HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2016-01-19
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Wayne Addison
Judy Allred
Mark Derro
Danielle Deveau
Shirley Madill
Eric Rumble(from4:15)
Kristy Smith
Kate Swift
Sam Varteniuk
Linda Zensner (from 4:15)
REGRETS:Shantal Myers
D. Morton
Dave Schnider
GUESTS:MikePereria, Marketing Manager, Accelerator Centre
Margie Hedges, Coordinator, Design Programs Conestoga College
Jamie Warren, Singer/songwriter
STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture 4:13
Mark Hildebrand, Director, Community Programs and Services
Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts/Culture
Thom Ryan, Senior Business Development Officer
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER: Danielle Deveau, Chair
1.0Acceptance of agenda: Agendareordered; accepted as amended.
2.0Declaration of conflict of interest: none
DELEGATION
3.0Songwriter Professional Development: Jamie Warren
Proposing a pilot mini-project: KW Songwriting Society, including the creation of a database
of local songwriters, a web site and a one-day songwriters’ event at Kitchener Public Library.
Event to include an industry panel discussion with a publisher, record producer and rep from
Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), facilitated by a
well-known artist. Asocial portionis also proposed;an open-mic at a local establishment.
Time frame: spring 2016.
Audience: Hope to engage well-known industry professionals to give the society credibility
who will in turn draw high school and university students.
Goal of web site: a database of local songwriters. To create an environment where
songwritersand businesses (broadcasters and publishers) can connect. There will be some
redundancy, as established songwriters will already know each other.
Proposed project budget: $5,000.
This mini-project will be a testing ground for a more in-depth 6 month project with Bob
Egan.
Background: Warren is establishing a songwriting course at Conestoga College. Advocating
for the development of an industry arts educational program in the region.
ACAC comments:
Web site database will require ongoing maintenance.
Sounds like this pilot will fit with other strategies and initiatives (e.g. talent development).
Songwriters are in demand, have opportunities in the gaming industry.
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January 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENTATIONS
4.0Neighbourhood Strategy: Mark Hildebrand
Kitchener's neighbourhood strategy will help people connect and work together to do great
things in their neighbourhoods.
Will be developed by the community through one of the largest, most inclusive community
engagement processes in the city's history (spring/summer 2016).
Goal is to build on strengths to make our neighbourhoods even better.
There is no emergency motivating this initiative, it is purely out of an interest to foster safe
and healthy neighbourhoods in our community.
Desired outcomes: more vibrant community gathering spaces, more relationships between
neighbours, more people hanging out on their front porches, on their street or in the park,
more people engaged in a positive and proactive approach to neighbourhood development;
and more support for vital community partners in the work they’re already doing.
Best practices: Hamilton and London, Ontario. Kitchener’s plan will be unique to our
community.
The strategy will not: create red tape, ignore what is already working, take a top-down
approach, only engage the already engaged, focus on problems, be inflexible, tell
neighbours what they need in their neighbourhoods.
Three phases: 1) project development 2) neighbourhood action plan development 3)
implementation of action plans
Pre-engagement has been undertaken, asking simple questions: What do you like about your
neighbourhood? How could we make it better? How do you define your neighbourhood?
Also planning colouring books for adults and children and #lovemyhood stories to keep
project momentum going.
City will provide tools and resources for neighbourhoods to be proactive and undertake their
own initiatives(i.e., a simpler process to request road closuresfor neighbourhood events).
How can ACAC get involved? Help spread the word. Stay informed, sign up for newsletter.
Will return to ACAC in the future for input and to check in.
The Neighbourhood Strategy committee is creating a list of potential stakeholders, including
arts/culture groups. Seeks ACAC’s assistance in identifying gaps in this list (copies of list are
circulated), and suggestions for the best way to engage the groups.
ACAC comments:
Groups will appreciate being consulted as stakeholders, as it demonstrates they are valued.
Include multicultural groups.
Sometimes consultation is about very specific questions, which can be stifling. Broader,
open-ended questions and a bigger discussion can be worthwhile.
The size and scope of theengagement will require management so that it’s feasible and
useful.
ACTION: ACAC members to send ideas for stakeholder groups to Carrie to share with Neighbourhood
Strategy committee.
5.044 Gaukel: Mark Derro, Margie Hedges, MikePereria
Conestoga College and University of Waterloo established a presence at 44 Gaukel as an
alternative educational site.
Accelerator Centre is looking at expanding to the site as well, offering an incubator
environment for tech startups.
Want to build aplace where arts, business and technology can intersect.
Have collaborated with Christie Digital, Night\Shift, now working with maker expo.
Conestoga College design programs are operating out of44 Gaukel. The Visual Merchandizing
course works with local businesses through the Downtown Kitchener Business Improvement
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January 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
Area to give students hands-on experience while creating window displays for downtown
merchants. A mutually beneficial arrangement.
Space is a good example for high school students of what they could pursue at Conestoga.
The college experience provides networking and career development opportunities.
Students must complete 80 hours of real world workrelated to their field of study. Many
have succeeded in securing employment this way, where no job was posted. Students have
practical experience and are ready to work. Conestoga graduates have launched 3,500
businesses in our community. College graduates are now hiring the students.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
6.0Exploring Make it Kitchener concepts and projects:Emily Robson
There are many action items relating to arts and culture coming out of Kitchener’s new
economic development strategy (Make it Kitchener).
A few examples: support makerspaces, facilitate the growth of creative clusters, enhance
funding for artist in residence program and open it to all disciplines, sponsor skill
development workshops in creative industries, explore the development of an arts hub
offering rehearsal spaces, consider introducing a music andfilm officeto facilitategrowth in
those sectors, expand programs for startups to include creative industries, find ways to
encourage the use of vacant spaces for arts purposes, encourage grassroots urbanismand
community art and place-making initiatives.
Space was identified asan important issue. If a city-owned, 5,000 sq ft space was available
on a public transit line, how could it be used?City would not be the facilitator of the space.
ACAC comments:
There is a need for rehearsal space for theatre groups in our community (30’x30’).
Local arts organizations and individual artists need low-cost cooperative/collaborative space
where shared resources are available (meeting rooms, office space, workshop space,
networking space, photocopier, printer, access to design assistance for promotional
materials…)
If city provides space, there should be minimal obstacles to accessing resources.
Start by providing an unformed space. Let arts groups determine how best to use it and
figure out what further resources would be useful.
Different types of fee structures/memberships could be available depending on usage.
Software licensing for multiple users can be a tricky issue to figure out.
An open studio space with tools to borrow would be useful (e.g. a space for building
canvases for painting, drawing tables)
ACTION: ACAC members to send ideas for the space to Emily.
ACTION: Staff to add this item to February agenda.
INFORMATION ITEMS
7.0City Updates: Silvia DiDonato
Creative Enterprise Initiative: Council approved the funding ($46,000) for one final year of
operation for CEI. $44,000 intended for small and emerging organizations will be allocated to
the city’s tier 2 community grant program, where small and emerging organizations can
apply for it.
ACTION: More fulsome conversation on CEI to be added to February agenda.
8.0Public Art Working Group (PAWG) update: Shirley Madill
On a motion made by Danielle Deveau, seconded by Sam Varteniuk:
“That Sarah Granskou be appointed as the 2016City of Kitchener Artist in Residence as
recommended by the Public Art Working Group.”
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January 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
MOTION CARRIED
Discussion:
Public Art Working Group selected Sarah Granskou as the 2016artist in residence.
Through Granskou’s residency project, the community will be involved in preparing materials
andcreatively contributing to the creation of a life-size tree marionette. The planting and
tending of natural dye plants, dyeing and preparing wool, the creation of felted works of art,
music composition and rehearsal, and the performance, presentation, and exhibition of the
project are also included. The project also involves the creation of felted puppets and
costume/clothing pieces of local relevance intended for an interactive performance.
Additionally, Granskou will perform relevant music in collaboration with local musicians.
The report recommending her appointment goesforward to committee of council on
February 8.
On a motion made by Danielle Deveau, seconded by Judy Allred:
“That the commissioning of art work by the City’s 2015 Artist in Residence, Janice Lee, be
approved as recommended by the Public Art Working Group.”
MOTION CARRIED
Discussion:
Janice Lee’s residency project, Folk Myths of Kitchener, involved the collaborative
community creation of four video poems and poetry posters featuring four iconic Kitchener
locations: the Iron Horse Trail, Kitchener Libraries, the Kitchener Market and Downtown
Kitchener. Throughout her residency, Janice visited these locations to gather stories from
residents. The stories inspired the poems she wrote, which were then developed into short
videos, available on YouTube, social media, and released as digital files. Through
collaboration with local graphic artists and designers, each poem is also presented in a
poster formatnow on display throughout the community.
During her residency, Lee gathered more stories from the community than she could use in
the creation of her videopoems. For her commission, she will create a zine (pronounced
‘zeen’) featuring short poems based on theextra community stories she collected and her
photographs. The zine will have a do-it-yourself aesthetic, with cut and pasted materials
collected throughout her residency. This 6-page zine will then be available throughout the
city, will be distributed at various events, and published online.
Report recommending the commission will go forward to committee of council on March 7.
9.0Downtown Action and Advisory Committee (DAC) update:Linda Zensner
November meeting was an informal roundtablewhere members discussed what worked and
what didn’t downtown in 2015 and brainstormed ideas for the future.
10.0Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) update: none in Shantal Myers’s absence
11.0Council Report:none in Dave Schnider’s absence
12.0Members’ updates
Compass Kitchener all committees gathering: all advisory committee members invited to
attend: Tuesday, February 23, 4-6pm. Find out what other advisory committees are working
on, explore how to work together, learn about the city’s strategic plan and direction.
TD Kitchener Blues Festivalis seeking a volunteer coordinator.
ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:55 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: February 16, 2016, Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener city hall
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January 2016-ACAC Minutes