BC Culture Days has announced their province-wide invitation to BC emerging artists to apply to their annual ambassador program. In honour of Culture Days’ 10th Anniversary celebrations, ten artists from across BC will receive $1,000 each to act as a Culture Days spokesperson and to present an activity during the Culture Days weekend (September 27-29, 2019). Culture Days is a national celebration of arts, culture, and heritage inviting the public behind the scenes to discover their own creativity through free, hands-on activities for all ages.
This year, BC Culture Days is introducing an exciting new component to the ambassador program: a three–month mentorship (7 hours/month) with an established senior artist supported by C*SARN (formerly known as the Canadian Senior Artists’ Resource Network.)
To be eligible for the ambassador program, you must be: an emerging professional artist between the ages of 18-35, residing in BC, present and available to act as a spokesperson in your community during the months of July-September 2019, and presenting an activity during the Culture Days weekend.
Ambassadors are involved with reaching out to community members, such as individual artists, arts organizations, cultural organizations, heritage organizations, and businesses, encouraging them to offer activities during the Culture Days weekend. “Having the opportunity to reach out to arts organizations in the community and develop some solid relationships with them was amazing. I believe the opportunity has also increased my visibility as a legitimate supporter and active member of the arts and cultural community,” says Elana Bizovie (2018 BC Culture Days ambassador from Kelowna).
In collaboration with local community organizers and BC Culture Days staff, ambassadors may be asked to participate in TV, radio, and newspaper interviews on behalf of BC Culture Days, so experience with public speaking and engaging audiences is an asset.
Interested emerging artists can visit BC.CultureDays.ca to complete the online application form. Submissions will be juried by members of the BC Culture Days Steering Committee and finalists will be called for an interview. Deadline: April 22, 2019.
Senior artists (aged 60+ with a minimum of 20 years experience) interested in mentoring an artist are encouraged to apply online at www.csarn.ca.
