PAARC is pleased to be a community partner in a new series of community workshops on captioning, transcription and non-auditory access.

grunt gallery and Kay Slater are presenting a series of FREE, online workshops designed to help arts organizations, artists and community creators take a tangible first step towards building accessibility into their practices. The last year of working and gathering primarily online has brought into wider view an understanding that many in the disability arts community have always understood and advocated for: we need more skilled people creating video and digital content that is accessible to non-auditory audiences.

By outlining best practices (and identifying the pros and cons of available auto-generated captioning services), and inviting participants to learn the basics of captioning and transcription for live and pre-recorded material, we invest in a baseline standard for access as well as a shared and shareable knowledge base.

You can learn more about this workshop series and the full spring schedule on the grunt gallery website.

The Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA) is an initiative started by the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres which looks to galvanize sectoral efforts and deliver financial support to BC-based BIPOC Artists currently facing financial hardship.

SEARA FUND INITIATIVE APPLICATIONS OPEN

Summer 2020 in the wake of COVID-19, the Black Lives Matter movement, ongoing fight to uphold Indigenous rights and land recognition, prompted arts organizations across North America to publicly address systemic racism. The Sector Equity for Anti-Racism in the Arts (SEARA) is an initiative started by the Pacific Association of Artist Run Centres in response to the current precarity of financial need. PAARC, BC Arts Service Organizations, and other sector leaders called for mutual aid and accountability in the arts. To simultaneously provide COVID-19 support and point to the inadequacies of current arts-funding models, SEARA looks to galvanize sectoral efforts and deliver financial support to BC-based BIPOC Artists currently facing financial hardship. SEARA is led by a BIPOC majority steering committee in the creation and development of the fund.

To date, SEARA raised over $270K across 104 organizations, the general public, and government entities. PAARC continues to support SEARA as their financial lead in handling the outgoing transactions for the initiative while Vancity Foundation and the BC Arts Council seek to support donations and granting cheques.

On January 17, 2021 the SEARA fund applications opened for BC-based BIPOC Artists facing financial hardships to apply. The fund seeks to shift from some of the current granting bodies inadequacies, which includes support of non-Canadian BC residents, teenagers, and multiple application formats.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time
https://searafund.ca/apply

Media Contact
Zandi Dandizette, President, PAARC, 778-835-9819 or info@paarc.ca

The PAARC membership came together on January 11 to discuss the Strategic Framework.

On January 11, 2021 the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC) membership gathered via video conference for their first meeting of the new year. PAARC originally had a visioning session July 2019 in which they developed their new set of mission, mandate, values, and vision. Since then the Strategic Framework Planning Committee developed strategies and tactics to match these new principles. The committee brought back the draft three different times to the full membership and developed it further with feedback. Some key points include a focus on Advocacy Initiatives, Actions of Solidarity, Mutual Accountability, Sharing Resources Between Members, and Internal Work. PAARC thanks all members for their ongoing support and participation.

Media Contact
Zandi Dandizette, President, PAARC, 778-835-9819 or info@paarc.ca

For Immediate Release September 25, 2020   On July 27, 2020 the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC) membership gathered via video conference for their Annual General Meeting. Members received a report on the activities…

For Immediate Release

September 25, 2020

On July 27, 2020 the Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC) membership gathered via video conference for their Annual General Meeting. Members received a report on the activities of the 2019-20 fiscal year, which included the initiation of the organization’s first Strategic Planning, followed by the presentation of the Financial Statements. Furthermore, members agreed to the appointment of Zandi Dandizette c/o The James Black Gallery as President, Katrina Orlowski c/o grunt gallery as Vice-President, Laurie White c/o Or Gallery as Treasurer, Julia Prudhomme c/o Oxygen Art Centre as Secretary, Casey Wei c/o VIVO Media Arts Centre as Membership Secretary, and Manuel Axel Strain c/o Gallery Gachet as ARCA Representative. The new appointments represent a significant shift in the organizational succession. PAARC wishes to extend a special thanks to outgoing Board officers who left the Society with an expanded and engaged membership base, and who will continue to actively participate in regular meetings. PAARC thanks all members for their ongoing support and  participation and welcomes the new officer appointees.

The Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC) is a non-profit organization that represents the collective interests and development of Artist-governed organizations based on the Unceded Indigenous territories known as British Columbia through advocacy initiatives, actions of solidarity, mutual accountability and resource-sharing.

PAARC’s Board of Directors (2020-21) include: Manuel Axel Strain, Brit Bachmann, Katie Belcher, Bopha Chhay, Zandi Dandizette, Doug Jarvis, Brian McBay, Katrina Orlowski, Julia Prudhomme, Casey Wei, and Laurie White.

Read More