The Arts & Culture industry in Prince George continues to be heavily impacted by the pandemic, and the Omineca Arts Centre is a prime example.
Kate Ames, local Graphic Designer and Volunteer at Omineca Arts Centre has resorted to setting up a GoFundMe page just to keep the centre afloat.
“When I was in our board meeting I found out that our bank account is running out very quickly, we only have a couple of months left before we completely run out of funding and have to shut down completely,” explained Ames.
The Omineca Arts Centre is described by Ames as a safe place for creativity to flourish in the community.
Typically, the Centre hosts music events and a variety of in-person art lessons, but the pandemic has caused the centre to cancel all in-person activities.
“For all art industries, the pandemic has had a really big impact and for us, there’s just not a lot of funding,” added Ames, “we have also had a huge drop in income we have been able to generate.”
The Centre’s main expenses are rent and artist fees, as it is run completely by local volunteers.
Omineca Arts Centre has adapted to the pandemic by hiring a monthly artist in residence that offers monthly free virtual classes.
“Art has a huge impact on mental health and plenty of people have had their mental health impacted by the pandemic,” she noted, “and we always need more arts because we have always tried to bring the community together in PG.”
In addition to the GoFundMe page, the Centre also has an account (#683) with the Return-It Centre, where people can donate funding from their recycled bottles.