Fuchsia Dragon | [email protected]
Arts and culture bodies in Jasper have banded together to raise much-needed funds to help keep their groups alive.
Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society, Jasper Friends of the Library Society, the Jasper Artists Guild (JAG) and Habitat for the Arts have launched a 50/50 style competition called the 2020 Arts and Culture Draw.
Buy tickets to support all four institutions and be entered into a draw to win cash and prizes - with each organization receiving 20 per cent of the proceeds and the winner getting the fifth share.
Rob Hubick, manager of Jasper Museum, said: 鈥淥ne of our board members came up with the idea. They had experience with something like this in the past and we thought it was a great opportunity.
鈥淚t came about after the budget came down.鈥�
In April, Jasper Municipal Council cut funding to the four groups to help cover a property tax reduction. Habitat for the Arts and Jasper Artists Guild will receive no funding but their rent has been waived until September. Habitat had asked for $55,000 and JAG had asked for $15,000.
Jasper Library will receive $97,850, half of its funding from the municipality last year.
And Jasper Yellowhead Museum and Archives were awarded $19,600. They had requested $65,000.
鈥淎ll four were really slashed and we are 60 per cent down in funding from last year,鈥� said Hubick.
鈥淲e are really in desperate times now. We have some reserves but not enough to make up the shortfall.鈥�
Hubick said this summer could be "pretty bad" with potentially no international or American visitors."It will all probably be people from western Canada," he said."Will that make up for everyone? Probably not. It's going to be quite the shortfall."
At the museum, money raised from the draw will go towards basic operations. The society has already applied for grant funding, wage subsidies and a federal loan.
But it鈥檚 not all hardship.
This January the Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society received two huge donations for repairs and upgrades to the Museum and Archives.
Ron and Sherrill McGaffin and family donated more than $50,000 to replace the windows and doors and the flooring in the gift shop, Alcove Gallery, Showcase Gallery and the meeting room downstairs.
And $23,000 was donated from Connie Bjorkquist and her son Michal Wasuita to repair the freight elevator that has been shut down for a few years.
鈥淭he board and staff would like to extend them all a very warm thank you for their generosity,鈥� said Hubick.
鈥淚t is people like these plus the many, many others in our community that give both their time and money that allows us to continue to be custodians of Jasper鈥檚 past and to tell Our Jasper Stories.鈥�
The renovation work is being done now.
And while the health restriction closing museums is scheduled to be lifted today (May 14), Hubick said Jasper museum will only open after Jasper National Park does.
Tickets for the 2020 Culture and Arts Draw will be sold from Friday, May 15. One ticket costs $20, $50 gets you three and $100 gets you 10. Email [email protected] or visit .
The first prize draw will be June 15 with prizes including a 2021 Glacier View Lodge Package by Pursuit, a Mountaineer Lodge stay in Lake Louise, paintings donated by local artists, Christmas Dinner Theatre Tickets plus an Adult Ski Pass for Marmot Basin.
The cash draw date is September 1.
