A butterfly with multi-coloured wings and icons representing different facets of the arts and culture of Tumbler Ridge beside text that reads TR Community Arts Council. The icons consist of gears, theatre masks known as comedy and tragedy, paint palette with paint brush, and a musical eighth note.
For 40 years, the Tumbler Ridge Community Arts Council (TRCAC or Arts Council) has fostered opportunities for residents to enjoy art and cultural activities.
Sometimes as sponsor, sometimes as host, the Arts Council has been involved with theatrical, dance, and choir performances, as well as art shows, crafting guilds, paint nights, and other activities.
In light of the fluctuations in the community over the years, the TRCAC has been hosting events and planning activities to increase the group’s visibility within Tumbler Ridge. Most recently, the TRCAC held a logo competition during the month of June where the Arts Council sought entries from community members for the nonprofit’s next logo.
The competition was open to residents of all ages and experience, with three age categories to encourage entries from kids and youth as well as adults.
After the submission deadline, the Arts Council shortlisted entries for each age segment and displayed these in the Community Centre gallery for all to see. Residents had an opportunity to vote for the logo they felt best represented the arts and culture of Tumbler Ridge during the month of July.
A nearly neck-and-neck race ensued between two of the three finalists. It was unclear which would come out ahead through most of the voting period and in the end, there were only 11 points between the first and second place designs. After the voting window closed and the votes were tallied, the Arts Council met with the winners of each age category to hand out the prizes and announce the winner of the community vote.
The winning design was created by Tammy Pigeon. In particular, the Arts Council members were impressed with how the design incorporated many of the groups that are members of the TRCAC and how recognizable the logo would be in a variety of uses.
The artist’s inspiration came from the recent northern lights display that wowed many viewers, and her experiences with community art and culture groups in Tumbler Ridge. In Tammy’s own words from her logo story write-up:
“The butterfly represents the pursuit of mental health… I came to the conclusion that all the organizations involved [in the TRCAC] create spaces where people of all ages can relieve stress, enjoy friendships and develop creatively…
“The gears represent how all the organizations [in the TRCAC] are working together and supporting each other…
“I was brand new to this town and I didn’t know anyone. I saw a poster at the recreation center just outside the library and thought: “This seems like a really nice group!” This led to me signing up for the Arts Council, Community Choir, and the Grizzly Valley Players. Later on I had the opportunity to instruct several paint nights for the TRCAC.
“I had incredible experiences with all of these people! Participating has made my life so much brighter. I hope this logo expresses some of that experience.”
In the coming weeks, the TRCAC will be updating the logo across social media and the website to showcase the new image of arts and culture in Tumbler Ridge.
The Arts Council would like to thank all our entrants for their submissions. We appreciate the efforts to capture what arts and culture mean in Tumbler Ridge. Through the submissions, we saw a glimpse of the elements that residents value about living in a place with vibrant and diverse arts and culture.
We also would like to thank community members who took time to view the logos and vote for their favourite.
Above photo: Members from the Arts Council met with logo competition winners to hand out prizes. From the left: Bekka Favelle (TRCAC Treasurer, Secretary), Erin Wanvig (TRCAC President), Nora Mckenzie (12 & Under Category Winner), Councillor Norbury (Council Liaison to TRCAC), Tammy Pigeon (Adult Category Winner, Overall Winner), Dawn Wagner (TRCAC Director), Abigail Favelle (13 – 18 Category Winner).
