VANCOUVER, April 16, 2007 - On behalf of the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Regional Minister for British Columbia, and Member of Parliament (Chilliwack - Fraser Canyon), today announced funding of $200,000 for three Vancouver arts organizations.
"Canada's New Government is proud to support the Push International Performing Arts Festival, the Full Circle: First Nations Performing Arts Society, and the Rumble Productions Society. They are all contributing to the artistic excellence of the Vancouver region and of the country with high-quality and diverse disciplines like music, theatre, and dance," said Minister Oda. "By supporting these well-known organizations, we are giving the residents of Vancouver, British Columbia, and to all Canadians an opportunity to enjoy enriching cultural experiences, at the vanguard of artistic creation."
"Arts organizations must have access to resources that enable them to flourish within their communities," said Minister Strahl. "Today's funding will allow these three arts organizations to deliver unique cultural experiences to audiences in the lower mainland of British Columbia."
The Push International Performing Arts Festival Society is receiving $150,000 to produce one of Vancouver's signature cultural events in January 2008, a multi-disciplinary platform for theatre, dance, music, and other forms of performance.
"We are extremely pleased to receive these funds. They will allow us to strengthen our festival and push the performing arts to new heights," declared Norman Armour, Executive Director, Push International Performing Arts Festival Society.
The Full Circle: First Nations Performance Society will receive $30,000 for the Talking Stick Festival in February 2008, which will showcase Aboriginal artists from Canada and abroad. The festival will take place in four different locations in Vancouver and include a variety of performances, literary readings and visual arts presentations.
"Our organization is delighted to receive this support from Canadian Heritage," said Margo Kane, Artistic and Executive Director, Full Circle: First Nations Performance Society. "This will allow us to ensure quality programming that reflects the artistic excellence of Canada's Aboriginal artists."
The Rumble Productions Society will receive $20,000 to deliver a new festival, Tremors: Rumble's Festival of Emerging Arts in March 2008.
"We are pleased that Canadian Heritage is supporting our TREMORS festival," said Craig Hall, Artistic Producer of Rumble Productions Society. "This will allow us to showcase the very best in emerging theatrical talent from across the country for local audiences."
Canada's New Government has provided this funding through the Arts Presentation Canada program of the Department of Canadian Heritage. This program seeks to give Canadians more access to direct experiences of the diversity and richness of Canada's culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances, and other artistic experiences.
Information:
Véronique Bruneau
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
and Status of Women
819 997-7788
Ginette Montreuil
Regional Manager
Policy and Communications
Western Region
Canadian Heritage
604 666-6504
