Steinbach Arts Council receives $25,000 to expand programs and accessibility

The Steinbach Arts Council (SAC) received $25,000 to support their building revitalization project through the Arts, Culture, and Sports in Community Fund. 

With the funding, they are freshening up the basement, and looking into reconfiguring some spaces upstairs to maximize their efficiency and squeeze some more programming ability out of them. 

David Klassen with SAC says receiving this funding is a huge help.

“We get to tackle some projects in our building that we wouldn't otherwise be able to manage on our own,” he says. “A $25,000 building revitalization project will allow us to run additional classes with our space, and that just means that we make an impact in more people's lives.” 

Part of the funding will go toward the pottery room. 

He says their goal is to make that program more accessible for people with mobility issues or who need a little bit more space to move. 

“We have a really successful pottery program that we run, and it's growing, so we have invested a little bit of that money into creating proper shelving. We're allowing for more storage that is off the floor, and hopefully create a little bit more accessibility in that room and welcome some more people into those classes.” 

He assures the pottery room will be completed by the time classes begin in the middle of September, and the parts of the basement that they need for their classes to function will be completed by the time they begin. 

The rest of the reconfiguring of the spaces will likely have to wait until spring of 2024. 

“We can empty those spaces out once the classes are complete, and then we can start moving a few walls and doors, turning them into some more efficient spaces without bothering the classes that are currently running.” 

Klassen says every time they have a chance to apply for some funding that allows them to expand their programming, they get really excited. 

“We know that we fill a void in the community, we are bringing community together through arts and culture, and we're working to really create groups of people that connect,” he says. “So the more people that we reach, the more people we bring into our classes and that we can serve, the more we're able to build that community.” 

He says when they get additional funding, it allows them to provide more opportunities for those in the community. 

“The more we get and the more we invest back into our spaces and into our organization in general, the more we can offer the community. And it's a really great privilege to have that job.” 

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