Our primary objective at BCA is the development of affordable space for artists and cultural organizations. There are four key areas we focus on in order to do this.
1. Cultural Space Development
Our objective is that each of our projects are:
Affordable for our community with secure tenure;
An accurate reflection of the community within which they are located;
A supportive home for artists, cultural organizations and community members to collaborate and share resources;
Financially sustainable.
2. Support Services
BCA provides services that build capacity across the sector, working with municipalities, developers and non-profit societies towards their own cultural space goals.
These activities include:
Consulting to deliver projects with cultural and public benefit;
Facilitating dialogue around cultural space issues with government, non profit, and private sector stakeholders.
Assisting other organizations with space-related capacity building and the development of their own infrastructure projects.
3. Programs
BCA develops and supports programming and services that draws focus and attention to space-related issues facing artists and cultural organizations in BC communities.
The objective for our programming is to:
Support public dialogue and artist-led investigations around issues such as affordability, urban development and gentrification;
Promote innovative design practices for sharing and developing space.
4. Advocacy
BCA’s advocacy is built on our foundational belief that artists and cultural organizations are vital to our cities and communities.
Our advocacy objectives are to:
Affect the non-profit development sector through research and policy related to secure, equitable and affordable cultural spaces;
Engage actively with Government and private-sector partners to support the creation, preservation and operation of affordable cultural space and housing;
Collaborate and contribute to dialogue about alternative means for measuring the social and economic impacts of culture in our communities.
People
Tosan Omatsola Project Director
Tosan is a business expert with experience in social enterprise, government, financing, infrastructure and natural resources. He is a regular consultant with African governments, natural resources and finance segments. He held roles as a geologist at BP and Executive Vice-President at Ivanhoe Capital for over a decade. In 2017, Tosan shifted his work in Canada towards a focus on social entrepreneurship through leading cohorts at Simon Fraser University’s Radius Labs.
Yasmine Haiboub Operations & Tenant Coordinator
Sof Pickstone Maintenance Technician / Project Activator / Wizard
Always trying to find fun in the mundane, Sof enjoys fixing and making things big and small. If there can be a creative way to solve a problem why not give it a go ~
Apart from construction and design work, Sof loves music, art, books, films, food, nature, and their friends.
Kiyoshi Whitley Building Technician / Director of Optics & Illusion
Kiyoshi Whitley is the Building Technician at BCA and is responsible for completing maintenance tasks and overseeing the quality of the facilities. Whitley graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University. He has 20 years of experience in residential construction and renovation which informs his art practice. He has worked extensively as a fabricator and art installer for various artist-run organizations. In his spare time, he enjoys baseball, films, and a casual chess game with his friends.
Maymoona Gaid Administrative Assistant