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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 17, 2022Agenda Cultural Advisory Committee May 1, 2022 7:00 pm Electronic Meeting Due to COVID-19 and the Premier’s Emergency Orders to limit gatherings and maintain physical distancing, the City of Pickering continues to hold electronic Council and Committee Meetings. Members of the public may observe the meeting proceedings by accessing the livestream. 1.Welcome & Disclosure of Interest J. St. Amant 2.Review and Approval of Agenda J. St. Amant 3.Disclosure of Interest J. St. Amant 4.Approval of Minutes – April 19, 2022 See page 1 of this Agenda J. St. Amant 5.Delegations 5.1 Resident – Emma Cunningham – Welcoming the Jewish Community 6.General Business 6.1 6.2 Cultural Services – 2021 Annual Report See page 5 of this Agenda Delegation to Council – Opportunity to present the CAC 2022 Work Plan and 2021 Achievements report on May 24, 2022 J. St. Amant J. St. Amant 6.3 Public Art Project – Subcommittee formation E. Tayles-Armstrong Minutes/Meeting Summary Cultural Advisory Committee April 19, 2022 Electronic Meeting 7:00 pm Attendees: A. Moscote Freire, Cultural Advisory Committee Member A. Sardar, Cultural Advisory Committee Member E.Forde, Cultural Advisory Committee Stakeholder J. Sabean, Cultural Advisory Committee Stakeholder C. Sabean, Cultural Advisory Committee Stakeholder A. Gallagher, Conservator, Museum Services E. Tayles-Armstrong, Coordinator, Public Art, Cultural Services J. St. Amant, Coordinator, Cultural Services (Staff Representative) D.Roopchand, Clerk, Culture and Recreation (Recording Secretary) Absent: S.Jabeen, Cultural Advisory Committee Member D. Davis, Cultural Advisory Committee Stakeholder V. Raees, Cultural Advisory Committee Stakeholder L.Gibbs, Manager, Cultural Services Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Welcome & Introductions J. St. Amant welcomed members and guests and called the meeting to order. 2. Review and Approval of Agenda The committee reviewed the agenda. J. St. Amant asked if there were any changes to be made for the agenda. None were raised. 3. Disclosure of Interest No disclosures of interest were noted. 4. Review and Approval of Minutes -January 18, 2022 The committee reviewed the agenda and the minutes from the meetings held on January 18, 2022. Moved by A. Sardar Carried - 1 - Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 5. General Business 5.1 Pickering Museum Village – Celebrate Pickering’s Black History A.Gallagher presented the tourism initiatives and marketing for the Pickering Museum Village. She detailed the War on Whisky, Anne & Maud Experience and Haunted Durham programs and their collaboration with other organizations around the Durham Region. A. Gallagher discussed the Log Barn project at the Museum and the “Roots of Rebellion and Black History” exhibit that would take place in this space. A. Gallagher described the benefits of the tourism route on black-owned businesses, cultural sites, public art, and entertainment. She, also, discussed how the City’s public art map would be enhanced through the tourism route. A.Gallagher asked the committee for their thoughts on the tourism initiatives. E. Ford said that the Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce (PABRT) has a list of Black businesses within the City and that it would be a perfect partnership. A. Gallagher said that she would love to encourage that partnership. 5.2 2022 CAC Work Plan and 2021 Achievements – council report requiring committee endorsement J. St. Amant presented the report to council which is a review of the 2021 objectives and achievements, along with the 2022 work plan. J. St Amant asked if anyone had any questions or comments about the report. None were presented. Moved by A. Moscote Freire. That the report be endorsed by the committee. Carried - 2 - Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 5.3 Cultural Strategic Plan 2014 – final report update J. St. Amant explained that the Cultural Strategic Plan is one of the main mandates of the committee. We will reform the committee under a new Terms of Reference after September. J. St. Amant noted some of the highlights from the Cultural Strategic Plan, like the PABRT and the Indigenous Relationship Building Circle Initiatives. J. St. Amant told the committee he was hoping to come back with an update for the Cultural Strategic Plan as staff are still working on it. He advised there will be an opportunity for the committee to comment on the new plan. He said that we are hoping to have a consultant hired to work on the document next year. He advised that there is an accessible copy available on the website. A. Sardar said that she thinks it would be a good idea to have a tourism committee in order to make Pickering a tourism destination. She, also, asked about creating a cultural diversity committee, which was discussed in the previous year, and where that project stood. J. St. Amant said that the City has a hired a Senior Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator who is looking at City policies and part of her role is to determine what the diversity committee would look like. He explained that she sits on the PABRT as a staff liaison and we will look to her recommendations of a diversity committee. He advised A. Sardar that she could write a letter detailing what she would like to see and he could include it in his end of committee report. A. Sardar asked about the progress for the Cultural Fusion Festival. A. Gallagher confirmed it will be on August 19 – 21, 2022 and J. St. Amant said that staff are working on pulling it together. - 3 - Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 5.4 Esplanade Park – public art project review of top three selections E. Tayles discussed the Esplanade Park, Public Art Project, Phase 2. E. Tayles described the project and the top three were: Ferruccio Sardella, Studio F Minus and James Smith. E. Tayles highlighted the achievements of the top three selections. E. Tayles explained the second round of judging in detail. J. St. Amant said that the Cultural Advisory Committee meeting has been part of this process since the beginning of the grant application. Moved by A. Sardar. That these selections to be endorsed by the committee. Carried 6. New Business A.Moscote Freire asked if the meetings will be taking place in person. J. St. Amant said that we will be looking to move to the hybrid meetings but will need to confirm that for May. 9. Next Meeting – Tuesday, May 17, 2022 10. Adjournment Moved by A. Sardar That the April 19, 2022 meeting of the Cultural Advisory Committee be adjourned. Carried Meeting Adjourned: 7:54 pm - 4 - City of Pickering Cultural Services 2021 Annual Report “Spirit of Pickering” by Geordie Lishman (Esplanade Park)- 5 - 2 Selected 2021 Pickering Community Banner artists - 6 - 3 3,040 followers (16% increase from 2018) 4.5k Unique Views/month 35, 226 unique web page views 1,576 followers Awards of Excellence ⭐Pickering Museum Village was voted Best Small Museum in Ontario by Attractions Ontario ⭐Pickering Museum Village was voted #1 Best Museum and Best Tourism Attraction by Reader’s Choice, News Advertiser ⭐Pickering’s Culture Days was ranked #9 in Ontario for number of Culture Days activities Thank-you to our funders, partners and volunteers for your continued support, commitment and contribution to culture in Pickering. Social Media 3,040 followers (16% increase from 2018) 4.5k Unique Views/month 35, 226 unique web page views 1,576 followers @pickeringevents @pickeringmuse 3,673 followers 5,574 followers 3,389followers 4,392followers 1,657followers 479followers 41% increasefrom 202013% increasefrom 2020 - 7 - 4 Cultural Strategic Plan In Review Vision: Pickering will collaborate with the community to celebrate our cultural diversity, heritage and the arts; to sustain our natural environment; to foster a creative economy; and to strengthen our vibrant neighbourhoods (Cultural Strategic Plan, 2014). 1. Broaden and deepen city leadership and investment Our Staff Team Expanded. • Audience Development Officer (Funded by Canada Cultural Investment Fund), and Assistant Marketing Coordinator (Funded by Young Canada Works) Cultural Tourism Initiative • Project Coordinator (Funded by Digital Museum of Canada), Education Intern and Translation Intern (Funded by Young Canada Works) Blacksmithing in Ontario project • Collections Assistant (funded by Museum Assistance program) Collections Storage Project We Reorganized • In 2021, the Museum Services and Cultural Services teams merged to become the Cultural Services Unit. The Manager of Cultural Services position was created, and replaced the Supervisor of Museum Services. 2. Build a strong and collaborative cultural sector We developed new partnerships • 17 new cultural community partners were engaged through the Cultural Tourism Initiative We engaged our community as volunteers • 145 volunteers and over 6,133 hours Heritage features at Pickering Museum Village- 8 - 5 3. Strengthen culture-led economic development We secured Federal and Provincial investment to support culture • $100,400 from Digital Museum of Canada for ‘Blacksmithing in Ontario’ website, launching 2022 • $60,000 from Reconnect, Province of Ontario for AnneAndMaud tourism route • $100,000 from Government of Canada for COVID relief • $30,000 from Government of Canada for collections storage improvements • $150,000 from Government of Canada ($95,000 realized in 2021) to develop Cultural Tourism routes • $39,000 from Province of Ontario for operating funding • $35,000 in COVID relief funding which was used for WIFI and electrical upgrades at Pickering Museum Village We supported and created jobs in culture industries • Cultural Services directly supported 55 jobs with the City. • Cultural Services engaged over 40 artists in 2021. 4. Conserve and promote history and heritage We invested in the preservation of our heritage buildings • The City invested $175,000 in the repair and rehabilitation of the Combination Barn in 2021. The building launched with a new permanent hands-on exhibit in 2021. We improved Pickering Museum Village collections storage • The City was funded $30,000 from the Government of Canada to upgrade Collections Storage at the Pickering Museum Village. Pickering Museum Village fairy tour - 9 - 6 5. Celebrate and support diversity and inclusion We consulted with the community to improve diversity and inclusion • The Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce was established, following a community-wide survey that identified priorities in Anti-black racism. • The Indigenous Relationship Building Circle was established to improve consultation with Indigenous communities. • The City created the position, Senior Advisor Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce and Indigenous Relationship Building Circle were moved to the Public Affairs Unit at the end of 2021. Our visitors reflected our community’s diversity • Pickering Museum Village welcomed over 9,000 visitors in 2021 with 55% coming from visible minority groups (Environics Postal Code Report). 6. Cultivate opportunities for the creation, education and enjoyment of the arts We enjoyed and celebrated culture together • We had 9,248 visitors to Pickering Museum Village. • We welcomed over 25,000 visitors to in person events. Culture Days, Pickering- 10 - 7 Public Art 2021 Community Banner Program The Pickering Community Banner Program celebrates the culture, heritage and beauty of Pickering by showcasing 35 banners designed by our community annually. 2019 – 52 Artists submitted 69 banners (from Ontario and Québec) 2020 – 51 Artists submitted 72 banners (from Ontario and British Columbia) 2021 – 58 Artist submitted 77 banners (from Ontario and Québec) Temporary Art Installation with Artist Tracey-Mae Chambers Artist Tracey-Mae Chambers, Métis Encaustic Sculptor, hosted a one-day art project on Pickering’s beach front on Friday, August 20 as part of a larger project named Hope and Healing Canada. “We must remain hopeful to heal. There is still so much that connects us to one another.” www.traceymae.com. Pickering Proud: Then, Now, Always by local artist Daniel Davis In 2020, Daniel Davis created a virtual series of images which tell the story of modern-day Pickering, with a homage to those who have settled here in 1811 to establish the great City we live in. These digital images were recreated into banners and installed around the city in 2021. Kinsmen Park, Dunsmoore Park, Rick Hull Park, Chris Graham Fields, Amberlea Park, and David Farr Park all hosted Daniels’ original work. Community Banner Artists: Cznco; Nic Ginther; Lary Vo; Sterling Wedge; Don Kwan; Sushma Sharma; Alyssa Devine. - 11 - 8 8 Community Piano Project In 2021, the Cultural Services team animated Esplanade Park with a fully functional outdoor piano. During early community consultation, the Cultural Advisory Committee discussed new initiatives to celebrate black artists. Several visual art projects were in development, and local artists Aisha Chiguichon was selected to work with staff and the Cultural Advisory Committee on the themed, and design elements of the piano. Aisha’s design celebrates the community as a whole, and encompasses the cultures of Pickering through images of singing and dancing under the project title: Music Has No Colour. Read the full report here. - 12 - 9 Pickering Great Events 2021 Going Virtual Many events were presented virtually in 2021. Artfest was a month-long virtual celebration of the arts featuring over 50 artists and artisans on a virtual arts market platform. The event included public art installation, musical performances, recorded demonstrations featuring crafts, activities, dance, and sourdough making. Partners for the event included: PineRidge Arts council, BreadChubby, Arts Unleashed, Need Some Koi’, Sustainable Roots, Whitevale arts & Culture Centre, and Pickering Public Library. Reconciliation In light of tragic discoveries at Canadian residential school grounds, Canada Day became about reflection and we asked Pickering residents to Stand in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples.  The City of Pickering hosted orange ribbon tying, asked residents to turn on their porch lights as a porch light memorial, raised the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nations at half-mast and illuminated City Hall in orange light from dusk on June 30 to dawn on July 2 to remember the children found. …and Introducing Winter Nights, City Lights: A Walk Thru Experience is a combination of our traditional Tree Lighting event and Santa Claus Parade.  Featuring stationary parade floats – including Santa, a 21 foot LED tree sculpture, light tunnel, fire show, lit selfie stations and inflatable alley, we welcomed over 20,000 attendees.  Partners included Elexicon, OPG, and Kinsmen & Kinette Club. 2021 events included: Civic Awards, D-Day Parade, Summer Concert Series, Ganesh Festival, Festival of India’s Heritage, Culture Days, Driftwood Pop-up Cultural Workshops, Remembrance Day ceremony and parade, Easter Extravaganza.- 13 - 10 Pickering Museum Village 2021 Pickering Museum Village aims to ignite imaginations through a living history museum that fosters a connection to Pickering by collecting, preserving, and interpreting artifacts and social culture. Our vision is a museum that is a community hub where people come together to learn, share stories, and build relationships through progressive, fun, and vibrant experiences. The museum offers a wide range of education and public programs annually. Fun on the Farm The combination barn was the first significant redesign of a permanent exhibit at the museum since the 1970s. Construction of the building was completed by City of Pickering Capital Assets team, and the exhibit was led by the Museum Conservator, with the assistance of the staff team, volunteers and partners. The re-imagining of the Combination Barn included better integration of programming with exhibit elements. Exhibit exploration was built into programming as a core visitor experience and reason to visit. Each stall was given a theme with hands-on activity stations designed to be fun, educational and connect directly to Pickering’s history of farming. The museum team developed a new public program that launched in 2021 called Barn & Butter. Targeting kids and families, visitors were able to make their own butter and then explore the hands-on exhibit. The museum team adapted program materials to create COVID-safe, individually packaged butter making kits. Over the 8 program days, 326 visitors participated, and 90% of visitors said they would return to the museum for another experience. Barn & Butter and the Combination Barn experience will be offered again in 2022. “My kids (2 and 5) loved the program and have not stopped talking about it. They especially loved the interactive barn.” (Barn & Butter participant) In 2020, visitors to the museum generously donated $10,000 toward the development of this exhibit, which allowed us to purchase ‘buttercup’ the milking cow. Special thanks to Laura Drake for her generous contribution. Read the full report here. Replica Cow, Combination Barn Pickering Museum Village- 14 - 11 1. Buggy before conservation treatment; 2. Before and after photos of blacksmith shop. The blacksmith shop will be repaired and a new exhibit will be installed for 2022; 3. Artifact warehouse was cleared for shelving to be added to increase storage capacity. Collections Storage Project In June 2021, the museum hired a Collections Officer to clean, inventory and move more than 700 artifacts from the blacksmith shop, 25 agricultural artifacts from the Gate 3 drive shed, 275 artifacts from the artifact warehouse and 75 artifacts from the 1830s Log Barn. Artifacts were moved to improved storage areas. ⭐Increased storage capacity by 1,000 square feet ⭐More than 700 artifacts from the blacksmith shop were cleaned, inventoried and packed ⭐$30,000 received from the Government of Canada ⭐1 Collections Officer hired to complete this project ⭐4 heritage buildings now have improved storage spaces ⭐400 artifacts are stored in improved, secured, and pest free conditions The Collections Officer also selected artifacts of historical or educational value to create specialized conservation treatment plans. Among these artifacts was the bellows, which has been on display for many years in the blacksmith shop, and an early 1900s buggy. Both artifacts are excellent examples of early Pickering industries and have significant meaning to our community. They will undergo conservation treatments that will ensure they are sufficiently protected and will have an ongoing use in future exhibits. This project was funded with $30,000 from the Government of Canada’s Museum Assistance Program. Read the full report here. - 15 - 12 Destination Pickering In 2020, the City of Pickering received $150,000 in funding from the Government of Canada to lead a cultural tourism initiative. The Cultural Tourism Initiative is funded from October 2020 – September 2022. The goals of the Cultural Tourism Initiative are to create partnerships with arts, heritage and cultural attractions, the Destination Marketing Organization, and Regional Tourism Organization to develop signature cultural tourism experiences. In 2021, the Pickering Museum Village created three tourism experiences alongside partners from across Durham Region. Over the course of 2021, with the increasing COVID-19 restrictions, this project helped all stakeholders re-imagine how their audiences interact with regional tourism. Target marketing focused on local demographics as people were encouraged to stay close to home. Our audiences interacted with their local cafes, breweries, museums, and galleries in a new way. COVID-safe experiences, including Drive Thru tours and virtual programming dominated the tourism markets, through not all organizations were able to create content for these programs. With restrictions lifting, and visitors’ focus staying on local exploration, our regional tourism initiative plans to encourage this trend and look for better opportunities to cross promote stakeholder events. New and developing partnerships in 2021: - 16 - 13 Anne & Maud Experience The Anne & Maud Experience was launched in June, 2021 as www.AnneAndMaud.ca, hosted by Central Counties Tourism and developed as part of the Cultural Tourism Initiative. With the help of partners from both Pickering and Uxbridge, this experience gave fans of Anne and Lucy Maud Montgomery opportunities to explore various events and discover Anne and Lucy-inspired food options around the region where some of the later Anne Shirley novels were written. This initiative also gained an agreement with the heirs of L.M. Montgomery Inc. for ‘Anne of Green Gables’ and ‘L.M. Montgomery’ trademark rights. At the Pickering Museum Village, we welcomed over 500 visitors for The Anne Experience, spread over 30 days of programming from July 3 to September 12, and for The Anne in Pickering guided tours, which ran from July 3 to November 3 on various days of the week. This initiative also inspired the creation of the Lucy Maud Montgomery Driving Trail in Uxbridge and podcast, created by Pickering Museum Village. The Anne & Maud Experience will continue and expand in 2022. Anne & Maud Partners: • Leaksdale Manse National Historic Site (Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario): guided tour, ice cream making and craft activities • Blue Heron Books: the Book Drunkard Literary Festival and Anne stationary interactive • The Bridge Social: Anne Shirley inspired beverages and merchandise • Open Studio Art Café • Discover Uxbridge • Durham Tourism • Central Counties Tourism AnneAndMaud marketing content; and The Anne Experience picnic lunch EXPERIENCE THE Anne & Maud AnneAndMaud.caAnneAndMaud.ca EXPERIENCE THE Anne & Maud AnneAndMaud.caAnneAndMaud.ca Visit Pickering Museum Village for Anne in Pickering Visit Pickering Museum Village for Anne in Pickering AnneAndMaud.ca - 17 - 14 War on Whisky – South Durham The War On Whisky South Durham driving tour was developed by Central Counties Tourism. Pickering Museum Village became a featured stop in 2021. The Pickering Museum Village’s programs were part of the www.waronwhisky.ca South Durham driving tour. Early marketing campaigns in 2021 gained a following for these programs, with digital and physical billboard signs up throughout Pickering, and our 1920s photoshoot photos were spotted throughout South Durham in social media and blog posts. This tourism experience was impacted by COVID-19 restrictions with a late season start. Pickering Museum Village offered three War On Whisky programs, which welcomed over 550 guests from June to October. The Roaring 20s Drive Thru had a large guest capacity and proved to be a great COVID-safe and early season program. The 1920s Prohibition Escape Room started its run on July 23, much later in the season, but was successful with 31 out of 36 programs sold out. The Glad Rags and Giggle Juice Guided Tour was booked 6 times by request. As part of the War On Whisky cultural organizations, the Parkwood Estate National Historic Site also featured its Auto Baron 1920s guided tours throughout August. 2022 will see more availability for the 1920s programs with the Pickering Museum Village’s programs running from May to October, and the launch of stronger 1920s-based partnership initiatives. 1920s marketing photos from Pickering Museum Village - 18 - 15 Haunted Durham The Haunted Durham Tourism Initiative was formed in Summer 2021 with the goal of creating a storytelling tourism route through Durham inspired by the supernatural. It was designed for thrill-seeking visitors who are drawn to guided tours, spooky stories, and late evening activities. New Partnerships in 2021: • Lynde House Museum • Theatre on the Ridge • Uxbridge Historical Centre • Oshawa Museum Over the course of four months, the Pickering Ghost Walks program and Halloween Guided Tour (only available in October) brought in 1042 visitors to learn spooky tales and experience hauntings within the historic buildings. The majority of these visits were in October, and were drawn by Facebook advertising content and road-side signs around Pickering. This was the most successful Cultural Tourism Route; the Ghost Walks were compatible with COVID restrictions because of the outdoor nature of the program, making it more available than both the Anne & Maud Experience programs and the Roaring 20s programs. Due to the success of October visits, the Pickering Ghost Walks and Halloween Guided Tour will return to 2022 from September 29 to October 29. Pickering Museum Village: Pickering’s Ghost Walk - 19 - Contact us Pickering Museum Village 905.683.8401 museum@pickering.ca pickeringmuseumvillage.ca @PickeringMuse 2365 6th Concession Road, Greenwood, ON L1X 0J3 Destination Pickering 905.420.4620 events@pickering.ca pickering.ca/culture @PickeringEvents The City of Pickering gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Cultural Industries of the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada. - 20 -