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October 28, 2011 | N. 122

News from the Network
* Message from the CCNC... All About Forums
* Guest Editorial... Michael McAllister, Community Developer, City of Airdrie, AB
* OpenOttawaLibra - City of Ottawa
* Our 2011 Culture Day - updates from CCNC Municipalities
o Fredericton, NB
o London, ON
o Amherst, NS

News
* City to study cultural plan, North Bay
* Harper Government Invests in Culture in Yukon
* 2011 BC First Nations' Art Awards Announced
* Design Regina: Cultural Vibrancy
* City Expands Arts and Culture Space in Surrey

Ideas and Reflections
* Index finds inequalities in Canadians' quality of life
* Getting human dimension right

Views from Abroad
* Scotland: Scottish government to give £5m for Glasgow youth arts centre
* Radius of Art: Creative Politicization of the Public Sphere / Cultural Potential Forces for Social Transformation

Message from the CCNC…
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Creative City Network of Canada

Guest Editorial…Michael McAllister, Community Developer, City Airdrie, AB THE ARTS ARE ON FIRE in AIRDRIE ALBERTA!
The Arts scene in Airdrie, Alberta is on fire these days, but I want you to know, “we didn’t start the fire.”

Background - Airdrie is a city situated just north of Calgary and has a population of 43,000. In 2010, Airdrie grew more than 8% and has averaged a blistering level of growth for over a decade. Despite this surge of growth in our own backyard, Calgary continues to cast a large shadow over our community and impacting the work and play activities of our residents. Over the years there have been a growing number of residents who want to develop a more creative community to help entice their neighbors to stay in Airdrie to fulfill their employment and entertainment and leisure needs. This movement recently reared its artistic head at our last council meeting where a flash mob broke out which was coordinated by The Creative Airdrie Society. The Society came forward requesting funding for their planned Alberta Art Days activities and rebranding September as ARTember in Airdrie where they were successful with their dance moves and funding request.

As many communities can relate, stepping away from an image of a satellite or bedroom community is a difficult image to shake. Using ourselves as an example, a recent Needs Assessment Survey indicated that the top reasons people leave our community is to participate in Arts/Cultural related activities. News of this has made the collective lemons of our community seem that much more how I shall say TART; but the community chose to save their tears for another day. With great challenges comes great opportunity and embracing the arts and showcasing the very best of our community is a challenge the community appears to be ready to take on.

The idea of branding the better part of September as ARTember came from various community visionaries in Airdrie who committed themselves to forming the Creative AirdrieSociety and ultimately being the catalyst for creating a vibrant and creative community. The Society’s board includes members of the business community, an artist, a philanthropist, a real estate professional, a publisher of a local magazine and yes they even recruited a lawyer. All board members are drumming to the same beat and using their various levels of expertise and contacts to forge ahead with all things Arts in Airdrie.

Having the community as a primary driver of Arts comes with its share of challenges. Questions such as; will the Arts be watered down with too much corporate influence? Will there be conflict of interests with juried art competitions? Or a variety of other control (or lack thereof control issues). The important thing for us to help mitigate some of the above questions is to keep a healthy relationship between the municipality and the group and discuss any concerns in an open and honest way.

Looking back, what set the community ablaze with Arts was a few very motivated community members who were interested in voluntarily engaging themselves and committing their time, money and energy into building a creative community. ARTember is just the beginning, through their various activities the group has quickly become an example of what is artistically possible in Airdrie and as it is well noted, “Example has more followers than reason.” — Christian Nestell Bovee

- Michael McAllister is a Community Developer with the City of Airdrie, AB
For more information on ARTember and The Creative Airdrie Society visit www.creativeairdrie.ca

OpenOttawaLibre
September 28, 2011, City of Ottawa
In 2010 we posted an article in the CCNC newsletter describing a prototype event that the City of Ottawa hosted called OpenOttawaLibre. The goal was to test an open, unconference style consultation event where participants could take ownership of the content. The day was well received by the 40 participants who walked away with an appreciation of the creative collaborative process and networking opportunity. So this year we decided to do it again, but bigger.

For the 2011 session we targeted a group of people from diverse disciplines, ages and interests and invited them to pre-register. We then opened up the registration to the larger community. The purpose was to try as much as possible to have a very broad range of creatives from all disciplines attend, connect, share and network. On event-day 100+ innovative thinkers and community leaders from within digital media and cultural industry sectors, government, sme’s, social enterprise, and academia arrived. In preparation of the day, we researched all kinds of success stories from around the world to set as examples of what cross-sector collaboration can yield. See website for details.

Participants spent the day in small groups engaged in lively discussions around self-directed topics trying to answer: What do we need to do to create a space that sparks opportunities for creative thinkers to collaborate and innovate for a better Ottawa? Facilitated by CTLabs, the day was full of ideas, energy and creativity! Of greatest note was the empowerment of the group to take a leadership role in shaping Ottawa. Watch 4 minute video. The momentum from those newly formed networks continues to grow. Here is what some of the participants had to say:

Anna Nicolle – Government
I attended OpenOttawaLibre to blog and tweet live from the event. What I witnessed during the course of the day was quite magical. Groups of people from very different professional backgrounds and with incredibly diverse perspectives came together with the goal of developing the concept of an innovation hub in Ottawa. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy. It was quite thrilling to see people sharing ideas and taking risks in the brainstorming sessions. It was also amazing to see that in the space of one day these ideas could be developed and nurtured into actionable plans. I spoke with many participants at the end of the event and they were energized and excited about the future of innovation in Ottawa. I call that a success.

Annie Hillis – Hintonburg BIA (not for profit)
In Ottawa it's not often that I'm in a room where I feel a lot of passion for building the city, and for building it together. I did feel that at OpenOttawaLibre and that was great. The day before I attended another big gathering organized by a different government agency to discuss the future of Ottawa, which felt scripted and disconnected from the life of the city. The contrast was striking, because to me passion and a willingness to collaborate are the keys to city building. At a local level, a BIA like mine is a connector, a facilitator of passionate conversations and collaborations, and that has really helped us to build a stronger and more creative community for businesses and for residents. I'm glad to see municipal administrators taking on that role for the city as a whole. Though I will also add that I think this should be just a beginning. There is much more that can be done.

Nathan Rudyk – President and CEO market2world communications inc (private sector)
Yesterday I attended an unconference called OpenOttawaLibre PURPOSEFULLY CREATED to "position Ottawa as a centre of creativity and innovation". They didn't wedge the word "fun" into that statement, but the open-minded, open-hearted unconferencees absolutely got the F-word. My face still hurts from laughing and smiling so much with them.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Richard Florida (who to be fair, has recognized and graciously categorized Ottawa's nation-leading creative class status for several years now).
The unconference was a multi-disciplinary gathering of 100-plus invited guests trying to, in Ottawa Valley Speak, git er done! Held at Arts Court, the event was hosted by the City of Ottawa's Culture & Heritage Services Branch with the Regional Innovation Centre for Ottawa and Eastern Ontario as its major partner. Read more.

Andrew O’Malley – Digital Media Artist
From a general networking perspective, OOL11 proved to be a productive opportunity to meet new people and organizations with overlapping interests and mandates in the city – one particular example standing out being the desire expressed by many groups and individuals to have an Ottawa-based electronic arts festival. Although Ottawa is a relatively small city, it never ceases to amaze me how isolated different groups with similar agendas seem to be here; OOL11 provided a great meeting ground for such groups to meet. The enthusiasm generated at the event was also contagious, and served as a valuable reminder of the creative potential in Ottawa; I wish there were more events like OOL11 to help bring a unified focus to our efforts.

From a personal perspective, I was happy to bring new exposure to Artengine's Electric Fields festival to a targeted, interested audience, as well as meeting a new group of potential collaborators from the City of Ottawa's cultural department, The Ottawa Art Gallery, and Apartment 613. I was further fortunate enough to be one of 4 artists invited to showcase technical artwork. Thanks again, #OOL11!

OUR 2011 CULTURE DAYS - Updates from CCNC Municipalities

Round up of Culture Days in Fredericton 2011
2011 was the first year of Fredericton’s participation in Culture Days and it included a handful of activities which will hopefully grow in the years ahead. The City’s cultural office played a role in generating Culture Days activities. Cultural staff promoted the national campaign to the local arts and culture community and encouraged organizations to host special activities. Staff also worked with partners to coordinate a few additional activities to round out the weekend. It is worth noting that the City’s annual Doors Open event took place the weekend prior and there were a few venues who may have participated in Culture Days, but since they were part of Doors Open, decided not to have two similar events over two weekends. The local arts centre organized their annual open house during these dates and activities included studio tours, performances by music and dance schools who are tenants of the building, and a community ‘Big Sing’ event with people being invited to participate in a large mass choir event. Since the annual open house is held around this time of the year, the art centre thought it made sense to schedule it during Culture Days and to take advantage of the extra publicity generated by the campaign. The City’s cultural staff worked with the local downtown business improvement association to match artists with downtown retailers for a Saturday afternoon ‘Artists in the Streets’ event. More than 20 artists were on display in window fronts and open spaces which created a cultural buzz for the downtown. An artist was also on display at the Saturday Farmers Market and created a mural of a bustling market scene. Despite the rain artists reported having lots of interactions with curious shoppers and enjoyed the opportunity to get outside and paint in a new location.

The City also facilitated a free bus tour by a local architect who provided a guided tour highlighting beautiful examples of stained glass found in homes and buildings around the city. The tour was based on his recently launched book. The weekend was also rounded out by other activities which happened to be scheduled for those dates, including gallery exhibit openings and a fall art and craft show. In all, the first year of Culture Days in Fredericton was a success and will provide a starting point for next year’s events.

Culture Days in London September 30, October 1-2, 2011.
Culture Days in London for 2011 was a celebration of the arts in our community developed by the London Arts Council. Free, hands-on, interactive activities that invite the public into a variety of cultural venues to participate and discover the world of artists, creators, historians, architects, curators and designers at work in their community were featured.

The London Arts Council received financial support from the City of London from the London’s Creative City Fund for this event, which is administered by the City of London Culture Office.

Over 65 registered Culture Days activities took place in our city. Some of the arts organizations returning to Culture Days were the Grand Theatre, Museum London, the Gibson Gallery, Aeolian Performing Arts Centre and Sunfest. We had a number of new organizations like the Hindu Cultural Centre, Forest City Gallery, Orchestra London and City Art Centre joining Culture Days for 2011.

This was the first year for a special partnership between the London Public Library and the London Arts Council with all 16 branches of the Library open for Culture Days activities. This partnership enabled individual artists and smaller cultural groups to take their practice out of private studios into the accessible spaces of library branches so that the public could discover and engage with their work.

London was one of only three communities in the Province of Ontario to undertake a launch event, which took place at Museum London the evening of Friday, September 30th. The London Arts Council’s theme was “Atrip around the world” which showcased 91 performers from London's culturally diverse communities. This event was attended by London’s Mayor Joe Fontana, Member of Parliament – London West Ed Holder, City Councillors and different ethno-cultural groups in London.

Culture Days in London covered by local media such as; the London Free Press, Scene Magazine, The Beat, The Londoner, London Metro, Rogers Daytime TV and local radio stations.

The National Culture Days Website www.culturedays.ca/en provided the event schedule platform to find out what was happening in the city throughout the weekend. Event participants could plan their weekend using the Culture Days Bright Spots Schedule, presented by Sun Life Financial. This schedule allowed participants to create a profile and either download or print a schedule of events they were interested in attending. Ontario’s provincial office was a tremendous support to the London Arts Council and the national coordination of templates and supporting documents was a tremendous asset.

Culture Days has been a significant undertaking for the London Arts Council which has given Londoners the unique opportunity to become aware of and participate in the rich and diverse arts & cultural life London has to offer.

Culture Days in Amherst, Nova Scotia 2011

In Amherst, Culture Days was part of the Four Fathers of Arts, Culture and Heritage. The festival reminded residents of all the wonderful arts and culture activities and events happening in Amherst every month and brought a special focus to a few of them. One of those focus events was Culture Days so it received special attention from the media and some additional advertising.

On Saturday, October 1^st, Amherst celebrated Culture Days with a series of drop-in workshops which will encourage people to unleash their inner artists. There were workshops and presentations by a local theatre company called Showcase Productions and the Atlantic Dance Academy as well as painting, art card and sound making workshops. Local businesses also were encouraged to host an event and some of those included how to string a guitar, “you as a scarf”, answers your photography questions, help with your knitting projects, rug hooking and an opportunity to see what it is like to be a radio announcer. There was also free ice skating, zumba and a chance to try a fusion curry at a local deli. Councillor Dale Fawthrop recognizes “the immense of effort that the people who put on Culture Days workshops put into their art on a constant basis” adding that “developing skills and talent of such a high level takes time and dedication.” This is the first year that Amherst is participated in Culture Days and it was a great opportunity to try something new for not only the Town but also citizens. As this was the first year for Amherst to participate in Culture Days it is hoped that next year will be larger and have more community developed events and workshops. This year was very much seen as an introduction to the concept and it was very well received by everybody involved. This year’s success should lead to more community involvement next year and hopefully some community driven events.

City to study cultural plan
NORTH BAY, Oct. 24, 2011 - The 90-page report -- Building a Creative Community; A Cultural Plan for North Bay -- has been in the works since the contract was issued to AuthentiCity in September 2010, with the objective of developing a Municipal Arts, Culture and Heritage Plan." The report was to identify community needs and priorities related to North Bay culture and develop a framework for how these needs could be addressed and how services are delivered."
Implementation is divided into four categories -- telling our story; strengthening networks and collaboration; leveraging cultural assets and building a culturally vibrant downtown." The plan proposes establishing definitions and planning assumptions to support planning, establishing new mechanisms to support municipal-business-community partnerships and establishing a strong base of cultural information.
Read the complete article here.

Harper Government Invests in Culture in Yukon
WHITEHORSE, Oct. 26, 2011 - Winter enthusiasts will continue to enjoy one of Yukon's most popular festivals, thanks to support from the Government of Canada. Funding was announced today by Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament (Yukon), on behalf of the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. The Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Society will host the 48th Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous in Whitehorse from February 23 to 26, 2012. This year's festival will commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Alaska Highway. A host of activities will be available to residents and visitors, including musical and theatrical presentations which will boost tourism and promote the Yukon's cultural heritage.
Read the complete article here.

2011 BC First Nations' Art Awards Announced
VANCOUVER, Oct. 20, 2011 /CNW/ - British Columbia Achievement Foundation Chair, Keith Mitchell announced today the 2011 BC Creative Achievement Award recipients for First Nations' Art. Primrose Adams, a Haida artist from Massett, BC was named the recipient of the 2011 Creative Lifetime Achievement Award for First Nations' Art, a prestigious award given to an artist who has made a profound impact on the community and First Nations' culture. Adams has been recognized both locally and internationally for practicing the art of spruce root basket weaving.
Mitchell also announced the 2011 award recipients of the Annual BC Creative Achievement Awards for First Nations' Art, a juried competition celebrating artistic excellence in traditional, contemporary or media art. The names of this year's recipients are:
Sonny Assu, Kwakwa'wakw, Vancouver, BC
Stan Bevan, Tsimshian/Tahltan/Tlingit, Terrace, BC
Vera Edmonds, Lil'wat, Mt. Currie, BC
Shawn Hunt, Heiltsuk, Sechelt, BC
Jay Simeon, Haida, Vancouver, BC
Read the complete article here.

Design Regina: Cultural Vibrancy
REGINA - As part of Design Regina, the process that will develop a new official community plan for the city, residents are being asked to consider six "conversation starters": Our Environment, How We Build, Getting Around, Inclusive Community, Cultural Vibrancy and Living Within Our Means. In this feature series, the Leader-Post's Joe Couture reports on conversations about each of those topics. Today is Part 5: Cultural Vibrancy. A city's cultural vibrancy can include arts, entertainment, sports, traditions, beliefs, languages - the list could go on, says Chris Holden, the City of Regina's director of community services. "When you go to major cities in Canada or Europe, usually there is something unique about a community that defines its sense of place, its sense of culture," he explains. In Regina, one of the city's key projects around cultural vibrancy has been the revitalization of the downtown and the City Square plaza, which is expected to be a venue for cultural events in the future, he continues. "One of the challenges is that we need to retain our youth," Holden says. "Young people look for a vibrant community. Opportunities around entertainment, live performances, festivals, concerts - those are the things I think young people look for. One of the challenges we have is to build the type of community with the cultural vibrancy to keep youth in our city."
Read the complete article here.

City Expands Arts and Culture Space in Surrey
SURREY – As part of the Build Surrey Program and the new Cultural Plan, the City of Surrey is moving forward with plans to build a new arts centre in South Surrey and phase two of the Surrey Museum. The decision was made during the October 17 Council meeting. “The arts play an integral role in connecting people and helping to build vibrant, socially cohesive communities, and we want to enrich the tremendous talent we have in our city,” says Mayor Dianne Watts. “We want to further establish Surrey as a cultural hub in the region, and our community partners are helping us shape and implement that vision.” Surrey’s draft Cultural Plan has identified, among other things, the need to develop additional arts space in South Surrey. In order to determine the most suitable location for the new arts space, the City consulted with all of the arts-related community organizations in South Surrey. The groups unanimously supported the concept of a phased approach. The first phase will be a 3,500 to 4,000 square foot expansion to the South Surrey Recreation Centre in 2012. The following amenities could be accommodated within the expansion: office for the Semiahmoo Arts Society; shared meeting room/multi-purpose room; pottery studio; visual arts studio; use of the circulation areas and the studio areas for heritage displays/exhibitions of art work; storage space for facility users.
Read the complete article here.

Index finds inequalities in Canadians' quality of life
OTTAWA — A generation of solid economic growth has meant little in the everyday lives of most Canadians, according to a new index of wellbeing. The finding is a yellow light for decision-makers that social unrest is just around the corner unless deep changes are made, warns Roy Romanow, the advisory board chairman of the University of Waterloo group that created the index. The index suggests the middle class, in particular, is eroding. "There are some very, very troubling signs," Romanow said in an interview. "I think if we continue on this trajectory we're going to have bigger and bigger disparities. You can never build a solid political, social and economic community with wide disparities." The Canadian Index of Wellbeing is meant to be GDP's alter ego, measuring the quality of life in society in ways gross domestic product does not. The index has been years in the making, pulling together 64 indicators to track progress in areas such as community spirit, education, health, environment, leisure and democratic engagement.
The Canadian Press
Date: Thu. Oct. 20 2011 7:53 AM ET
Read the complete article here.

Getting human dimension right
SASKATOON - This is the second in a series of two viewpoint articles by Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison. The human dimension is critical to growth. Saskatoon is growing because people are staying here and moving here more than at any time in our history. Employment is a key driver: There are jobs here for young people, so our kids aren't forced to move away. And there are jobs to attract new residents. Those who are moving to Saskatoon or staying here are looking for a great quality of life. One important way to attract people is to ensure that future generations of Saskatonians have more sport, recreational and cultural opportunities than ever before. That leads to investments in initiatives such as the Cultural Corridor that stretches from Broadway Avenue, which is rated one of Canada's great top three streets, through the downtown to Troupe de Jour on 20th Street. The new Remai Art Gallery of Saskatchewan will be a spectacular addition to the corridor, bridging the city's east and west, and providing a new gathering place for all residents to have fun.
By Don Atchison, The StarPhoenix October 26, 2011
Read the complete article here.

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ISSN 1710-1824

Next issue: November 2011

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