From a colourful splash of paint, to the strum of a guitar, to the projection of an actor’s voice, arts and culture are essential elements in keeping Basin communities vibrant and exciting.
They top up residents’ quality of life and give reasons for visitors to come here and linger. Having modern arts and culture facilities benefits the performers, artists and groups who use them—and gives the rest of us entertaining places to spend quality time.
Here are three venues that have recently been updated with support from the Trust.
Golden Civic Centre
The Golden Civic Centre functions as Golden’s dedicated performing arts centre. The building has been around since 1948 and is well loved by residents and visitors. During extensive renovations in 2011, the original hardwood floor was discovered underneath many layers of linoleum and tile—but it had only five or six years left. Over time it was becoming unusable and a safety hazard, with divots, splinters and more. It was crucial to get it redone. The old, splintered floor was replaced with new engineered hardwood, which has made the space safe again and given it new possibilities. With ongoing maintenance, the flooring has a projected life of three to four decades, providing benefit to the community for many years to come.
Key City Theatre
Cranbrook’s Key City Theatre is one of the largest arts and entertainment facilities in the Basin, hosting over 100 events and 45,000 visitors each year. It was built in 1992 and hasn’t seen any major renovations since. In 2016, an engineering study identified severe deficiencies in the roof structure, meaning a short future lifespan if nothing was done. A new roof for the entire theatre, now under way, will add 25 years of life to the facility. It also opens up the doors to adding more technical lighting and sound equipment and increases the possibilities of what kinds of shows they’ll be able to support in the future. These upgrades will provide lasting access to a safe, fully functional live performance space.
The Hidden Garden Gallery
The Hidden Garden Gallery in New Denver welcomes over 3,000 visitors every summer and supports local artists and musicians with 10 week-long exhibitions throughout the summer months. Last year, the people who ran the gallery found themselves looking for a new building. After searching for months, they were offered a space. Previously used as a garage, the building looked like a big barn but the gallery board saw the potential. With only six weeks to bring that vision to life before the gallery’s scheduled opening, many helping hands worked together to transform the space. The building received a new door and awning, track lighting, new flooring and many other repairs. Now the Slocan Valley can preserve a mainstay of its arts and culture scene.
