About

History

In 1984 a group of dedicated artists formed and incorporated the Metchosin International Summer School of the Arts (MISSA). That year, five two-week courses were offered. Over the years we have expanded our course selection. The school has developed an excellent reputation for bringing in internationally acclaimed artists and our workshops have expanded from five courses and 53 participants the first summer to over 40 workshops with more than 400 students each year from around North America and as far away as Israel, Brazil and Mexico.

A faculty exhibition in 1991 at the noted Fran Willis Gallery gave MISSA a great deal of exposure.
Funding in 1992 was at a crisis point and ‘Friends of MISSA’ was established. With their continued help and support we have raised funds with auctions, raffles and special events.  The school contracted with Lester B. Pearson College to establish office space and part-time Executive Director, Meira Mathison was hired. This permanent office address and support has given the art school the stability needed to expand and grow. In 1993, we expanded our school to include ceramic weekend workshops in the spring and fall. And in 1996 the bursary endowment program included a new fundraising event, The Faculty Auction. This auction has proven to be a highlight of our ‘wind-up’ party at the completion of the July workshops each year.

MISSA Mission Statement

Our Mandate:
To foster the arts in British Columbia by bringing together, in a fiscally responsible manner, in an environment rich in natural and artistic stimulation, internationally recognized artists to share their knowledge and inspire serious students and professionals to explore and develop their artistic fields in a multi-disciplinary milieu.

Aims and Objectives:
To provide the maximum benefit to the individual student through an inspired analytical teaching approach with small class size.

  1. to provide internationally recognized faculty of the highest caliber
  2. to provide cross-media interaction
  3. to offer artistic programs of variable length
  4. to operate on a break-even financial basis