About Us

We want the MAC to be a welcoming, inclusive place where people come to learn about the arts, to enjoy them, to support them, and to explore their own creative natures.

What is the MAC?

It is a building, a venue, on McMillan St., in Parksville, that showcases the works of 2D, 3D and performance art. The MAC is also a place where various concerts, workshops, and rehearsals are held. Local businesses rent rooms for meetings. Oceanside Community Arts Council owns the MAC.

What is the Oceanside Community Arts Council (OCAC)?

It is a non-profit organization chartered by the British Columbia Arts Council. There are many community Arts Councils across BC. The OCAC’s area of responsibility extends from Bowser to Nanoose Bay and west to Coombs including the municipalities of Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

In BC, a community arts council is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts and cultural events in their region of responsibility.

The primary role of a community arts council is to assist its members to apply for grant money and to disperse that money appropriately to carry out the events and programs developed by the OCAC and its members.

History, Vision and Mandate

MAC Mission Statement

The MAC provides a vibrant inclusive environment to experience the creative climate of the Oceanside community.

One of the oldest buildings in the area, the current McMillan Arts Centre started life as Parksville School in 1913. At that time, Memorial was one of the main streets in Parksville, and the building was a centrepiece. The Oceanside Community Arts Council (OCAC) purchased the building in the 1990s and the upper part of the building became the McMillan Arts Centre (the MAC), a project of the OCAC. The building is owned in Partnership with Inclusion Parksville.

To learn more about the history of the McMillan Arts Centre building itself, be sure to visit the Parksville Qualicum Beach Historic Tour online, and check out the Historic Tour signpost at the front of the building (we are Stop #7 on the tour).

Our Values

A MAC experience is

Affordable and accessible

Innovative, educational and provocative

Supportive and respectful

Our Vision

The MAC will become the creative collective of artistic experience and expression in the Oceanside region.

The arts are a vital part of every healthy community and the MAC has a role to play in making this the best place to live, work and play for everyone who comes in our doors: artists, students, customers, renters, art lovers, volunteers, staff, visitors and community.

Who We Are

The MAC Staff

Jennifer Bate, Executive Director
Cheryl DeWolf, Gift Shop Supervisor
Bryce Parry, Administration Support/Bookkeeping
Margery Blom, Artists in Residence Coordinator
Anne Collins, Exhibits Hanging Committee Coordinator
Rhonda Roy and Margery Blom, Faculty Directors, MAC School for Creative Arts

McMillian Arts Centre

The McMillan Arts Centre is located on the traditional territory of the Coast Salish Nations, home to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation
and the Qualicum First Nation