HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2015-09-15
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Judy Allred
Mark Derro
Danielle Deveau
Shirley Madill
D. Morton
Shantal Myers
Eric Rumble
Dave Schnider
Kate Swift
Sam Varteniuk
REGRETS:Wayne Addison
Kristy Smith
Linda Zensner
STAFF:Krista Blake, Coordinator, Arts/Culture
Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture
Janette MacDonald, Technical Analyst, Economic Development
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER: Danielle Deveau
1.0Acceptance of agenda: Agenda accepted as circulated
2.0Declaration of conflict of interest: none
PRESENTATION
3.0Kitchener Economic Development Strategy: Janette MacDonald
Stakeholder consultationto inform the strategy developmenttook place at ‘Ideas of the
Brave’symposium. 150 attendees addressed specific topics, feedback collected.
Additionally, feedback was received from informal, community-led conversations.
Advisory committees recommendedthat the new strategy build on thekey themes
introduced in the last iteration while leveraging new opportunities, including light rail
transit.
Existing strategy themesto build on: dynamic downtown;innovation district;start-up city;
talent magnet;cluster building. Plus manufacturing.
In the new strategy, talent is an overarching strategic priority. Getting a job and quality of
life are key. There is special emphasis on ‘making’.
Strategy working title: ‘Make it Kitchener’. A call to action to make things here, and a
suggestion that this is a place you can succeed.
Two questionsarise: How do we grow industry, and How do we shape our city. Each of these
two questions features three ‘pillars’ (main areas of focus):
How do we grow industry?
Make it spark:Support the generation of ideas/innovation and‘making’. Encourage
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industry cross-over. (Tech + art = user experience design). Develop creative clusters
in music, film, performing arts, design, etc.
Make it start: be agile in the provision of services for startups. Continue to attract
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entrepreneurs (locally, nationally, and globally). Become a talent magnet.
Make it grow:develop a global maker hub. Work with existing industry through
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partnerships (like Manufacturing Innovation Network) to support their needs. Help
develop cluster supports to make these systems work (industrial design, marketing,
finance, supply chains). Build an identity for the region as a global maker hub.
How do we shape our city?
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September2015-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
Make it urban: continue to lead the way through the redevelopment of our own
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properties. Work with the private sector to apply these standards.
Make it vibrant: build Kitchener’s identity as a festival city. Encourage our creative
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community to invigorate the city through new programs and in unconventional
spaces. Continue building ‘community’ and ‘neighbourhood’ (fits with the city’s
Neighbourhood Strategy now underway).
Make itconnect:focus on the innovation corridor. Champion the creation of the
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infrastructure to develop it, including GO trainsand fibre. Build partnerships needed
to support it (WREDC, Communitech, Toronto clusters). Develop innovation district
as the heart of the system (beyond Kitchener).
Values informing the strategy:Make it diverse. Make it together. Make it collide. Make it
innovative (organizational innovation). Make it sustainable.
ACAC’s comments:
‘Innovation District’: opportunities exist to raise the profile. Not well known in the
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community or beyond.
‘Make it’ Strategyis a good one.
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Diversity is one of the best things in our city.
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Considerintegrating ‘retooling’and‘reinventing’ to the values. The best ideas are
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an assembly or integration of collective knowledge or wisdom.
Neighbourhood Associations and Community Centres are areal strength in Kitchener.
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Make sure that suburban neighbourhoods are adequately serviced and have ‘central
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hubs’. Disseminate information about activities in the downtown from these hubs.
The downtown has amenities and attributes (cultural institutions and activities) that
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make it a special place and differentiate it from other neighbourhoods. The
downtown is a place where different communities come together (i.e.nerd night).
Suburbia needs vibrancy and vitality as well. Can come to the downtown to access
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cultural institutions. Neighbourhood Strategy can address vitality in neighbourhoods.
Make it connect: important to connect arts/culture to other clusters (i.e., tech
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startups, manufacturing, invite them to attend participate in arts/cultural activities
and performances). This will help improve quality of life, make newcomers feel
connected to the community, and, in turn, provide audiences to the arts community.
The area surrounding the former Schneider’splant is an old industrial corridor with
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potential. Located adjacent to the LRT. A mix of small businesses and industries
exist there. Some vacant buildings, but old manufacturing facilities may not be ideal
for new clean manufacturing. Need an incentive for developersto clean up.
In some cities, artists have played a role as a catalyst for downtown revitalization.
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Include artistideas in development. This initiative fitsin ‘make it urban’ and ‘make
it vibrant’. Need to give artists tools and incentives to activate spaces.
Beyond space needs, we must find ways for artists to be employed in diverse sectors.
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Need more employment opportunities in non-traditional occupations for artists.
Artists can be like start-ups and can have economic impact. Should be able to access
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grants and resources to do projects.
How will the impact of the strategy be measured? The specific action items (now in
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development) under each of the pillars should be measurable. However, some
impacts will be both qualitative and quantitative. Someareso long term they may
not deliver short term impacts (i.e., setting up a makerspace for children).
Waterloo Region Economic Development Strategy: strategy has been approved by all
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local municipalities. Now in the process of starting up a corporation. The board is in
place, now seeking a leader.
ACTION ITEM: Staff to investigate how to get aWREDS update to ACAC. Invite to a future meeting?
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September2015-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015CITY OF KITCHENER
DISCUSSION & INFORMATION ITEMS
4.0City Updates:Silvia DiDonato
At the July meeting, ACAC made a motion of support for Don Bourgeois’ report about JM
Drama/Registry Theatre Strategic Refresh. The accompanying staff report goes forward
September 21.
5.0Public Art Working Group update: Shirley Madill
At the September 14 meeting, Gordon Hatt (executive director, CAFKA) presented the
proposed installations for CAFKA 2016.
Call for entry for 2016 City of Kitchener Artist in Residence now open. PAWG discussed the
program’s budget, expectations and documentation.
Staff provided an overview of the Public Art Policy and completed public art projects.
6.0Downtown Action and Advisory Committee update:No update in Linda’s absence.
7.0Economic Development Advisory Committee update: Shantal Myers
Same presentation on Kitchener Economic Development Strategy as ACAC received today.
8.0Council Report:Dave Schnider
Councilnow determining the business plan for the city (using a weighted system whereby
councilors allocate points to indicate items of priority). Strong council support is emerging
for arts/culture issues (including a new culture planand using vacant spaces for arts uses),
and initiatives that are already underway.
9.0Members’ updates
Conestoga College:Learning Resource Centre is moving into 20,000sqftdigital acquisition.
Recreation Centre is currently 80% complete, and on schedule for its December opening.
School enrolment is up. A new identity is in progress for Kitchener Studio Project: 44
Gaukel. Accelerator Centre has moved inwith startups, Critical Media Lab nowon site, and
21 classes per week are held there. Conestoga College delivers Modern Audio program from
KSP, and Bob Egan offers guitar repairs onsite. A dual credit is now available for high school
students in audio and digital imaging.
Registry Theatre: Friday, Sept.18, Music is My Weapon. To eliminate financial barriers
preventing KW youth from training in music, Kitchener's Registry Theatre hosts this concert
featuring Joni NehRita and Rufus. Saturday, Sept.19, Sultans of String. Crowdfunding
campaign for Registryoffice renovation was successful, and office renovation is complete.
THEMUSEUM:Installinga wall drawing by Sol LeWitt for exhibition in for 20 years. University
of Waterloo students assisting with installation. Opening a Makerspace for youth in 2016,
which aligns nicely with Kitchener Economic Development Strategy. Sept.16: Collective
Identity, a local artist collective, opens an exhibit, Fast Forward Waterloo Region.
Night\Shift:on Oct.31, 30 installations will populate the spaces within and between KSP,
THEMUSEUM and KW Art Gallery. Programming line up to be released in two weeks. Sunday
programming added at Mercury Café and Apollo Cinema.
Asphalt Jungle Shorts:Opens Sept.17. Brings site specific theatre to the streets of
downtown Kitchener.
ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:23 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: October 20, 4:00 p.m., Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener city hall
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September2015-ACAC Minutes