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Message from the CCNC…
The 2011 Creative City Summit took place May 10-12, 2011 in London, ON. The Summit was a success - over 140 delegates from across the country and CCNC's membership attended 2.5 days of professional development programming for municipal cultural practitioners. With a variety of topics, session formats, speakers, entertainment and networking activities, attendees were able to find relevance in sessions, no matter the size of their communities or experience in the sector.
Credit goes to the planning committee for their keen insights in programming and to the inspiring speakers and presenters who delivered some great messages. The Summit also boasted a range of local cultural study tours, networking opportunities and entertainment organized by the City of London Culture Office, the London Heritage Council and the London Arts Council who worked together to showcase London's finest in culture throughout the Summit!
A huge thank you to the Summit Planning Committee, the Host City of London, The London Heritage Council, The London Arts Council, The City of Calgary (Gold Sponsor) and TRY Recycling inc. for putting together a great Summit!
Thank you also to Creative City Network Member Municipalities and all Summit delegates for your continued support. See you in Greater Victoria, BC for the 2012 Creative City Summit!
Grande Prairie, AB: Local arts groups get money
"A quartet of local community arts groups are getting funding as 'Celebraton Centres' for Alberta Arts Days this fall. In that group, Grande Prairie's Centre for Creative Arts. A big part of this year's celebrations here will be the 'Wearable Art Show' -- the centre's already put out the call for submissions. The Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society, the Lac Cardinal Regional Performing Arts Society in Grimshaw and the Fairview Fine Arts Society will join the Centre for Creative Arts and 65 other community groups across Alberta in sharing $375 000 dollars in funding front the Ministry for Culture and Community Spirit."
HQGrandePrairie.com, May 20, 2011 | weblink
Port Coquitlam, BC: PoCo wants public input on public art
"When most people think of city services, road maintenance and garbage collection are often the first things that come to mind. But according to Yvonne Chui, Port Coquitlam’s arts and culture co-ordinator, there are certain intangibles the city should also have a hand in developing. Public art can create a sense of community and a connection to the past, which Chui said can be just as important as infrastructure maintenance and land use decisions. And she is asking for PoCo residents’ input as the city begins the process of developing a public art policy, which will create guidelines and encourage the creation of public art pieces in the municipality. '[Public art] gives a place character and identity,' she said. 'Rather than this just being another downtown or another industrial area, it takes the blandness out.'"
Gary McKenna, The Tri-City News, May 17, 2011 | weblink
Kitchener, ON: Council approves arts sustainability funding
"Kitchener City Council reinforced its support for the arts and culture sector [Apr.25] when it approved an investment of $220,000 to four anchor arts organizations. The investment was made from the Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund to: Creative Enterprise Enabling Organization (CEEO): $20,000; The Museum: $120,000; Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery: $40,000; Kitchener Waterloo Symphony: $40,000. The CEEO is a broad mix of public sector representatives, private sector members and members from the arts community. 'This funding is making sure these organizations will be around year after year,' said Mayor Carl Zehr… 'It’s about community-building.' The CEEO is required to provide a report to council by October 2011, detailing its strategy for use of the Arts and Culture Sustainability Fund in 2012."
Morning Post Exchange, April 25, 2011 | weblink
Smiths Falls, ON: Town establishes new arts, culture council
"The newly incorporated Smiths Falls & District Arts and Culture Council established its first Board of Directors at its inaugural meeting held April 20. The kick-off follows more than a year of planning and meetings in the community of the Smiths Falls Arts & Culture Task Force established by Smiths Falls town council to provide planning recommendations for the municipality's consideration and action. The Arts & Culture Council is an incorporated not-for-profit organization and it will be making application to the Canada Revenue Agency for charitable status as it moves forward… The Smiths Falls and District Arts and Culture Council is one more step in the Town of Smiths Falls broader economic development strategy for promoting Sensational Smiths Falls as a location of choice for newcomers and development of the creative economy."
Town of Smiths Falls, Economic Development Department, EMC News, April 28, 2011 | weblink
Dryden, ON: Regional cultural tourism initiative launched
"The Kenora District is aiming for a place on the world stage as a cultural and experiential tourism destination. The Dryden Development Corporation (DDC) is launching a significant new tourism development project in collaboration with 6 other municipalities. The project is the first step towards the ultimate goal of an interactive, multimedia web portal that will showcase the richness and diversity of the unique Northern Ontario lifestyle. The DDC has partnered with the City of Dryden IT department to conduct the current cultural resource mapping exercise which will establish a database of regional cultural tourism resources using Geographic Information Technology. Building a comprehensive database requires the identification, categorizing and recording of specific information about individual people, places, and organizations that fit into a standardized framework. Cultural resource mapping is recognized as an important planning and development tool for municipalities across Ontario; mapping on a regional scale is gaining momentum as cities and towns of all sizes are increasingly realizing the benefits of cooperation vs. competition."
News Release, City of Dryden, May 13, 2011 | weblink
Toronto, ON: Culture action plan endorsed by City Council
"The findings and recommendations of the report 'Creative Capital Gains: An Action Plan for Toronto' were endorsed by Toronto City Council [May.18]. A detailed implementation plan emanating from this report will be presented to the Economic Development Committee later this year. This report is the result of the efforts of the Creative Capital Initiative, which was formed in 2011 to provide expert advice and recommendations to update the City's 2003 Culture Plan for the current term of Council. 'We believe that the recommendations and action plan can help strengthen Toronto's economy and enhance our competitive advantage on the world stage,' Councillor Michael Thompson (Ward 37 Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic Development Committee, stated in the report. 'Culture is an economic catalyst we can and must maximize for the benefit of all our communities.' The report identifies areas for new and renewed investment and support by the City of Toronto, along with 33 action recommendations that will assist in achieving the goals."
News Release, City of Toronto, May 18, 2011 | weblink
Moncton, NB: Reason to celebrate new cultural plan
"Divining the future of a city's cultural landscape is a little like surveying the horizon: without a reference point, where do you begin? It's a question that vexes urban planners just about everywhere, which is one reason why so many noble efforts to support the arts in metropolitan areas come to naught. The other, of course, is lack of money. But it may well be that the question, itself, is a game stopper and that any answer we provide undermines, through its specificity, the nuance, patience and good humour required to understand and nurture something so organically complex, diverse and intra-woven as a community's creative impulses. Happily, Moncton's new Cultural Board - unveiled [May.11] at City Hall along with a comprehensive action plan - seems to get this as it cleaves to the doctrine, espoused by Northrop Frye: 'Creative culture is infinitely porous, it absorbs influences from all over the world.' Perhaps, then, the useful questions are not where, but when and how, to begin. As to the former, the Cultural Board cheerfully declares: no time like the present. As to the latter, the answer is a little more complicated. That this panel and its plan are triumphs of collaboration is broadly evident from the long list of people who contributed to its formation. And Moncton Mayor George LeBlanc and many municipal staff deserve a standing ovation for the perspicuity and alacrity they've demonstrated throughout the process. 'The involvement of the community in building this project was crucial to its success,' he writes in his opening message. 'This showed the dedication of our citizens and how culture is important to everyone . . . Culture affects everyone in some way, shape or form.'
Alec Bruce, Times & Transcript, May 12, 2011 | weblink
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A Pan-Canadian enquiry on performing arts presentation moves forward
"CAPACOA (Canadian Arts Presenting Association) has launched the long-awaited qualitative enquiry The Value of Presenting: A Study of Arts Presentation in Canada [May 5], following the annual National Network Meeting of 23 of Canada’s largest presenting networks. Canada’s performing arts scene boasts some of the world’s most celebrated musicians, dancers, actors and performers. Yet, the purpose and the work of arts presenters in building Canada’s cultural fabric, preparing the stage for diverse artistic expression and developing engaged audiences are little known or understood. In a rapidly evolving world, arts presenters seek to affirm their role in the creative chain coherently and with purpose. This large-scale enquiry has been championed by the presenting field for three years… [and] marks the beginning of this important process to identify, understand and communicate the value and benefits of presenting for Canadians, to envision the presenters’ evolving role in our changing world, and to raise awareness of the role of the live performing arts presenter in the creative chain, in communities and in society. Over a two-year period, this project will use an innovative action research approach designed to generate broad consensus on the value and impact of presenting and the role of the presenter. Research activities will draw on the existing literature relating to the performing arts. It will include quantitative surveys of the presenting field and Canadians at large to better understand current perceptions and attitudes. It will also feature an extensive consultation process with all parts of the creative chain, with municipalities, and many other activity sectors. The project will be undertaken by Strategic Moves, a research-driven strategy consultancy, and EKOS Research, experts in quantitative research with offices in Ottawa and Toronto. The enquiry is made possible thanks to the funding of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Ontario, with support from Canadian Heritage and the Creative City Network of Canada."
News Release, CAPACOA, May 5, 2011 | weblink to PDF
Culture Days unveils plans for second annual Canada-wide celebration of arts and culture
"[May.9] marks the launch of the second annual Culture Days campaign - a collaborative, grassroots Canada-wide movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities… the second free Culture Days event weekend will take place in every province and territory, simultaneously on September 30, October 1 and 2, 2011 and is expected to see hundreds of communities take part with more than 300 activity organizers in 122 cities and towns already having pre-registered across the country. The cross-Canada celebration represents the largest-ever collective public participation campaign undertaken by the arts and cultural community in this country. The inaugural Culture Days celebration was held in September 2010 over three days in more than 700 Canadian cities and towns of all sizes. 'The enthusiastic response and widespread participation that the inaugural Culture Days event garnered in communities across the country highlights that arts and culture play a very meaningful role for millions of Canadians,' said Antoni Cimolino, Chair of Culture Days' national Steering Committee and General Director of Stratford Shakespeare Festival. 'This year promises to further showcase and celebrate the vast and diverse artistic and cultural talent that contributes to the vitality of our communities.'"
CNW, May 9, 2011 | weblink
See also: ' Culture Days returns for second year', The Globe and Mail | weblink
'Vancouver artists, performers spread word about Canada-wide festival', Vancouver Sun | weblink
Ontario a province of festivals
"Ontario is truly a province of festivals with something happening throughout the year. In fact, there are more than 3,000 festivals and events annually. Everyone’s heard of Oktoberfest, the Canadian National Exhibition, Caribana, Niagara Festival of Lights, Wiarton Willie, Stratford Shakespearean and Canadian Tulip festivals. But, how about Jerkfest, Kapuskasing Lumberjack Festival, Rockhound Gemboree, Holstein Rodeo Weekend, Cobourg Sandcastle Festival, First Light and Fort Fright? London makes the list with SunFest world cultures’ event, July 7 to 10, and Home County Folk Festival, July 15 to 17. Nearby St. Thomas has Retrofest, May 27 to 29, and the Iron Horse Festival, Aug. 25 to 28. All are among the prestigious Top 100 Festivals determined by Festivals and Events Ontario (FEO) based in Woodstock. 'Festivals and events have a huge economic impact on our communities,' said Gary Masters, FEO executive director. Whether it’s a 'festival engaging the local community or a world-leading, best-in-class event,' the annual economic result is more than $1 billion annually, he added."
Jim Fox, Travel Ontario, May 2, 2011 | weblink
BC: How the arts brought down the province’s mega-casino
"If the B.C. government had never cut the arts groups out of Direct Access gaming grants, that Vegas-style casino might just have been a done deal after all—and the province would be reaping in an estimated $231 million a year from the site… In March of last year, the province announced changes to community gaming grant sectors, stating adult arts and culture, adult sports, environmental groups and school playgrounds would not receive funding in 2010-2011. The new eligibility rules came after the announcement in August 2009 that only a limited number arts and culture groups would be funded. (The province also attempting to tear up agreements with arts groups who had multiyear funding commitments, but ended up backtracking when the threat of legal action loomed). But the arts fought back. They mobilized, joined with the B.C. Association of Charitable Gaming, and on October 14, 2010, they staged their first protest outside city hall. They demanded the city stop its review of gaming applications until the B.C. government promises to adhere to its 1999 memorandum of agreement with the BCACG, which sets the charitable share of gaming proceeds at 33 percent—just as the city was preparing to consider plans for an expanded Edgewater Casino adjacent to B.C. Place."
Jessica Werb, straight.com, April 21, 2011 | weblink
Proposed concept drawings unveiled for Art Gallery of Saskatchewan
"The first glimpse at the proposed design of the $84-million Art Gallery of Saskatchewan was unveiled [May.25] at River Landing. 'Today is a day for rejoicing,' Mayor Don Atchison told a gathering of roughly 40 city officials and dignitaries. Eight concept drawings were unveiled of the new gallery, which will wrap around the Remai Arts Centre. The modern building, designed by renowned architect Bruce Kuwabara of Toronto’s KPMB Architects and Winnipeg-based Grant Van Iderstine of Smith Carter Architects and Engineers, features a predominantly glass front with tiered levels. The gallery has jumped in cost from a proposed $67 million to its current $84-million price tag. The bulk of the extra funding will come from donors. The fundraising goal has been increased from $8 million to $20 million."
D Hutton, The Star Pheonix, May 25, 2011 | weblink
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The Remix Project provides at-risk youth six months of creative arts training
"The Remix Project is a registered charity for the arts in Toronto that helps creatively gifted 'at risk' teens and young adults, often from troubled or disadvantaged backgrounds, who don’t have the usual opportunities to fulfill their true potential. The various programs from music to business to photography better their lives and often give them a direction and career path. Among the programs are Creative Arts with studies in graphic design, videography and writing; Recording Arts focusing on artists, engineering and production; and an entrepreneurial program called the Art of Business, which teaches participants about setting and reaching goals. This coming semester, slated to begin in September, will introduce both the Art of Photography and City Life Film programs. 'These young people are assets,' says executive director and founder Gavin Sheppard. 'It's up to us to figure out what it is they're best at and then help them realize it themselves, and then build the capacity to succeed in that.'"
Luther Mallory, SamaratanMag.com, April 27, 2011 | weblink
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USA: What do I say? Tips for advocacy meetings
"[National Assembly of State Arts Agencies] staff have conversations year round with state arts agency leaders and their colleague advocates who are preparing for meetings with elected and appointed officials. Jonathan Katz shares with you some of the most common questions they're asked and offers responses (IFACCA)".
NASAA, May 2011 | weblink
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June 3-6, 2011
FCM’s 74th Annual Conference and Municipal Expo
" FCM’s 2011 Annual Conference and Municipal Expo™ program is shaping up to be the best ever. This year’s event will be held at the World Trade and Convention Centre in Halifax. We will keep you informed as details are finalized. Please have a look at our study and companion tours – and be sure to register now, to take advantage of our early-bird fees. We hope you will join us in Halifax June 3-6. This is one event you won’t want to miss!"
Halifax, NS | website
June 10-11, 2011
Arts Summit 2011 (Alliance for Arts & Culture)
"Early Bird Registration is now open for Arts Summit 2011, Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11, in partnership with SFU Woodward’s at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. The Alliance for Arts and Culture recently announced that artist and facilitator Vanessa Richards will be programming this year’s Arts Summit, and community organizer and event producer Andrea Curtis will be coordinating the event… 'At the core of all our work is the art and the artist,' says Vanessa. 'Metro Vancouver’s arts organizations, venues, educational institutes, policies and livelihoods extend outward from this primary resource, this central inspiration. This is our core.'"
Vancouver, BC | website
June 14-15, 2011
Creative Rural Economy: From Theory to Practice Conference
"The Monieson Centre, Queen's University, Ontario East Economic Development Commission, Prince Edward County and the Prince Edward Lennox Addington Community Futures Development Corporation are hosting The Creative Rural Economy: From Theory to Practice conference in Kingston and Prince Edward County June 14 - 15, 2011. The is conference will be of interest to anyone involved in the creative economy, particularly those involved in the creative rural economy."
June 14, 2011 – Grant Hall, Queen’s University
June 15, 2011 – The Crystal Palace, Main Street, Picton, ON
Website
December 7-10, 2011
5th ELIA Leadership Symposium
"After previous conferences in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Zurich, the 5th ELIA Leadership Symposium will take place in Vancouver, Canada from 7-10 December. 2011, hosted by Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Its theme is Locating Knowledge in the 21st Century."
Vancouver, BC | website
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Time and Money: Using Federal Data to Measure the Value of Performing Arts Activities
National Endowment for the Arts, April 2011 | weblink to PDF
"This Note examines large datasets from multiple federal sources including the U.S. Economic Census, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), to arrive at monetary and non-monetary value measurements of the nation’s performing arts sector. The first section reports the total number, staff, and budget size of performing arts organizations. The second part addresses U.S. consumer spending on performing arts admissions and other cultural events. Part Three takes a different approach. It represents the NEA’s first-ever analysis of Americans’ daily time spent doing arts and cultural activities, including performing arts attendance. This section relies on previously unpublished data from the BLS’ American Time Use Survey. The Note concludes by reviewing several possible measures of arts and cultural value that extend beyond mining federal databases."
Culture for Development Indicator Suite
UNESCO, May 2011 | weblink
"The UNESCO Culture for Development Indicator Suite is a pioneering research and advocacy initiative that aims to establish a set of indicators highlighting how culture contributes to development at national level fostering economic growth, and helping individuals and communities to expand their life choices and adapt to change. This project contributes to the implementation of Article 13 (Integration of Culture in Sustainable Development) of the Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Financed by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), the project runs from 2009 to 2012 and combines research, implementation test phases in up to 20 countries from all regions and expert meetings in order to ensure the pertinence and credibility of the Suite."
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Copyright 2011, Creative City Network of Canada. All Rights Reserved. Please post and/or distribute. When reprinting Creative City News, please give appropriate credit.
All content provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Information contained in this newsletter has been provided by external sources. Links are provided for convenience purposes only. The Creative City Network is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of the information supplied.
Creative City News is published by the Creative City Network of Canada. The Creative City Network connects municipal cultural staff across Canada, enabling this community of practice to share information and expertise, to support one another, and to be more effective in nurturing the cultural development of our communities.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of all member municipalities.
Editor: Kelsey Hicks
For more information and list of Board of Directors: creativecity.ca
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ISSN 1710-1824
Next issue: June 2011
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