Does Jasper need a professional performing arts space?

It’s hard to argue with long-time local artists and performers who are justifiably concerned about this community’s lack of specific arts infrastructure. But as the facility review recommendations are discussed and debated in coffee shops and Council meetings alike, it would be wise for project proponents to consider what appears to be a very valid concern brought to our attention by Janice Yeaman.

That concern is simple. If they build it, who will come?

Local performances seem to be attended by a select few. And that’s putting it nicely.

Ken Walker and the other local arts advocates involved in the Jasper Performing and Visual Arts Society (JPVAS) are doing essential work by attempting to gauge the needs and desires of the local arts community. Given that the process seems to be at a very early stage, the suggestion that Jasper needs a 300 to 500 seat theatre strikes us as a bit of a surprise.

Walker, to his great credit, insists that the driving principle of any new arts centre needs to be that the facility serves the local community rather than acting as a tourist attraction. However, it’s difficult to see how such a large project would be sustainable without a heavy reliance on visitors to Jasper. There’s something to be said for hearing a band like the McDades in a proper concert hall or theatre, with professional technical equipment and improved acoustics, but expecting local attendance to jump from around 70 to more than 200 is a leap of both logic and faith.

How likely is it that a steady stream of outsiders would consistently make up the difference? It is true that a substantial percentage of theatre and concert goers at the Banff Centre are weekenders or daytrippers from Calgary. It takes less than two hours to drive from most driveways in that city to a parking lot in Banff. With a travel time more than double that from Edmonton, we forsee difficulties for any facility that relies on outside patronage in a major way. 

The size and sustainability of a theatre space aside, the question of where to locate it remains. In the coming years there will be some serious and exciting changes to Jasper’s public infrastructure. A major redesign of the existing school building to provide space for both the public high school and École Desrochers could be happening at the same time as a long list of recommended improvements and new projects included in the municipal facility review.  

The Town’s facility review committee has made specific reference to the Old Fire Hall as a potential future home for a joint arts and convention centre. While this must be exciting news for arts supporters, it is encouraging that JPVAS is not ignoring the possibility of becoming involved in the high school redevelopment plans.

The visual arts aspect, meanwhile, might be an ideal component for a transformed Old Fire Hall. JPVAS isn’t attached to a specific space, Walker says. We suggest that perhaps splitting the proposed facility between existing structures might be a practical way forward as opposed to a new, all-inclusive arts complex.

No matter how JPVAS, the town and the school divisions want to proceed, time is of the essence. Officials may insist that the development processes are just beginning, but the school redesign, in particular, is on the clock. École Desrochers needs a permanent home soon and the francophone school division is eager to move forward with informal negotiations later this month. Now is the time for JPVAS to make definite suggestions and proposals about being involved, before the fundamental discussions move east to Edson and Edmonton.