As it enters its third year promoting arts and culture on the West Shore, the Arts and Culture Colwood Society has a lot to celebrate – and even more to look forward to.
President Laura Davis said the society is coming off a successful 2022, highlighted by its debut edition of the In Sight Festival at Fort Rodd Hill and Fisgard Light House Historic Site in September, plus a member roster that currently sits at 140.
”We had around 2,000 people attend last year, and we are really looking forward to increasing that this year,” said Davis.
That festival is set to return this September, with the goal of making the two-day event even larger and more popular than last year. The date is tentatively set for Sept. 9 and 10, but details are still in the works as discussions with Parks Canada continue, Davis said.
Much earlier in the year is another signature event for the society, and its Coast Collective visual arts arm, is the 14th annual Bloom Art Show. That annual event is taking place this weekend (April 22 and 23) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the historic Pendray House.
The collective, which was absorbed into the society in February 2022 after it ceased independent operations, remains in an evolutionary state, Davis said, as the search continues for a permanent home for both the collective, and the society as a whole.
”Without an actual gallery, we have to keep moving around Colwood to showcase these artists,” she said. “The goal, if we are successful in finding a space, is to have a small art gallery, some teaching space, and we might even be able to have a small performance space, as well as office space of course.”
Other events and projects are being setup for the year as well, including a classical concert series which started on April 15 with a performance by the Cascadia Strings Quartet. The group is set to play an encore May 20 at St. John the Baptist Heritage Church in Colwood, with the final concert of the series set for July 8, featuring Philip Manning and Hannah Craig.
Continuing the string of live musical performances, the society has a series of Flatdeck Musical Theatre performances in the works for the summer, and Davis said the society has developed a partnership with the Victoria Symphony to bring a show to the West Shore in December.
A long-anticipated poetry installation project is also nearing completion, which will see works created by Royal Bay Secondary School students displayed in the Colwood trail network surrounding the Royal Bay neighbourhood.
Overall, Davis said the society has been growing consistently and meeting its goals, thanks in large part to the strong support it has been receiving from the local community and various levels of government.
”I’m really excited, because the City of Colwood mayor and council are extremely supportive of us, and our last grant of $10,800 has really allowed us to offer more programming in Colwood,” she said. “I have to thank some of the developers like Gable Craft Homes, Royal Beach, and Abstract who have all provided sponsorship funding for some of these events.”
That support and growth is easily seen in the largely volunteer-run society’s budgets. In its first year, Davis said she and her team had around $4,000 to spend, growing to around $20,000 in 2022, and now closer to $59,000 this year.