Arts Facilities Mentoring Network – Now Accepting Applications

3575000735_6ba08467d9_z

Leaders and managers of Ontario-based nonprofit organizations are now invited to apply to the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network! Applications are open, as of July 2, 2014.

If managing a building is part of your job now, or in the near future, you should apply for this game-changing experience!

Mentorees benefit from access to specialized knowledge that can help resolve facility management challenges. The Arts Facilities Mentoring Network can also be a springboard to launch you into new, complementary areas of skill development that you may not have thought to explore on your own.

This is the exceptional value of a human connection; one-to-one conversations are fertile ground for some major “Aha!” moments that organically arise as you share questions and ideas with a mentor from outside your organization.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get connected, through the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network! The Arts Facilities Mentoring Network coordinators will match you with a mentor based on your learning objectives. During the inaugural Arts Facilities Mentoring Network sessions in 2013, participants gained technical, business, and interpersonal skills to help them tackle anything from planning a capital project, to HR, marketing and sales.

Where could mentoring lead you?

To find out, apply today! Click here to see application details, overview and FAQ for the Arts Facilities Mentoring Network.


LED Lighting – New Possibilities & Incentives

Facing crowd Alt Angle Amidst the soaring high ceilings and cabin-comfort feel of McMichael Canadian Art Collection, last week Nedco and OSRAM introduced some excellent news for all those who are interested in the growing trend toward cost-saving, energy efficient LED lighting. There are more product options, ready to fit more fixtures, and provide more savings! New offerings are not only on par with but surpassing CFL, halogen, and incandescent technologies in two important ways: savings, and quality of light. For galleries, museums, and theatres across Ontario, this means that LED lighting not only makes your facility greener and more sustainable, but it also helps your bottom line and provides a superior visitor experience.

Is LED Suitable for Arts Spaces? YES! The Advantages:

  • Fits existing fixtures – even many historic fixtures
  • Excellent visitor experience – increased luminance reveals more colour and depth in paintings
  • Preserves art – causes no UV or heat damage, reduces need for art to “rest” in dark storage spaces
  • Straightforward installation and good light angle, low spill (reflectors not needed)

A Compelling Business Case for Your Funders and Supporters:

  • The average energy savings from LED come in at 75-84%
  • LED technology produces less heat
  • Saves money on air-conditioning
  • Lasts 10 to 20 times longer than incandescent bulbs
  • Free of hazardous materials (no mercury, unlike CFLs)

With incentives, many organizations realize full payback in under one year. Best of all, savings continue to accumulate long after the glorious payback mark! 

Gallery 1_small
McMichael Art Collection with LED lighting.

Success Stories from Arts and Heritage Spaces

In 2010, McMicahel Canadian Art Collection became the first large galleries in North America to switch over to LED lighting. PowerStream and OSRAM SYLVANIA were partners on this incredible transition. They reported significant savings on electricity (more than 60%!) and gallery staff added: “Not only is there sustainable benefit to the environment and operating costs, but to the artwork as well, since LED lighting does not emit harmful UV radiation and heat that adds to the deterioration of paintings.” On the tour, we saw how the light angle and colour flatter paintings. They’re “like jewels” on the wall, one onlooker commented. Lighting aficionados and gallery staff on the tour were impressed by the low spillage and the range of earthy, red hues that appeared noticeably richer under LED lighting.

Gallery 2_small
McMichael Art Collection with LED lighting.

On the world stage, OSRAM’s LED success stories include the renowned Sistine Chapel in Rome, home to Michelangelo’s delicate frescoes, drawing open-mouthed stares from millions — roughly 5.5 million people visit this sacred site annually. Closer to home, the Chapel at Royal St. George in Toronto has also benefitted from OSRAM’s LED lighting, which fit existing historical fixtures. They also improved visibility of the stunning stained glass and double hammerbeam roof – the only one of its kind remaining in Canada. LIGHTING PRO TIP: LPW or lumens per watt is the measure that matters! This is the “miles per gallon” for lighting, your best indicator of efficiency. The LPW delivered by LED technology has been on the rise over the last few years, now surpassing other technologies.

Where You Can Find Incentives

  1. PowerStream offers Conservation and Demand Management services and can help you access incentives from the Ontario Power Authority.
  2. The Better Buildings Partnership Loan Program for Toronto-based organizations. They use a handy Intent to Apply form that’s a quick and simple way to find out whether funding can be made available.
  3. Nedco‘s teams can assess your current setup and make recommendations including incentive options and estimated payback date.
#31 - LED
LED close-up by Mike Deal, CC Licensed – CC BY-ND 2.0.

Not sure where to begin? Click to access ArtsBuild’s free tools, developed by facilities professionals, for use in Ontario’s nonprofit arts organizations:

  • PLAN IT | BUILD IT — your step-by-step guide to capital projects
  • Resource Library — for all things facilities related. Find case studies from organizations like yours, figure out feasibility studies, and more!


NEW Resource Library – Curated by Experts, Free Anytime Access

Print

If you wanted to find resources to help with your arts facility right now, where would you look? You have likely found that Google results are often too general or not applicable to your situation. ArtsBuild has identified the need for arts-facility specific material because your facility needs are unique. Introducing: Resource Library!

Organizations have told us that they need information on topics such as: hiring contractors, conducting feasibility studies, forging partnerships and building community engagement. The new Resource Library meets this demand with a free, online, searchable collection of resources curated by experts.

ArtsBuild helps Ontario’s arts organizations build, manage and finance sustainable arts facilities, and our Resource Library supports these program areas. For example, Resource Library is a perfect companion for PLAN IT | BUILD IT, a tool authored by Katie Oman.

Katie developed the PLAN IT | BUILD IT components, using her expertise as a strategic facilities planner for the arts and she curated a glossary of the most relevant and helpful terms to help organizations dive into capital project planning with ease. Resource Library adds timely case studies, forecasting, templates, and grant writing supports to help inform decision-making and planning through the PLAN IT | BUILD IT process.

Click here to visit Resource Library – for everything facilities related.


Learn How to Save $$ on Your Monthly Utility Bills

piggy bank


Reduce your monthly energy bills with practical strategies explained in the half-day Dollars to $ense Workshop on May 7, 2014 – REGISTER TODAY.

All organizations interested in energy conservation are invited to attend.

This workshop has been supported by Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited.

Developed by Natural Resources Canada, Dollars to $ense will teach you:

  • What to do now to save money on your monthly energy bills!
  • Best practices for energy conservation
  • Tips you can implement right away
  • Low-cost and no-cost solutions
  • Real-world examples from facilities like yours

Who should attend?

  • Organizations that want to decrease their operating costs by making their energy management more efficient and effective
  • Those that are interested in making energy conservation changes to their facility but don’t know where to start
  • Anyone who can live-stream! You can join the presentation online from the comfort of your home or office.

Available live and through live-streaming!

WHEN: 9:00  am – 1:00 pm, May 7, 2014  with a lunch break and time for Q&A

WHERE: 4th floor Innovation Lab at the Centre for Social Innovation, 215 Spadina Avenue, Toronto OR join the live-stream online — convenient access for those that can’t make it in person.

COST: $25 per participant, in person or online.

SIGN UP TODAY

Delivered in partnership with Natural Resources Canada and supported by Toronto Hydro. Sponsors Energy Workshop

The star design is a trade-mark of Toronto Hydro Corporation. Used under licence. ‘Toronto Hydro’ means Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited.