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Home My WebLink AboutArts & Culture - 2016-07-19 Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES JULY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER PRESENT:Mark Derro Shirley Madill Eric Rumble Linda Zensner Kristy Smith REGRETS:Wayne Addison Judy Allred Danielle Deveau D. Morton Shantal Myers Dave Schnider Kate Swift Sam Varteniuk STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Culture Emily Robson,Coordinator, Arts/Culture Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER: Kristy Smith 1.0Acceptance of agenda:accepted as circulated. 2.0Declaration of conflict of interest: none. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3.048 Ontario Street North: Background: Originally built by Bell Telephone over 100 years ago. Later uses included Veteran’s employment office and Legion. Offers approximately 14,000 sq.ft.of space. Owned by the city for approximately 15 years. Currently listed on municipal heritage register (mainly for exterior building features). Any change in ownership or permit application will initiate the heritage designation process. Building needs work to meet accessibility building code requirements (including an elevator), but it is free from contamination. There is no sprinkler system or air conditioning. Only the boiler and roof are currently maintained in an effort to preserve this vacant building. As48 Ontario Street North is a high-value building, how do we best to leverage this value? There is development interest in the building and could offer consideration of property assembly in the future. Staff recently took a report forward to committee of Council proposing options for a possible arts uses of the building. Council approved community consultation on the topic. Option 1: develop criteria for a Request for Proposal to sell the property “as is” or with o minimal improvements, with proceeds of sale to be held in reserve for an Arts Hub at an alternate location; Option 2: develop criteria for an RFP to lease the property primarily as an Arts Hub; o Option 3: develop criteria for an RFP to sell theproperty with a portion to be reserved or o leased back to the City for use primarily as an Arts Hub. Much work to be done to help council to determine if this is the right location for the arts hub, and if not, what other locations may work. Planned consultation process: First, provide tours to stakeholders and the public. Then, focus on the definition of Arts Hub by the stakeholders. Working with stakeholders, reiterate the arts community’s needs and prioritize them during a ‘stakeholder lab’ to answer the 1 July2016-ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES JULY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER question, ‘What is an arts hub?’ Then hold a stakeholder charrette to determine how the recognized needs might be met in the space. This consultation process highlights the cultural development opportunity the question of what an arts hub might be raises. This is an opportunity for the arts community to come together. The committee had an opportunity to tour the building. ACAC comments: There is a great deal of potential, but the building would need to be gutted and partitioned by the successful proponent based on the identified space needs. Could another storey be added? Is there a local arts group or organization or consortium with the capacity to act as an umbrella organization to undertake the project, run the building and lease to arts tenants? It would be challenging for existing arts organizations with established mandates to take on this task. Could a post-secondary educational institution with access to funds and capacity to take it on? The result would be a student-oriented centre. Would Musagetes have interest? Commercial tenants could provide revenue.For the arts uses, the space must be affordable. The city should provide support for the arts hub, just as it does for tech hubs. The value of the creative industriesmakes it worthy of incubation: it would add to the city’s cultural capital, increase talent attraction, support the development of the creative sector and industry, contribute to downtown development, provide educational opportunities, and enrich everydaylife. ACTION: Staff to send information to the committee regarding how to sign up for a tour. 4.0Arts Action Plan: Emily Robson On a motion made by Shirley Madill, seconded by Linda Zensner: That ACAC support the general direction of the Arts Action Plan Overview and its Vision asestablished to date. MOTION CARRIED Discussion: Staff is preparing an overview of the status of the Arts Action Plan for Council in the fall. Vision--In 2020 we will be a community that: Fully values creative practitioners o Builds on strengths and enhances what already exists o Cultivates business opportunities for entrepreneurship and creative practitioners within o the creative sector. Offers places and spaces that foster creation. o Launch points to achieve the vision: Celebrate success: Be a catalyst for success in creative industries. o Support and enable high impact projects and programs. o Build Relationships--Facilitate collaborationand positively contribute to the development o of creative industries. The overview to Council will outline our plans and activities (current and future) that will help us to reach our vision. ACAC comments: Vision statements resonate with the themes of topics that have come up at meetings over ACAC’s term. Sounds clear and makes sense. 2 July2016-ACAC Minutes ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES JULY 19, 2016CITY OF KITCHENER How will ‘high impact’ projects be defined? Will these projectshave to meet a list of set criteria? Are there other municipalities of this size with arts hubs?Many models exist. How our community defines an ‘Arts Hub’ will help determine the most appropriate model. INFORMATION ITEMS 5.0Council Report: deferred in Councillor Schnider’s absence. 6.0City Updates: Silvia DiDonato Arts/Culture staff has been directed to take tworeports forwardto committees of councilon September 12:Milestone results of Arts / Creative Hub definition as defined by Stakeholder Lab on August 23,and Bridgeport PublicArt recommendation. ACTION: STAFF TO SEND DRAFT REPORTSTO ACAC 7.0Public Art Working Group (PAWG) update:Emily Robson On a motion made by Shirley Madill,seconded by Eric Rumble: That ACAC endorse the jury selection of artist Natalie Hunter’s proposed art work, Pieces of Light, for Bridgeport Community Centre. MOTION CARRIED Discussion The selection committee met on June 28, 2016 to review the four submissions. Natalie Hunter of Hamilton, Ontario is the selected artist. Natalie has strong connections to Waterloo Region, originally through her MFA studies at University of Waterloo, and currently as Instructor of Digital Imaging in the Fine Art Department at University of Waterloo. Her proposal for an illuminated, translucent photographic public artwork on panels uses light in both process and presentation to explore notions of memory, time, and space within the Bridgeport landscape and surrounding community. Jury Statement: Natalie’s proposed artwork is both sophisticated and modern. It demonstrates sensitivity to the history of the community, recognition of Bridgeport’s changing demographics, appreciation of the area’s natural beauty, offers a compelling storytelling narrative, and enhances a sense of place at the community centre. PAWG endorsed the jury’s selection at its July 11 meeting. 8.0Downtown Action and Advisory Committee (DAAC) update:Linda Zensner No update 9.0Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) update: deferred in Shantal’s absence 10.0Members’ updates:none ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:30 p.m. NEXT MEETING: September 20, 2016, 4:00 p.m., Conestoga Room, ground floor, Kitchener city hall 3 July2016-ACAC Minutes