Yellowknife (Mar 04/05) - The Aurora Arts Society is another baby step closer to setting up an arts centre in Yellowknife.

Jan Fullerton, president of the society, was pleased with Saturday's meeting with MP Ethel Blondin-Andrew, minister of state for Northern Development.

Cheryl Li gets some personal instruction from piano virtuoso Andre Laplante, Sunday at NACC. The Grade 4 student from Range Lake North school was one of nine piano students who participated in a free master class arranged by the NWT Music Teachers' Association. - Jennifer Geens/NNSL photo

"There's still a lot left to do, but we have a better idea where we need to go from here," said Fullerton.

Though Blondin-Andrew made no formal commitment to the project, she listened as artists explained the worsening space crisis.

She made a few suggestions that might make the project attractive to other federal departments and promised a return visit.

Consultant Greg O'Neill completed a feasibility study for the centre last summer and the Society is in the process of forming a steering committee for the project.

The society has run into a problem with established private galleries in Yellowknife, who are concerned that a public gallery in a new arts centre would cut into their trade.

If that's the case, RWED would have grounds to refuse to fund the centre.

But the artists are itching for action.

At one point artist Diane Boudreau expressed her frustration with the repetitive cycle of meetings, reports and government talk.

"It's written everywhere, but it doesn't exist anywhere," she said.

Crazy Legs Dance Company, Martin Goodliffe and the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts all expressed an urgent need for arts space in the city.

Darha Phillpot of Crazy Legs said her group has great difficulty finding suitable space to rent and often ends up in school gymnasiums.

"It's a great space for basketball, but not for dance," she said.

End of the lease

The guild's arrangement with Yellowknife Catholic Schools to use classrooms will come to an end this year, leaving them without studio and instruction space.

Martin Goodliffe lost his studio space last year when the Arctic Artists Direct building was razed.

Goodliffe's now working from his home.

Aurora Arts Society board member Matthew Grogono proposed establishing some sort of centre in the Trapper's cabin in Old Town by summer, for the artists to use while they work towards a larger facility.

But Monique Aisbett, art teacher at Chief Jimmy Bruneau school in Rae and a past president of the North Vancouver arts council, said settling for the minimum isn't a good negotiation tactic.

"When you have a federal politician sitting here, you have to say you want it all," she said.

"Aim for the stars and you might just skim the treetops."

Ultimately, everyone agreed the arts centre would have three basic needs: a building, money to run its operations and a full-time paid staff person.

MLA Bill Braden advised the artists to present a united front to government representatives.

"If we're going to see an arts-driven facility here, behind that has to be commitment and unity in the people who want to own and run it," said Braden.

Again the Aurora Arts Society was brought forward as the logical entity for the government to deal with.

"We're willing to take on that role but the arts community as a whole has to support that," said Fullerton.