COPE going it alone for arts' sake

By Sandra Thomas-Staff writer

Two renegade COPE parks board commissioners are forming their own arts and culture committee.

Last month NPA board members voted to absorb the culture and recreation committee, which oversaw cultural programming in city parks and community centres, into a new parks and recreation planning committee. The culture committee had been formed by the previous COPE-dominated board.

COPE commissioners Spencer Herbert and Loretta Woodcock announced the formation of their rebel committee this week.

"We want to provide a venue where ideas can be discussed and we can think in a broader way," said Herbert. "It will be a volunteer committee, but [Woodcock] and I decided this was too important of an issue to let it fall off the park board agenda. We think the extra hour or two we spend each week will be worth it."

Herbert, an associate producer of the upcoming UN World Urban Forum Arts and Culture Festival and a community developer with the Roundhouse Community Centre, told the Courier in an earlier interview he believes the board is shortchanging arts and culture by dismantling the committee. He vowed to be the "watchdog" for arts and culture. Forming this committee is a move towards keeping that commitment, he said.

Herbert and Woodcock will head the committee and hope volunteers from the community will help out. While some meetings will be held at the board's main office on Beach Avenue, others will be held in the community.

"We'd like to hold some meetings at the board office and are planning some forums about culture and programming in parks," said Herbert. "They'd be big brainstorming sessions to see what people want."

Herbert said since word has gone out about the committee he's received emails and phone calls of support.

"People are really excited about this," he said.

Parks chair Heather Holden said while she thinks it's "great" Herbert and Woodcock are willing to give up more of their time to meet informally with people from the community, she believes their efforts will be a waste of time for everyone involved.

"I think they'll be wasting their energy," said Holden. "I'm hoping Loretta and Spencer will remain a constructive part of the team and not a destructive part of the team."

Holden said the board's new committee structure allows people from the arts and culture community to meet with board members twice a month, rather than just once as they did in the past three years under the COPE-dominated board. She said arts and culture now falls under planning, just as environment and programming do. "We're committed to arts and culture," said Holden. "This is just reactionary and that's unfortunate."

Herbert insisted the new committee was vital to the proper running of the board.

"It seems to me [NPA board members] treat arts and culture as a waste of time," said Herbert. "It hasn't been understood and it hasn't had the respect it deserves. We plan to change that."

published on 02/01/2006