Port Perry – As part of its mandate to cultivate a creative community, the Scugog Council for the Arts (SCA), with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Township of Scugog, launched the Scugog Arts Resource Centre (SARC) at 181 Perry St. as a community and member resource facility to promote arts and culture in Scugog Township and beyond. Joining the SCA was Durham MPP John O’Toole, Township of Scugog Mayor Marilyn Pearce and Ontario Trillium Foundation representative John Stafford to congratulate the group on their success.
In 2009, the SCA received a three year $47,300 capacity building grant from OTF, which is an agency of the Government of Ontario, to hire a manager of operations, enabling the organization to improve governance and operations and increase community partnerships, membership, volunteerism, community programming and to develop a physical resource space. “I am confident this grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation will ensure the continued success of the Scugog Council for the Arts as the heart of Scugog’s creative community,” said MPP John O’Toole. “I would like to congratulate the volunteers, the artists, and sponsors on the success of their application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.”
In addition to the grant from OTF, SCA is also working in partnership with the Township as it continues to nurture the growth of the organization by facilitating the creation of the SARC at 181 Perry St., Unit G-1, next to the Scugog municipal offices in Port Perry. This location, formerly the Scugog Business and Visitor Information Centre, has been the home of the SCA since June 2009 and now, as the Scugog Arts Resource Centre, will allow the SCA to provide accessible programs, resources and services to participants/supporters of all arts disciplines and the general community.
The space, located within a block of Queen St in downtown Port Perry, is spacious with abundant natural light and wall space, wheelchair accessible and lends itself well to a large variety of arts resource uses, including meeting/rehearsal space, exhibition space, seminar/workshop/ space, artist/community reference and resource services and other community arts related events and activities. With the SARC, the SCA is able to expand its member benefits and ability to serve the community and is already experiencing an increase in interest and memberships from individuals, organizations and businesses. The exhibition gallery, created through the generosity of Lake Scugog Lumber, is currently booked to the end of 2010. Other services and programs planned for the space include an artist portfolio service, literary and play readings, educational and professional development programming, drop in programs and the opportunity to partner with other area arts organizations such as the Lake Scugog Studio Tour.
The SCA looks forward to continuing its vision of a collaborative, creative community with the opening of the Scugog Arts Resource Centre and welcomes involvement from the community on many levels for this exciting initiative, including program volunteers, planning and events committee members, and general membership. The SCA is also actively recruiting candidates for its Board of Directors to be elected at the SCA AGM on April 27, 2010. For a recruitment package, membership, volunteer and general information on the SCA and SARC please visit www.scugogarts.ca or contact Manager of Operations, Carey Nicholson at 905 982-2121, [email protected].