Arts Strategy Update
Project update - June 5, 2026:
Engagement on the Arts Strategy Update is now open!
Whether you’re an artist, arts organization, or even an audience member or supporter of the arts, we want to know what matters to you when it comes to the arts in New West! Here’s how you can engage:
📝Take the Community Survey for arts audiences, supporters and those interested in arts activities and performances!
🎨Complete the arts and culture Sector Survey for people and groups who are actively involved in arts and culture. Survey closes at the end of day June 30.
💬 Register for a priority setting workshop for anyone interested in the future of arts and culture in New West. Sign up to participate in an upcoming in-person or online workshop between June 9-20.
What's Happening?
The City of New Westminster is updating its Arts Strategy to reflect current conditions, community priorities, and the City's role within the local arts ecosystem. This update is intended to reflect on what's working well, identify challenges, and establish high-impact actions for the future of arts in New Westminster.
What is an Arts Strategy?
An Arts Strategy lays out the overall plans for how the arts will shape our city over a long period of time. New Westminster's current Art Strategy 2019 – 2024 was approved by City Council at the end of 2018.
What does it provide direction on?
The Arts Strategy helps connect the creative energy of the arts community with the City's efforts and support. It lays out plans for arts development and the tactics to achieve them. The Strategy is used to help set priorities and allocate available resources.
Updating the Arts Strategy is about:
- Reviewing what is working currently
- Acknowledging where challenges remain
- Addressing changes across the arts, culture, and creative sectors.
Your input shared through this engagement will help shape what the City will focus on as we make updates to the Arts Strategy.
The process will involve:
- Inviting residents’ lived experiences and interest groups’ input from a broad cross-section of the arts community
- Reviewing the City’s funding model for arts and informing future funding model considerations
- Clarifying the City’s role in the local and regional arts ecosystem
- Establishing priorities, trade-offs, and implementation actions that are achievable
- Providing the City with a practical framework to guide future decisions related to arts investment, partnerships, and programs.
Engagement for the Arts Strategy Update will happen in phases, so community input can inform the work at the right time.
How can I engage?
We want to know what matters to you when it comes to the arts in New Westminster.
⬇️ Scroll down to take the Community Survey for arts audiences, supporters and those interested in arts activities and performances!
Survey closes end of day June, 30.
Other engagement activities with artists, arts organizations, arts audiences, and key interest holders include:
🎨 Arts and Culture Sector Survey for people and groups actively involved in arts and culture. Survey closes at the end of day Sunday, June 30.
💬 Priority Setting workshops, June 9-20, 2026: Click here to sign up for an upcoming in-person or online workshop
- One-on-one leadership interviews with arts professionals (completed)
- Arts Strategy launch event (completed)
- Reflection workshops to discuss the current Arts Strategy (completed)
How will input be used?
We will use community and arts sector input to inform the vision, goals, priorities, and actions for the updated Arts Strategy.
We will report back what we heard, and a draft strategy will be shared before it goes to Council for approval.
Please check this page for updates as this project continues.
3 weeks left
Phases
Draft strategy development
The project team will prepare a draft update to the Arts Strategy. This will outline the proposed direction, key actions, and how the Strategy would be put into practice.
The draft will also explain how feedback from the public and other interest groups was used to shape the recommendations.