The arts hub in the old Port Moody city hall is going through a transformation these days.
Not only does the Port Moody Arts Centre (PMAC) have a new wing for programming — with the addition of the Centennial/Appleyard home — but, this month, it welcomed a new leader.
And while Mike Clay is the city’s mayor on the political front, it can be argued Stephen Torrence is his counterpart for the creative stream: the executive director who will be steering the City of the Arts through its most prominent artistic venue.
Torrence, an award-winning stage director and a New Westminster resident, is on contract with the Port Moody Arts Centre Society until December 2016, replacing Bruce Campbell.
The Tri-City News caught up with Torrence at his second day on the job to talk about what lies ahead. And, like a mayor, he mainly spoke about the challenge to manage dollars and cents.
A volunteer-led, non-profit organization, PMAC receives its funding from: the city of Port Moody; program and membership fees; art sales commissions; donations, grants and sponsorships; and fundraising events such as Girls’ Night Out, which is happening Aug. 7 (see story at left).
Recently, after completing its $200,00 expansion campaign, it launched another $200,000 drive called Making it Work to pay for new equipment and supplies (over the past month, PMAC has seen a 60% jump in the number of music students and the society now needs $52,000 to replace pianos in three of its five studios).
According to its 2014 annual report, PMAC saw 28,000 visitors last year — up 80% in a year.
Torrence said the most pressing demand is to balance the books (given last year’s operational overruns) while serving the growing appetite for arts and culture.
Discretionary dollars are tight and competition for that cash “is very, very competitive,” he said, noting other fields of interest such as sports.
On the grants side, Torrence bemoans the decline of provincial government investment in the arts, “which has been a challenge for all of us to do the best that we can with very little. I don’t think this arts centre is different from any other arts centre or arts organization, in that respect.”
The key, Torrence said, is to build alliances around the community to secure PMAC’s future.
“I’m a person who believes partnerships are the best for winning solutions,” he said. “The city serves its masters and so do we, so we need to find benefits for both of us in the end.”
Torrence said PMAC already has a solid foundation, built by its dedicated staff and volunteers — all of whom have a desire to see the arts centre grow — “and I believe I have been given a real gift with this opportunity…. My job is a builder and to expand what’s in front of us.”
