SIGN OUR PETITION
Since 1997 Living Arts Centre has served Mississauga as a vibrant community hub. This building is home to all things culture ranging from visual art, to craft and design to performing arts. It is vital we protect this space in order to protect the arts in this city. Say NO to the plan to replace it with a hotel/conference centre. This decision has been put forth in closed sessions not accessible to the public – it’s important that we speak up and let the city councilors and mayor know that we do not support this idea.
The LAC is the only space in the city that offers a variety of programming for the general public including some truly unique classes in glass, wood, ceramics, jewellery, photography, painting and drawing, and textiles. The facilities in these studios are highly specialized and not available just anywhere. Within each of these studios there are Resident Artists (RAs), experts in their respective fields that operate their individual practices. Many of these RA’s teach, sharing their knowledge and expertise with the community through various workshops and classes. There is truly no other space like this in the city and in the larger community of Ontario, with the exception of Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, which doesn’t offer the same variety of studios.
For many children, Living Arts Centre facilitates some of their earliest creative endeavours. From hands-on classes to performances and recitals, students who took classes as children continue to take classes as adults in this space. Living Arts Centre also offers free programming for the public on Family Day, Canada Day and other times throughout the year, inviting families to engage with art in a truly accessible way.
The recent news of the city’s plans to demolish the building has left many community members feeling discouraged. However, it is so important that the public voice their concerns about this incredibly short sighted project. Rather than demolish the building to build a conference centre and hotel, we should instead revitalize this space – update the building and facilities rather than tear it all down. The upgrades to the building were quoted at $120 million, which is significantly less than the 2 billion proposed into building new facilities which don’t have the same commitment to the arts in the community.