Bricks&Mortar
ArtsBuild Ontario is dedicated to capturing the needs and plans of our arts facilities across the province and using this information to improve our facilities.
We have spent the past year collecting important facility related data and housing it in our database Bricks&Mortar. This system allows for the constant updating of your information so that it remains current.
As of June 2015, we have collected information from 302 organizations province-wide which includes the needs and plans of 640 facilities across all disciplines.
Culture Strategy
As all of you know the sector has been asked to participate in the Culture Talks that are occurring, so that the Province of Ontario can develop their first Culture Strategy in 2016.
Last week ArtsBuild meet with Assistant Deputy Minister Kevin Finnerty and Director, Culture and Strategic Policy Branch, Dawn Landry, to;
Present the findings in Bricks&Mortar, that supports and quantifies the need for investment in arts infrastructure from the province
Remind MTCS that ArtsBuild is busy collecting facilities data that can/should be used in important processes like Culture Talks to inform funders
Encourage future discussions moving forward on how this valuable data can be used collaboratively by the sector, to everyone’s benefit.
ArtsBuild was encouraged by the conversation and by the strength of the data that we continue to collect.
Next Steps: In addition to ArtsBuild participating in a town hall ArtsBuild will be submitting a brief via their online forum that summarizes our very lengthy report to better capture the hard numbers that they are looking for (as recommended).We hope to continue the conversation about infrastructure as the process continues. As you attend your local Town Hall, be sure to mention the needs of your facility!!ArtsBuild continues to collect your data on an ongoing basis. If you have not completed your Bricks&Mortar profile or wish to do so, please contact gina@artsbuildontario.ca or lindsay@artsbuildontario.ca.Click here to view infographics that highlight key pieces of data from Bricks&Mortar that were presented.Organizational HighlightsFacility HighlightsFacility NeedsFacility Plans
It has already been one year since the launch of SpaceFinder Toronto and we are thrilled to see Toronto’s creative sector benefiting from this valuable tool. To celebrate SpaceFinder Toronto’s one year anniversary, we thought we would share the site’s exciting progress over the past year.
SpaceFinder Toronto has generated over $24,000+ in rental referrals for venues using the online booking request form!
That means the 32 venues who have adopted the online booking request form have collectively received over $24,000+ in rental requests.
More venues are taking advantage of booking features:
Finding alternative financing options for nonprofits is always a challenge. Derek Ballantyne, CEO at Community Forward Fund, offers new ways of funding your building projects and managing your facility in the Alternative Financing Options for Creative Spaces module of the LEARN IT | BUILD IT | MANAGE IT workshop. Derek will present and discuss financial review and assessment tools to help your organization understand alternatives for financing facility projects.
With a solid financial background in managing real estate investments and working with mutual funds, Derek brings deep knowledge of the nonprofit, charitable, social entrepreneurship, cooperative and foundation sectors at the local, provincial and federal levels.
Derek was Chief Operating Officer of Build Toronto, where he assisted in the establishment of the corporation, development of the first business plan, and execution of several large transactions and development initiatives. Prior to this, Derek was Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Community Housing, a large rental housing provider, with over $6 billion in real estate assets in Toronto. He led organizational and financial restructuring of the company, and the recapitalization and redevelopment of a significant portion of the portfolio (including the Regent Park community) as well as the commercialization of non-core functions.
Derek was a founding Director of a $430 M mutual fund and continues to participate in two investment committees for nonprofit organizations. Mr. Ballantyne sits on the board of the Laidlaw Foundation.
Watch Derek’s take on alternative financing options for nonprofits:
Derek will be presenting on Alternative Financing Options for Creative Spaces in London and Pickering at our LEARN IT | BUILD IT | MANAGE IT workshops.
This past Monday, SpaceFinder Toronto had a whirlwind experience meeting creative spaces and artists in and around the city at this year’s Creative Spaces Partnership Exchange. The whole day delivered what it promised: Discovering, Exchanging and Building.
#CSPX15 had 70+ exhibitors and 700+ attendees.
Discovering
SpaceFinder discovered a multitude of artists in the city looking for new spaces to rent. We had the opportunity to tell them about SpaceFinder Toronto, show them how to use the site and demonstrate how users can select over 150 search criteria to find exactly what they were looking for…from spring floors to affordable pricing.
We had an increase of 51% in new users visiting SpaceFinder Toronto on #CSPX15!
Exchanging
We met organizations with independent studios, theatres and galleries as well as organizations that housed many creative spaces that could ALL benefit listing their rentals on SpaceFinder Toronto. Through these exchanges, we were able to both share how SpaceFinder Toronto can provide additional revenue potential through rentals and relay how this valuable tool helps venues reach new audiences.
SpaceFinder Toronto had 3 venues list their spaces and 2 venues adopt online booking features at #CSPX15!
Building
At the exhibitor workshop, ArtsBuild Board member Karen Stintz was able to share how the collaboration between TAPA, ArtsBuild Ontario, WorkInCulture and Fractured Atlas was built to bring SpaceFinder to Toronto. We were thrilled to share our experience in bringing cross sector partners together to implement this valuable tool and work together to ensure it is actively and positively impacting the city’s creative sector.
SpaceFinder currently has 427 spaces listed and has accumulated $25,000+ in rental referrals…and that’s not including phone and email inquiries!
The day was a tremendous success and ArtsBuild would like to thank Melissa Routley, Program Manager with Artscape, for all her hard work in making the day an extremely valuable experience for the 70+ exhibitors and 700+ attendees.
SPACEFINDER TORONTO WORKSHOP
We invite all SpaceFinder Toronto venues to join us for a Booking Features Workshop next week on Nov. 10! All space bookings are different and range from simple to very complex so join ArtsBuild Ontario to learn how these three features – ONLINE CALENDAR – BOOKING REQUEST FORMS – BOOKING ENGINE – can complement your space booking processes and get your space noticed.
When: November 10 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Where: TAPA Office | 401 Richmond St W, Suite 350, Toronto, M5V 3A8 Cost: FREE!
Having your community behind your facility project is essential and there are a number of ways to get them engaged. Jeremy Freiburger, Chief Connector at CoBalt Connects, explores innovative ways to get the conversation going in Engaging Your Community In Your Creative Space, the fourth module of LEARN IT | BUILD IT | MANAGE IT.
CoBalt Connects is a nonprofit organization based in Hamilton, Ontario. CoBalt acts as the connecting element for creative communities and helps organizations interact successfully with their municipalities.
Jeremy has been a leader in Hamilton’s creative community for almost 15 years. After studying theatre and music at McMaster University and the American Music and Dramatic Academy (NYC), Jeremy returned to Hamilton and has worked at a number of the community’s major arts institutions. His experience ranges from touring the country as a musician to producing international calibre ballet, to developing studio facilities, to writing policy, plans and funding applications for municipalities and organizations. At CoBalt Connects, Jeremy focuses primarily on regional and municipal partnership development and creative sector development.
In the workshop, Jeremy will present new ways to engage your community before, during and after your facility project so that community support and involvement is built in from the ground up.
Jeremy explains a few ways creative spaces can engage their community:
You can hear Jeremy’s presentation at the LEARN IT | BUILD IT | MANAGE IT workshops in Town of Blue The Blue Mountains, Orillia, London and Pickering.
For workshop dates, registration and information, visit us here.
