New on the blog: ArtsBuild ventures to Sudbury

SudburyWe ventured to the north of the province to attend the Art Gallery of Sudbury’s “How to Purpose Build a ‘Category A’ Museum.” This was a great opportunity for gallery stakeholders and community organizations to understand what a “Category A” museum is and what that might look like for Greater Sudbury’s future art gallery. The Sudbury Public Library and gallery are joining forces to work together on building a new facility, which city council has made a priority project.  The new facility would also put the Art Gallery of Sudbury in a “Category A” designation.

The session featured three guest speakers: Lisa Daniels from Alix Gallery in Sarnia, Simon Lambert from the Canadian Conservation Institute and Alexandra Badzak from the Ottawa Art Gallery. Lisa and Alexandra spoke to their own successes and challenges they faced in their recent capital projects while Simon touched on the importance of storage requirements for a “Category A” museum.

But before we recap the session, you might be wondering what is a “Category A” museum?

The term comes from the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Designation of Institutions of and Public Authorities criteria for organizations to access tax incentives and grants. Institutions such as museums, public art galleries, archives and libraries fall under this designation. Plus, a “category A” museum must have unlimited designation from one of the following groups: Objects recovered from the soil or waters of Canada, objects of material ethnographic culture, military objects, objects of applied and decorative arts, objects of fine arts, scientific or technological objects, archival material and musical instruments.

Simon Lambert’s presentation focused on the requirements for movable cultural property for a “Category A” museum. Careful consideration towards storage was a key focus point when arts organizations arrive at the design phase of their building projects. On average, a museum’s collection is 98% in storage at any given time, so it is essential to have the right space reserved or created for this purpose. There are tons more great aspects to consider when designing exhibition space too –read about the Canadian Conservation Institute’s requirements and services!

Alix Gallery in Sarnia – looking back on their capital build

ALIX Art GalleryExecutive Director Lisa Daniels from Alix Gallery in Sarnia offered wisdom from the gallery’s transformation into a “Category A” purpose-built gallery. The gallery first opened its doors to patrons in 1961 as the Sarnia Public Library and Art Gallery. The gallery outgrew the space and reclaimed The Thom Building (one of downtown Sarnia’s historically and socially significant buildings) to create a purpose- built facility to house a permanent collection and display premiere exhibitions. The building’s gorgeous facade has been retained and restored back its historically accurate condition. Inside, the new facility features world-class equipment and regulatory systems to maintain environmental controls necessitated by world-class artworks.

Lisa’s most significant take away for an organization starting a new build was to deliver on your promises. The classic saying goes “build it and they will come,” but that was not a trap the new gallery was about to fall into. The gallery used marketing and relevant programming to draw patrons to the remarkable new space. They also hosted a rare exhibition shortly after opening which garnered 20,000 visitors; two times their initial goal. This capital project is also a great example of how an arts organization can balance resources during the building phase. While construction work was being completed for the new purpose- built arts facility, Alix Gallery staff brought programming to the community in public spaces.

The Ottawa Art Gallery – partnerships and shared goals
OAG_EXPANSIONThe Ottawa Art Gallery is breaking new ground when it comes to partnerships and cultural institutions with their current building project. Director and CEO Alexandra Badzak shared her goals and current project status on their new “Category A” gallery. This build has been a long time coming, with feasibility studies dating back to 2004 for the new facility. The expansion of the gallery and Arts Court Redevelopment project are part of the City of Ottawa’s downtown revitalization plan. The gallery will expand by 80,000 feet on five floors, featuring a multidisciplinary screening space that will be home to the Canadian Film Institute.

Alexandra highlights that having a business plan and storytelling are key skills for partnership – which remains at the core of the gallery’s expansion. The new space will include a hotel and condo, all sharing the same goal for this city block dedicated to arts and culture. The City of Ottawa led the process of bringing in other players for the expansion, but the gallery is harnessing the densification of Arts Court and the area of their future home. It is located in the cultural core of downtown Ottawa right beside the University of Ottawa. Alexandra emphasized how important accessibility to culture will be in this space and that they will remain free for all to visit.

The information session was an excellent way for patrons, board members and staff to compare plans for the Art Gallery of Sudbury with other capital projects around the province – with an emphasis on making their space a “Category A” facility. We are excited to hear more about the upcoming project plans for the gallery and library!


Asset Planner for the Arts is back – and now more affordable!

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Asset Planner for the Arts is back! Asset Planner for the Arts is an acclaimed asset management tool that makes it easier for you to keep your facility in good repair. ArtsBuild has partnered with Ameresco to provide organizations with this remarkable cloud-based system that tracks the condition of your facilities and the cost of needed major repairs – and ArtsBuild is making it more affordable for you!

Thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we were able to offer 15 more affordable spots for arts facilities but they are filling up fast!

There are only nine spots remaining! Contact us for a quote today!

 ABOUT ASSET PLANNER FOR THE ARTS
ArtsBuild has partnered with Ameresco, a recognized leader in the field of asset management and sustainability, to provide arts organizations with very affordable access to Asset Planner for the Arts – their acclaimed asset management tool. Walter Fedy, a multi-discipline design and construction firm based in Kitchener-Waterloo, will be leading the facility assessments.

ASSET PLANNER FOR THE ARTS LETS YOU:

  • Track the physical condition of  your facilities
  • Calculate the costs for the replacement of key building components
  • Prioritize needed capital improvements and identify funding gaps
  • Provide detailed 30-year capital forecasts, with a focus on the next five years
  • Develop data-driven facilities management plans, budgets and cases for funding
    • Generate reports for boards, funders and staff to demonstrate need
  • Identify opportunities for efficiency and cost savings.

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

COST
Cost for this program is based on square footage of the facility, facility type and location (due to travel cost). The Ontario Trillium Foundation has provided funds to reduce these costs to make it more affordable to our arts organizations.

View our Program Infographic

For more information and/or for a quote, email Lindsay Golds

This program is funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The leading grantmaking foundation in Canada, the Ontario Trillium Foundation strengthens the capacity of the voluntary sector through investments in community-based initiatives. An agency of the Government of Ontario, OTF builds healthy and vibrant communities.

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Ontario Launches First Culture Strategy

Ontario has launched its first Culture Strategy, which establishes goals and actions to promote participation in arts and culture, build on the sector’s economic impact in communities across the province and help Ontarians tell their stories and express themselves. The Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, made the announcement July 20 at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario.

The strategy reflects the input of nearly 3,000 people who provided feedback during 2015’s Culture Talks — a three-month public engagement process on the value of culture in people’s lives. The Culture Strategy sets out four overarching goals for the next five years:

  • Promote cultural engagement and inclusion;
  • Strengthen culture in communities;
  • Fuel the creative economy and;
  • Promote the value of the arts throughout government.

These goals reflect a commitment to removing barriers and increasing opportunities for cultural participation. They balance the important social and economic benefits of culture and reinforce the vital role artists and arts organizations play in communities, in the creative economy and in helping to build a more inclusive society. Each goal includes strategies and actions.

Key actions include:

  • Helping to conserve heritage buildings with energy efficiency improvements through Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan
  • Enhancing technical and business skills training for workers in the culture sector
  • Developing a new fund to support cultural activities in Indigenous communities and supporting youth cultural camps that build leadership and promote awareness of traditional knowledge.
  • Supporting the use of more Canadian authors’ content in schools

The Ontario Culture Strategy reflects the diversity of cultural expressions and experiences heard through the Culture Talks engagement process. It will guide the government’s support for culture over the next five years.

Download the Ontario Culture Strategy here


Ontario150 Funding Programs Announced!

The Honourable Eleanor McMahon, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and the Government of Ontario have officially launched the Ontario150 funding programs as part of the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the province’s place in Canada in 2017.

The Ontario150 program is a series of events and initiatives that will stretch to every corner of our province, showcasing Ontario’s innovative spirit, our culture and our community diversity.

There are three application-based Ontario150 grant programs. They include:

  • The Community Celebration Program —a $7 million fund to help communities celebrate this historic year (application period opens July 6 and closes September 2, 2016).
  • The Partnership Program — a $5 million program to support new partnerships and collaborations that engage, enable and empower youth as the next generation of Ontario leaders (application period opens July 6 and closes September 30, 2016);
  • And the Community Capital Program — a $25 million fund to renovate, repair and retrofit existing community and cultural infrastructure to increase access, improve safety and maximize community use (application period opens July 18 and closes  September 14, 2016)

The Community Capital Program is a one-time $25 million program of the Government of Ontario that is administered by the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) and will award one-year grants that range from $5,000 to $500,000 to support local capital needs.

This program will strengthen communities by repairing, renovating and retrofitting existing infrastructure to better address the diverse needs of Ontario communities while fostering economic growth.

The application deadline for the Ontario150 Community Capital Program is September 14, 2016 at 5 p.m. ET.

Organizations that are already registered with OTF and verified as eligible to apply for OTF funding will automatically be eligible to apply for the Ontario150 Community Capital Program.

Organizations that would normally be eligible for OTF funding but are not registered yet can register with OTF now.

Beginning July 18, 2016, applications will be available through the registrants’ portal in order to submit an application by the September 14, 2016 deadline.

Please visit www.otf.ca/Ontario150 to learn more about the program, read the application guide, access the calendar of outreach activities as well as the application form questions before the online application system goes live on July 18.

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SpaceFinder Waterloo Region is now taking venue listings!

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What is SpaceFinder Waterloo Region? It’s a FREE online directory of venues and creative spaces in the community available to rent. It’s a matchmaking tool for renters looking for creative space and spaces looking to promote their rentals.

List your space today!

We are looking for spaces such as galleries, cafés, yoga studios, sacred spaces, theatres, dance studios and others that rent their spaces for creative uses to join a community of local venues on SpaceFinder. SpaceFinder is a “go to” site for artists, creative types and event planners looking for unique space to rent.

SpaceFinder is active in Toronto and Hamilton, and will be launched in Alberta, BC and Winnipeg by Fall 2016 – Waterloo Region is the first Regional SpaceFinder site in North America.

Listing your space on SpaceFinder gives your space exposure to new audiences AND more revenue potential.

What you need to sign up your space:

  • Description and details of your space
  • Pictures of your space (iPhone photos are great!)
  • Rental policies (if you have)
  • Contact information

Want to learn more about SpaceFinder Waterloo Region?

We understand that all space bookings are different and range from simple to very complex. To help our SpaceFinder users get the most out of their listings, ArtsBuild Ontario is hosting FREE Info Sessions on how to list your space, maximize SpaceFinder’s online features, and answer any questions you may have.

Join us June 21 from 3-4 pm at the Kitchener Public Library

(85 Queen St. North, Kitchener)

or

June 23 from 3-4 pm at the Cambridge Centre for the Arts

(60 Dixon St., Cambridge)

Info sessions will include:

  • Live demo so you can add your spaces right away
  • Tips on promoting your rental spaces
  • Q&A to help you get started
  • Features that save time and support your bottom line

If you have any questions or require assistance with your listing, please contact Alex Glass at alex@artsbuildontario.ca or 519.880.3670 ext 103.

Who is bringing SpaceFinder to Waterloo Region?

ArtsBuild Ontario has worked hard to secure funds and partners to make this resource available in Waterloo Region. Regional partners including City of Kitchener, City of Cambridge, City of Waterloo and the Region of Waterloo are supporting this tool for the creative community because they understand the need for artists to find affordable space, and for spaces to reach potential renters.

This project is supported by Department of Canadian Heritage and Ontario Trillium Foundation.