About
Awards and distinctions
The Reach is honoured to be the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions over the years.
2024
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Outstanding), Heritage BC
For the project Des Pardes, awarded to Kris Foulds, Andrea Orlosky, Gureena Saran, Kelley Tialiou
2023
Non-Profit Organization of the Year, 27th Annual Business Excellence Awards, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
Awarded to The Reach
2022
The Lieutenant Governor’s Platinum Jubilee Arts and Music Award
Awarded to The Reach
2021
Award of Merit, Excellence in Community Engagement, BC Museums Association
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2021
Excellence in Community Programming, Governor General’s History Awards
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2021
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Honour), Heritage BC
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2020
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Recognition), Heritage BC
For the project Then and Now, awarded to Connie Hackett
2018
Award of Merit, Excellence in Exhibitions, BC Museums Association
For the project Grand Theft Terra Firma, awarded to David Campion, Sandra Shields, Laura Schneider
2016
Excellence in Community Programming, Governor General’s History Awards
For the project Voices of the Valley, awarded to The Reach
2011
Award of Merit, BC Museums Association
For the project Beadwork – Radical Practices: Beading Practices of Yukon First Nations (Canada) and the Ndebele (South Africa), awarded to Scott Marsden
2011
Tourism Excellence Award, Tourism Abbotsford
Awarded to The Reach
2010
Innovative Initiative Award, Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards
Awarded to The Reach
2024
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Outstanding), Heritage BC
For the project Des Pardes, awarded to Kris Foulds, Andrea Orlosky, Gureena Saran, Kelley Tialiou
2023
Non-Profit Organization of the Year, 27th Annual Business Excellence Awards, Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce
Awarded to The Reach
2022
The Lieutenant Governor’s Platinum Jubilee Arts and Music Award
Awarded to The Reach
2021
Award of Merit, Excellence in Community Engagement, BC Museums Association
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2021
Excellence in Community Programming, Governor General’s History Awards
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2021
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Honour), Heritage BC
For the project Semá:th X̱ó:tsa: Sts’ólemeqwelh Sx̱ó:tsa / Sumas Lake: Great-Gramma’s Lake, awarded to Kris Foulds, Thetáx Chris Silver, Laura Schneider, Xémontélót Carrielynn Victor
2020
Education, Communications, and Awareness Award (Recognition), Heritage BC
For the project Then and Now, awarded to Connie Hackett
2018
Award of Merit, Excellence in Exhibitions, BC Museums Association
For the project Grand Theft Terra Firma, awarded to David Campion, Sandra Shields, Laura Schneider
2016
Excellence in Community Programming, Governor General’s History Awards
For the project Voices of the Valley, awarded to The Reach
2011
Award of Merit, BC Museums Association
For the project Beadwork – Radical Practices: Beading Practices of Yukon First Nations (Canada) and the Ndebele (South Africa), awarded to Scott Marsden
2011
Tourism Excellence Award, Tourism Abbotsford
Awarded to The Reach
2010
Innovative Initiative Award, Fraser Valley Cultural Diversity Awards
Awarded to The Reach
About
Mission and vision
The Reach is located on Stó:lō Tém:éxw, in the unceded Stó:lō territory of the Máthxwi First Nation and Semá:th First Nation.
Mission: The Reach is the center of cultural and creative innovation in the Fraser Valley. We are committed to preserving and sharing the stories of our rich and diverse cultural heritage and showcasing the best in the visual arts from both inside and outside our community.
Vision: The Reach is a gathering place that fosters intercultural and intergenerational exchanges in an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
Mission: The Reach is the center of cultural and creative innovation in the Fraser Valley. We are committed to preserving and sharing the stories of our rich and diverse cultural heritage and showcasing the best in the visual arts from both inside and outside our community.
Vision: The Reach is a gathering place that fosters intercultural and intergenerational exchanges in an environment of mutual respect and understanding.
About
History
On 25 November 2006, the City of Abbotsford held a city-wide referendum that yielded a majority vote in favour of developing a professional public art gallery and local history museum. Community consultations were held to identify the guiding principles for the design and operation of the new facility. The resulting priorities were that it be a center of excellence, a community hub, and a flexible, welcoming space that encourages community participation and actively integrates disciplines.
The new organization was incorporated as the Abbotsford Culture Centre on 11 July 2008, operating under the name The Reach Gallery Museum. The aspirational quality of the name evokes the act of reaching out to the diverse and growing community, and to reaching new levels of cultural knowledge and understanding. It can also be read as an acronym which stands for Regional Arts, Culture, and Heritage.
The Reach is a registered, not-for-profit charitable organization led by a committed volunteer Board of Directors drawn from the community at large.
The purpose-built, 20,000 square foot LEEDS certified facility opened on 22 September 2008, serving a primary audience of the citizens residing in metropolitan Abbotsford and a larger secondary audience from across BC’s Lower Mainland. The Reach also welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world.
As the only professionally operated public art gallery in the Fraser Valley, The Reach plays a key role in the development of regional arts practitioners and audiences. The Reach is also vital to the preservation and research of community history, holding significant artifact and archival collections and providing historical resources and programming for audiences of all ages.
Now in its second decade, The Reach has become an award-winning hub of cultural activity, providing audiences with a robust range of exhibitions, programs, and experiences, sharing its exhibitions with venues across the country, publishing unique curatorial research, and nurturing the growth of the artistic, historical, and cultural communities in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley.
The new organization was incorporated as the Abbotsford Culture Centre on 11 July 2008, operating under the name The Reach Gallery Museum. The aspirational quality of the name evokes the act of reaching out to the diverse and growing community, and to reaching new levels of cultural knowledge and understanding. It can also be read as an acronym which stands for Regional Arts, Culture, and Heritage.
The Reach is a registered, not-for-profit charitable organization led by a committed volunteer Board of Directors drawn from the community at large.
The purpose-built, 20,000 square foot LEEDS certified facility opened on 22 September 2008, serving a primary audience of the citizens residing in metropolitan Abbotsford and a larger secondary audience from across BC’s Lower Mainland. The Reach also welcomes visitors from across the country and around the world.
As the only professionally operated public art gallery in the Fraser Valley, The Reach plays a key role in the development of regional arts practitioners and audiences. The Reach is also vital to the preservation and research of community history, holding significant artifact and archival collections and providing historical resources and programming for audiences of all ages.
Now in its second decade, The Reach has become an award-winning hub of cultural activity, providing audiences with a robust range of exhibitions, programs, and experiences, sharing its exhibitions with venues across the country, publishing unique curatorial research, and nurturing the growth of the artistic, historical, and cultural communities in Abbotsford and the Fraser Valley.
About
Strategic plan
