“People keep passing the torch; that’s a beautiful thing to witness. I’m sure the Arts Alliance in its various incarnations has touched and enriched (and perhaps even saved) many lives. Hope, faith, determination, flexibility, and generosity — those, along with creative vision, are the human strengths that have served and will continue to serve this organization as it moves into the future.”
– Jed Irwin
First curator of the Central Island Arts Alliance
The birth of the Arts Alliance in the Comox Valley
The Central Island Arts Alliance (aka the Arts Alliance) was initiated in 1974 by a group of young art activists, many of whom fled America during the tumultuous times of the Vietnam War. “In 1971, when I first moved here, there was quite an influx of new residents to the Comox Valley,” describes Don Deese, one of the founders. “It turned out that many of those people had a background and interest in the arts.”
The initial cafe house / make-art studio / exhibition gallery / headquarters was located in a rickety wooden building on McPhee Avenue. For someone like Anne Davis, an early member, it was a place of fellowship. “There was so much going on and so much creativity and so much of a sense of belonging,” recalls Davis. “We were really young and just having a really good time knowing that this was our community.”
“The Renaissance Faire successfully executed the organization’s primary mission: to merge contemporary art with community.”
The Renaissance Faire: Bringing art to the community
Arguably one of the biggest early influences the Arts Alliance had on the greater community was the Renaissance Faire. Starting in 1974 as a simple market at the Sid Williams Plaza, the Renaissance Faire quickly escalated into a three-day art and craft extravaganza with live performances, music, and food trucks scattering Lewis Park, and, later, the exhibition grounds.
Although it was met with some initial criticism, the Renaissance Faire successfully executed the organization’s primary mission: to merge contemporary art with community. This elaborate demonstration and celebration of cultural vitality attracted thousands of participants, vendors, and attendees from across the province for 11 years. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Faire’s final adieu took place in 1984. But as the first event of its kind in the Comox Valley, the Faire inspired a new wave of regional summer events that we still enjoy to this day.
The Arts Alliance also hosted smaller events, including a variety of monthly shows: dance, theatre, music, performance, education, culture, and concerts. David Mclean, former curator and ongoing art educator, explains, “We used to do a show every month. Part of the original mandate was to do all arts; we would also bring in educational shows with recognizable artists from abroad. We wanted to make art something important.”
From Arts Alliance to Comox Valley Art Gallery
After being housed in several downtown Courtenay locations, the Arts Alliance relocated into a former pool hall on 4th Street and, in 1997, changed its name to the Comox Valley Art Gallery (CVAG). In 2005, CVAG moved into the old fire hall at the corner of Duncan Avenue and 6th Street. Twenty years and many renovations later, the Gallery has become a comprehensive centre for art, education, cultural identity, and community—a place where art is indeed something important.
Alongside rotating exhibitions, CVAG is home to a curated residency program that supports visiting artists for site-specific production opportunities. Ongoing projects include the Youth Media Project, an intensive 13-week video, sound, and media program; Walk With Me, an arts-based project in response to the toxic drug crisis; and the CVAG Film Series, screenings of three Canadian films from the Toronto International Film Festival Film Circuit.
“The story of CVAG can be viewed like a mirror, reflecting coinciding changes that have occurred within our community.”
Honoring K’ómoks history through art and reconciliation
In 2018, CVAG partnered with the K’ómoks First Nations to produce a multi-year convergent program, Public Place : Sacred Space, that included the creation and installation of a traditional Indigenous garden; two traditional welcome poles; and an on-site sculpture, CrossRoads. These are a few of the components that reflect the program’s intent towards reconciliation and acknowledgment of the K’ómoks people’s history on this land.
The story of CVAG can be viewed like a mirror, reflecting coinciding changes that have occurred within our community. Art has always encapsulated time, in some form or another, and, for the Gallery, it’s a direct reflection of the many cultural stewards who’ve played a role in the past, impact the present, and are yet to come.
As Glen Sanford, CVAG’s current Executive Director, has gracefully said: “Here’s to a previous generation who boldly brought the organization together. And here’s to the next generation of artists that will continue to change our world.”
