The project will establish a new artisan studio to serve as a cultural space, offering a unique and culturally rich visitor attraction.
The new studio is the first phase – and an integral component — of the vision for a Ladysmith Arts and Heritage Hub, which has been identified as a key piece in the implementation of the Town’s larger $25 million Waterfront Area Plan.
The Artist Studio plans involved deep collaboration with Stz’uminus Elders and guidance from an Arts and Heritage Hub Steering Committee.
The artist studio will be located in The Machine Shop, a heritage building with existing structural upgrades. The renovation will transform the existing Machine Shop into two artist studios, a teaching space for workshops and educational programs, and a community space designed to host meetings and gatherings for local arts, culture, and heritage groups.
The project is part of a larger indoor public community space that will offer 8,500 square feet of indoor space for arts, culture and heritage groups.
Island Coastal Economic Trust approved funding for this project in 2023 through the Capital and Innovation program.
We work in reciprocal relationships with coastal communities across the ancestral territories of the Kwak̓wala, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Éy7á7juuthem, Ligwilda'xw, Pəntl'áč, She shashishalhem, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, Hul’q’umi’num’, diitiidʔaatx̣, SENĆOŦEN, Lekwungen, and T’Sou-ke speaking peoples.
