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Renascence Arts and Sustainability Society was established in 2014 in the tiny rural town of Ymir, BC (Pop. 245) on the unceded and stolen territory of the Sinixt people on whose territories we are honoured to operate. Since our inception, we have been a leader regionally and provincially in supporting emerging artists. The innovative policies and programs we create lead our sector and have an impact that is far greater than town size might indicate.
Our main production of the year has been the multidisciplinary Tiny Lights Festival, now in its 11th year, which brings 150 artists and over 1300 visitors to Ymir annually. Over the years we have coupled community arts programming to the festival including Youth and Adult Songwriting; Hip Hop and Rap; Rock Kamp; Reel Youth Film Making; Photography Mentorship; Technical Mentorship; and visual arts workshops.
We have supported our artist community by providing opportunities for professional development through our Tiny Lights Ignites-Artists Professional Development Series and our Tiny Lights InSight video projects.
In 2019, we incubated the Rural Arts Inclusion Lab (RAIL) which is working provincially to advocate for and amplify the importance of rural arts on a national scope.
For the past 2 years, we have been engaged in a pilot project, The Studio-Ymir, to gauge the feasibility of a permanent multi-use arts facility in Ymir. The Studio currently houses 4 artists of various disciplines and provides workshops and opportunities for the community.
With the purchase of a historic property in Ymir and plans to create a permanent facility, we hope to expand our programming to continue adapting to the needs of our community and sector and ensure the longevity of our organization.