Building a Creative Markham

Vision and Guidelines

You are our culture

April 12, 2010

Preamble

On December 15, 2009 Council approved the process to develop a cultural plan for Markham. The objective was to establish the policy that would guide the planning process and the terms of reference for an advisory committee.

The Culture Plan is expected to take one year to complete. It will articulate a mandate to guide municipal cultural development, and provide the framework and direction for the 10 year plan.

Index

Vision

Building a Creative Markham Cultural Plan Guiding Principles

Alignment with Strategic Priorities

Building a Creative Markham 10 year Projected Outcomes

Building a Creative Markham Project Governance and Advisory Committee

How is the Plan Funded?

Markham’s Cultural Assets

Cultural Planning Definitions

Vision

Building a Creative Markham Vision Statement

“To enhance and promote cultural activity and expression in order to share diverse experiences and strengthen Markham’s cultural community.”

A vision and goal for good cultural development in Markham arts and culture is a critical component for achieving a high quality of life standard, offering a wide range of benefits to individuals and communities. These opportunities promote lifelong learning and wellness – key ingredients to healthy and creative cities. Creative cities attract creative-minded people, while also turning communities into desirable destinations. Investment in the arts and cultural sector is seen as a fundamental and critical component of building successful and vibrant creative communities and creative industries.

The Integrated Leisure Master Plan (ILMP) sets out the following vision for Markham.

“Markham’s Parks, Recreation, Cultural and Library Services provide inclusive, accessible, safe, enjoyable and sustainable leisure, learning, sport, and cultural opportunities essential to vibrant places.”

“This contributes to a quality of life that attracts and retains diverse and talented residents, supports a community - wide commitment to life long active living and learning, and advances Markham’s future prosperity in the rapidly growing creative and knowledge based economy.”

Goal

Building a Creative Markham plan will provide the direction for developing, managing, promoting, and celebrating local cultural assets. It will enable Markham to align its service delivery, organizational structure, and investments with identified community priorities and objectives.

The cultural plan will position Markham as a leader in cultural asset management, development, and inclusive engagement.

Building a Creative Markham Cultural Plan Guiding Principles

The planning process will:

• Be broad based and inclusive in participation to understand needs

• Use relationship based approach to build partnerships and volunteerism

• Identify needs and capacity for cultural growth and services in Markham

• Draw on best practices from around the world and share the knowledge

• Create opportunities for researchers to inform and develop solutions

• Work across departments and disciplines to look for integration and collaborative opportunities internally and externally

• Provide financially sustainable approaches and solutions

• Be Measurable

Alignment with Strategic Priorities

Markham is leading in its efforts to integrate its planning to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable future for Markham.

Reference Documents to Cultural Planning in Markham

• Integrated Leisure Master Plan (approved April 2010)

• Markham 2020 Plan – Strategic Directions for our Economy (approved Nov. 2009)

• Green Print Sustainability Plan (Plan under development)

• Diversity Plan (approval spring 2010)

Council created a Culture Department to bring focus to cultural strategies and planning in Markham. Through participation in the development of the Integrated Leisure Master Plan specific recommendations for culture were included and the key recommendation was the need to create a comprehensive culture plan.

Culture is also a key strategy in Markham’s economic development plan: Markham 2020: Strategic Directions for Our Economy. It identifies economic vision for Markham and includes a Creative Markham where innovation, technology, cultural diversity and the arts fuel successful enterprises.

The Green Print Sustainability planning goals identifies “Unique sense of place, culturally vibrant + inclusive” as one of nine goals to achieve a sustainable Markham.

Culture sharing and understanding are integral in diversity planning.

Overview of Planning Integration

Building a Creative Markham 10 year Projected Outcomes

The Integrated Leisure Master Plan public responses identified the following projected outcomes:

• Excellence
• Consultation
• Sense of place
• Promotion

Pursuit of Excellence Outcomes

• We will have established core areas of focus and priorities for the Culture Department through 2021

• We will continue to develop Markham’s cultural venues as places of learning and entertainment in their sectors of expertise within the community

• We will undertake preliminary investigation of the feasibility of establishing a major presentation centre of over 1200 seats

• We will undertake preliminary investigation of the feasibility of a multidisciplinary cultural centre from Markham that will meet community needs

• We will enhance Markham’s capability to attract and retain new residents for our global economic strategy

• We will continue to support and enhance the skills of our creative sector

Engagement and Participation Outcomes

• We will increase opportunities for residents to be engaged and feel empowered in conveying and planning the cultural needs for Markham’s neighborhoods

• We will support the development of a special events policy

• We will seek new opportunities for cultural expression and social development of Markham’s youth

• We will seek new opportunities for active participation, sharing of experiences, socialization and mentoring for Markham’s seniors and persons with physical and mental challenges

• We will engage in discussions and communications using tools like social networking to inform service delivery as Markham grows

Sense of Place Outcomes

• We will enrich our neighborhood’s and municipalities identity through guidelines for public art and the public realm

• We will continue to profile and map Markham’s cultural assets to inform cultural planning through community engagement

• We will seek opportunities to further explore our natural, First Nations and human settlement

• We will strengthen integration of cultural planning to help bring the built and social environments together

• We will encourage property owners to make vacant space usable for creative activity, display of art, and artisans work

• We will initiate an inventory of unused buildings, heritage sites and public spaces that can potentially be used to support Building a Creative Markham

Promotional Outcomes

• We will have a strategy for promoting culture in Markham for the benefit of residents and visitors

• We will collaborate with libraries and recreation services to promote life long learning

• We will establish means of gathering information more current than Statistics Canada, so our public programs and services can be adapted to on-going changing demographics and community needs

• We will use urban design, public art, public realm to bring the social environments together in neighbourhoods

• We will seek opportunities to promote sustainability through our cultural practice and products

• We will improve our connectedness at the local, regional, and national level.

Building a Creative Markham Project Governance

The project lead is the Culture Department. An advisory committee will oversee the process and assist with the consultation efforts to ensure broad and effective community engagement.

Effective engagement will build community capacity that will be key to the implementation of the plan recommendations.

Building a Creative Markham Advisory Committee

Terms of Reference

Purpose

Culture is a vital part of a vibrant and liveable community. Markham has a key role in nurturing and facilitating cultural activity and capacity. As Markham grows, so do the expectations of its residents for access to quality cultural programming, products, facilities, and opportunities for personal cultural expression.

The Town of Markham currently manages significant cultural assets and provides an array of programming. The long-term strategic development and management of Markham’s civic cultural assets and fostering of community-based cultural assets is crucial to Markham’s future development, and its success as a welcoming, liveable and prosperous place for all. As a globally competitive, sustainable and creative community, Markham is linked, both socially and economically, to the broad policy directions for Markham

The Town of Markham is currently undertaking a cultural planning process. The Building a Creative Markham Advisory Committee is intended to assist and guide this process. Cultural planning is a process of inclusive community consultation and decision making that helps Markham use information about cultural resources to develop and improve community programs and services. The purpose of the Building a Creative Markham Advisory Committee: is to gather information on Markham’s cultural resources; listen to stakeholders; and attempt to understand the communities cultural needs; and assist and advise Council on Building a Creative Markham.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Advise and assist in identifying cultural resources in Markham;
• Help engage cultural sector stakeholders to participate in cultural planning;
• Evaluate the process for establishing Markham’s cultural plan;
• Provide feedback with respect to improving the effectiveness of Markham’s cultural plan (throughout the development of the Plan);
• Review Markham’s Draft Cultural Plan to provide insight and advice;
• Help communicate Building a Creative Markham Plan to stakeholders once approved by Council.

Composition

The Committee is comprised of the following:

• Mayor ex-officio
• Up to two members of Council
• Chair of the Committee: David Tsubouchi
• One representative from each of the following Boards/Committees or their designate:

- Varley-McKay Art Foundation

- Friends of the Markham Museum Foundation

- Markham Theatre Advisory Board

- Markham Arts Council Board

- Markham Concert Band

- Markham Little Theatre

- Heritage Markham Advisory Committee

- Race Relations Advisory Committee

- Markham Public Library Board

§ Professional cultural worker

§ Seneca College representative

§ The following Staff Support:

- Director of Culture

- Theatre Manager

- Varley Art Gallery Manager

- Markham Museum Manager

Remuneration

None

Term of Appointment

Members will be appointed until the end of the current term of Council with the possible extension to April 2011 subject to the new Council.

Member Time Commitment

The Committee will meet for the duration of one year commencing in May 2010. There will be one or two public educational sessions that members will be encouraged to attend. There will be approximately five meetings held over the year. Meetings will be held at the call of the Chair.

Reporting Structure

Council will be updated by the Director of Culture at the Community Services General Committee.

Project Schedule

Cultural Plan Development May 2010 to April 2011

· Develop a strategy for community engagement, consultation and organization of data by May 2010

· May – August 2010 data collection

· August – December 2010 development of cultural plan

· Cultural Plan development completion by December 31, 2010

· Presentation to Council spring 2011

· Final community consultation 2011

· Implementation through 2012

· Evaluation and performance monitoring 2013 – 2014

Provincial Considerations

The Province supports Municipal Cultural Planning as a key strategy for Ontario’s prosperity. The Province has approved funding of $40,000 for its Creative Communities Prosperity Fund.

Objectives of the Creative Communities Prosperity Fund

· Provide municipalities with incentives and support to help them in undertaking Municipal Cultural Planning (MCP)-related activities and integrate cultural planning with land-use planning, economic development, environmental responsibility and social equity

· Encourage innovative organizations and initiatives that strengthen Ontario’s cultural sector’s capacity to transform Ontario’s communities and economies through culture

· Encourage innovative new cross-cultural (e.g. arts, cultural industries, heritage, and/or libraries) and cross-sectoral (e.g. culture, business, environment, social, etc.) partnerships and models to support the cultural vitality, creativity and economic sustainability of Ontario’s communities

How is this plan funded?

Revenue

Prosperity fund (Provincial) $40,000

Culture Department 25,000

Economic Development Department 15,000

Sustainability office 10,000

Total $90,000

Town of Markham’s Cultural Assets

The Varley Art Gallery features one of the largest collections of oil paintings, watercolours and drawings by Fred Varley, a Group of Seven member who is widely recognized as one of Canada’s most gifted portrait artists. The Gallery also operates the McKay Art Centre, a historic 1845 house built by Berczy settlers that was the home of Kathleen McKay and Fred Varley from 1957 until his death in 1969. The art centre is used for community art projects, community artist rentals, art classes and is “home” to the Varley volunteers.

Markham Museum tells the story of the on-going settlement of Canada’s most diverse city. The Museum is situated on 25 acres of parkland, and houses over 20 buildings. Most buildings have been moved from their original locations and restored. The earliest of them, Hoover House, was built in 1824 by a Mennonite family from Pennsylvania. Along with the preserved houses are barns, a train station, a school, a general store, mills, a church, a blacksmith shop, and a harness shop. The historic church and outdoor pavilion are ideal for weddings and family or company picnics. Indoor rental space is also available.

Markham Theatre for Performing Arts is one of Canada's premier theatre houses serving the GTA and Markham residents. With over 300 live performances each year, the Theatre presents a performance calendar that showcases the cultural diversity of the community. Live theatre, concerts, comedy shows and family entertainment provide an ever-changing array of performing arts. Markham Theatre continues to honour respected international artists and Canadian talent in performances offered throughout the annual professional entertainment season held September thru May.

Cultural Planning Definitions

Authentic

The genuine or real article, feel, mood, fact or style as it applies to individual, collective and communal memory, emotions, experience, attitudes, stories, history, cultural attributes and creativity.

Community Building

An applied art – not a science; involving the design and application of collaborative strategies to the resolution of issues; management of change; strengthening capacity, building leadership and effectively engaging all elements of the community in the processes.

Creative Advantage

The competitive edge that an organization, community or city has by virtue of their ability to sustain creativity and innovation.

Creative Capacity

The relative ability of an organization, community or city to generate ideas, goods and services; the strength of creative assets and resources of an organization, community or city.

Creative Cluster

A geographical concentration (often regional in scale) of interconnected individuals, organizations and institutions involved in the arts, cultural industries, new media, design, knowledge building and/or other creative sector pursuits.

Creative Hub

A multi-tenant centre, complex or place-based network that functions as a focal point of cultural activity and/or creative entrepreneurship incubation within a community. A hub provides an innovative platform for combining the necessary hard and soft infrastructure to support the space and programming needs of commercial, not-for-profit and community sectors.

Creative Process

An ongoing, circular and multi-dimensional process of discovery, exploration, selection, combination, refinement and reflection in the creation of something new.

Creativity

The ability to generate something new; the production by one or more person of ideas and inventions that are personal, original and meaningful; a mental process involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between existing ideas or concepts.

Culture

A society’s values and aspirations, the processes and mediums used to communicate those values and aspirations and the intangible expressions of those values and aspirations.

Cultural Ecology

A dense and connected system of a distinct and evolving blend of community, educational, recreational, cultural and entertainment venues and environments that generate ‘thickness’ in the creative fabric of a city. They provide the necessary infrastructure that accommodates cross-fertilization between a varied mix of stakeholders and interest groups, cultural producers, artists, entrepreneurs and residents.

Culture-led Regeneration

A multi-dimensional approach to the re-use, renewal or revitalization of a place wherein art, culture and/or creativity plays a leading and transformative role.

Diversity

Distinct or different personal characteristics and qualities encompassing creative and artistic discipline, vocation, race, culture, sex, religious or spiritual beliefs, age, weight, disabilities, sexual orientation, everything which celebrates the variety and uniqueness of all individuals and things; may also apply to the mandates, goals, etc. of groups, organizations and companies.

Hard Infrastructure

Tangible elements of urban form – workspaces, galleries, theatres, cafes, streets and public spaces – that combine the functional with the aesthetic and the symbolic to provide vital conduits for inspiration, connectivity and expression. Infused with a mix of uses, meanings and experiences, these places reveal themselves as authentic, distinctive, permeable and diverse ‘habitats’ that attract and sustain a diverse range of creative activity.

Innovation

The creation or invention of ideas, goods or services that are novel and intended to be useful; intended to create some product that has commercial application and/or appeal to a customer, consumer or audience; the process of generating and applying creative ideas.

Knowledge Product

Organizational knowledge and expertise that are effectively created, located, captured and shared through an explicit form (manual, pod-case, website). Distributed to staff, board, clients and partners, codified knowledge is a valuable strategic asset that can be leveraged for improved performance.

Placemaking

An integrated and transformative process that connects creative and cultural resources to build authentic, dynamic and resilient communities or place.

Soft Infrastructure

Dense and diverse collaborative partnerships, active intermediaries and cross-over mechanisms that facilitate the face-to-face interaction, social networking and flow of ideas that drive successful clustering.

Spacemaking

The development of studios, buildings and complexes as the infrastructure, the bricks and mortar of communities or places (see Placemaking above) along with the elements of communication, services, systems, policies and procedures for their tenants, occupants and visitors.

Sustainability

A trait that describes the best creative, cultural, economic, social, institutional and ecological products, environments, systems, processes and outcomes for hard and soft infrastructure and communities of all sizes; marked by durability and longevity; and experienced and shared by present and future generations of tenants, clients, partners and citizens.

For more information and to receive updates

Contact :

John Ryerson, Director

Culture Department

Town of Markham

jryerson@markham.ca

905-470-3596

4/8/2010