HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2011-11-15 Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
November 15, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT: Helena Ball REGRETS: Laura Lee Dam
Juan Bohorquez
Don Bourgeois STAFF: Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Coordinator
Ashley Dean Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
Cheryl Ewing (from 4:20) Mark Hildebrand, Director, Community
Councillor Frank Etherington Programs and Services
Aaron MacFarlane Cory Bluhm, Manager, Downtown
Ann Marie Hadcock Development
Allan Hoch Kim Feere, Downtown Business
Earl McCluskie Development Officer
Catherine Mombourquette
GUEST: Mark Garner, Executive Director, BIA
CALL TO ORDER Don Bourgeois, Chair
1.0 Acceptance of Agenda
Agenda accepted as circulated
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2.0Acceptance of October 18, 2011 Minutes
Minutes accepted as circulated
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DISCUSSION ITEMS
3.0Downtown Strategic Plan: Cory Bluhm
Past Downtown Strategic plans: 1995, 2003, 2004, and 2005. New plan underway to guide
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downtown development to 2016.
Past plans were instrumental in downtown revitalization to date (development of
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themuseum, school of social work, school of pharmacy, Kitchener market relocation,
development of Blues Festival, Kaufman Lofts, Tannery, Communitech Hub, City Centre
Condos, Downtown Community Centre…)
As Economic Development Investment Fund is now exhausted, new plan must leverage
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existing assets and rely on partnership development (with Kitchener Downtown Business
Improvement Area, and others). Seeking methods to facilitate development and use the
provision of services (through Economic Development department and Special Events) to
affect desired changes. Existing programming/new programming could be
altered/implemented as incentive to drive desired changes. City’s land assets could be used
in partnerships with developers as development incentives.
Construction of Rapid Transit will be complete in 2017. New strategic plan must create
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momentum and set the stage. Planning typically takes 3-7 years before project realization.
42,000 people live in a 20 min walk from the core. Need to draw them to downtown.
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Three primary areas have been identified as priorities. Now seeking public input on how to
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successfully realize these items:
Create an amazing King Street Experience: rail service will help businesses develop,
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more residents living in core will, too.
Develop new Urban Neighbourhoods: Facilitate the addition of residential units in the
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core. 13,000 work in the core, only 2,000 live here. Possibilities: City owns properties
near Victoria Park, a developer owns land around the market, another area for
development is the Civic District.
Build momentum around Innovation District: How to build density and raise the profile
3.
of the Tannery and Communitech area. 19,000 people could be added at modest
building density within a 5 minute walk of King/Victoria.
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November 2011 - ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
November 15, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER
Brainstorming on Downtown Strategic Plan:
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ACAC subgroups (Facilities/Services for the Arts, City’s Role and Arts and Culture,
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Arts/Technology) will have suggestions for potential arts/culture space needs. Now is
the time to provide input on uses. Complete survey at www.downtownkitchener.ca
or email cory.bluhm@kitchener.ca; mgarner@kitchenerdowntown.com.
ACAC’s suggestions for downtown development: commercial art gallery; work space
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for artists; flexible processes to accommodate artist-entrepreneurs; plan to address
negative perception of the downtown; take advantage of looser liquor licensing
requirements to allow people to drink on King Street when closed for festivals and
events; a 300-500 seat performance venue; longer-term plan for the Downtown Live
project (3-5 years) including goal identification, target audience, partners, funding
strategy, operational plan; increased programming of the Rotunda for arts uses;
busker licensing program enforcement to ensure quality; cultural diversity in dining
options; Market operational one day a week.
Further discussion:
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Affordable rents and ‘funky’ locations required to entice artists/creative individuals
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to live downtown. Will improve vibrancy. City could stipulate that developers
include a certain number of smaller residential units to encourage lower rents.
Subsidized live/work spaces for artists, following Toronto model?
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Ensure vitality and a heterogeneous mix of residents by ensuring a variety of types of
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accommodation at various rent levels.
Negative perception of downtown is a prime reason people don’t visit the core.
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Many businesses (cafes, shops) are not currently open in evenings and weekends.
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“Traffic Generators” are needed downtown (grocery store, movie theatre, additional
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campuses…) Direction to be determined from public identification of priorities.
Development of laneways for arts uses? Strategy is to focus on King Street.
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Momentum will lead to spinoffs on other streets.
To stimulate cultural uses in the civic district, could require potential developer to
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provide ‘arts’ space on the ground floor, and devote upper floors to residential,
hotel, or other money generating ventures. Staff to meet with Civic District
stakeholders to brainstorm.
Future use of courthouse in Civic District not known. Depends on Province.
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ACTION: ACAC members to complete survey at www.downtownkitchener.ca
4.0Update: ACAC members’ meetings with Councillors: all
Earl and Aaron working to set up meetings with Councillors Gazzola and Janecki
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Catherine and Allan to meet with Councillor Glenn Graham in December
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5.0Informal updates from ACAC subgroups, as available
Facilities/Services for the Arts:
Attempted to compare results of space needs survey to an inventory of
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performing/gallery space in our community.
Findings: task is unmanageable. Responses to survey were limited. Inventory list is
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constantly changing; impossible to keep current.
Inventory indicates space is available for certain uses, yet survey shows needs exist for
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space for those same uses, despite apparent availability. Why? Inventory is inaccurate,
available space does not actually meet needs, artists/groups in need of space are
unaware of availability, survey sample too small to be accurate...
Subgroup seeks a way forward; seeks suggestions:
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November 2011 - ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
November 15, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER
Draft report outlining findings to date and challenges encountered. Explain that
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more input on space needs and a fuller inventory of available spaces is required
to draw conclusions. (Survey showed artists/arts groups are willing to pay for
space.)
Consider contacting Kitchener Downtown Business Improvement Area for their
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inventory of available space downtown.
Consider focusing on certain types of spaces or specific needs instead of a broader
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study.
Consider holding a ‘town hall’ of the survey respondents to collect further detail
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about space needs.
Could provide the space inventory to the survey respondents for them to do the
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research about the availability/amenities of the spaces, if they wish. Ask for
feedback about their findings. Could provide the space inventory to the spaces
listed. Ask them to check for accuracy of information/confirm interest in being
on the list.
Creative Enterprise Enabling Organization will maintain the ‘arts portal’. Arts
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portal has potential as a tool to match space needs with available space.
Challenge: arts portal requires artists/organizations with space to populate it.
Consider identifying a municipality with a vibrant arts community/sufficient arts
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space as a benchmark. Use benchmark as a measure to identify our community’s
space gaps and to corroborate needs expressed in the survey.
Action: Don Bourgeois to consult Laura Lee Dam/Ministry of Culture to find out if data exists
regarding standards/benchmarks on space for arts in order to see where our municipality falls short
(e.g. seats per capita).
B) City’s Role in Arts & Culture:
Subgroup to meet next week to consider Official Plan.
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C) Convergence of Arts/Technology:
Preparing a report for December ACAC meeting. Silvia DiDonato of Economic Development
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Department will present related material.
ACTION: Staff to include on December agenda: consider whether or not subgroups will provide
update reports to Council in the New Year.
INFORMATION ITEMS
6.0ACAC member recruitment update: staff
Council approved the addition of Mark Derro, Sean Puckett, Sarry Zheng and Bill Nuhn to the
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committee for the remainder of the current term, ending November 2012
ACTION: Staff to invite new members to December ACAC meeting.
7.0Public Art Working Group (PAWG) Report: Ann Marie Hadcock
On a motion made by Aaron MacFarlane, seconded by Helena Ball:
“That Jefferson Campbell-Cooper be selected as the 2012 City of Kitchener Artist in
Residence with his project, “The People’s Museum of Kitchener, and further, that Susan
Coolen be selected as the 2013 City of Kitchener Artist in Residence with her project, “The
Litter-Arti Project.”
MOTION CARRIED
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November 2011 - ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
November 15, 2011 CITY OF KITCHENER
Discussion:
PAWG selected Artists in Residences for the next two years.
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Jefferson’s proposal, “The People’s Museum of Kitchener”, is a multi-layered
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program using a large-scale, detailed map of Kitchener as a catalyst for community
engagement, exploration of local themes, and consideration of how we as citizens, fit
into this world in terms of human and geologic history. This project will be a good fit
for Kitchener’s centennial year.
Susan’s photo-based proposal, “The Litter-Arti Project”, will use debris found in the
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local urban environment as the inspiration for pattern-making and new graphic
interpretations. The environmental theme will inspire young people to create art out
of found objects. She will also host a ‘gathering expedition’ with the public and art-
making workshops.
8.0Downtown Advisory Committee (DAC) Report: Aaron MacFarlane
No report
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9.0Council Report: Frank Etherington
Council approved recent revisions to the Public Art Policy concerning youth involvement in
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the program and criteria to find locations for public art works that ensure sufficient public
access.
Appointment of four new members to ACAC was approved. Councillor Etherington is
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stepping down as the Council representative on ACAC due to over-commitment. Councillor
Galloway will join the committee.
10.0Members’ Updates
Ashley Dean: Seeking input regarding the economic impact of Kitchener’s Culture Plans to
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complete a school project requiring a cost benefit analysis of a government policy. For
example, Registry Theatre was born out of Culture Plan I—hard to compute actual economic
impact. Alliance for a Grand Community might be an information source, or Chair of
Cambridge Galleries.
Box 11 took place at the Rumpel Felt building on the weekend. Event was extremely
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successful, and artists participating sold many pieces of art
ADJOURNMENT
The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:50 p.m.
NEXT MEETING
December 20, 2011, 4:00 p.m., Schmalz Room.
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November 2011 - ACAC Minutes