HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2016-04-19 Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Judy Allred
Mark Derro
D. Morton
Shantal Myers
Eric Rumble
Dave Schnider
Kristy Smith
Kate Swift
Sam Varteniuk
Linda Zensner
REGRETS:Wayne Addison
Danielle Deveau
Shirley Madill
GUESTS:Lindsay Golds, ArtsBuild Ontario
Eilidh Fisher,ArtsBuildOntario
STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture
Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts/Culture
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER: Kristy Smith
1.0Acceptance of agenda: Agenda accepted as circulated.
2.0Declaration of conflict of interest: none.
DELEGATIONS
3.0SpaceFinder: Lindsay Golds
SpaceFinder is an onlinesearchable database of spaces and venues available for rentor
rehearsals, performances, meetings, launches, and events.
A community driven resource, self-populated by the spaces and venues.
Free for users (currently supported by grants and local municipalities for two years).
Audience: artists and the general public.Helps artists find space for their arts practice in
thiscommunity. Helps non-profit organizations with available spaces through venue rentals;
can be used by any space with rental potential forcreative uses.
Created by Fractured Atlas,a non-profit artsservice organization in the US.Theyhandle
technical questions.
Currently active in 12 US and 2 Canadian cities(Toronto and Hamilton)
Waterloo Region launch is in partnership with Cities of Kitchener, Cambridge, Waterloo and
the Region. Local partners will assist in the marketing of the site and registration of city
owned facilities.
Support from two grants(Canadian Heritage –Strategic Initiatives Grantand Ontario Trillium
Foundation Grow Grant)will allow further expansion of SpaceFinder and a learning series of
related workshops and webinars.
Tool is searchable by various types of available spaces.Information includes square footage,
possible uses, stage setup.
Optional features include online calendar(syncswith a venue’s existing online calendar),
online booking capability, andonline payment capability (includes a service fee).
SpaceFinder includes helpful prompts and follow-up to assist spaces with completing their
listings. Fractured Atlas is available for technical questions.
1
April 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
Testimonial/review feature is enabled (but not well used). Fractured Atlas/Arts Build
review listings for appropriateness prior to posting.
Timeline: Pre-populate spaces until May 16; announce to VENUES/SPACES May 16; announce
to artists and public September 2016.
SpaceFinder Toronto successfully launched 16 months ago: 440+ spaces listed (all self-
registered), 180,000 page views (averages about 500views per day),and$41,000 referred to
registered orgs.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
4.0Economic Benefits of Arts/Culture: Emily Robson
In March, Arts/Culture staff presented information about the value of arts and culture to
Economic Development Advisory Committee in response to questions about the arts-related
recommendations outlined in the city’s Economic Development strategy.
To compete in the knowledge-based economy, the right mix of peoplemust be attractedand
retained; then businesseswill follow.
Whiletheartsand culture are amenities to attract people, they are also impactful economic
drivers (like technology and industry) that stimulate creativity in other sectors.
Artists are the original entrepreneurs, creating something with value out of nothing.
The ‘creative core’ is a group of 9 occupations (including artists, actors, writers, performers,
cultural institutions) that in terms of numbers, is as significant as the number of auto
workers in Canada.
There is a huge creative advantage when technology and the arts collide.
In terms of artists as a proportion of the workforce, our region is slightly below the average,
so there is room to improve.
Now working on an Arts Action Plan for Kitchener. Identifying strategic alignments,
considering relevant stakeholder consultation, articulating themes andlaunchpoints.
Space in the form of an arts hub is an emerging theme. Includes consideration of affordable
space, entrepreneurial services, network developmentandaccess to resources. A space for
creation, productionand business development.
Disbursed services also an option, if a centralized location on transportation isn’t a necessity
for all facets of arts hub services.
Music workshops were piloted to test the concept. Successful outcomes.
Will further test the concepton a small scale with affordable performance space/rehearsal
space.
ACAC questions/comments:
How best to make a case to support creative industries as the tech sector has been
supported?
How do we measure/define success in the arts sector?
The arts sector could benefit from storytelling about its successes, like the tech sector.
Smaller centres see Kitchener as an urban Sam: as we talk about attracting people to region,
sounds like we are talking about London, Hamilton, big urban centres, but smaller centres
see Kitchener as the big centre. How do we connect with the smaller centres? People in our
own backyard for a night out in the big city
Downtown spaces are attractive to technology businesses, social services and arts/culture.
The tech sector is the bigger revenue generator, so building owners favour it.
A business approach focuseson the bottom line, but the arts offer personal fulfillment.The
arts enhance quality of life, deliver economic impactandinspire innovation in other sectors.
Difficult to quantify the value of the arts.
Need to grow our audiences.
2
April 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
Still a gap in our community regarding how to find out about arts/culture activities.
Provide people who have specific interests the tools to develop programming, and they will
bring an audience.
If the objective is to convince people of the value of arts/culture, could contrast and
compare a business park and a vibrant intersection in the downtown. In terms of revenues,
the business park would score higher. In terms of where people would rather spend time,
the downtown area would be more fulfilling.
ACTION: Shantal to share information about a recent student marketing surveyregarding the local
business sector’s interest in arts/culture activities.
5.0Community Grants: Emily Robson
Grants are one area of city support for arts/culture. Easier to quantify than other areas.
As expenditures on arts/culture can either be broadly or narrowly defined, it’s hard to
meaningfully put a dollar figure on the amount of support provided. Also very difficult to
make apples to apples comparisons between funding for the arts in various municipalities,
especially with the two tier government structure in our region.
The City’s tier one grants fund pillar organizations and are multiple year agreements. Tier
two grants are the most accessible and flexible for small organizations and groups
(both arts and recreation). Demand is greater than available funds.
Angela Birdsell’s “Arts Sustainability Funding Review” report examined regional support for
pillar organizations.
A regional approach to granting/funding process could simplify application process for
groups.
ACACquestions/comments:
Need to quantify support and measure against benchmarks in other communities.
How much funding do the ‘pillar’ organizations receive in comparison to emerging
organizations? What is the right mix and why?
Can the grant application process be improved?
The grant process should include follow-upreporting and metrics to measure funding impact
on groups.
The Waterloo Region Arts Fund application process is user friendly. Stage one is open, ‘tell
us about your idea in a way that is meaningful to you.’ Stage two is by invitation, where
financial details about the projectare required.
Should there be alignment between the criteria valued by the City in the grant application
process and our expressionof the value of arts/culture in our community?
ACTION: Consider the granting application process, the Community Investment Strategy and other
sources of funds at a future meeting.
INFORMATION ITEMS
6.0City updates: none
7.0Public Art Working Group (PAWG) update: Judy Allred
Delegation: Kate Hagerman from the Region presented on the Regional ION LRT public art
project. 7 stops have been identified for art, 5 in Kitchener.
Delegation: Katy Belshaw, University of Waterloo student, presented on PS Place in Space,
an augmented reality application to help people connected to their environments.
Sarah Granskou, Kitchener’s 2016 Artist in Residence, is now planning her activities for the
year.
3
April 2016-ACAC Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
APRIL 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER
8.0Downtown Action and Advisory Committee (DAAC) update:Linda Zensner
Meeting cancelled;no update.
9.0Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) update: Shantal Myers
Meeting cancelled;no update.
10.0Council Report: Dave Schnider
Staff is considering best approaches for public consultation regarding uses (including arts
uses) for the former Legion building on Ontario Street, a heritage building.
11.0Members’ updates
THEMUSEUM:The Brush Off Junior takes place on Saturday, April 23.
Registry Theatre: Arab Israeli Cookbook and related events takes place May 5-7.
Community Players of New Hamburg:presents Nunsense in May. Completely sold out.
ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 6:00p.m.
NEXT MEETING: May 17, 2016, 4:00 p.m., Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener city hall
4
April 2016-ACAC Minutes