Community Invited to Talk BAAC Arts Advisory Committee Holds Open House

Barrie – The Barrie Arts Advisory Committee (BAAC) is extending an invitation to all Barrie residents to its first Talk BAAC session, an arts and culture town hall meeting. The event is free and will take place 7 – 9 p.m. on May 4, 2009 at the Barrie Downtown Community Theatre, 1 Dunlop Street West.

Talk BAAC is an opportunity to meet the BAAC members, meet different people from the community, including those involved in the arts and culture industry, participate in constructive discussions about arts and culture in the city of Barrie, enjoy a creative showcase of local performances, and mingle with lovers of the arts.

“We want to give everyone an opportunity to share ideas and identify opportunities to improve arts and culture in the city while being entertained,” said Damian Lopes, chair of BAAC. “We see this as a great opportunity to bring together the citizens, businesses, the artists and organizations to connect and find ways to work together.”

The committee will be presenting its mandate and also sharing the first draft of a public art policy. If you can't make it to the event, BAAC has posted the public art policy to a website wiki to encourage ongoing public discussion. The committee is dedicated to being open and accessible and has set up a website www.barriearts.ca email address (info@barriearts.ca) and a voice mail box (739-4220 ext 5100).

The committee also has a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account @barriearts.
In its first year, BAAC was formed by the City of Barrie Culture department as an arms length committee. Comprised of seven members, the committee's mission is to advocate on behalf of artists and the arts community, analyze cultural options and best practices, and advise the City of Barrie on supporting and inspiring arts and culture.