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Several arts projects and groups in the Cranbrook area were beneficiaries of funding from the Columbia Basin Trust.
Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance (CKCA) selected 144 arts, culture and heritage projects including the Columbia Basin Culture Tour to receive a total of $520,000 in funding support for the 2010-2011 season provided by Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) under its Arts, Culture and Heritage granting program. CKCA administers and manages arts, culture and heritage program on behalf of CBT.
Among the recipients of the largesse was the Cranbrook Community Theatre Society, who received $2,500 for theatre lighting and a cyclorama for the Studio/Stage Door in downtown Cranbrook.
A cyclorama is a large, heavy cotton fabric wall that hangs around the walls of the stage area.
"By pulling the cyclorama around, you get to create a new space, with a white or off-white background," said Terry Miller, member of the Cranbrook Community Theatre Society. "That background is used primarily for projection purposes, so you can light it and turn it into colour walls. You can cast fancy lighting effects. But we use it primarily to dress the space up or dress the space down, depending on need."
Miller said a cyclorama lends itself to great lighting creativity, "and really cleans the space up."
Miller said Cranbrook Community Theatre is always seeking to upgrade its space and equipment. The society has a long wishlist of such projects, and is happy to get funding. He praised the CBT for the work they do in this regard.
"We are really lucky to have them," Miller said. "They do a great job of supporting the community in interesting ways, that are a little out of the norm."
The following projects in the Cranbrook area received funding:
? Heather Gemmell: Plugged In (Heather Gemmell) - $2,140
? Slam Poetry Competition for Youth (Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy) - $1,940
? Summer Art Escape in Mixed Media (Teresa Knight) - $1,000
? Woodcarving Workshops: On the Road (Roy Healy) - $1,360
? Keyboard, sound system, instruments (Cranbrook and District Arts Council) - $2,500
? Theatre lighting and Cyclorama (Cranbrook Community Theatre) - $2,500
? Fink Fountain Restoration Project (Sunrise Rotary Club for Cranbrook in Bloom) - $3,400
? Creating Community (Columbia Basin Inst. of Regional History) - $4,000
