HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2014-02-18
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
FEBRUARY 18, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock
Caroline Hissa
Earl McCluskie
D. Morton
REGRETS:Helena Ball
Danielle Deveau
Mark Derro
Allan Hoch
Mark Logan
Sean Puckett
STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture
Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts/Culture
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
GUESTS:Rawl Banton
Shelley Adams, Director, Creative Enterprise Initiative (CEI)
CALL TO ORDER: Earl McCluskie, Chair
1.0Acceptance of Agenda
Agenda accepted as circulated
DELEGATION
2.0‘CreateRegion’ initiative: RawlBanton, Digital Media Artist, Writer, Film Producer
‘Create Region’is an initiative to developa digital media content production cluster in our
community. Cluster includes interactive digital media, video production, film, television,
online publishing, trans-mediaanddesign
Goals:
promote interests and activities of digital media
o
Facilitate internal and external linkages to develop sector capabilities
o
Manage services, programs, and events that support innovation and growth
o
Advocate for and attract investment and talent to the region
o
Objective: advocatefor the cluster;attract talent and investment
Total employment in digital media is a growing; it makes economic sense to foster this
cluster in our high tech community
Critical path:
1.Undertake outreach, develop a mandate to strengthen the digital media sector and
develop partners (from now –March 2014)
2.Undertake research and hold a symposium. Determine who is involved in digital media
locally. Identify their challenges, strengths and gaps. Bring stakeholders together to
strategize.
3.Develop recommendationsandactionable outcomes.
Potential partners include Creative Enterprise Initiative, local post-secondary schools, cities
of Kitchener, Waterloo Ontario Media Development Commission(providedresearchgrant).
Research will include qualitative and quantitative surveys, stakeholder interviews, focus
groups, discussion at the symposium
ACAC comments:
This initiative complements the Music Works initiative and the Kitchener Studio Projectwork
already being undertaken in Kitchener.
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food has tools that could be helpful to train volunteers to
survey stakeholders
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February 2014-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
FEBRUARY 18, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER
DISCUSSION ITEMS
3.0Joint Advisory Committee meeting planning
Last joint meeting of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge advisory committees took place in
October2014.
Next meeting tentatively scheduled for late spring (May?) 2014.
Possible agenda items:
Report on what is working/notworkingin each community
o
Report back on progress made on common themes(education, removal
o
of boundaries, increase pride in arts, collaboration, making connections)identified
at last meeting
Sustainability funding for arts organizations (but Cambridge doesn’t currently provide
o
sustainability funding to arts organizations)
CEI update
o
Community bid to host a future Creative City Summit
o
Establishing ways for the three committees to share information and stay connected
o
on an ongoing basis.
If jointly discussing possible future alternate processes for distribution of sustainability
funding, then context and rationale for current processesmust be provided, including
potential impact on recipient organizations if current process is changed.
It would be helpful to recap the findings that came out of the last meeting
ACTION: Staff to draft an overview of common themes shared by the committees identified at the
last meeting
4.0Sustainability Funding: Emily Robson
History: In 2003, Prosperity Council of Waterloo Region established the ‘Good to Great
Agenda’. Creating and fundinga regional arts and culture development and promotion body
was one of their agenda items.
Prosperity Council (PC) identified an annual shortfall of $2.5-$5 million in arts investment,
leading to chronic de-stabilizationof the arts sector.
PC proposed that Region of Waterloo, Cities of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchenerincrease
arts funding by $1 per capita, (known as the sustainability funds), and financially support the
establishment of the Creative Enterprise Enabling Organization(now known as the Creative
Enterprise Initiative, or CEI).Cambridge did not elect to participate.
Historyof the allocation of the sustainability funds in Kitchener:
Recognized purposeof the funds: to assist in stabilization of arts sector
o
Three pillarorganizations were supported (THEMUSEUM, KW Art Gallery, KW
o
Symphony), with a smaller amount to emerging organizations (to be distributed
through the CEI)
2014Allocation: THEMUSEUM: $120,000,KWAG: $40,000, KWS: $40,000, CEI: $36,000
o
(for re-allocation).
Current Issues:
In December 2013, Council asked staff to review the allocation for 2015, and to
o
determine the rationale for the way funds are allocated, and to consider how they
should be allocated in the future. City of Waterloo will be reviewing effectivenessof
the funding. How can we review the funding collaboratively?
Questions to address:
What was the purpose of the current allocation schedule?
o
What was it trying to achieve? Is this still relevant?
o
What need was it trying to address? Is this need still relevant?
o
Indication at past budget to find out rational why funds are allocated, and where to
o
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February 2014-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
FEBRUARY 18, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER
ACAC Comments:
‘Effectiveness’ of the fund can be a subjective thing to measure.
For Council, ‘effectiveness’ could refer to the ability of the allocation to leverage funding
from other levels of government and the private sector.Chronic underfunding of arts and
culture by both the provincial and federal government was of particular relevance in the per
capita funding discussion. One of the reasons for allocating the funds was the understanding
that these additional municipal funds would be leveraged to increase provincial and federal
support.
INFORMATION ITEMS
5.0Public Art Conservation Assessment Report: deferred.
6.0Working Group Updates
Music working group:considering a pilot project aimed at supporting local musicians to
succeed in their careers
Arts/culture strategy development and culture planning:no update
7.0Public Art Working Group report: deferred
8.0Downtown Advisory Committee update: no update
9.0Economic Development Advisory Committee update: deferred
10.0Council report: Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock
AIR commission approved by council same with AIR appointment
Budget passed. Pub art funding intact.
11.0Members’ news
Statue project: online survey indicated that 79% of the public did not support the statue
proposal in concept. Council still to consider.
ADJOURNMENT
The chair adjourned the formal portion of the meeting at 5:05 pm.
NEXT MEETING
Date: March 18 4:00 p.m., Conestoga Room
Following the formal portion of the meeting, ACAC members broke out into the following subgroups to
make progress on the work plan:
1.Music Works
2.Arts/culture strategy development and culture planning in regional context
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February 2014-ACAC Minutes