Building a Creative Future A PLAN FOR CULTURE FINAL - APRIL 2006 Building a Creative Future Acknowledgements Building a Creative Future - A Plan For Culture has been comprised of the thoughts, ideas and dedicated efforts contributed by many individuals and organizations from across our community. STEERING COMMITTEE Randy Watson, Manager of Parks, Leisure & Culture and Chairperson, City of Barrie Understanding and acknowledging the incredible Murray Minshall, Superintendent of Leisure Programme economic impact of the Services, City of Barrie QRQSURÀWDUWVZHPXVW Onalee Groves, Co-ordinator of Seniors & Cultural always remember the Services, City of Barrie fundamental value of the DUWV7KH\IRVWHUEHDXW\ Greig Stewart, Ministry of Culture Consultant, Central FUHDWLYLW\RULJLQDOLW\DQG Region, Province of Ontario YLWDOLW\7KHDUWVLQVSLUHXV CONSULTANT TEAM VRRWKHXVSURYRNHXVLQYROYH XVDQGFRQQHFWXV«EXW Ted Handy & Associates Inc., Architect they also create jobs and Ted Handy, MRAIC, OAA contribute to the economy. Ian Hoffman, MRAIC — Robert L. Lynch, President & CEO, Michelle Bloom Contreras Americans for the Arts Novita Brian Arnott SOLUTIONSink William Moore Lister & Associates * John Lister - Provided input prior to accepting the position of Interim Director of the MacLaren Art Centre Front Cover Photo Credits: Getty Images 2 Building a Creative Future Table of Contents 1. A PLAN FOR CULTURE 1.1 Introduction 4 1.2 Building a Creative Future 5 1.3 Oversight and Capacity Building 8 1.4 Facilities & Cultural Places 12 1.5 The Business of the Arts 18 Supporting Documentation to A Plan for Culture 2. VALUE OF CULTURE 2.1 Value of Place 25 Cultural Places 26 Cultural Activities 27 2.2 The Need for Culture 28 2.3 The Cultural Economy 30 2.4 Municipal Leadership and Support 32 2.5 Alignment with Other Plans and Studies 34 3. OVERSIGHT 3.1 $&XOWXUDO'HYHORSPHQW2IÀFH 37 Funding and Policy Administration Process Chart 39 4. FACILITIES 4.1 Capital Considerations 43 4.2 Programme Opportunities for Cultural Development 45 4.3 Site Opportunities for Cultural Development 51 5. BUSINESS 5.1 How Big is Cultural Spending? 57 6. CULTURAL HISTORY OF BARRIE 59 7. REFERENCES 67 8. POSTSCRIPT 70 3 Building a Creative Future 1. A Plan for Culture 1.1 INTRODUCTION downtown and its relationship to the waterfront. The Building a Creative Future Plan focuses our arts The revitalization of Barrie’s downtown is one of City recommendations on the downtown as a logical, Council’s top ten priorities. Council is in the process creative and natural home for the arts. Investing in RISODFLQJWZRVLJQLÀFDQWDQGFRPSOHPHQWDU\SODQV the arts in the downtown will increase property values Downtowns play a major role in motion to achieve their priority of making Barrie’s thus increasing assessments, and create cultural and LQGHÀQLQJWKHFKDUDFWHU downtown the place to be: economic wealth through a stimulated core economy. of a city and provide a real opportunity to create a ɸDowntown Commercial Master Plan Richness of opportunity is the focus of both plans. sense of place. This is ɸBuilding a Creative Future - A Plan For Culture They give us insight into a positive future for Barrie’s HVSHFLDOO\WUXHLQ%DUULH core where our downtown will be a source of great given the proximity of Council’s commitment is clear. The downtown is a pride and enjoyment. It is with the efforts of business, our historic downtown to resource for all of Barrie. It is our centre, our core, and it institutional and civic partners that we will build a the City’s waterfront represents all of us. The Downtown Commercial Master better city and a healthier wealthier downtown. This and parkland... Plan has given the people of Barrie a glimpse into our collaboration will increase opportunity for Barrie’s future – and it is a rich and vibrant one. It is also a citizens, its visitors and for those who invest in Barrie. planned one with an abundance of possibilities. The Their recommendations enhance the heart of the Downtown Commercial Master Plan, adopted by Council, city and use both public and private investment in a focuses on special areas as culture zones. It recognizes carefully integrated plan of success. They see Barrie’s arts and cultural activities as essential for success. core as authentic, intimate and walkable, with a unique It states directly that a component of that success in quality of place. downtown revitalization will be our cultural resources, including the arts and arts districts: ɸ´7KH&XOWXUDO1HLJKERXUKRRG«LVDVLJQLÀFDQWSDUW of the master plan and will be dedicated to the SXEOLFDQGLVGHYRWHGWRDUWDQGFXOWXUH«µ ɸ ´Art should be used to promote a meaningful ZDWHUIURQWH[SHULHQFH>LQFOXGLQJ@«µ ɸ ´Competitions for public art & grants for realization RISXEOLFDUW«µ Both plans acknowledge the huge opportunity that cultural activity will play in the re-visioning of the Source: Downtown Commercial Master Plan 4 Building a Creative Future 1. A Plan for Culture 1.2 BUILDING A CREATIVE FUTURE achievement. We want that to continue. We want all of Barrie to be arts and culture rich. We do, however, see &UHDWLQJZHDOWKLVRQO\RQHRIWKHGLUHFWEHQHÀWVWKDW the natural wedding of the centre of Barrie with our the arts bring, but it is an important one. People who own unique arts experience. visit Barrie see our unique and historic city-centre and its relationship to the waterfront as us – as Barrie. Cultural spaces and places are those unique objects Visitors and investors take their impression of the health within our cultural resources where creativity is Those communities and livability of Barrie from its downtown. Yes, there are nurtured and sustained. We have a number of those that are richest in their other good things here, great things, but people form spaces here in Barrie, but we believe we need to think artistic tradition are an impression of a city from its core. The reality is that RIWKHÀUVWFXOWXUDOSODFHDVWKHGRZQWRZQ also those that are the the success, beauty and energy of a city’s centre makes It is a goal that will take planned levels of commitment most progressive in their or breaks the image of a community. Just think about and investment to achieve. It will need: economic performance and the cities you have travelled to and ask yourself what most resilient and secure in you remember? Was it the city-centre? Were arts and ɸ A healthy sustainable arts community; their economic structure. culture there in some form? Thoughtful consideration of staged arts facility ɸ — John Kenneth Galbraith The research, analysis and thinking of this plan provides development; us with an understanding of the fullness of our arts ɸ The attracting of culture-based opportunities and community, their impact and their potential. It provides organizations into the downtown, and; us with many answers to the challenges facing us in ɸ A sound marketing and business plan to achieve planning the support and commitment to the future of this. the arts here. That commitment is well-founded and understood in the successes of many other cities. But Translating this potential into wealth, to be a source it is also understood most directly when we see Barrie of increased revenues for our businesses and through our own eyes as special, as uniquely us. This is entrepreneurs, to build a stronger tax base for our city, something that the arts can do well – be uniquely us. is the process by which we can afford to do this. The potential of the downtown will be realized in what we do to it, and what we do in it. In doing both we do not want to lose the quality of place that only it possesses. Visual and performing arts organizations, arts festivals and events enrich the lived experience of Barrie. They happen throughout our community. This Plan does not want to diminish the opportunity that - art can happen anywhere. Here in Barrie it happens across the community with a remarkable level of commitment and Source: Downtown Commercial Master Plan 5 Building a Creative Future 1. A Plan for Culture Who Are We Culturally? This level of activity indicates that almost every Barrie resident attended some arts organization’s )RUWKHÀUVWWLPHZHNQRZWKHEUHDGWKRIRXUFXOWXUDO performance or exhibition, arts festival or event. community as a complete and creative extension of With close to 500,000 in total audience at all regular ourselves. When we began research we gathered activities we know that many people are travelling information from 24 arts organizations, arts festivals to Barrie. Today this base-level of audience is a and events creating 580 individual activities. This tremendous economic boon to Barrie’s economy. It UHVXOWHGLQLQGLYLGXDOSLHFHVRIÀQDQFLDO offers a great economic wealth creating potential for statistical, and anecdotal information creating, for the the downtown. ÀUVWWLPHDVQDSVKRWRIWKHULFKQHVVRIWKHDUWVLQ Barrie. Through analysis of that work, through in-depth 0DQDJLQJWKHFXOWXUDOHFRQRP\LVÀUVWXQGHUVWDQGLQJ Funding culture is neither interviews, through the response and support of those the enormity of its impact. In Canada, the cultural an imposition of taste nor very organizations and of our city staff, we now have an goods and services economy is $22.8 billion annually. an act of charity - it is an understanding of the artistic as well as economic impact In Barrie, cultural goods and services spending investment in the health of amounts to $95 million each year. We also know that of our arts community. WKHFRPPXQLW\LQWKHVDPH RXUQRQSURÀWDUWVRUJDQL]DWLRQVDUWVIHVWLYDOVDQG It is clear that the richness and variety of the arts in way that building roads and events contribute greatly to that cultural economy. Barrie strengthens the opportunity of an arts-enriched hospitals is an investment in Their impact is about $15.36 million annually or 16% the health of the community. IXWXUH,QRXUVWDWLVWLFDODQGÀQDQFLDODQDO\VLVZHORRNHG of consumer arts-related spending within Barrie’s total at years 2004, budget and forecast for 2005, and ³0D[:\PDQ7KH'HÀDQW,PDJLQDWLRQ cultural goods and services economy.