HomeMy WebLinkAboutArts & Culture - 2017-01-17 Minutes
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 17, 2017CITY OF KITCHENER
PRESENT:Judy Allred
Danielle Deveau
Aaron Francis
Shirley Madill
Pam Patel
Dave Schnider
Julie Soulis
Lori Thompson
Lydia Workman
Michelle Gnutzman
Linda Zensner
REGRETS: Sam Varteniuk
STAFF:Silvia DiDonato, Manager, Arts/Creative Industries
Emily Robson, Coordinator, Arts/Creative Industries
Carrie Kozlowski, Recording Secretary
CALL TO ORDER: Emily Robson
1.0Acceptance of agenda:accepted as circulated.
2.0Declaration of conflict of interest: none.
INFORMATION ITEMS
3.0Welcome and Roundtable Introductions: all
Committee members and staff introduced themselves.
4.0Overview of Arts/Creative Industries at City of Kitchener: Silvia DiDonato
Staff in this unit has two main areas of responsibility:
o Arts Programs:includes 1% Public Art program , community led public art initiatives,
Industrial Artifacts program, maintenance plans for both the public art and industrial
artifacts collections, Artist in Residence program, Berlin Tower ARTSPACEandRotunda
Galleryexhibition programs, and the annual Youth Video Contest.
o Creative Industries/Arts Business Development:includes the Film, Media and Music
Cluster (related initiatives are music business workshops, reviving the FilmKW resource,
music business educational opportunities, events in support of micro-budget filmmaking,
exploring opportunities with the Ontario Media Development Corporation and Canadian
Media Fund); Design Cluster and Theatre Cluster. Creative Space is also a major area of
focus (related initiatives include 44Gaukel St.)
There are three main streams of work to deliver the above:
o Strategic Planning: involves the development of an updated Arts &Culture Strategy.
Recent activity includes ensuring strategic alignment with other corporate plans,
summarizing and synthesizing the results of consultation, and identifying themes: value;
space; catalyst; music, film and media; regional collaboration.
o Community Partnership:includes participation on the regional arts fund group, and
acting as a partner liaison with Centre in the Square, KW Symphony, KW Art Gallery;
Registry Theatre,ArtsVest Ontario, as well as provincial and federal granting agencies.
o Municipal Process:includes work with the Arts/Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC),
Public Art Working Group(PAWG), developing reports for city Council, budget and
administrative responsibilities, marketing, and community investment via grants.
January 2017-ACAC Minutes 1
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 17, 2017CITY OF KITCHENER
ACAC-related processes:
Staff handed out a USB containing materials for the committee to review, including
committee terms of reference, volunteer forms requiring signing, required reading about
volunteer responsibilities related to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the
roles of committee members and chairs, information about advisory committees in general
and the Arts/Creative Industries unit at the City of Kitchener.
ACAC will nominate a chair and vice chair at the next meeting, and cross appointments to
other advisory committees will also be established. Cross-appointed members will attend
both committee meetings and briefly report back on activities of the other committee at
each meeting.
th
o Downtown Action &Advisory Committee (DAAC)meets from 4-6 p.m. the 4Thursday
of each month
o Economic Development Advisory Committee (EDAC) meets from 11a.m.-1p.m.on the
th
4Wednesday of each month, and
nd
o PAWGmeets from 5-7 p.m. on the 2Monday of each month
About PAWG:
o PAWG is a permanent subcommittee of ACACwhich oversees several of the arts program,
including Public Art. PAWG’s recommendations come to ACAC for consideration.
o Kitchener’s Public Art policy applies to qualifying civic construction projects with
budgets over $100,000.1% of the budget is devoted to public art, with a minimum
allocation of $1,000, and a maximum allocation of $300,000. If the allocation is more
than $100,000, then 60% of the allocation is devoted to the public art project, and 40% is
allocation to a pooled fund.
Meeting agendas and meeting minutes are circulated to the committee, shared with Council
and posted online for the public one week prior tothe meeting date. Committee members
with suggestions for agenda items can bring them forward in advance of agenda circulation
to staff and/or the committee chair.
Agendas contain several standing items, including reports made by cross-appointed members
on other advisory committees (DAAC, EDAC and ACAC’s subcommittee, PAWG); a Council
report, and member’s updates (an opportunity for ACAC members to share information).
ACAC’s recommendations are brought forward in staff reports to committees ofCouncil.
Staff endeavours to share information and consult with ACAC on items within the
committee’s purview in advance of meetings and prior to taking reports forward to
committee of Council as much as possible, given timeline constraints.
ACAC will receive presentations by delegations and staff from other departments seeking
committee input on various initiatives; ACAC provides feedback from its arts/culture
perspective.
ACAC can form ad hoc working groups to address certain items, when needed.
ACAC consideredmoving its monthly meeting time from 4-6 p.m.to 11a.m.-1p.m., however,
two members are unavailable.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
5.0Arts/Culture Advisory Committee priorities 2017—focusing on what’s most exciting and
interesting:all
Returning ACAC members noted the following highlights from the last term:
o Providing input on the creative hub concept and report to Council. Last committee saw a
possible role for ACAC advising on the implementation and oversight of the hub.
o Identifying a role for the committee as an advocate for art/culture concerns in response
to presentations and delegations coming forward to collect ACAC’s input.
January 2017-ACAC Minutes 2
ARTS AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ACAC) MINUTES
JANUARY 17, 2017CITY OF KITCHENER
o Items considered by Public Art Working Group.
o Providing input on how to handle resource allocations intended for Creative Enterprise
Initiative upon its conclusion.
o The rapid growth of the arts and culture sector and downtown development.
Terms of Referenceoutline the following responsibilities of the committee:
o Advising Council on arts and culture policy issues
o Identification of priorities for community arts and culture development
o Advocacy for information sharing on arts and culture issues throughout the community
o Facilitation of community dialogue on arts and culture matters
o Support for arts and culture development issues in other city documents, such as Plan for
a Healthy Kitchener, the Official Plan, and various masterplans.
Given the above, ACAC articulated a draft statement of values that will guide its work and
provide a lens by which to evaluate and respond to presentations and topics brought forward
to the committee for consideration:
To amplify the voices of artists and arts/culture organizations to ensuretheir role in the
community and economy is valuedandvalidated.
Committee comments:
o Awareness of what’s going on, opportunities and branding is needed to keep graduates in
the region.
o Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(STEM)has been focus, need to articulate the
benefits of adding in the Arts(STEAM).
o There is a disconnect between the value placed on the creative economy and getting to a
point where arts practitioners/creative people are actually hired in the technology
sector.
o Desire to address how to brand arts/culture in the region fits with the City’s other plans
and strategies, including the future arts action plan and Make it Kitchener, the city’s
economic development strategy.
o Need to help smaller groups have their voice heard in the community, and support
organic and grass-roots arts initiatives.
o Could find opportunities to consult with the arts community to stay abreast of concerns,
trends, and happenings, perhaps through forums. Could include the business community.
6.0Council Report: Councillor Schnider(deferred)
7.0City Updates: Silvia DiDonato(deferred)
ACTION ITEM: Staff to send report on the Request for Proposal for an operator for a potential Arts
Hub to ACAC as soon as it is available.
ADJOURNMENT: The chair adjourned the meeting at 5:55 p.m.
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, February 21, 4:00 p.m., Conestoga Room
January 2017-ACAC Minutes 3