Since 1967, the Quinte Arts Council has been the community leader in advancing, cultivating, promoting and advocating for a vibrant and diverse arts community of the Quinte region, while supporting the new generation of artists, offering quality experiences and arts education.

As an umbrella organization representing all artistic disciplines, we believe the arts belong to everyone, of all ages and stages, race, sexual orientation and gender, and our goal is to ensure diverse perspectives are represented and experienced through art.

Our revenues come from government at the municipal and provincial level, sponsorships, foundations, memberships and donations.  QAC is governed by a volunteer board of directors and relies on volunteers to assist the team with programs and special events.

The Quinte Arts Council is a registered charitable umbrella organization (#107869448RR0001) dedicated to promoting artists and arts organizations in all disciplines and to further appreciation of arts and culture in the Quinte region. The geographic region we serve is from the southern-most tip of Prince Edward County, north to Bancroft and east and west from Napanee to Brighton.

The Quinte Arts Council affirms its commitment to equity, inclusion, and diversity in all that we do. We strive to create a welcoming and respectful space for all voices, with a focus on supporting underrepresented communities in the arts. We live, work, and create on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee Peoples, connected to and neighbours with the Kanien’keha:ka community of Tyendinaga. We are grateful to be part of this land’s ongoing story.

As part of our commitment, we actively support Indigenous artists, businesses, and communities, fostering opportunities for their voices and contributions to be recognized and celebrated in all aspects of our work.

We do this by:

Connecting people with the arts

• Engaging tens of thousands of individuals each year through monthly gallery exhibitions, the annual Belleville Arts Festival, community-led arts events, and the What’s On Quinte calendar.
• Publishing Umbrella Arts, a flagship cultural magazine in print and digital formats for over three decades, sharing regional arts stories, artist features, and coverage of creative initiatives.

Increasing access to the social and health benefits of art-making

• Delivering arts education in schools—the performing arts in spring and visual arts in fall—ensuring children and youth experience creativity early and often.
• Launching the CreateWell Creative Arts Therapy program to support individuals navigating addiction, housing precarity, trauma, and mental health challenges.
• Advancing a two-year Accessibility in the Performing Arts initiative to reduce barriers—physical, social, and systemic—so all residents can participate fully.

Supporting artists’ career development

• Providing annual graduating student bursaries, professional development workshops, mentorship, and artist-led exhibition opportunities in our gallery space.
• Offering teaching and facilitation opportunities, peer-to-peer networking, and community incubation support for emerging arts initiatives.
• Prioritizing access and equity for youth (ages 14–24), Indigenous artists, and artists from underrepresented communities.

Promoting artists and creative expression

• Publishing Umbrella Arts, distributing regional arts journalism and storytelling for more than 30 years.
• Maintaining What’s On Quinte, the most comprehensive arts and cultural events listing in the region.
• Sharing artist profiles, digital narratives, and media partnerships that amplify the voices and work of our members and collaborators.

Incubating new arts events and community-led cultural initiatives

• Providing space, mentorship, coordination, and administrative support for artist-driven events, youth-led projects, and grassroots arts activities.
• Partnering with municipalities, community organizations, social agencies, and educational institutions to spark sustainable new cultural ventures.

Advocating for the arts as essential civic infrastructure

• Championing the arts at regional and provincial levels through leadership in the Alliance of Arts Councils of Ontario and collaboration with the Ontario Arts Council.
• Using evidence-based impact data to inform municipal planning, economic development strategies, accessibility frameworks, and cultural programming.
• Elevating the arts as a catalyst for social cohesion, community identity, youth engagement, and local prosperity.

Vision

The Quinte region is recognized as a thriving cultural ecosystem where every person can experience, participate in, and create art. Artists of all backgrounds are supported to reach their full potential, contributing to the vibrancy, identity, well-being, and economic prosperity of our communities.