts, sponsors, sales and support of our mandate.
MORE WELCOMING. Increase visitor satisfaction with the Gallery by creating an experience where passing pedestrians are enticed to enter and stay.
MORE ART. Expand exhibition offerings and relationships with artists by creatively adapting the building to display more art.
MORE PARTNERSHIPS. Reach out to partner organizations to plan & support more projects that build upon mutual goals & interests.
2. IMPROVE ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY
CREATE A BOARD GOVERNANCE GUIDE. Use a single common reference document to define the Board’s clear classification & expectations as a working board, including visions, values, mandate, roles & job descriptions, policy, bylaws, curatorial mandate, and an annual calendar of tasks.
ADOPT DIGITAL ADMINISTRATION. Use digital tools to help administer an expansion of Gift Shop inventory, improve communication, and organize & assign tasks to Directors & staff, while reducing dependence on printed materials and the space required for the storage of administrative archives.
SUPPORT BOARD DEVELOPMENT. Create a Board Development Committee that supports Board health & diversity through recruitment, director & staff succession planning, risk management and annual reviews.
PLAN STAFFING. Use the successes of Gallery improvements to develop the Gallery Manager role into a full-time position and the roles of Gift Shop Manager and other delegated roles into more permanent part-time positions.
3. INCREASE FINANCIAL CAPACITY
BOOST GIFT SHOP SALES. Create Gift Shop improvements to expand revenue for both the organization and member artists.
USE EVENTS TO EXPAND REVENUE. Use events to promote art & gift shop sales, memberships, volunteerism, sponsorships, donations & interest in the organization & mandate.
EXPLORE OPERATIONAL & PROJECT GRANTS. Investigate operational funding application options from the provincial & federal art councils and foundations, and revisit eligibility for the sales of exhibition art.
IMPROVE FINANCIAL LITERACY. Educate the administration team and general membership on the terms & issues that impact the Gallery’s financial management.
4. SUPPORT INDIGENGOUS ART & CULTURE
LEARN MORE. Increase knowledge & understanding about the issues that impact Squamish Nation art & culture and the greater Indigenous community.
EXPAND EXHIBITION OPPORTUNITIES. Create welcome & meaningful opportunities for Squamish Nation and other Indigenous artists to exhibit and market art and practice culture.
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS. Build collaborative & supporting partnerships with the Squamish Nation, the Squamish Nation arts community and the greater Indigenous artist community.
ACKNOWLEDGE. Acknowledge and prioritize Squamish history, culture and identity in Squamish Nation territory.
SHARE KNOWLEDGE. Use the Gallery’s capacity as a public forum to educate the community on the issues impacting Squamish Nation & Indigenous people and share ways of supporting art & culture.
5. IMPROVE THE BUILDING
BE WELCOMING. Adapt the building to create a welcoming experience for all.
EXHIBIT MORE ART. Adapt the building & property to display more art.
RECRUIT A BUILDING ADVISOR. Build a relationship with a person familiar with building management to advise and/or perform maintenance & renovation work.
PLAN FOR MAINTENANCE & GROWTH. Create a building maintenance plan, and use the success of Gallery improvements to generate interest in future upgrades and the revisioning and renovation of the Gallery upstairs, exterior & grounds.
Fundraising
GPAG is dependent on the legacy endowments established by our benefactors Eve Smart and Joe Peters. The federal and provincial art councils are not currently accepting any applications for operational funding. The Gallery must increase fundraising efforts to make up for our operating deficit, or we risk depleting our endowment fund.
Our main fundraising effort for 2024 is a fall raffle of local Coast experiences. Prizes include a GBS gift certificate & tickets to the Coastal Tsunami, a tasting experience at The Station Wine Bar in Gibsons, admission to Gibsons School of the Arts, and the grand prize: a stay, dine and boating experience at the West Coast Wilderness Lodge! Tickets are $20, can be purchased online or at the Gallery, and all proceeds support our public art gallery!
The Gallery has also introduced a new tap-to-donate system. While this equipment comes with a considerable administrative cost, we are hopeful that this will offer a convenient option for Gallery visitors and stimulate an increase in donations.
The Gallery is also investigating the possibility of hosting a future fundraising auction, with possible bids on select works from our permanent collection, or for a private reserved parking spot in the GPAG lot for an individual or business. We are looking at all creative possibilities for generating income to support local art & culture! Please share your ideas with us.
Board Development
From the discussion at the last AGM, we created a Board Development Committee to help the Gallery with succession planning, governance, and recruitment to help us meet our needs for a diversity of skillsets, experiences, and background of representation.
As part of our 20th anniversary review, we learned the distinction between a working board and a policy board. The GPAG Board is considered to be a working board, with directors setting organizational direction and also assisting with carrying it out. The Gallery would eventually like to develop our part-time employment roles into full-time staff positions to cover all Gallery operations.
2024 began with the news of Les Thomson’s resignation from the Board, and then Carol Doyle moved to Comox to be closer to family. Paula O’Brien and Jeff Amiel will be stepping down at the conclusion of their terms this year, as they take on the challenges of care for elderly parents. Jesse Tanaka will also be concluding his term of service on the Board due to work and family responsibilities. And Joan Fallis, our amazing long time Treasurer, will be retiring from the position. We thank all of these Directors for all of their time and effort over the years!
The Board Development committee has recruited Ezmina Samaroo, Laurie Vance and John Dykes for nomination and approval by the membership. We are actively pursuing additional members with experience in building management & maintenance, fundraising, creating collaborations with community groups, and representation from diverse cultural groups. Anyone interested in joining or assisting with Board Development are asked to contact the Gallery to learn more.
Meet the Board
Barbara Beard (Director) spent most of her career in business; most notably as owner/operator of 4th Street Rose Restaurant in Calgary for 15 years; then building homes and renovating commercial buildings. She was a founding member and president of the 4th Street Public Art Society in Calgary and on the board of the Triangle Gallery (founded by Harry Kiyooka) for several years. Barbara has studied fine art at the Alberta College of Art and Design and for the past 9 years attended art retreats in Bucerias, Mexico.
Lesley Bullard (Secretary) has a Bachelor of Arts degree (English Literature); a Bachelor of Social Work degree; a Certificate in Leadership – Indigenous Focus; and a Procurement & Contract Management Certificate. Recently retired from BC Government (Procurement & Contract Specialist), Lesley brings expertise in building relationships; writing policy, funding proposals and reports; negotiation, evaluation, governance, strategic planning, conflict resolution and risk management. She has volunteered on GPAG’s Jury and is on the Curatorial Committee. Lesley is currently serving her second year as a Director on GPAG’s Board.
Carol Carr-Andersson (Vice-President) moved to the Sunshine Coast 17 years ago and immediately connected with and supported the vibrant arts community. She brings over 30 years experience in sales, marketing and fashion, in addition to her experience as a financial planner for BMO Bank of Montreal. Joining the GPAG Board of Directors in 2019 was another way to share her appreciation of the arts while supporting the community. After retiring from BMO in 2020 Carol is pleased to be able to support GPAG in a greater capacity.
John Dykes (nominated) moved from the UK to Roberts Creek with his Canadian wife Anne in 2002 after a career as a cartographer and land surveyor for the Crown Estate in London. The technical, research and management skills honed there led him to financial and project management for an environmental mapping company in Vancouver. Wanting to be fully based on the Coast, they set up West Coast Closets in Sechelt in 2005. He joined Board of the Roberts Creek Community Association, serving as Treasurer for four years, then two years as President before retiring in 2015 and moving to ts’ukw’um village (Wilson Creek).
Ezmina Samaroo (nominated) moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2022 after attending an art workshop in Gibsons the previous summer. It is a decision she celebrates every day. She brings a wealth of experience in management, business, and sales as well as 15 years in real estate in Edmonton. Ezmina has served on GPAG’s exhibition jury and is on the curatorial committee. She is deeply committed to supporting the community and is very grateful to be a part of the vibrant arts culture on the Coast. In February, 2024, Ezmina was the featured artist for the Black History Month exhibition at GPAG.
Stewart Stinson (President) has a Master of Arts in (Public Policy and Administration), a Bachelor of Arts (Canadian Studies) and employment experience with Citizenship & Immigration Canada and BC Environment, Lands & Parks. He has been a member of GPAG since 2007, had a solo exhibition of his paintings at the Gallery in 2010, and served as President of the GPAG Board from 2016-2019. He returned to the Board to help with the Curatorial Committee and help define the Gallery’s long-term governance and strategic planning.
Laurie Vance (nominated) moved full-time to Gibsons three years ago but has deep roots in the Coast as her family bought Lord Jim’s Lodge in the 60’s and she spent many summers working there. After SFU and University of Waterloo Laurie graduated with a degree in environmental studies and urban planning, working in Whistler for 40 years to manage and build many village properties. Through her career, Laurie has opened 36 hotels worldwide. She is also a retired realtor and has served on School Board, Tourism Whistler, Whistler Arts Council, Whistler Public Art Committee, Mammoth Lakes Foundation and Mono County Arts Council. She is past chair of Habitat for Humanity, Sunshine Coast.
SEPT. 2023AUG. 2024
VISITORS
Total number of visitors in 2023/2024:
18,000+ (est.)
Average per exhibition: 1,500
GIFT SHOP
Over $30,000 in sales revenue distributed to artists and GPAG
MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND STAFF
350+ members
30-40 active volunteers
2 part-time staff
5500 volunteer hours
EXHIBITION STATS
120 member artists in group exhibitions
106 youth artists in group exhibitions
50+ local artists in our Gift Shop
43 local and visiting artists with solo exhibitions
21exhibitions in the Main and Eve Smart galleries
10 member exhibitions in Joe’s Lounge
12 micro exhibitions in the Tiny Art Gallery
Financial Statements
Statement of Financial Position
August 31, 2024
Statement of Revenues and Expenditure
Year Ended August 31, 2024
FORDISCUSSIONPURPOSESONLY
Financial Statements
Statement of Changes in Fund Balances
Year Ended August 31, 2024
Our 2023 building assessment has provided a detailed list of building deficiencies. Fortunately, there are no emergency repairs required. Or at least at the time of this writing!
In fall 2024 the Gallery expects to receive the results from an energy audit, a more detailed study of our use of the building and an assessment of the potential changes that can be made to reduce our costs for heating and cooling. This data will inform a Gallery building maintenance plan and support future grant applications to fund such things as window replacement and other energy efficiency improvements. The cracks forming on the building facade will be there for a little while longer as we work out these core building issues and prioritize all of the work that needs to be done. If this bothers you we hope it inspires you to donate and get
We are grateful to the Town of Gibsons for approving the property tax exemption for the Gallery building and surrounding property. As part of this recent application, we learned that the back portion of the property (the small greenbelt between our parking lot retaining wall and the sidewalk on Gibsons way) is considered a separate property from the lot containing our building and parking lot. The Town has indicated that they will be supportive of efforts to improve this lot for public use. The Gallery will keep the potential of this space in mind as we pursue new grant
Curatorial Committee Report
The Curatorial Committee meets throughout the year to help advise the Board and Gallery Manager on all issues related to art curation & exhibition. The Committee consists of two Board members and a selection of artist member volunteers.
This year was our first exhibition year for Joe’s Lounge, a new rotating gallery/lounge space in the former Board room to feature a selection of exhibitions by GPAG member artists. This exhibition space improves our capacity to showcase and support the work of our members. Artists have now used this space to create some outstanding exhibitions! Thank you to the estate of Joe Peters and Coast Lifestyle Network Real Estate (Jon McRae and Russ Qureshi) for making this space possible.
Curatorial Committee membership in 2023-2024 included Stewart Stinson, Carol Doyle, Lesley Bullard, Denise Brown, Kim LaFave, Paddy Meade, Myron Jones, Kasia Krolikowska, and Ezmina Samaroo. Artist members interested in participating on the committee are invited to contact the Gallery.
The Curatorial Jury for evaluating submissions for the 2024 calendar year were Denise Brown, Lesley Bullard, Paula O’Brien, Carol Doyle, Del Lobo and Mike Tandy.
The Curatorial Jury for evaluating submission for the 2025 calendar year were Lesley Bullard, Carol Doyle, Anne Marie Brown, Roger Handling, Ezmina Samaroo, and Mary Findlay.
2023-24 Board of Directors
President: Stewart Stinson (from January ’24)
President: Leslie Thomson (to January ’24)
Vice Presidents: Carol Carr-Andersson; Carol Doyle (to September ’24)
Directors:
Jeff Amiel
Barbara Beard
Lesley Bullard
Paula O’Brien
Jesse Tanaka
Treasurer: Joan Fallis
Administrative Team
GALLERY MANAGER: Christina Symons
GALLERY ASSISTANT: Ingrid Hansen
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR and BOOKKEEPER: Susan Janzen
