The Osoyoos Community Arts Council was incorporated in December 1981, and officially changed its name to the Osoyoos & District Arts Council, July 14, 1989.
The purpose of the Arts Council is to broaden the opportunities for residents of the Osoyoos area to enjoy and participate in cultural activities.
The purpose includes the following goals:
- to help coordinate the work and programs of artists and cultural associations in the area
- to stimulate and encourage the development of cultural projects and activities
- to render service to participating groups
- to act as a clearinghouse for information on cultural programs and activities
- to foster pride in the cultural heritage of this community
- to interpret the work of cultural groups to the community and promote public understanding
- to inform civic authorities of the cultural needs of the community.
Meetings: The Osoyoos & District Arts Council generally meets on the third Wednesday of the month. Members are advised of the meetings and receive the minutes and agenda by email. Meetings are held at the Osoyoos Arts Centre in the board room above the The ART Gallery Osoyoos at 89th and Main Street. New members are always welcome.
Committees:: The ART Gallery Osoyoos is run by a committee of the Osoyoos & District Arts Council. The gallery is totally operated by volunteers and host approximately 9 shows a year featuring Osoyoos and local area artists with occasional guest artists from further a field.
The Osoyoos Concert Series also run by a committee of the Osoyoos & District Arts Council and is staffed totally by volunteers. The Osoyoos Concert Series schedules 3 concerts per season from performing artists from all over Canada.
Groups: Groups under the Arts Council umbrella include the Osoyoos Potters, Artists on Main, Osoyoos Photography Club, O’s Own Writers, Osoyoos Wood Carvers, the Osoyoos Quilters Guild, the South Okanagan Amateur Players (SOAP), South Okanagan Concert Series and Janet Marcotte Music Studio, Osoyoos Music in the Park.
Awards and Bursaries: The Osoyoos and District gives a yearly a $500 bursary to the Osoyoos Secondary School and the Dorothy Fraser Music Award for the highest mark in the Conservatory of Canada exams.
2018 Dorothy Fraser Memorial Award Winner
Presented at a recital in the Osoyoos Secondary School Theatre on Wednesday, February 27 by Mrs. Janet Marcotte, a long time member of the Osoyoos & District Arts Council. Sixteen year old Kaelyn Burton is this year’s recipient. She achieved the mark of 85% on her Grade Five Conservatory Canada piano exam during the year of 2018. The memorial plaque will be displayed at the Osoyoos Art Centre.
For more information on The Dorothy Fraser Memorial Award go to the Janet Marcotte Music Studio page.
Community Events: The Osoyoos & District Arts Council participates in community events and this past October gave out candy to children in front of The ART Gallery Osoyoos during the “Trick or Treat on Main Street” event.
Funding: The “Quail Family” project by 3 of the Artists on Main was patricianly funded by the Arts Council. The Quail Family has become a major attraction on the lawn of the Osoyoos Arts Centre at the corner of 89th and Main Streets.
Osoyoo Arts Centre
