The metaphoric BAG is overflowing with activity and excitement at the Brackendale Art Gallery (The BAG) these days.
The BAG will be opening in mid to late February, according to one of the owners, Jessica Rigg, who was bubbling over with excitement, telling The Squamish Chief what is happening and all that is to come in 2024.
The ultimate goal is to transition the entire property into an arts and culture centre.
The newly renovated café will be open daily for the soft opening, Rigg said.
"For the first few weeks, we're just going to focus on welcoming the community into the new space, showing people around, testing many ideas, training staff, kind of working out the kinks, and just preparing for more of a full programming come March."
The aim is to have four or five different community gathering spaces within the building.
There will be the main stage area, which most people who have visited the space pre-renovation will be familiar with.
"That's going to stay familiar, with a bunch of unique improvements, but there'll be musical performances a few times a week ... that will be focused on that main stage area, and a few other community performances."
For March, bookings are already in place for Douglas Kerr and the Almost Brothers, Surf Hat, the Bluesberry Jam Showband and The Paperboys, among others.
"March will have a community focus where we are bringing back some of those favourites," Rigg said, "And starting to re-establish some of those long-running partnerships, and developing some new relationships with people that have expressed an interest in being part of The BAG," she said.
Other events that are envisioned for The BAG include markets, art-focused events and youth-centred opportunities.
"One of our goals is to actually develop some opportunities specifically for youth in events and programming, including getting opportunities for young artists to perform a showcase at The BAG and also on the other end to learn about how to actually put on a performance, such as [with] sound and lighting training in the tech side of things," Rigg said, adding that the sound and lighting is being upgraded.
"We have a huge team of very talented, very experienced technicians who are eager to pass that knowledge on to the next generation."
The upstairs gallery area at The BAG, known by some as Thor's loft after previous owner, the late Thor Froslev, has been expanded.
"Now, the entire second floor will be a dedicated art gallery space, which is pretty exciting," Rigg said, adding that local Harper Wellman, who folks may know from Squamish Arts, has been hired as an art curator.
"I think the plan is to do the first formal art exhibit in April and he'll be releasing a call for artists to submit in February when we launch our newly designed website," Rigg said.
The folks at The BAG are also partnering with various other stakeholders, such as Between Shifts Theatre, and working with the owners at Trickster's Hideout, Rigg said, to co-ordinate event calendars and support each other.
"Making sure that we're maximizing the use and the attendance at both spaces," she said. "It is a great opportunity for Squamish to have choices and excitement happening in both neighbourhoods. We are all good friends and it is a really exciting time for arts and culture in Squamish."
Survey says
The BAG's survey has been filled out by about 600 respondents so far, and Rigg said it is being kept open to gather as much feedback as possible.
The survey results informed the ideas being unveiled at the community hub, she added.
The majority of the respondents so far were locals, but people from as far away as Ontario, and even Maui took the time to fill it out.
"Which just demonstrates that this place has had such an impact on people," she said.
About 80% of respondents had been to The BAG before, but 20% hadn't.
About 95% of respondents were looking forward to live music and concerts.
"So that's going to be one of our main focuses for this initial year of programming. We're going to develop a live concert series for 2024 in the coming months."
Another thing that came out of the survey was the desire for comfortable seats for watching performances. So there will be new seating installed, but the former wooden pews will be honoured around the building, Rigg stressed.
Movie nights
Another thing the survey results have confirmed for the owners is the desire to have movies played at The BAG.
"We're going to have at least one day a week when we'll do a matinee and evening show, set up theatre style, and bring in maybe not brand new performances, but at least those in theatres," she said, adding there will be a mix of older favourites and new shows to watch.
"We'll try to make that really cost-effective for everyone, too. And make it a fun community event with a concession."
The survey also showed that locals want another place to dine in Brackendale and so Rigg said owners were happy to hear the dining options they are working on will be welcomed.
Come the nicer weather there will be a rooftop patio and community gardens that will be open in the summer.
There will be spaces available for the public to book to host workshops, courses and meetings and the like. (Inquiries can be sent to [email protected].)
"There will also be community workshop space in the chapel that will be transitioning so that people can host meetings and workshops and get a smaller, intimate space outside of the main gallery."
How can you help?
For those who are able to help fund the expensive and extensive renovations, the Founding Membership drive is on until Jan. 30.
"The focus of this drive is to just help us hit the finish line and hit the ground running with some of our programs and just getting the doors open. Because as everyone understands, the cost of an undertaking like this is enormous. We just want to make sure that some of the important things that we had hoped to be able to do at opening can happen so that people can engage right away."
Founding members get perks such as gift certificates and an invite to a sneak peek event, beyond the perks given for an annual membership, depending on the tier of donation.
Contributions for a Founding Member range from $100 through $2,500. The top tier includes a $200 gift certificate, a custom-made Bell of Brackendale and being immortalized in the famous Casting Wall of faces.
Then, there will be recurring annual memberships.
"The idea behind the recurring annual membership ... is that we're going to offer an annual membership where the money will be earmarked to support us in arts and culture programming and inclusivity and accessibility."
The annual membership will include a discount for the café and a "Passport to the Republic," she said, noting if you know about the Republic reference, then you know, but if not, there will soon be an educational component to explain its release on the website and social media. With the passport, attendees to The BAG can get it stamped after each event they attend.
After attending 12 events, you get a free annual membership the next year.
"So, it'll keep encouraging people to stay connected with the community and also so that we can earmark some additional funding specifically to support some of the programs that we're hoping to run."
For more information, go to brackendaleartgallery.com, The_BAG_brackendale on Instagram, and Brackendale Art Gallery Theatre Teahouse on Facebook.
