Hornby Arts Centre

Building More Than a Building

Why does Hornby Island need an arts centre?

Hornby Island has long been known for its creative inhabitants. Arts and culture have been providing local livelihoods and attracting visitors for decades. Many of our full time artists have developed national and international reputations for excellence. They and their work serve to nurture and encourage local place making and identity, remind us who we are, and make fertile ground for emerging artists to blossom. The arts on Hornby enhance and maintain the creative reputation of this magical island.

But Hornby Island is growing and undergoing a population shift with real estate and construction costs rising, squeezing out the next generation of local artists. Now is the time for this twenty-five-year-old vision of a community arts centre to become reality—a dedicated home for Hornby’s cultural expression: a place to showcase, explore and disseminate the work of musicians, visual artists, writers, dancers, actors and content creators in all media to gather, share and nurture the greatest questions, reflections and human endeavours that Hornby has to offer. 

How is this project being funded?

The new Arts Centre is being funded by donations from individuals with an interest in the arts and with ties to Hornby Island.

The majority of the funding to date has come from:

• The Government of Canada through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Enabling Accessibility Fund of the Ministry of Employment and Social Development.
• The Province of British Columbia through the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program, Community Gaming Capital Project Grant of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the British Columbia Arts Council.
• Island Coastal Economic Trust through the Economic Infrastructure and Innovation Program.
• Comox Valley Regional District through the Community Works Grant, and the Hornby Island Community Economic Enhancement Corporation.

The land on which the arts centre has been built is part of the traditional territories of the K’ómoks First Nation and is stewarded and managed for the community by the Hornby Island Residents’ and Ratepayers’ Association. As Crown Land, the nominal rent tenure is set at $300 annually for the next 25 years. This arrangement has made the project eligible for the federal, provincial, regional and municipal funding that has contributed greatly to the building of the facility and will leverage further grants for smaller capital purchases to support programming and the safety and comfort of users.

How was the community consulted?

The vision of a building dedicated to showcasing and nurturing the work of Hornby Island creatives has been a dream of the Hornby Island Arts Council for 25 years. In that time frame, there have been numerous guided discussions and brainstorming sessions, several large public votes, consultations with a variety of partners, numerous draft designs, open houses and public surveys. While we realize that we cannot build a space that is large enough and multi-faceted enough to suit every great idea that has come out of this consultation, we are building a space that will encompass the community’s most fundamental needs—a professionally designed exhibition space equipped with a sprung dance floor, proper lighting and projection equipment, in a room large enough for concerts, readings, plays and workshops. We anticipate a seated capacity of up to 100 people.

How is the Hornby Island Arts Council running its programs without a centre of operations?

For years, the arts council operated out of a 1960’s trailer that was parked on the present construction site. The seasonal trailer hosted art shows and outdoor gatherings. Since we broke ground for the new arts centre, operations have been managed out of various people’s homes, and we are grateful to the volunteers, staff and board members who are helping to bridge this transition. Thankfully, the pandemic taught us a great deal about remote work, but we are longing to be working together again in one space. Our annual programs currently take place in various venues on Hornby ranging from people’s gardens to more than 50 artists’ studios to our beloved Community Hall and Co-op.

What is going to happen inside once it is open? 

Once the building opens, later this year, we expect our programming to expand exponentially. Professional artists and community creators alike will be welcome to make use of the new space guided by our staff who are diligently laying the groundwork for activities, exhibitions and events that will unfold in the new venue. It is our goal that this space will be visited and used by all Islanders within a period of one year from opening and that enjoying the centre will fold into the cycle of life on Hornby where all will feel welcome, curious, and supported.

When can we expect the Arts Centre to be open to the public?

The building is 80% complete. There are walls, windows, a roof and ceilings. Concrete floors are finished. The electrical and heat pump systems are installed and functioning and the plumbing is roughed in. The rooms are insulated, drywalled and painted. Electrical is in place awaiting installation of new technology.

However, there is work to be done before the space can be fully functional. First and foremost, the washrooms require fixtures and tiling. A sprung floor is being installed in the exhibition room. The exterior will be stuccoed. Next comes the finishing millwork which includes benches, interior doors and secure storage spaces. The organizing hub requires furnishing and internet to make it into a useable workspace. Professional performance and exhibition lighting and AV equipment will then be installed. The fully-accessible front doors will be fitted before they finally open to the public.

The Hornby Island Arts Council is currently fundraising to pay for the completion of some of the internal amenities of the building. If you are curious about supporting this effort and would like to visit our progress to date, please email [email protected] to arrange for a personal tour. We are happy to show you around.

At this stage, we have not yet set an opening date. We know it will be in 2024, and we are hoping for the end of summer / early fall. Once the arts centre officially opens, we expect to be working on the exterior grounds to establish modest landscaping, a sculpture garden, an outdoor gathering space and to complete a network of interpretive trails highlighting Indigenous medicinal plants designed with the assistance of the Traditional Knowledge Keepers and Elders of the K’ómoks First Nation and Pentlach Peoples.