We are a vital resource for the artistic and cultural life of the Coast community.
Our History and Mandate
The Sunshine Coast Arts Council (SCAC) is a charitable not-for-profit society founded in 1970 to raise the profile of local artists and artisans. Our mandate is to broaden the opportunities for the citizens, artists and artisans of the Sunshine Coast to enjoy and participate in local cultural activities. We are a vital resource for the artistic and cultural life of the Coast community. In addition to operating the Arts Centre which includes two exhibition spaces, a music and visual arts studio, the SCAC hosts ongoing free cultural events. Our mission is to provide opportunities for Coast citizens to enjoy and participate in cultural activities, and to increase platforms for artists and artisans to share their work. We achieve this in a variety of ways including hosting exhibitions, developing public programs, delivering professional development workshops, finding platforms for young people to engage, hosting readings, screenings and talks, and providing accessible space for cultural groups to gather and work. Our annual craft fairs contribute economically and culturally to the creative sector and the broader. We work to make the Arts Centre a welcoming and open gathering place, that is community-minded and accessible for all. We seek to be a creatively vibrant and culturally relevant organisation for audiences and citizens across the Sunshine Coast.
Our Values
We are guided by the following values:
Access and Engagement: we develop programs and events that seek to meaningfully engage with a range of audiences, providing opportunities for diverse communities to find a connection with our work.
Diversity and Inclusion: we promote cultural understanding and inclusiveness. We endeavor to make our organization safe for the artistic exploration of diverse perspectives and experiences, and we seek to remove barriers to greater diversity within our organization and within the audiences and communities that we serve in a respectful and supportive manner.
Artistic Excellence: we support a professional community of artists and seeks robust and varied platforms to present their work.
Good Governance: we demonstrate financial responsibility, transparent decision making, sound human resources practices and role clarity among board, staff and membership.
Integrity & Commitment: building on our successful history of creating community through the arts on the Coast, we strive to reflect our membership and community. Service to Community: we are a vital community service that communicates with its membership and the public effectively, proactively and is responsive to the changing needs of its members.
Our People
Director
Candace ElderCandace Elder is a values-driven, collaborative facilitator and arts advocate. Through her work at the National Music Centre, the Banff Centre and in leading mentorship programs and creative residencies, Candace is committed to the cultivation of communities where artists and organizations feel supported and empowered to carry out their creative vision. Meaning-making is central to Candace’s process, observing and exploring how we understand ourselves and our relationship to the world. As a Certified Ontological Coach with a Master of Arts in Arts Leadership, Candace provides unique and highly attuned guidance to individuals and organizations seeking to build meaningful connections while creating compelling and transformative experiences.
Curator
Sadira RodriguesSadira Rodrigues is an educator, curator, writer and administrator. From social-profit enterprises such as artist-run-centres and public galleries, to museums, grant funding and higher education, she has assembled deep knowledge of the arts and culture sector in Canada and beyond. Her past institutional experience includes Dean of Continuing Studies at Emily Carr University, Public Programs at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and a Regional Facilitator for the Canada Council for the Arts.
Communications & Design Assistant
Nana WhiteNana (they/them/theirs) is a queer, non-binary, Mixed Afro Indigenous multi-hyphenate artist working primarily in photography, DJing, and watercolour. They are a lover of nature, liberation, joy as resistance, storytelling, and the dismantling of systems of oppression. New to the coast- they moved here in 2024 and are grateful to be supported by these lands of the shíshálh and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nations. They are also a yoga and reiki practitioner whose practice is rooted in bhakti (loving devotion), catch them meditating at the beach!
Special Projects
Megan DewarMeg (she/her) is a white disabled femme living and working on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and Shíshálh territories. Meg is passionate about the arts, community organizing, food sovereignty, and disability justice. With a background in academia and the NGO sector, she has developed a mosaic art practice which centers repurposing materials that would otherwise be wasted. Motivated by a belief in the importance of the creative process and the intersection of access and art; Meg has been pursuing education in the therapeutic arts, participating in artist residencies and exhibitions, and is currently excited to welcome you into the gallery at the Sunshine Coast Arts Council and immersing herself further into the arts!.
Special Projects
London AllcockLondon Allcock was born and raised here on the coast and lived here her entire life, with a passion for the rich artisan community here. She joined the Sunshine Coast Arts Council staff in hopes to broaden and strengthen her connections with people who share similar interests and love for the traditional arts.
Bookkeeper
Daniel NakasoneDaniel Nakasone was born in Peru and came to Canada in 2013. Still lost, he keeps figuring out what to do on the Sunshine Coast.