“An Airbnb for artists”: SpaceFinder Toronto matches artists with under utilized rehearsal and performance space

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For more information contact:
Patrick Kowalczyk, patrick@pkpr.com
Mark McArthur, mark@pkpr.com
PKPR, 212.627.8098

“AN AIRBNB FOR ARTISTS”: SPACEFINDER TORONTO MATCHES ARTISTS WITH UNDER-UTILIZED REHEARSAL AND PERFORMANCE SPACE

Created by U.S. arts org Fractured Atlas, SpaceFinder network to also expand to Hamilton, Ontario in fall 2015

New York, NY (April 30, 2015) – Similar to how AirBnB has opened up a new marketplace for accommodation rentals, a new service is matching Toronto artists with more than 375 under-utilized and alternative rehearsal and performance spaces throughout the city and is poised to launch in a second Canadian community – Hamilton, Ontario – in fall 2015.

Developed by Fractured Atlas, a New York-based organization dedicated to helping artists build sustainable careers through technology, SpaceFinder serves 11 markets throughout the U.S, offering venues a powerful tool for marketing spaces that would otherwise go unrented. The official debut today of SpaceFinder Toronto and the upcoming launch of SpaceFinder Hamilton (Fall 2015) mark the first international expansion of a Fractured Atlas program.

Any venue with rehearsal or performance space in Toronto can promote their rentals on SpaceFinder by creating listings that include a synched calendar to display up-to-date availability, rental rates, photos and equipment inventories. Artists can then easily discover available and alternative space that fits their budget, and creative needs.
Many Toronto venues using SpaceFinder during the beta testing period over the past six months reported significant increases in rental referrals and revenue.

“SpaceFinder Toronto has increased our rentals by 25% in only a couple months and connected us with new renters from various artistic disciplines,” said Kate Nankervis, co-artistic director of Hub14, an artist-run dance studio co-op. “SpaceFinder Toronto’s greatest asset is its fluid administration system, which has helped us cut back on our work load and allowed us to focus on what we do best – serving the artists of our community.”

The SpaceFinder program was brought to Toronto thru a collaboration of ArtsBuild Ontario, the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts, and WorkInCulture, with initial launch funding provided by the Metcalf Foundation.

Adam Huttler, Founder and Executive Director of Fractured Atlas, said ArtsBuild Ontario has also partnered with Fractured Atlas on the expansion of SpaceFinder throughout the Ontario province including the fall 2015 launch of SpaceFinder in Hamilton, with local leadership from Hamilton arts nonprofit CoBALT CONNECTS who launched their own creative directory map in 2012 which has grown to over 700 listings and will be the source of initial venue data.
“ArtsBuild is thrilled that SpaceFinder has been embraced by so many so quickly in Toronto, and we look forward to the same success in Hamilton and beyond,” said Karen Stintz, executive director of ArtsBuild Ontario. “This affirms our belief that innovative approaches are keenly desired and that smart collaborations are the way to go.”
Huttler applauded ArtsBuild Ontario’s vision for leveraging SpaceFinder to serve Canada.
“Rather than Canadian communities having to build an expensive service from scratch on their own, we are thrilled to partner with ArtsBuild Ontario on empowering those communities to deliver a valuable service with proven impact,” said Huttler.

Fractured Atlas is in talks with communities, such as the City of Calgary, with cultural plans created with input from local citizens, who identified inventory and discovery of cultural spaces as necessary to the growth of the creative economy and retention of creative talent.

The Canadian launch of SpaceFinder builds on Fractured Atlas’s track record of providing artists with technology tools that help them raise money, insure themselves and their work, manage their careers, and grow their audiences. Its major initiatives include Artful.ly, a free, cloud-based software system that enables small arts organizations to easily sell tickets and raise funds, as well as its fiscal sponsorship program, which helped more than 3,500 arts projects raise over $17.6 million in 2013-2014.

About Fractured Atlas
Fractured Atlas is the largest arts service organization in the U.S., reaching a network of more than 250,000 artists. Dedicated to empowering artists with the support they need to work effectively and thrive, Fractured Atlas provides funding, insurance, technology, education, and other services critical to building sustainable careers and organizations. Founded in 1998, Fractured Atlas is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit the Fractured Atlas Media Center at http://www.fracturedatlas.org/site/about/media.

About SpaceFinder
For artists, the process of finding available and affordable work space is frustrating and inefficient. Meanwhile many spaces are tragically underutilized, even as rental revenue
continues to be critical for sustainability of creative venues. SpaceFinder is an innovative solution for both artists and creative venues.
For cultural policy-makers the decision making process around building projects, subsidizing venues, or re-purposing space for cultural use often presents a serious challenge. The data collected through SpaceFinder about where spaces are and what artists are looking for can help cultural policy-makers make more informed decisions.

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6 project ideas for the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts

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lighting 2Does your arts facility need better insulation? Could it use a new lighting system? Maybe even a new roof? Making energy efficient upgrades can save your arts organization money and help it become a greener space.

The Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts program is designed to support projects, plans and reports that save on energy costs and reduce energy consumption. Taking on one of these projects can save your organization money which can go right back into your creative programming.

  1. Energy efficient lighting systems. Lighting is a major source of heat and big electrical energy consumer. On average, about 25% of utility bills are spent on lighting. Switching to an energy efficient lighting system can reduce the amount of energy spent on lighting up to 70%.
  2. Low flow toilets. Two key advantages to installing low flow toilets are water conservation and cost savings. New designs of low flow toilets use approximately 1.6 gallons per flush compared to older models which can use from 3.5 to 7 gallons. Reducing water usage can drastically impact your annual water expenses.
  3. Better insulation. Many older buildings are relatively drafty and lightly insulated, which can result in greater heat loses and higher energy bills. Space heating makes up a good portion on energy bills, so when a well insulated building requires less heating in the winter and less cool air in the summer, your organization can save a lot.
  4. Roof upgrades. The heat caused by your building’s roof makes your air conditioner work twice as hard in warmer months. By replacing your roof with a cool one or retrofitting your current roof with heat reflective materials, your arts organization can save on energy costs that go towards cool air in the summer.
  5. Window improvements. While they provide warmth, light and ventilation, windows can negatively impact overall energy costs. If your building has very old or inefficient windows, it might cheaper to replace them energy efficient ones, which will eventually pay for themselves. They lower heating and cooling costs and sometimes even lighting costs. But you can still make upgrades to your current windows by adding storm windows, caulking and weather stripping.
  6. Replacing any system or component with an energy efficient system or component. You read that right. If you need a new fridge, replacing it with an energy efficient one is an eligible project. Need a new HVAC system? Replacing it with an energy efficient one would qualify. How about a new door? As long as it saves on energy costs and contributes to the sustainability of the facility, it works.

Interested in applying for the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts? Contact Lindsay MacDoanld, Director of Programs at 519.880-3670 x 102 or lindsay@artsbuildontario.ca.

For more information on the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts, visit the program page here.

Announcing the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts 

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Microloan logo horz clr

ArtsBuild Ontario and Community Forward Fund are excited to launch the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts to support efforts to make arts facilities more energy efficient.

WHAT IS IT?
Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts provides arts nonprofits with the opportunity to apply for small loans from $2,500 to $5,000 at an interest rate of 3.5% to be used for funding projects, reports or plans that make their creative spaces more energy efficient.

Through our partnership with Community Forward Fund and generous support from TD, the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts will help our arts facilities make needed improvements that will save them money each year on utility bills.

WHY ARE WE DOING IT?
Energy efficiency upgrades can save an organization money on their annual utility costs. We want to make sure our arts organizations are able to take advantage of these opportunities. ArtsBuild is piloting this small loan fund so arts organizations can be supported in small projects/plans/reports that help them maximize the opportunities and energy incentives available to them.

Examples of projects:

  • Installation of energy efficient lighting systems
  • Installation of low flow toilets
  • Insulation
  • Replacement of any system or component with an energy efficient system/component
  • Replacing windows or roofs

 

WHO CAN APPLY?
Nonprofit arts organizations in Ontario responsible for the maintenance of their facilities and pay for their own utilities, have annual revenue up to $5 million, and who are addressing environmental, energy efficiency or conservation challenges in their creative spaces. Read more about eligibility requirements here.

There are 12 loans available. Applications will be accepted until all spots are full. 

HOW TO APPLY?

1. Click here to download the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts Application Form.
2. Send your completed application form and attachments to lindsay@artsbuildontario.ca.
3. Mail your $250 application fee (made payable to Community Forward Fund) to:

ArtsBuild Ontario
79 Joseph Street
Kitchener, ON N2G 1J2

HAVE QUESTIONS?
Please do not hesitate to contact Lindsay MacDonald, Director of Programs, at 519.880.3670 x102 or lindsay@artsbuildontario.ca.

Feel free to visit our website here for full details about the Energize Microloan Fund for the Arts.

TWO Organizations, TWO Surveys, Working TO-GETHER

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LOOKING AHEAD – YOUR PARTICIPATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE! 

Museums in Ontario are coming together to realize the full potential of a more collaborative, forward-looking and responsive sector for all communities across the province. As part of the Looking Ahead initiative, the OMA is working with sector leaders, stakeholders and community members towards developing strong evidence-based strategies and recommendations to improve sector capacity, communication, and accountability.

As part of the community of 700+ museums across Ontario, we are asking you to work with us to advance your own and the sector’s collective interests.

Our Institutional Profile Survey seeks to provide a more comprehensive profile of the sector. This profile will be shared with Ontario’s museums. Just as important, this “evidence” can be used to communicate broadly why museums matter.  Along with other research, this information can be used to demonstrate our collective economic impact AND our pivotal role to the quality of life of our communities.  It could support the development of recommendations on how we can address current challenges and meet future needs.

To get there, we need your data, your information. A high level of participation by Ontario’s museums not only improves the relevancy of the findings, but also indicates the commitment of the sector to work together — to proactively seek solutions, pursue common interests, and determine our own future!

To date, 159 organizations have completed their Looking Ahead surveys. Because we believe this is so important, we will continue to accept Institutional Profile Surveys. Staff is here to help! Contact Josh: toll-free in Ontario: 1-866-662-8672 or 416-348-8672, or email: lookingahead@museumsontario.ca.

NEXT STEPS

The Looking Ahead Task Force meets on May 29th to begin drafting recommendations in key strategic areas. Preliminary findings suggest six main areas of focus, among which asset management and infrastructure maintenance is noted as a huge challenge.

The OMA seeks to work closely with partners in meeting this and other challenges. To that end, we support the work of ArtsBuild Ontario and ask our members to do the same. ArtsBuild is collecting information on capital needs. This information is more detailed and specific to facility and building needs than what is being asked by the Looking Ahead survey. The OMA and Artsbuild are committed to sharing information with each other for the benefit of the sector.

ARTSBUILD ONTARIO – Bricks&Mortar

ArtsBuild Ontario is the only organization in Ontario dedicated to realizing long-term solutions for building, managing and financing the sustainable arts facilities needed in Ontario communities.

In 2006/2009 ArtsBuild commissioned two in-depth Facilities Needs Assessment surveys to understand the capital infrastructure challenges facing nonprofit arts and cultural organizations. These surveys left ArtsBuild thinking of a more efficient way to collect the data needed around arts facilities for advocacy and to keep the data dynamic.

In 2013 ArtsBuild’s Bricks&Mortar went live – which is an online database created to house the profiles, needs and plans of our arts organizations and their facilities across the province. The questions in Bricks&Mortar are all centered around the current state of our organizations’ facilities and the needs and the plans that they have for those facilities. To date we have collected information from over 340 organizations province wide including 94 museums. This incredibly valuable information allows us to understand what is needed in our sector around facilities. ArtsBuild has tasked dedicated staff since April 2013, to speaking one on one with organizations across the province and entering their valuable data. Once entered the data can be accessed by the organization and edited so that it stays current and relevant. Organizations can also enter their data by simply registering! You can visit Bricks&Mortar on ArtsBuild’s website or contact Gina at gina@artsbuildontario.ca to have your facility included in Bricks&Mortar.

We are now able to begin developing our first Executive Summary of the data collected so far in Bricks&Mortar, that will outline the needs and plans of our sectors’ facilities. Our hope is that in the future ArtsBuild can work with other Arts Service Organizations in sharing this rich data set that continues to grow.

ArtsBuild has been working closely with OMA to discuss ways that we might partner in the future in sharing/using each other’s data for the betterment of the sector.

Painting the arts green: our 5 favourite picks from Resource Library

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Environmental Art
Environmental Art at Swarm Gallery, San Francisco. Photo credit: Moe Beitiks.

There’s no doubt that the bond between culture and environmental sustainability is a strong one. Arts and culture organizations have the power to incite a positive public response to ecological sustainability. Arts organizations in Ontario and beyond are integrating innovative ways to cut down on their carbon foot print and establish a greener culture inside and outside their creative walls.

In celebration of Earth Day, here’s a list of our favourite Green Resources from ArtsBuild’s Resource Library that might just inspire your organization’s next green project.

Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art. This compelling book introduces a new generation of international artists who combine the concepts of sustainable design and contemporary art. Paul A. Kay, Chair of Environment and Resource Studies at the University of Waterloo, notes in his review that the book itself is made with paper certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council and its inks are soy-based. He writes that “in addition to the 20-plus pieces described, the book itself and the museum spaces that house the exhibition represent a commitment to ‘green-ness.’” If you’re looking for insight on how to take a creative approach to greening your space, this book should be next on your reading list.
Read more:  http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/sustainable-living/greening-galleries

Going Green on a Nonprofit Budget. We like this presentation so much because it clearly spells out the environmental and financial benefits of switching over to green operations. Plus, donors want to support nonprofit organizations that take a proactive lead on environmental stewardship.
Read more: http://www.thenonprofitpartnership.org/files/handouts-ted-hart-erie-pa-october-2012-going-green-on-a-nonprofit-budget.pdf

Artscape Wychwood Barns Green Design. When Artscape imagined the transformation of Wychwood Barns, they envisioned an environmentally sustainable facility. They restored a century old street car repair station, and designated heritage site, into the multi-faceted cultural hub for artists, nonprofits, and other culture groups that it is today. Some ecological sustainable features include geothermal heating, storm water harvesting and re-use system, energy efficient lighting and water-conserving plumbing fixtures. Read more on this unique culture spot’s green story here: http://www.artscapediy.org/Case-Studies/Artscape-Wychwood-Barns/Project-Materials/Artscape-Wychwood-Barns-Green-Design.aspx

Sustainable and Maintainable: Achieving Two Goals.  As your organizations starts to take infrastructural steps toward energy conservation, it’s good to know what projects to take on and what questions to ask during the process. This article tackles the two sided spectrum of maintaining sustainable buildings as well as focuses on HVAC systems and building automated systems. It also offers some good insights into LEED certification projects.
Read more: http://www.facilitiesnet.com/green/article/HVAC-Systems-Common-Target-of-Sustainability-Projects–14686?source=next

Is your arts organization thinking about taking on an energy conservation project? ArtsBuild will be announcing its next energy conservation initiative in just a few weeks, so stay tuned for updates!