Orilla & District Arts Council

To enrich the community through strengthening 
and promoting the arts - visual, musical, performing and literary.

• to encourage and inspire participation in the arts
• to increase the profile of artists and arts groups in our community and our broader region.
• to celebrate and showcase local artists and arts groups to enhance their opportunities.
• to serve our members by providing current and accurate information on arts related events, initiatives and opportunities in the area.
• to offer a store front and meeting space to host meetings, workshops, exhibits, performances and public events.
• to contribute as a key player in the activities of the wider community.
• to support  and foster collaborative relationships with artists and the arts community.
  
  

• Inclusiveness – We value and create a spirit of community that is open and welcoming to all. We provide a warm welcome to everyone, both inside and outside the arts community, and to provide a voice for the voiceless. 
• Fiscal responsibility – We set and meet realistic financial expectations for ourselves and our activities. 
• Ethics – We are reliable and worthy of the community’s trust. We value high ethical standards of honesty, fairness and effectiveness in ODAC’s governance,management, programs and activities. 
• Lifelong learning – We see learning as an active, life-long process of personal growth and development. We encourage the creative spirit in everyone in our community, whether or not they see themselves as artists. We provide experiences that will enable people to master new forms of expression, grow in confidence and excel at what they do regardless of real or perceived barriers. 
• Respect – We value the right of individuals to make their own choices and shape their own destinies. We have a high appreciation for the art and ideas of individuals, and respect the right of anyone to stand apart from others. We encourage, foster and support artistic expression, wherever it appears in whatever form, with patience and skill. 
• Diversity – While recognizing the common bonds that tie us together, we valuepeople in all their variety. We promote opportunities for people of different cultures, languages, races, faiths, opinions, sexual orientations and outlooks on life to meet in ODAC Strategic Plan an atmosphere where all add to the overall richness of artistic expression in our community. 
• Fun and laughter – We value the expression of joy and enthusiasm in an atmosphere free from the fear of failure, ridicule or being excluded. We value the positive and comfortable spirit that comes from being among friends – a spirit characterized by mutual respect, trust and affection. 
• Relationships – We value collective responses to community needs and opportunities. We seek creative partnerships in search of collaborative solutions, and reciprocity in our relationships with individuals and organizations. We seek decisions reached by broad consensus within the community, believing that they are ultimately better decisions. 
• Challenge – We value excellence in artistic expression and the personal struggle and stretch that is sometimes required to create a vision and then achieve it. We acknowledge the important role of external critique or judgement in challenging self-imposed boundaries. 
• Voluntarism – We recognize voluntary activity as a hallmark of civil society and a rewarding and satisfying expression of responsibility to one another, providing opportunities for individuals to contribute to their community.