Celebrating Oak Bay Arts Laureate

Thank you Honourable Speaker.

Today I rise to pay tribute to a constituent, Barbara Adams, and to the Municipality of Oak Bay, together with its Mayor, Nils Jensen, for nominating Barbara Adams as their inaugural Oak Bay Arts Laureate.

Barbara Adams is a passionate and tireless advocate for the arts in our community. For a decade she taught at Monterey School where she built the arts program and established the artists-in-a-school program. Her innovative approaches to art education and community engagement were so successful that her annual Monterey Art Gala netted her school department between $10,000 and $25,000 dollars each year. In her 37-year career as an educator, Barbara Adams has inspired a generation of children to appreciate and celebrate the Arts, each in their own personal way.

Being appointed the Oak Bay Arts Laureate is just the latest of numerous honours that have been bestowed upon Barbara Adams over the years, including a Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and a Community Arts Council Community Arts Award, to name just two.

But I know that the being named the Oak Bay Arts Laureate is very special to her.

The Oak Bay Arts Laureate is an honourary position whose creation was championed by the mayor, Nils Jensen, and it is the first such position in the Capital Regional District, and as far as I can tell, British Columbia, or even Canada. The Arts Laureate acts as a good will ambassador to enhance arts and culture within the community of Oak Bay. The Arts Laureate organizes and coordinates events and creates projects that enhance arts and culture in Oak Bay. The Arts Laureate also liaises with Arts and Cultural Organizations across the Capital Regional District. And yes, the Arts Laureate has a budget to work with!

I for one am excited about what’s in store for Oak Bay as Barbara Adams enriches the profile of Art across our community. Thank you to Nils Jensen and the District of Oak Bay for creating the Arts Laureate position and thank you Barbara Adams for all that you do in our community.