The monthly Opus Visual Arts Newsletter (in print and online) provides useful information for artists such as calls for submissions, some arts news and, my favourite part, an always thoughtful and well-written editorial by arts advocate Chris Tyrell. Sometimes this newsletter seems to be the only source of some of the arts news in our province!

In this month’s editorial New Money for the Arts, Chris Tyrell details the cultural funding program that is now in place for Olympics 2010 being held in BC. Of special relevance to artists and particularly arts organizations is ArtsNow whose “mission statement is as follows: To strengthen and enhance the creative capacity of individuals, organizations and communities throughout the province.[…]They seek to fund projects that create lasting change for a better arts sector and/or community.” Please read the newsletter and the ArtsNow website for all the details.

Tyrell finishes: “This good news is timely. As I wrote in last month’s editorial, Opus has offered to host an artists’ forum later this month on what kind of collective action the visual arts community might take to coincide with the Olympic Games. Now when we meet, we will know that there are new funding opportunities for us should we decide to do something innovative. The meeting will also give the community the opportunity to discuss Artropolis, a tradition in need of help.

Opus’ public forum is on Wednesday, January 26th at 7:00pm in the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre (the Planetarium), 1100 Chestnut Street in Vancouver. The forum will determine if there is interest in a visual arts Olympic celebration, different models of showcasing visual art and about the future of Artropolis. It will be an interesting meeting, so please plan to attend and, as space is limited, please RSVP to my e-address below.” (ctyrell at shaw.ca)

Related link: Artropolis