<div dir="ltr"><h1 class="entry-title gmail-mb-0" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;margin-bottom:0px;line-height:3.75rem"><font size="2">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</font></h1><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Feb 12, 2024</span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"> </span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;text-align:center"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-size:12pt">BC MUSEUMS TO BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER DURING BC FAMILY DAY 2024</span></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;text-align:center"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Free family activities hosted by </span><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">arts, culture, and heritage institutions across BC</span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"> </p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">VICTORIA, BC – </span></span><span style="box-sizing:inherit">The BC Museums Association (BCMA), in partnership with the Province of British Columbia, </span><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">has offered grants to support local museums, art galleries, historic places, cultural heritage institutions and Indigenous communities in hosting </span><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">free public activities for Family Day 2024</span><span style="box-sizing:inherit">.</span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span lang="EN-US" style="box-sizing:inherit">“Family Day is a celebration of family and a reminder of the significance of spending quality time together and making memories,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport. “People all over British Columbia are planning to celebrate Family Day with special activities. It’s important that British Columbians have a great selection of inclusive, meaningful experiences in their communities where cost is not a barrier.”</span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">“From snow painting, to street hockey, to opportunities to listen to Indigenous storytellers, this is an amazing and free opportunity for families to explore their communities,” says BCMA Executive Director Ryan Hunt. “Even if you’ve visited your local museum, gallery, or heritage site in the past, I promise you’ll find something new to love during BC Family Day.”</span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">To find family fun in your community, visit </span><a href="http://familydaybc.ca/" style="box-sizing:inherit;color:rgb(84,88,90);background-color:transparent"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">www.familydaybc.ca</span></a><span style="box-sizing:inherit"> – new activities will be added regularly leading up to the February 16 long weekend.</span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><i style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Fast Facts about BC Family Day Activities</span></i></span></p><ul style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px"><li style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Since 2019, this Family Day funding has supported over 370 community activities across the province.</span></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">In 2023, this Family Day funding brought together nearly 18,000 people to celebrate family across the province.</span></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Events are held during the BC Family Day long weekend (February 16-19, 2024) and are free and accessible to everyone.</span></li><li style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Events are hosted and produced by local museums, art galleries, historic places and/or Indigenous communities.</span></li></ul><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">About the BC Museums Association:</span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Founded in 1957, the British Columbia Museums Association (BCMA) creates a bright future for British Columbia’s museum, gallery, and related heritage communities through networking, advocacy, innovation, and professional development. </span><span style="box-sizing:inherit;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">It delivers programs and services to the benefit for both museum professionals and British Columbians as a whole, acting as the cultural and heritage information hub for British Columbia while providing a unified voice for the institutions, trustees, professional staff and volunteers.</span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"> </span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Contact:</span></span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Ryan Hunt, Executive Director, BCMA</span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span style="box-sizing:inherit">Tel: 250-884-0499</span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span class="gmail-MsoHyperlink" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><a href="mailto:executivedirector@museum.bc.ca">executivedirector@museum.bc.ca</a></span></span></p><p class="gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin-top:0px;color:rgb(84,88,90);font-family:"Fira Sans",sans-serif;font-size:18px;margin-bottom:1rem"><span class="gmail-MsoHyperlink" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit"><a href="https://museum.bc.ca/bc-museums-to-bring-communities-together-during-bc-family-day-2024/">https://museum.bc.ca/bc-museums-to-bring-communities-together-during-bc-family-day-2024/ </a><br></span></span></p></div>