SteinbachOnline.com: Steinbach Arts Council 2026 Gala celebrates growth, community and creativity
This post was originally published by SteinbachOnline.com:
https://steinbachonline.com/articles/steinbach-arts-council-2026-gala-celebrates-growth-community-and-creativity
The Steinbach Arts Council was celebrated in style Friday night, May 1st, as community leaders, artists, supporters, and residents gathered for the organization’s 2026 Fundraising Gala.
Held in an elegant countryside setting of Bentwood Hall, the evening highlighted the rapid growth of the Arts Council, its expanding impact across southeastern Manitoba, and the community partnerships helping make arts programming more accessible than ever.
Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk praised the Arts Council as a key part of the city’s identity and quality of life.
“Tonight is a celebration,” Funk told the crowd. “Tonight is celebrating with you for a great year that you’ve had and a great year of growth, a great year of all the wonderful things you’ve done.”
Funk said the City of Steinbach values its close working relationship with the organization.
“You’re not necessarily just an entity in our community and organization, but you’re a partner,” he said. “You partner with us to provide quality of life for our community.”
The mayor also called the Steinbach Arts Council “a treasured gem and a diamond in our community.”
Executive Director David Klassen shared several milestones during the evening, describing how demand for arts and cultural programming continues to rise.
“We often say that the most important thing we create at the Steinbach Arts Council is community,” Klassen said. “And that is very evident here tonight.”
Klassen explained that the organization expects approximately 2,300 registrations across its programs this year, nearly triple pre-pandemic numbers.
To meet that growing demand, the Arts Council now offers more than 160 programs, concerts, and exhibits annually, along with bursaries and free youth programming aimed at removing barriers to participation.
“At its core, our work is about access and belonging,” Klassen said. “Access to opportunity, to spaces where people can come together and experience something meaningful.”
He also noted the Steinbach Arts Council is now considered among the top 10 percent of service-providing arts councils in Canada based on available national data.
“The same data tells us that the Steinbach Arts Council leads the nation in programming relative to per capita spending with half the budget,” Klassen said. “We are doing far more with much less.”
Despite the rapid growth, Klassen emphasized that the organization’s focus remains on sustainability and community impact.
“Our focus is on becoming one of the strongest, building something sustainable, accessible, and responsive to the needs of this community,” he said.
Federal and provincial leaders praise community impact
Member of Parliament Ted Falk spoke about the important role the Arts Council plays in helping young people discover and develop their talents.
“When I think of, ‘Where can you go to develop your gifts, your artistic ability, your linguistic ability, your musical abilities or where can you do that other than the Steinbach Arts Council?” Falk said.
He called the organization an important resource for families and youth across the region.
“What a joy it is to know that we can send people to the Steinbach Arts Council to get an opportunity to develop those gifts and serve our community and also better themselves,” he said.
Manitoba’s Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, Nellie Kennedy, also addressed the crowd, applauding both the organization and the strong community support behind it.
“The funds that are going to be raised this evening are going to be supporting subsidized programs, diversity, and free youth programming directly impacting the community in Steinbach and beyond,” Kennedy said.
She said the arts play a vital role in strengthening communities and bringing people together.
“We know that the arts really enhance the quality of life for people,” Kennedy said. “It starts conversation, it helps you to see different perspectives, and it really is just a beautiful way for people to connect and bring community together.”
Kennedy also praised local sponsors, volunteers, staff, and organizers for helping make the evening possible.
“That’s what’s wonderful about smaller cities and towns,” she said. “When your community comes together, it can really accomplish great things.”
A celebration of community and creativity
Throughout the evening, speakers repeatedly emphasized that the Steinbach Arts Council has become far more than just a venue for performances and classes.
Instead, organizers described it as a growing community hub where creativity, culture, and connection continue to thrive.
With fundraising efforts focused on expanding access to programs and supporting future growth, the gala carried a strong sense of momentum and optimism for what lies ahead.
As Klassen told supporters Friday night, “There is something that we all share this evening, a desire to ensure that the arts are recognized as a critical part of what makes our region unique, healthy, and strong.”
The evening also included a dinner prepared by Cassandra Kornelson, SAC Culinary Instructor and her students. There was entertainment by the Steinbach String Quartet and young local artists performing musical pieces from “Broadway Moments,” SAC’s spring production, and the 2026 Southeast Manitoba Festival. The evening also included an art auction featuring photographs by local professional photographers Allan Penner and Dennis Fast.
All were part of an entertaining and enjoyable evening.
