ENGAGE. COLLABORATE. INNOVATE. EVOLVE. Annual Report to the Community National and Provincial Historic Site & Museum 2017 SUSTAIN. Lougheed House is an historic sandstone mansion on 2.8 acres in Calgary’s Beltline. A National & Provincial Historic Site, Museum and Gardens, TABLE OF the elegant House, built in 1891 by Senator James and Lady Isabella Lougheed, is a vibrant hub of cultural happenings and interpretation of the CONTENTS history of Calgary. Messages to the Community 4-6 2017 at a Glance Exhibit Highlights 8 Number of visitors to the House & Gardens: Corporate Volunteer Profile 12 Volunteer Profile 100,000 (approx.) 13 Volunteers: 60+ Program Highlights 14 Year built: 1891 Our Board and Volunteers 16 House square footage: 14,000 Volunteer of the Year 17 Beaulieu Gardens: 2.8 acres Fundraiser 18 People who took our guided tours of the House: Programming 20 537 Private Event Rentals and Weddings 21 Private rentals of the House: 72 The Restaurant at Lougheed House 22 Curated exhibits: 6 The Shop at Lougheed House 23 Number of weddings: 47 Our Collaborative Partners 24 Number of programs: 24 Our Staff and Board 27 Many accomplishments have been realized through the Plan, revitalizing Lougheed House with strong results in growing our SUSTAINABILITY, INNOVATION profile and our community engagement, significant growth and diversification in grants revenue and individual giving, and the development of new fundraising and programming opportunities. AND EVOLUTION We also upgraded organizational and governance policies and procedures, as well as our financial and technology systems. Executive Director’s Message to the Community Reflecting on the past year, I am struck by the passion and commitment of the many individuals who As part of our evolution last year, we restructured; this was carefully come together, year after year, to ensure Lougheed House continues to thrive, and to meet the needs considered to move Lougheed House forward. With new expertise of our visitors and community. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Lougheed House board, in visitor experience, fund development, program innovation and staff, volunteers, members, donors, funders and community partners for your many contributions to administration we are enhancing efficiencies and organizational Lougheed House’s success in 2017. Your support ensured 2017 was a year of growth and evolution for capacity. Careful management of expenses, and a delay in the our organization. hiring of new staff members, resulted in a surplus which has been reinvested in initiatives to sustain momentum for our evolution. Lougheed House National and Provincial Historic Site is operated by the Lougheed House Conservation Society. Approximately 50% of our operational funding is provided through a Service Agreement While in a year of transition, Lougheed House continued to Kirstin Evenden, Executive Director with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Society is grateful to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the innovate. I am very proud of the team here as Lougheed House Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Government of Alberta, and the City of Calgary for their support. won the Alberta Museums Association award for Leadership The Society is also thankful to the proprietors of The Restaurant at Lougheed House, key partners in in Engagement for AlTOURnatives, a unique and accessible our success in delivering memorable experiences for visitors. community-led series of House tours. “Gorgeous historic Last year, the economic environment in Calgary remained challenging for the non-profit cultural sector Though our operating environment remains challenging, we are site! Beautifully and Lougheed House was no different, seeing a drop in earned revenues. Attendance also dipped, as we working strategically and prudently to grow Lougheed House for the restored to the prioritized investments in organizational changes, program innovation, and fund development. These long-term. The results of our work in 2017 are supporting new and splendour of it’s finest priorities, focusing on developing a more resilient and sustainable organization were informed by the ambitious plans for Lougheed House’s future. We invite you to share earliest days!...” three main priorities of the 2015-17 Strategic Plan: 1) revitalize Lougheed House programming and in this exciting journey as Lougheed House boldly embraces our - Duffys, TripAdvisor enhance the visitor experience; 2) build profile and connection and 3) build organizational capacity. community’s future, while reflecting on our diverse and unique past. Kirstin Evenden Executive Director 4 5 The many accomplishments of this past year reflect the hard work and efforts of many caring hearts and helping hands and have DREAMING AND been accomplished in what has been and continues to be a very challenging economic time. To all who supported the House as a volunteer, a staff member, a donor or a sponsor, I offer my heartfelt DISCOVERING thanks. You truly have made a difference in the life of our community. Chair’s Message to the Community There are many things that make each community special and Over the course of the past several years, we have acquired a much among these are its special places. For 127 years, Lougheed House richer and deeper understanding of what we are. As we look to the has been an inspiring and enduring presence in the life of our future, I would ask you to join with me in dreaming and discovering community, reflecting its past, its present and helping to define and what we have the potential to be. shape its future. Gerry Meek In a very real and visible sense, this past year has been one of Chair continuing growth and transition for Lougheed House as many important changes have been made to its structure and processes to Gerry Meek, Chair strengthen its operations and to prepare for the launch of important 24 programs new initiatives. 2,285 attendees (event attendance average up 15%) In looking back over the past year, much has been accomplished 11 (79%) of our ticketed programs sold out “Hidden Gem! and there are many successes to celebrate. These include the 569 students & 115 teachers attended school programs Wonderful to have staging of many exciting new programming initiatives, the sharing additional info of House stories in new and creative ways, the development of on audio aids. new partnerships and the laying of necessary foundations to better Beautiful details...” position the House for continuing future success. What Goes on at the House? - Comment in Guest Book Live Theatre/Comedy Workshops Historical/Garden Tours Seminars/Meetings Film Screenings Garden parties/picnics Speaker’s Series Stampede Parties Book Launches/Readings Concerts/Choirs Life Celebrations Music/Video Shoots Children’s Events Bonspiels/Skating Private Exhibitions Holiday Celebrations 6 7 Humanity and Me: A Celebration of Disability Pride, Culture and Human Rights EXHIBIT June 2 | This collaboration between Disability Action Hall and Lougheed House featured a curated pop-up gallery of disability art HIGHLIGHTS and artifacts, short films, afternoon tea and discussion about Bill 205, the Disability Advocate bill. Getting On The Map: The Emergence of Calgary, Post Confederation February 10 - May 29 | Co-curated by Lougheed House curator 518 visitors took our audio tours Caroline Loewen and independent curator Mary Beth Laviolette. 537 visitors took our interpretative guided tours On Canada’s 150th anniversary, our exhibit used a combination 267 people came to the House just to visit the Shop of reproductions and originals of early maps, photographs and artwork about Southern Alberta to tell the fascinating story of the 4,582 people paid admission to the House Calgary frontier as it was in the 1870s and 1880s, more than 30 610 students took our educational programs years before Alberta joined Canada. Cultivating the Landscape: A Social History of Gardening in Calgary Message from Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton June 22 - November 5 | This exhibit showed how, through urban For several months during summer 2017 we had the great pleasure of working as artists-in-residence beautification movements, the imperative to grow vegetables for the at the Lougheed House. We were tasked by Curator Caroline Loewen to research the historical and social good, or even using gardens as advertising, our community contemporary relationships between animals, people, and plant life in and around the House. We has shaped (and been shaped by) the land. were struck by the oft used description that the Lougheed House was built on the bald prairies - as if the land was barren. We took this as a cue to research the grasses and wildflowers that would have Artists in Residence played an important role in the ecology of the place before construction. The residency forced us to May, June, July | Eric Moschopedis and Mia Rushton, visual move beyond our typical urban explorations and to develop an understanding of the grasslands as it artists, facilitators, and community organizers explored their once was, while imagining how they can become an important part of the geography around the House creative practice on the relationship between humans and animals, again. The residency resulted in us being able to create some very important new works (a botanical focusing specifically on the house, gardens, and surrounding intervention, photograph series, and new garden space) while exploring new material practices and neighbourhood. This initiative was made possible by the creating long-term engagement.