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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCSD-06-079 - Cultural Capitals of Canada Project Feasibility ) ~ Community Services ~ Report To: Date of Meeting: Submitted By: Prepared By: Ward(s) Involved: Date of Report: Report No.: Subject: Community Services Committee June 12, 2006 Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator Ext 3381 All May 29,2006 CSD-06-079 CULTURAL CAPITALS OF CANADA PROJECT FEASIBILITY RECOMMENDATION: For information and discussion. BACKGROUND: This report is a response to CSD-06-038, approved by Council on April 3, 2006. Approval was given for staff to examine the feasibility of a Kitchener application to the Cultural Capitals of Canada program. This program, through the Department of Canadian Heritage, offers official designation awards to Canadian municipalities annually in order to further Canadian municipal arts and culture development. The designation includes the naming of the municipality as a "cultural capital" and the provision of funding towards a designation-year program of events. Up to two million dollars may be available on a 75/25 cost-sharing basis. This level of award is applied to municipalities with a population of 125,000 or more. The application deadline for the 2009 award year is October 15, 2006. Awards are announced from four to six months later. REPORT: Staff reviewed the application criteria and found that the City of Kitchener is well-positioned to apply for this program. Several factors indicate that a Kitchener application would be strong and competitive, as described below. 1.0 Kitchener: A Tradition of Commitment to Arts and Cultural Development Applicants are required to plan celebratory and legacy-building arts and culture activities according to detailed guidelines supplied by the Department. Winning proposals are characterized by a city's ongoing commitment to culture and cultural development; and by the quality and scope of its cultural proposal detailed in the application. Kitchener has supported many levels of community arts development ranging from major institutions such as Centre in the Square and organizations such as the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony, Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery, major festivals, and a grants program, to the provision of direct arts programs (Rotunda Gallery, Artist-in-Residence, Public Art), planning documents (Culture Plan and Culture Plan II) and facility support to theatre groups and an artist- run gallery. For a city of its size, Kitchener has shown consistent and important support for arts education, amateur and professional arts practice, and arts recognition in the form of a long-standing arts awards program. The community has set a standard for many cities in Ontario to emulate. Looking ahead, future development in the areas of community investment strategies and arts/culture clusters of activity, especially in the Downtown, are now being studied for feasibility of implementation. 2.0 Broad Support for the Application: Community Consultation The work of planning for community participation in the Cultural Capitals program, as much as winning the designation, responds to several of the 61 recommendations in Culture Plan II including: - championing the cultural identity of Kitchener - participation in building a region-wide cultural tourism strategy - developing working partnerships with the business community - multicultural and inclusion development - the growth of cultural festivals and events. During the past three months, the Cultural Capitals of Canada program has been introduced at key meetings: Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC), Joint meeting of ACAC and Waterloo's Cultural Development Committee, Culture Plan II Implementation Team, Culture Plan II Public Meeting, and Community Services Committee Meeting. Individual introductions of the program have taken place between staff of the City of Kitchener and Regional government, the City of Cambridge staff and City of Waterloo staff, as well as with the Prosperity Council, Visual Arts Alliance, and Cambridge's Arts Advisory Committee. Without exception, the prospect of applying for the program has been enthusiastically endorsed. 3.0 Theme and Year of Application, Quality and Scope of the Application Proposal 3.1 A small ad hoc working group of volunteers has come together to examine feasibility issues and steer further development. Members include Martin DeGroot (Waterloo Regional Arts Council), Dan Donaldson (K-W Symphony), Alf Bogusky (KW Art Gallery), Majdi Bou Matar (MT Space), Cheryl Ewing (EyeGO to the Arts; Registry Theatre), Rex Lingwood (CAFKA), Robert Achtemichuk (Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery), Rick Haldenby (University of Waterloo School of Architecture). Many of these volunteers are also active members of the Culture Plan II Implementation Team. 3.2 At a meeting on May 19, 2006, two key elements of a Kitchener application, as proposed by the community, were identified by this working group. THEME: The general theme for the proposal was described as "celebrating Kitchener's tradition of innovation and excellence in contemporary art and culture". It was agreed by the ad hoc working group that the program would be anchored in Kitchener through existing programs and events. These programs are offered by established arts and culture organizations that have strong relationships with individual artists, businesses and agencies. Existing events capable of expansion include CAFKA's biennial festival; Open Ears festival; MT Space/Theatre & Co. co-productions; and, 'Tapestry' festival. Additional projects in the planning stages include Children/Youth Performing Arts Festival; KW Art Gallery (4th KWAG Summer Biennale) in partnership with CAFKA, Open Ears and the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. During the introductions of Canadian Heritage's program to the community, many recommendations for new events were heard. Partners for new program alliances include the Children's Museum, University of Waterloo Art and Technology program, Registry Theatre, Lost and Found Theatre, Cambridge Art Gallery, University of Waterloo Art Gallery, and many others including business and neighbourhood associations. YEAR: Funding for the Cultural Capitals program is subject to federal budget approvals. However, the program is promoted as being accessible until the year 2012. The ad hoc working group strongly recommended that a Kitchener application should be for the award year 2009, with an application deadline of October 15, 2006 (winning cities are announced four to six months after the deadline). This recommendation was based on (i) the community need to move forward on implementing Culture Plan II recommendations (ii) the desire to ensure that the celebration year occurred within the term of the Council supporting the application (iii) the need to launch the effort at a high level of community enthusiasm and co- operation (iv) a desire to build on the momentum of concurrent community initiatives in the areas of inclusion, cultural tourism, youth arts education and marketing Kitchener to the world. 4.0 Establishment of a Steering Committee and Work Plan With the addition of a few members to the committee named above, the working group is committed to proceeding with further preparation for a detailed application report to be brought before Council in early September. Tasks to be completed over the next three months include community consultation, research, and the development of program concepts, budget preparation and work plan. The current staff complement requires assistance to achieve all of these goals within a three -month period. Therefore, staff anticipates hiring the Waterloo Regional Arts Council (WRAC) for contractual services from June 15 to September 1, 2006. WRAC has the capacity to involve a wide range of organizations and volunteers in a consultative process. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: Consultative services for June 15 to September 1, 2006 are to be financed through Account 631323 (Culture Plan II Implementation - $10,000). The September report to Council will contain budget projections for the proposed Kitchener Cultural Capitals program. For discussion purposes, based on Canadian Heritage program guidelines and the experiences of past winning cities, a maximum budget for a successful applicant's program would be $2.66 million ($2 million/75% from the federal program, and $666,000/25% from the applicant city). This figure does not include potential funds realized through private sponsorships or other agencies. In fact, a program budget could exceed 2.6 million with the participation of funding partners. Opportunities will emerge for leveraging sponsorships and accessing other sources of funding as an application program is developed. A more detailed program with its budget projections will provide a basis for Council's further consideration. COMMUNICATIONS: As noted above, the subject of a Kitchener application has been discussed in several forums, generating wholly positive responses. Discussions with the City's Culture Plan II Teams included representatives from Communications, Planning, Community Services (Youth and Children Accessibility; Special Events), Economic Development, and the KDBA. CONCLUSION: The overwhelming community response to the prospect of a Cultural Capitals of Canada application from the City of Kitchener has encouraged the Culture Plan II Implementation Team, the ad hoc working group, and staff to bring this opportunity forward. The objectives of Kitchener's participation in the program are to celebrate, expand and publicize our community's cultural achievements, to strengthen its arts and culture infrastructure through alliance-building and marketing strategies, and to create cultural legacies which respond to the needs of multiculturalism, inclusion, children and youth. Cheryl York, Arts/Culture Co-ordinator KB