The Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre cancelled and postponed a Pride-related event it was set to host in June after calls to protest the event took off on social media, The Lake Report has learned.
A source who reached out to The Lake Report, an artist who we’ve chosen not to name, said the Pumphouse received a threat regarding the event from Canadian white nationalist group the Second Sons.
The Pumphouse would not confirm if the hate group made any threat, however director Rima Boles, confirmed the event drew negative attention from people online that led to concerns and ultimately the postponement of the event until late August. She did not answer questions about the scale of the backlash or alleged threats.
“There were changing circumstances in the days leading up to the event, including scope, and social media posting encouraging the protesting of the event,” Boles told The Lake Report in an emailed response to questions about the event.
“After consultation with the Niagara Regional Police Service and an assessment of the event’s operational requirements, it was determined that additional planning would be necessary before proceeding.”
However police spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin told the Lake Report “the Niagara Regional Police Service was not contacted by the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre regarding threats related to this event.”
The event was meant to take place Saturday, June 20, during Pride month, at the arts centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake from 1 to 4 p.m. It was to be centred around a showcase of creative work from ArtOut, a free art program for LGBTQ+ community members in Niagara.
A Facebook post from spring on the Niagara Pumphouse Arts Centre’s page, which is now no longer available, described the event as the ArtOut Artists Showcase and a Pride month celebration. Alongside the artwork, it was going to feature drag performances, comedy sketches and creative activities for all ages.
Boles told The Lake Report that the art centre hosted a four-part series of ArtOut workshops, funded through a small grant. Up to 20 students took part in each workshop, “designed specifically for members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community to engage with art history, develop foundational artistic skills and experiment with expressive techniques.”
The ArtOut celebration was designed as the culminating event to celebrate the success of the students from that program and their art.
“Our small community event was intended to accommodate students and guests within the operational and physical limits of our facility,” Boles said.
“While the event itself is important to us, our foremost responsibility is to ensure the physical and emotional safety of our participants, volunteers, staff, artists, visitors, our facilities and public art installations,” she said.
Boles did not share how many people were making or sharing negative posts connected to the event, how organized the calls for a protest were or who they were coming from in particular.
The Second Sons group has been active in the Niagara region — it held a public rally at Brock’s Monument in Queenston Heights Park last year, Aug. 30.
Boles said the ArtOut Artists Showcase has been postponed to late August, for which planning is currently underway.
“We wish to emphasize that the decision to postpone the celebration should not be interpreted as a retreat from the values that ArtOut represents,” she said, adding that the arts centre is committed to its “Art for All” mission and creating an inclusive environment to celebrate creativity, diversity and belonging.
“It is most unfortunate that the showcase is overshadowing the enormous success and legacy of the actual ArtOut programming, which is our business and a great news story.”
