The 13th annual Mayor's Gala for the Arts is Saturday at the Colombo Lodge (Image Credit: Kamloops Art Gallery)

By Chad Klassen

MAYOR'S GALA FOR THE ARTS

Proposed arts centre expected to be hot topic at Mayor’s Gala for the Arts

Jan 17, 2020 | 4:52 PM

KAMLOOPS — For more than a decade, the Kamloops community has come together on one night to celebrate the arts.

Saturday night marks the 13th Annual Mayor’s Gala for the Arts and is dubbed Viva Le Arti: Under the Tuscan Moon, which promises to be a fun night at the Colombo Lodge.

“It’s a celebration of the arts in our city in general. It’s a celebration of the people who support the arts in our community,” said Western Canada Theatre artistic director James McDonald. “There’s different things that happen. We’ve got our usual brand of irreverant entertainment.”

The gala was established in 2006 by then-mayor Terry Lake. It’s become a smash event every year with the city and council supporting it all the way.

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“It’s going to be a real fun event and it’s a celebration of the artists in our community and an opportunity to recognize them, just as we do athletes in our community,” noted mayor of Kamloops Ken Christian.

There are three awards being handed out on Saturday. They include awards for an emerging art, enduring supporter, then corporate champion — for which CFJC is nominated.

More than the awards, however, the arts community appreciates the support it gets from the City of Kamloops.

“It’s actually incredible,” said executive director of the Kamloops Art Gallery Margaret Chrumka. “We cannot underestimate the impact of municipal government support. They, like our donors and supporters — our business sponsors and individual donors — are an indication to the province and the federal government how much this community cares about the arts.”

With an April 4 referendum on the proposed $70 million performing arts centre looming, organizers believe it will be a hot topic of conversation on Saturday night.

“Yeah, and the thing about our arts centre. We’re trying to communicate to everybody is this is a home for our community,” noted McDonald. “It’s not an elitist building in any sense. This is a home for your kids to have their dance recitals, your kids to play music, all sorts of different community groups going on.”

The events raises between $30,000 and $60,000 that is then split between Western Canada Theatre, the Kamloops Art Gallery and the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra.