Abbotsford Community Foundation (ACF) and the City of Abbotsford have announced that seven local organizations are being awarded Canada 150 grants totalling $60,000 for arts and culture projects in the community.
The community fund for the grants – which celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday – is a collaboration among the Abbotsford Community Foundation, the City of Abbotsford, the Government of Canada and leaders from coast to coast to coast.
“These projects will foster a greater sense of belonging and inclusion,” said Mayor Henry Braun.
“One of council’s strategic goals is to create a complete community, and this is a great way to inspire and engage our city by celebrating Abbotsford’s unique history and cultural diversity.”
The following projects were allocated funds:
• the Abbotsford Arts Council for its Aboriginal Public Art Engagement Initiative. Through this project, the Arts Council will commission a piece of public art to commemorate Abbotsford’s local First Nations heritage and educate the community as they join in the carving process.
• Abbotsford Community Services for its Celebration of Heritage. This project is a three-part local celebration of all community members, using broad themes to highlight all cultures that make up Abbotsford.
• the Fraser Basin Council for The Art of Storytelling, a youth-led creation of a large-scale artwork that captures core youth values and highlights the importance of culture, history and diversity to Abbotsford’s well-being.
• MSA Museum for the Abbotsford History Exhibition, which will promote a deeper knowledge of Abbotsford’s history.
• the Sikh National Archives of Canada for Turbans, Eh? Members of the Sikh community will wrap turbans on guests at Canada Day celebrations, and provide displays on the significance of the turban and the history of Sikhs in Canada.
• The Reach Gallery Museum for the Canada 150 Decolonization and Reconciliation Project.
Four exhibitions will combine artistic and historical content to address the legacy of colonialism in the Fraser Valley through both settler and Indigenous artists coming together to consider the myths of civilization and progress that underpin Canadian identity.
• Women’s Resource Society of the Fraser Valley for Walking Together – Women's Perspective on Community Building. This project celebrates the role of women in community building over the last 150 years and into the next 150.