The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutArts & Culture - 2014-09-16 ARTS ANDCULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES SEPTEMBER 16, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER PRESENT:Danielle Deveau Allan Hoch (from 4:28) Earl McCluskie Sean Puckett REGRETS:Helena Ball Mark Derro Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock Caroline Hissa D. Morton STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary GUESTS:Bryan Smale, University of Waterloo Meg Leslie, Martin De Groot, Darin White: Arts Space/Maker Space CALL TO ORDER: Earl McCluskie 1.0Acceptance of Agenda Item 3 postponed in Bryan’s Smale’s absence Agenda accepted as amended 2.0Declaration of Conflict of Interest None DELEGATIONS 3.0Canadian Index of Well-being: Bryan Smale:Deferred in Bryan’s absence 4.0Art Space/Maker Space: Meg Leslie, Martin De Groot, Darin White A potential future art space/maker space would provide opportunities for the public to interact with artists and try new art-making activities. This space would have region-wide appeal, wherever it might be located. Idea: test the art space/maker space concept by ‘staging’ it as an event. ‘Flirting with the Arts’, a day-long event(10am-3pm)scheduled for November 1, 2014 at 44 Gaukel St. will feature short workshops lead by artists. This event can be considered a concept model for an art space/maker space. This will be the second Flirting with the Arts event. First washighly successful. This year the event has grown from 12 to 30 artists and from 60 to 120 participants. Each participant signsup for six 30-minute workshops. Workshops cover a variety of forms of art-making: soap carving, jewelry making, spoken word,encaustic, wood refinishing, belly dancing, ukulele lessons, needle-felting, silk screening, stamp making, 3D printing, creative thinking, poetry… Proceeds last year: 10% to House of Friendshipdonations, artists paid $40/h, event organizer made small profit. Opportunity: participating artists would like to make connections with each other. A networking event for the artist instructors could be added to future events.The opportunity to network would be intrinsic in a dedicated art space/maker space. ACAC comments: The renovated Kitchener Public Library(KPL)main branch has amenities (3D printer, theatre auditorium) that make it a useful space for arts community. Arts/culture facilities and businesses are disbursed throughout the region, not clustered as in other cities. This may be because property values are fairly consistent across the region. No one area with lower values where arts businesses prefer to locate. 1 September 2014-ACAC Minutes ARTS ANDCULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES SEPTEMBER 16, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER City of Kitchener is now considering space needs for music, media, film, etc. Regional municipal amalgamation has not happened in Kitchener/Waterloo/Cambridge. Amalgamation could lead to a more focused, region-wide strategy, as in Hamilton. DISCUSSION ITEMS 5.0Committee end-of-term wrap up: Identifying ACAC achievements ACAC’s current term ends in November 2014. Time to recap the achievements of the two year term. Need to develop a list of recommendations for areas of focus for the next ACAC to consider. Suggested areas of focus for next ACAC: Culture plan:ACAC could drive the development of a new culture plan that is specific, realizable and focused on creative industries. Use pre-existing mapping work in plan development. Align new culture plan with Kitchener Economic Development Strategy and regional economic development strategy. Music, media/film, and maker spaceare three suggested areas of focus. They are economic drivers and creative industries. Modest size flexible art facility available to groupsis a need. Joint advisory committee meetings: Continue to meet with Waterloo and Cambridge. Idea for next joint advisory committee meeting: invite organizers of Hamilton’s Supercrawl event to talk about their approach, challenges and successes. This presentation would have broad appeal to all municipalities in our region. Good topic for common focus, which can be challenging to find at the joint advisory committee meetings. Achievements: Most achievements led by Public Art Working Group and Music Works Other ACAC suggestions for next committee: Focus the work of the committee, rather than splitting into subgroups, or better define the goals of the subgroups to guide their work. ACAC members could meet in pairs with new Councillors to collect information about each Councillors’opinion of arts/culture in the region. ACTION: staff to investigate logistics of joint advisory committee meeting with Hamilton staff presenting about Super crawl event, approach, challenges and successes. INFORMATION ITEMS 6.0Cultural Mapping: Data collection and dissemination:SilviaDiDonato City of Kitchener has capacity to map data using its Geographic Information System. City of Kitchener’s GIS department is a national leader and is open to exploring new application of GIS data. Economic Development staff is planning to undertake Business Retention and Expansion surveys of arts/creative industries, which is standard practice for other businesses. Danielle Deveau: Hopes to further develop the cultural mapping work she undertook with Smart Region and Creative Enterprise Initiative. Excel spreadsheets contain websites, contacts, addresses. All spaces are also mapped into shape files. Easy to combine. ACTION: Staffto set up a meeting with Danielle and GIS staff to discuss data sharing. 7.0Reports to Council: Centre in the Square and KW Symphony: Silvia DiDonato Consultant report recommending about Centre in the Square (CITS) went to Council. Suggested improvements in the relationship between Centre in the Square and the KW Symphony, and improved City stewardship of the building. Next steps: staff to facilitatethe implementation of the consultant’s recommendations. 2 September 2014-ACAC Minutes ARTS ANDCULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES SEPTEMBER 16, 2014CITY OF KITCHENER Goal: confirm mandate for the Centre in the Square building, with input from community, by end of 2014. Community input will be foundation for decisions. Must establish how CITS fitsinto arts/culture strategy. ACAC comments: We must respect CITS as a community asset. If CITS and the symphony could live together, Conrad Centre could be freed up for other community uses. 8.0Music Works and Media Update: Silvia DiDonato In partnership with Kitchener Downtown Business Improvement Area (KDBIA),CEI and Ontario Culture Development fund, staff is exploring a potential program of music venue guidelines and incentives. Downtown venues could be evaluated for sound and staging capabilities. A guidebook could be provided advising on technical requirements and other considerations. Provincial funding is in progress for music industry projects region-wide, fulfilling music works recommendations. Projects include workshops at 44 Gaukel, KOICon conference, the above-mentioned venue program, live performance editing at the Jazz Room in Waterloo. Two research studies are in progress to consult with Music, film and media companies 9.0Public Art Working Group(PAWG)Report: Sean Puckett Representatives from start-up Deep Realities presented about building engagement through interactive technologyand using technology to assist problem solving. Representatives from Cherry Park Neighbourhood Association presented about three independent public art projects they’re working on in their neighbourhood. This Neighbourhood Association could be a model community led public art projects. PAWG is considering the challenges and advantages of installing projection equipment in the Berlin Tower ARTSPACE. Need to reexamine the purpose of the space. Dwight Storring, 2014 Artist in Residence, is returning to his residency after a health-related hiatus. 10.0Downtown Advisory Committee update:no report in D. Morton’s absence 11.0Economic Development Advisory Committee update: no reportin Mark Derro’s absence 12.0Council report: Councillor Kelly Galloway-Sealock: no report in Councillor Sealock’s absence 13.0Members’ news Danielle:now teaching full time at University of Waterloo. Hopes to further develop the cultural mappingwork she undertook with Smart Region and Creative Enterprise Initiative. Allan: New Registry Theatre season has launched.Modus Vivendi (4 day LGBTQ focused theatre) opens September 17. Sean:Now sourcing equipment and locations for new art project. Earl: KOICon Music Business conferencetakes place September 20. Coincides with KoiFest. Features 17 industry presenters.Taking place at KPL. ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:44pm. nd NEXT MEETING:Date: October 21, 4:00 p.m., Schmalz Room, 2floor. 3 September 2014-ACAC Minutes