INNISFAIL - The town is set to formally offer the Innisfail Art Council (IAC) a new facility deal that could see the group use the Community Room at the Innisfail Library/Learning Centre at no cost for its annual two-day art show and sale.
The proposal to the art council came through a motion at town council's regular meeting on Sept. 23 following a passionate appeal by Coun. Jean Barclay. She asked for council's support for a motion that the town engage the art council to enter into a partnership with the town on a new five-year agreement to use the learning centre's Community Room once a year for two days at no cost. The motion was passed unanimously by council.
Barclay told council that rising costs to rent the Community Room, from $346 to almost $900 this year and more than $1,000 for the next, forced the IAC to use Divots Restaurant at the Innisfail Golf Club for this year's art show and sale on Sept. 20 and 21. While Barclay expressed gratitude to the golf club for helping out the IAC she said the facility was inadequate for the event.
"It was not the greatest place to have an art show," she told council, adding that the IAC was able to get a $1,000 Community Grant for its event but could not use it for rent. "It was very crowded in there. There was art displayed on the floor. There was not enough room.
"We've got some bridges to mend," added Barclay. "I would like for us to start to amend these."
Carol McKinnie, president of the 29-member art council, called council's approved offer a "very generous thought" but that she was just "one voice and one representative" on the art council and that it would have to be discussed with all members.
"I am sure hardly any of them are aware of what has happened. It would be a lot of discussion that would need to happen now and decide the direction we want to go and what is best for the future," said McKinnie. "The facility at the library is a beautiful room and we appreciate being able to use it. As well we are greatly blessed that we have been able to hold classes at the Innisfail golf course the last two years and they have also been very supportive. With our club growing the way it has it has been nice to have the size and space there we do have."
McKinnie said she will contact the rest of the six-member IAC board to inform them of council's initiative. From there, it will then be presented to the full IAC membership at the annual general meeting, scheduled for Oct. 10.
In the meantime Mayor Jim Romane said council's approval for Barclay's motion was in recognition that more support is owed to the art council and the entire local arts community.
"It was very much an eye-opener when we saw the extent and level of (public) support at the two-night art show and sale at the golf club," said Romane. "It showed incredible (public) response. This (offer) will be part of the discussion about public art with them as stakeholders."
He said the next step is to negotiate with the ICA a mutually satisfactory agreement for a five-year term.
"I don't see any big issues with it," he said. "That is the way it was kind of discussed. We have to be also careful because we probably have to do something similar for more than just them, in fairness to the rest of the community, non-profits and service providers. Maybe we are going to have some policy in that regard too."
However, with the town's budget deliberations for 2020 coming up Romane said he's aware the town will have some work to do to replace the lost revenue for the Innisfail Library/Learning Centre from some other area.
"This kind of decision has to be considered at budget time," said Romane. "We can't all of a sudden say we are going to start giving away this library space for nothing. It's going to have to come from somewhere else.
"We have to be cognizant of the fact that if we are taking $1,000 out of the library operations where are we going to make it up? There's room for that," he added. "When you are dealing with a $20-million budget I am sure we can find $1,000 to work out a budget."
