ABO Vlog Ep. 2: Making Asset Planner for the Arts Work for You!

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We get it – thinking about asset management is enough to get your head spinning. We want to make it easy. Asset Planner for the Arts allows arts managers to track facility condition, plan for repairs and track cost of key facility components.

But the best way to understand how Asset Planner can work for you and your facility is to hear how it works for arts managers like you. We spoke to Karen O’Brien, Facilities Manager at the Toronto Dance Foundation to hear about how they’ve used Asset Planner to get to know their heritage building and plan for upcoming accessibility improvements! Check out Ep. 2 of our ABO Vlog: Making Asset Planner for the Arts Work for You!

What is included?

  1. Site walk-through and building inventory by Walter Fedy
  2. Online training (via webinar) on the Asset Planner software with Ameresco and ongoing support for two years
  3. Two year operating license*
  4. Access to the ArtsBuild Learning Series

What does it cost?

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has provided funds to reduce these costs to make it more affordable to our arts organizations.

The cost of Asset Planner is based on the square footage* of your building. Below we have included some cost ranges to help you understand how affordable this might be for your organization.

  • If your building is under 20,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $600
  • If your building is between 20,001-25,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $700
  • If your building is between 25,001-30,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $900
  • If your building is over 30,000 square feet, the minimum cost starts at: $1,000+

The above costs are to be used as a guideline only and are not formal quotes.

*cost may increase in the event your facility is deemed more complex by the engineer and/or if it requires extensive travel.

Please contact Lindsay Golds or Alex Glass if you wish to receive a quote for Asset Planner for the Arts.

To learn more about this program, check out our Program Infographic or website.

Things are simpler with Asset Planner for the Arts!

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Be one of nine arts facilities to access this tool!

Plan for building repairs right from your computer! Asset Planner for the Arts is an asset management tool that lives on a cloud-based system and allows arts managers to view a snapshot of their facility’s condition, plan for repairs and generate budget forecasts (great for making compelling cases for funding!)

DON’T:
Climb up to the roof to know when your shingles should be replaced.
DO:
Stay in your chair, log on Asset Planner, and see when exactly when and how much it will cost to replace your roof shingles.

What is included?

  1. Site walk-through and building inventory by Walter Fedy
  2. Online training (via webinar) on the Asset Planner software with Ameresco and ongoing support for two years
  3. Two year operating license*
  4. Access to the ArtsBuild Learning Series

What does it cost?

The Ontario Trillium Foundation has provided funds to reduce these costs to make it more affordable to our arts organizations.

The cost of Asset Planner is based on the square footage* of your building. Below we have included some cost ranges to help you understand how affordable this might be for your organization.

  • If your building is under 20,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $600
  • If your building is between 20,001-25,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $700
  • If your building is between 25,001-30,000 square feet, the minimum cost is: $900
  • If your building is over 30,000 square feet, the minimum cost starts at: $1,000+

The above costs are to be used as a guideline only and are not formal quotes.

*cost may increase in the event your facility is deemed more complex by the engineer and/or if it requires extensive travel.

Please contact Lindsay Golds or Alex Glass if you wish to receive a quote for Asset Planner for the Arts.

Making Spaces for Art: the Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery

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Exterior2This month’s Making Spaces for Art case study features Lambton County’s Judith & Norman Alix Art Gallery and the build of their Category A facility in one of downtown Sarnia’s most significant historical buildings.

Director and Curator Lisa Daniels walks us through the renovation process, the requirements of a Category A designation and the community consciousness behind the build. Find out what’s next for this busy gallery and the advice Lisa has for those undertaking similar projects.

Read it here!

Missed our last feature on Button Factory Arts? Read it here.

Announcing SpaceFinder York Region!

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ArtsBuild Ontario, in partnership with the York Region Arts Council, Town of Newmarket, Town of Richmond Hill, City of Markham and Toronto and Region Conservation, are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of SpaceFinder York Region in Spring 2017.

SpaceFinder offers a large-scale solution for artists and creative spaces in York Region. Billed as an “air bnb” for artists, SpaceFinder is a free online tool for artists to search for space, and for creative spaces to promote their rentals. SpaceFinder is designed to help increase the visibility of creative space, helping artists easily find space, and helping venues promote their under-utilized rental space.

Created by Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization based in New York, SpaceFinder is a first-of-its-kind online service that enables venues to market their spaces by creating listings with photos, rental rates and equipment, and uploading a digital calendar to the website. Artists and renters can search for creative workspaces that meet their needs based on location, price, amenities and up-to-date availability.

SpaceFinder first launched in Canada in November 2014 with SpaceFinder Toronto. Since introducing the tool to the city’s creative community, it has become a primary resource for artists to discover creative space. SpaceFinder is currently active in three Ontario regions, including Toronto, Hamilton and Waterloo Region. The site is also active in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba, as well as 15 U.S. cities.

The York Region Arts Council has partnered with ArtsBuild Ontario to deliver this tool in addition to community partners; Town of Newmarket, Town of Richmond Hill, City of Markham, and Toronto and Region Conservation, to bring this tool to the community. SpaceFinder York Region is funded in part by the Government of Canada.

SpaceFinder York Region is accepting space listings! If you have a creative space to list, please visit spacefinderyorkregion.org.

Quotes:

 

“SpaceFinder York Region will provide creative spaces with a new avenue to promote rentals and expand audiences. We are so pleased to be working with York Region Arts Council and all our local partners in bringing this important resource to the creative community.”
Lindsay Golds, Executive Director of ArtsBuild Ontario

“One of the challenges York Region artists and arts organizations face is a perceived lack of space. Though the Region does not have an abundance of traditional arts and cultural venues, there are many alternative spaces that have the potential to be used in new and innovative ways. We are thrilled to partner with ArtsBuild Ontario and our community partners to bring SpaceFinder to York Region’s creative community. It’s a big step forward in our efforts to provide more accessible space for artists, cultural organizations and creative entrepreneurs.”
Samantha Wainberg, Executive Director, York Region Arts Council

 

Blog Post: Arts Day on the Hill Recap

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Advocacy is an important piece of ArtsBuild’s work on behalf of arts organizations in Ontario. Last week, we joined arts advocates across the country for #ArtsDay on the Hill -a national  day of arts advocacy organized and led by the Canadian Arts Coalition. Over 160 artists, arts managers and board members of arts organizations participated, making it the largest attended Arts Day to date!

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On Monday night before Arts Day, arts advocates gathered for a training session hosted by the Canadian Arts Coalition (CAC) to prepare speaking points for our meetings with MPs. The energy and passion in the room from arts supporters across our nation paired with guidance from the CAC prepared us to head into our respective meetings.

Three speaking points from the CAC were:

  1. Thank you for the arts and culture investments in Budget 2016 ($1.87 billion over five years)
  2. Short-term investments from Budget 2016, in the Cultural Spaces and in the Showcasing Canada programs, need to be extended and sustained beyond two year.
  3. The Digital Culture consultations are an essential process between government, industry, and artists – the Canadian Arts Coalition wants to ensure that artists are part of the conversation

Arts Day was an opportunity to advocate for the important work happening in arts and culture organizations in Canadian communities with these three key messages from CAC – and a large item on the list was an increased investment in the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. Teamed with PACT, Mirvish and the Canadian League of Composers – we met with two Members of Parliament: Scott Duvall, MP of the Hamilton Mountain and Kyle Peterson, MP of Newmarket-Aurora – both supporters of the arts in their communities.

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ArtsBuild spoke to all three speaking points, with emphasis on the importance of extending funding in the Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund to Phase 2 of the Government of Canada’s Infrastructure plan. We stressed that the extension needs to be included in Budget 2017, so that arts organizations can begin feasibility studies on their capital projects.

Arts Day was an exciting and essential initiative to participate in – especially since this year’s messaging tied closely to the advocacy work of ArtsBuild. We would like to thank the Canadian Arts Coalition for organizing this important and vital day of advocacy for arts and culture!