Team To Look Into Multi Purpose Cultural Facility

Posted on 7/7/2016 12:31 PM by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
A new facility housing local arts and culture groups under one roof is getting some political traction. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has approved forming an action team to look into a multi purpose building that could accommodate an art gallery, museum and other groups. GVAC director Mike Macnabb says it makes more sense than each group having separate facilities. "I think it's a great use of space, and that's where we should be looking. There is common ground for the museum and art gallery, and to duplicate in two separate facilities does not make sense to me, so I think this is a fantastic way of approaching it," Macnabb tells Kiss FM. The action team will include arts and culture reps, an Okanagan Indian Band member, Black Box Performance Space, Social Planning Council, an architect, a community member, GVAC directors, and will be led by regional district staff. The team will give input and make recommendations to the RDNO board. "I'm glad that staff will be there directing it. We don't want them running off in different directions, and all coming with different proposals, saying what they individually want. We want a shared vision coming forward," adds Macnabb, director for BX Silver Star. GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham says the end goal will be for a referendum on the issue, perhaps by next year. "We are really trying to accelerate it because there's been a lot of frustration from the cultural community. This is something that's been asked for for some time, and I think we have the fundamentals in place now to get some momentum," says Cunningham. GVAC director Jim Garlick says the idea of the groups using shared space, could cut down on the building's size. "We need to look at the requests, the projections for area, and the past uses, and there's really overlap in it, so we need to make best use of the area within the buildings." No potential sites have been mentioned yet.