MISSION

The Downtown Eastside Centre for the Arts (DECA) is a grassroots community arts organization that provides an accessible and welcoming environment for creative engagement, exploration and expression in the downtown eastside community.

The Downtown Eastside Centre for The Arts is registered non-profit society that was created in 2008. The purpose of this vital organization is to provide the following:

• "open door" artistic opportunities to members of the downtown eastside regardless of physical, mental, or economic status

• opportunities for community members to experience artistic exploration in a safe and supportive setting

• opportunities for community members to experience art through programs, tours, gallery visits, mentoring and participatory collaborative events

• opportunities for participating community members to exhibit and sell their created art works

InterUrban Gallery

Since its inception in 2003, the Gallery’s mission has been to stimulate and sustain the vitality of the arts, cultural exchanges and promote emerging artists in the DTES to foster a cultural collective. To fulfill this mission, the Interurban actively pursues arts mentorship within the community it serves, fostering a collective spirit among artists, teachers and students, community activism and the general public.

VISION

• promote health and healing through the arts

• to create connections and community through the arts

• to improve community identity and social cohesion through the arts

• to give individuals the opportunity to invest in their person and their daily living through the arts

VALUES

DECA has a foundation that promotes the following:

We believe that:

• every human being deserves to be treated with respect

• every human being has something to teach and something to learn

• art is a powerful and gentle healing tool

• art can facilitate change both personal and from a community perspective

• art gives artists and community groups the opportunity to come together regardless of their differences whether they are social, economic and/or cultural