Sudbury Arts Council’s volunteer board and membership work to promote the arts in the City of Greater Sudbury.
The Sudbury Arts Council was instrumental in establishing Cinefest, the Artists’ Studio Tour and the Sudbury Writers’ Guild. In June 2013, SAC held a literary festival WORDSTOCK SUDBURY. Special guest was Tomson Highway. This event has since become a successful annual event managed by an independent board of directors.
In 2014, the Sudbury Arts Council took a lead role in establishing the Celebration of the Arts, a gala event that honours artists and raises money for artists’ bursaries. It took place May 1, 2014. Visual artist Heather Topp and writer Matthew Heiti were honoured. The event ran annually until 2020 and provided about $60,000 in support to local artists. Financial support came from generous community sponsors.
Rendezvous North, Oct. 14 and 15 2022, organized by the Sudbury Arts Council (SAC) and the City of Greater Sudbury, offered workshops and networking experiences to explore innovative ideas for post-COVID 19 challenges. More than 40 presenters shared their experiences with artists and art organization representatives from across Northern Ontario.
Presidents of the arts council have included Laurence Steven, Jan Carrie Steven, Jon Butler, Ed Tate, Will Morin, Dereck Young, Gord Harris, John Lindsay, Vicki Gilhula, Andrew Boyd, and Linda Cartier.
SAC projects have included:
- Cinefest (1989-1991) started under the auspices of SAC before becoming an independent board.
- Artitst Studio Tour
- Wordstock Sudbury
- Artrepreneur
- Gallery 6500 at the Steelworkets Hall
- Jazzed Up Downtown Saturdays
- Passport to the Arts
- CKLU/STC/SAC Podcast on CKLU and Eastlink
- Virtual Art Crawl
- Hybrid Art Crawl
- Rendezvous North
- Arts Meets Business with Chamber of Commerce
- State of the Arts Sudbury Star Column
- Advocate for Bell Museum, Cambrian College Music and Museums/Heritage
- Sudbury Celebration of the Arts
- History Walk in Downtown Sudbury 2021
- SAC President’s Award/Oryst Sawchuk Award
- Co-host of Mayoralty Candidates meetings
- Rondezvous North Conference 2022
- Journal Calendar project 2023, 2024
MISSION STATEMENT/BYLAWS
Mission
Our mission is to Connect, Communicate and Celebrate arts in the City of Greater Sudbury. SAC connects members of the arts community with each other and their audiences. As an arts umbrella organization, it advocates on behalf of artists and promotes the arts. SAC encourages awareness and appreciation of the wide diversity of Arts, Culture and Heritage in our area.
Values
Sudbury Arts Council brings attention and support to the artistic community in Greater Sudbury. SAC makes art accessible for everyone, encouraging participation and appreciation of art throughout the community. It advocates and promotes equally for Anglophone, Francophone, and Indigenous arts and culture groups in our city, understanding the deeply important role each plays in making up our unique arts scene, and overall culture.
We are committed to encouraging emerging artists and assisting them to establish a network within the artistic community. We strive to broaden the audience for the arts by awakening new audiences.
History
Sudbury Arts Council / Conseil des arts de Sudbury (SAC) is a non-profit organization founded July 31, 1974. Over its almost 50-year history, it was instrumental in the establishment of Cinéfest, the Artists’ Studio Tour, and the Sudbury Writers’ Guild, as well as establishing the Sudbury Food Bank’s Christmas Art Card project and Art of Dessert Evening, which are now managed independently by the Sudbury Food Bank.
It has sponsored Arts Crawls, and supported the establishment of Wordstock Literary Festival in 2013. It was a co-creator of the Sudbury Celebration of the Arts, an award gala.
SAC established Gallery 6500, an art gallery at the local Steelworkers Hall.
Another successful initiative organized by SAC is the Passport to the Arts program, which offers a sampling of events and arts experiences aiding in audience building and promotion for participating organizations.
In October 2022, the arts council hosted Rendezvous North, a conference for Northern Ontario artists.
Diversity Statement
The arts require individual thought and expression. Sudbury Arts Council respects and honours individuality and invites the region’s rich diversity of artists to Connect, Communicate, and Celebrate in our artistic world.
The SAC board of directors is committed to the work of anti-racism and are learning about how White privilege supremacism are impacting the people and communities we serve.
We must continue to have uncomfortable conversations to help dismantle the systemic racial barriers that for generations have blocked social and economic progress for Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour (IBPOC).
We welcome all creative people and their passion for the arts regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical ability, socioeconomic background, religious/ spirituality beliefs, or any other characteristic that make our communities and individuals unique.
The SAC board of directors is committed to strengthening equity and diversity by listening to our community’s needs and by creating equal access, well-being, and a sense of belonging for all.