Since the loss of the Brampton Arts Council (BAC) back in 2015, local arts groups in Brampton have been expressing the lack of essential support to keep their organizations thriving.
The mission of the now-defunct Brampton Arts Council (BAC) was to foster and promote the arts in Brampton. But it lost its funding after Council voted to restructure the city’s grants program, leaving the organization without enough funding to keep operating.
BAC had its challenges, and some
The Brampton Arts Coalition, a new group made up Brampton Music Theatre, Beaux Arts, Brampton Folk Club and others, is asking
Last year the city launched
Last June Brampton City Council voted unanimously to support the Master Plan and by extension, to set up an arms-length organization to lead arts-related activities in Brampton. They also approved a minimum budget of $372,000 to implement arts and culture programming and services as well as an additional $1 million towards the arts.
The coalition says it’s been missing some fundamental things —
Currently, Brampton spends less than $1 per capita on the arts. It’s a far cry from cities like Toronto, which spends $25 per capita, and Ottawa, which spends $28.
“We are hopeful about the future of the arts in Brampton and feel this is the beginning of a rebirth of stronger support for the arts,” says Sharon Vandrish, Director at Brampton Music Theatre and elected chair of the new arts coalition committee.
In its
The coalition’s main
For now,