I am deeply upset about the board’s determination that Okanagan School of the Arts (OSA) and the Shatford Centre must close unless some miracle occurs to reverse the apparent financial doldrums in which they find themselves.
I sincerely hope that the people in our community and area involved in all the arts, not just the visual, are also deeply upset by this news and will help to reverse the situation. I also hope that we will come together to give the OSA a resurgence of life that includes a much wider range of arts and cultural activities than has been evident in the past six months at the Shatford and that honours the vision and practice of the founder, Eva Cleland and those who followed.
The details of the debacle as outlined in the media are quite confusing and do not, to me and others to whom I have spoken, add up to a coherent narrative. There are discussions going on concerning these matters. Meanwhile, however, I urge anyone interested in the arts in the area to become a member of the OSA so that you can attend the special meeting on Thursday, March 21 at the Shatford Centre. Forms for joining the OSA are available at the Shatford (hours online or call 250-770-7668) and for March the cost is a mere $20 payable by cheque, cash, or debit or credit card.
Please join and come to the meeting. You, as part of the arts community, are needed to be part of the solution not the dismantling of a 60-plus years old institution and the 10-plus years work of many people to remake the Shatford as the OSA’s historic home.
Eva Durance
Penticton