HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2015-04-21
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 21, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Wayne Addison
Judy Allred
Mark Derro
Danielle Deveau
Shirley Madill
Shantal Myers
D. Morton
Dave Schnider
Kristy Smith
Kate Swift
Linda Zensner
REGRETS:Eric Rumble
Sam Varteniuk
STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture
Krista Blake, Coordinator, Arts/Culture
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
GUESTS:MarieLeBlanc Flanaganand Debbie Currie, Creative Enterprise Initiative
CALL TO ORDER: Danielle Deveau
1.0Acceptance of agenda
Agenda accepted as circulated
2.0Declaration of conflict ofinterest
None
DELEGATION
3.0Grand Social: Marie LeBlanc Flanagan
Grand Social was developed in 2009 as a resource for what’s going onin our region.
Initially intended as an online engagement tool for small to mid-sized organizations to get
the word out about their programming.
Original goals for Grand Social were huge: to be a blog, a resource, aregional cultural asset
map, social network, directory, a hub…
Users must create an accountto post events. Events are posted as is, without administrator
review.
Despite a big marketing campaign upon the launch of Grand Social, people still don’t know
about it.
Marie hopes to collect suggestions for how to improve Grand Social to better serveour
community. It’s time to revisit the purpose and vision for Grand Social.
PAWG comments:
Problems with Grand Social: static information, slow loading times and accessibility, dead
ends, gaps in content, when you search for Kitchener events online, Grand Social does not
come up, trying to do too much.
PAWG Suggestions:Addcategorization/organization/ways to sort information and narrow the
focus. Suggestions for categorization: Film, theatre, family, gallery exhibits…
Adda calendar to click on.
Curate streams of information, tailored to specific audiences.
Provide graphic cohesion--a simple, clean, elegantdesign would help.
Consider ahard copy Grand Social publication to help raise awareness (a cultural weekly).
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April 2015-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 21, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
Create an app to deliver information to targeted markets; possibly partner with Conestoga
College students to develop this? There are opportunities to work with Conestoga College
students through work placements.
Consider targeting college and university students as an audience and develop appropriate
channels of communication.
Build on Grand Social’s targeted ads (now in use at Accelerator Centre and Communitech)
where event listings are curated to appeal to these particular user groups.
Set expiration dates on user profiles to help manage stale information (upon expiration of
profile, user to be contacted to update information and renew profile).
Provide a template for adding events to help manage formattingof information and to
ensure listings are brief and succinct (covering who, what, when, where and why). Ensure
event titles are brief but informational.
Consider the ‘Meet Up’ model to engage communities based on ideas and shared interest.
Leverage partnerships to take advantage of cross promotion.
Consider partnering with Ping Street.
Allow users to subscribe to various streams of content, to be delivered to their inboxes (e.g.,
gallery exhibitions, folk concerts).
Explore how to provide recommendations based on the users interests (e.g., ‘if you like X,
you might also like Y’).
Ensure groups receiving grants are required to list their events on Grand Social.
Find a niche. Focus on a few things Grand Social should do, and do them well.
Considera feature for Grand Social that maps events geographically.
Find ways to export events from other sites
ACTIONITEM: ACAC members to email additional ideas for Grand Social to
marie@creativeenterprise.ca.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
4.0Hill Strategies presentation: DanielleDeveau
May 7, 5-7pm:Kelly Hill of Hill Strategies will provide an hour-long overview of arts/culture
in our community, based on 2011 StatsCan data. One hour of ‘round table conversations’
amongst attendees will follow.
Hill will present an overview of the economic impact of the arts/culture sector across
Canada and the customized data for Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge in comparison to
similar sized communities.
ACAC ideas for presentation and table conversations
What factors lead to a thriving cultural scene?
Hill has done other studies about art galleries—could ask for a local take on those findings.
Hill uses 9 occupation codes to define traditional artist. Also has a broader definition
including other creative occupations. Could explore if these definitions are adequate.
ACTION ITEM: ACAC members to email additional ideas forHill presentation to Silvia and Krista.
5.0Regional Arts Funding: Silvia DiDonato
The Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund was developed in 2010 as a result of a call to action
by the Prosperity Council for the municipalities (local and regional) to help fundan
estimated $2.5 to $5.0 million chronic shortfall for community arts organizations.
Prosperity Councilproposed an increasein funding to arts and culture by $3 millionannually
to address the sustainability shortfall to be funded as follows:$1 millionfrom increased
private sector contributions,$1 million from increased municipal support, and$1 million
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April 2015-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 21, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
increased support from provincial and federal programs. They also recommended the
creation of the Creative Enterprise Initiative to support creative enterprises.
They further suggested that the $1 million of increased municipal support could berealized
by each of the municipalities, local and regional, by increasing their annualfunding by $1
per capita.
Each municipality independently determined how to best distribute their arts sustainability
grant. Kitchener has split it between The Symphony, KW Art Gallery, TheMuseum and
Creative Enterprise Initiative.
A regional review of the arts sustainability/per capita fund is now underway in collaboration
with regional municipalities and cultural institutions. Results will describefunding impacts
and inform future process recommendations. A report with recommendations about process
will go to Kitchener, Waterloo and Regional Council in June.
INFORMATION ITEMS
6.0Reports to Council: Silvia DiDonato
None coming up.
7.0Music Works & Media update: Silvia DiDonato
More coming up at future meetings.
8.0Public Art Working Group update: Judy Allred
Guest Brenda Murray attended PAWG to present information about the Art District Gallery,
opening May 8 in a leased space adjacent to the Kitchener Market. The gallery has been
established as a not for profit entity, currently with about 20 members. Members pay a
monthly fee ($20) and must spend 10 hours/month in the gallery.
Cherry Park Neighbourhood Association is coordinating a mural project in partnership with
KCI to be installed on a City of Kitchener retaining wall on Park Street. Partof pilot
Community Led Public Art project.
Another potential Community Led Public Art Project: Neruda potentially coordinating a
portable mural project as part of the Pan Am Games celebration.
City of Kitchener Public Art Program: Bridgeport Community Centreis eligible for a public
art project, as per the public art policy.
PAWG discussed the need for an archival system to capture events and temporary
installations in the community.
PAWG considered ideas for the May 7 Kelly Hill forum.
Neighbourhood Voices, the closing exhibition for the 2014 Artist in Residence, Dwight
Storring, now on in the Rotunda Gallery.
9.0Downtown Action and Advisory Committee update: Linda Zensner
Kitchener Downtown now has an Instagram account up and running.
DAAC received a presentation about the Kitchener Economic Development Strategy refresh
and provided input about the stakeholder meetings.
No updates from the DAAC working groups
10.0Economic Development Advisory Committee update: Shantal Myers
City continues to emphasize manufacturing as an economic driver. EDAC considered the
challenges, opportunities and future trends.
11.0Council Report: Councillor Dave Schnider
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April 2015-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 21, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
Council determined a new mandate for Centre in the Square as a venue that offers amix of
the best and most popular arts and entertainment programming available, and programing
that reflects the local arts and culture scene.
Centre in the Square and The Symphony must come to agreement on performance dates and
theatre rates for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
A risk analysis must be conducted,identifying financial and non-financial risksandoutlining
steps to be taken to maximize chances of success, to be presented to council in June.
Staff to develop a 12 month action plan.
12.0Members’ updates
THEMUSEUM: Naked Joy a live performance art piece will be performed at THEMUSEUM on
Wednesday, April 22; Brush OFF Junior event (featuring high school participants, aged 14-19)
takes place Saturday, April 25.
ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:35pm
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, May 19,4-6pm, Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener city hall
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April 2015-ACAC Minutes