Creative Cowichan arts and culture master plan

Happy Cities worked with the Cowichan Valley Regional District to develop a new arts and culture plan, supporting diverse community goals—including wellbeing, inclusion, and economic development.

Photo of a colourful totem pole in a small public square off of a commercial street in Duncan. There is a painted mural of trees on the building behind the totem pole, and picnic tables and flowers in the foreground. — Totem poles and mural on Craig Street, Duncan. (Rob Wilson / Tourism Cowichan)

Arts and culture to support a vibrant region

Happy Cities worked with the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) to craft its first-ever arts and culture master plan, Creative Cowichan. The plan will guide investment in arts and culture over the next five years, building creative capacity and enhancing arts and culture opportunities for locals and visitors alike.

With 10 First Nations and four municipalities, this southern Vancouver Island region represents a geographically diverse and growing population. There is remarkable creative talent, showcased through many art galleries, performance spaces, music festivals, murals, totem poles, classes, workshops, and more.

The arts and culture master plan aims to uplift creative voices across the region—artists, community groups, new and long-term residents. It is also a practical resource for the CVRD and for local governments across the region, including Lake Cowichan, Ladysmith, Duncan, and North Cowichan. The plan identifies strategies to support existing programming, spaces, and public art, while also exploring new opportunities to expand creative offerings in its diverse communities.

Creative strategies

The plan includes detailed actions to guide the CVRD’s investments in arts and culture for the next five years. The actions are organized into six creative strategy areas:

Information and resources
Programming
Spaces and facilities
Partnerships and collaborations
Funding opportunities
Public art

Recognizing that arts and culture are for everyone, Happy Cities developed these strategies and actions through two rounds of engagment with local community members, including all kinds of artists—dabblers, creatives, and appreciators alike. During this process, we heard from from 1,500 community voices who shared their priorities for the region. This work included hosting the 2024 Cowichan Valley Arts & Culture Summit, which brought together key voices from across the region to share their needs and collaborate in identifying opportunities to multi-solve around critical funding and resources.

View Creative Cowichan here!

Photo of a colourful mural featuring Indigenous art on a building wall, with water, sky, trees, people, and animals, including a killer whale, fish, bird, and more. A woman walks across the street towards the mural — Public art on Jubilee Street, Duncan. (Rob Wilson / Tourism Cowichan)

What is an arts and culture plan?

An arts and culture plan guides local government on how to support and invest in arts and culture services, programs, facilities, and local initiatives in the community. Happy Cities’ approach to developing an arts and culture plan reflects best practices by:

Engaging with the community to understand priorities, identify key opportunities, and share the benefits of arts and culture
Determining a vision and guiding principles that align with the region’s goals and with diverse community priorities, including strengthening reconciliation with Indigenous communities
Evaluating existing assets and programs to understand potential gaps and opportunities
Identifying emerging trends and best practices in the delivery of arts and culture programs, facilities, public art installations, and coordinated governance models
Providing recommendations on how local government can best allocate resources (such as public funding and facilities) toward creative policies, programs, and services
Developing a public art management policy as a framework for purchasing, maintaining, and celebrating public art across the region