—From the desk of Maggie Matear, President

Dear Colleagues,  

It’s with a very heavy heart that I’m sharing news of a pending change affecting our college community. After careful review, and with Board of Governors’ support, we will be closing the Victoria Street Campus at the end of this academic year, after all current students have completed their programs. Intakes of the Ceramics, Textile Arts, and Blacksmithing and Metal Art programs will then be suspended, and our building lease with the City of Nelson will end shortly afterwards.

This has been a very tough decision. Since 1958, the programs offered out of the Victoria Street Campus (originally the independent Kootenay School of the Arts) have been a cornerstone of arts education in our area. Our faculty and staff are dedicated and student-focused; many are themselves accomplished artists and craftspeople who have enriched our region with their talent and commitment. Unfortunately, the combination of IRCC policy changes, persistent financial challenges and rising costs have made sustaining these specialized programs impossible. As stewards of a publicly funded institution, we have to demonstrate responsible fiscal management, and direct our limited resources with great care. While we value the contributions that arts programs make to our college and region, the program limits and infrastructure requirements make them unsustainable.  

These challenges are certainly not a reflection on the dedication or achievements of our students, colleagues and community partners, and we recognize how significant a loss this is for everyone involved.  

Ten of our colleagues will face difficult changes in the coming months, and we’ll support them as best we can. We remain committed to transparent communication wherever possible, and to that end, we’ve posted a news story with FAQs about this decision on Selkirk.ca.  

This is a deeply difficult decision. But it’s a necessary one. We need to address ongoing financial pressures and ensure that Selkirk College can continue serving our communities for the next seven generations and beyond. KSA was part of Selkirk College for 19 years of its 56-year history; it is now time for its next iteration, and we’ll be bringing the arts community together for a conversation to explore what that might look like. 

As always, I encourage you to continue supporting each other, giving each other grace and keeping lines of communication open. And thank you for your strength and understanding as we move through this demanding transition together. 

Take good care, 

Maggie