Community Arts Council of Vancouver

OUR STORY
The Community Arts Council of Vancouver (CACV) was the first arts council in North America. Since its beginning in 1946, the Community Arts Council of Vancouver has been a contributor to shaping the cultural life of Vancouver. CACV has been a powerful force in creating and advocating for many of the institutions, traditions, and policies in Vancouver that we benefit from today. CACV is an independent non-profit organization, unaffiliated with any government department. Full financial reporting is available to the public on an annual basis through CRA.

CACV was instrumental in the creation of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Museum and Planetarium, the UBC School of Music, the first Vancouver Film Festival, and many other of Vancouver’s cultural institutions and events. For many decades, CACV has been contributing to the cultural and community development of Vancouver by creating art projects that engage the community and facilitating, supporting, and advocating for initiatives, facilities, and programs that increase community participation in the arts. Our interests are to increase understanding of how the arts create community, grow our appreciation of our cultural differences, and engage Vancouver’s citizens in the art of developing community.

Heritage Vancouver began as the Civic Arts Committee of CACV and separated in 1991 to become the first independent heritage group in Vancouver. It operates today as an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of Vancouver’s built, cultural, and natural heritage.

The Community Arts Council of Vancouver played a vital role in the early preservation of and in the initiation of the heritage preservation movement. CACV also advocated for street banners, outdoor furniture, and the cherry trees that line Vancouver’s streets.

The Arts and Our Town: The Community Arts Council of Vancouver 1946–96 written by Elizabeth O’Kiely covers CACV’s early history and accomplishments in more detail. There are multiple copies available through the Vancouver Public Library.

OUR VISION & MISSION
CACV’s vision is of a socially-engaged, inclusive, and vibrant city alive with community arts.

CACV’s mission is to further the development of community arts throughout Vancouver.

Our Work Now

We advance our vision in Vancouver through community arts programs that address social exclusion and accessibility to creative opportunities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships, sustainability in the arts sector, and our collective resilience in the face of growing social and environmental challenges.