Sunshine Coast Arts Council

Founded in 1966, the mission of the Sunshine Coast Arts Council is to provide arts and culture activities and programs for residents and visitors to the Lower Coast, from Langdale to Egmont. Since 1970, we have operated the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre in Sechelt, which includes four gallery spaces, a music studio, and a visual arts studio-workshop. In 2021 we expanded our program spaces to include the Gathering Place, a 2,000 sqft downtown storefront that provides ongoing Indigenous-led programs and workshops that center Coast Salish cultural practices, with a specific focus on weaving. In 2023 we were selected to produce the Sechelt Arts Festival, an annual event that draws thousands of visitors and residents to a curated program of exhibitions, music, theatre and dance. Under our guidance, the Sechelt Arts Festival will be a catalyst for connecting the arts to the urgent considerations of climate change and local ecologies.