Oakville Arts Council Presentation to Budget Committee

February 15, 2011

Victoria BehunePresident

Prepared by: Megan WhittingtonExecutive Director

mwhittington@oakville.ca905-815-5977

Who is the Oakville Arts Council?

The Oakville Arts Council is a not-for-profit charitable organization that was formed in November 1978. We are a strong member-driven multidisciplinary community arts council that has our roots in the community’s history of collaboratively creating and supporting a strong desire for arts and culture in Oakville. An early step occurred in 1973 when a collaboration of seven local performing arts groups came together to create a representative committee, the Performing Arts Development Group. By 1978 the need became clear for an effective umbrella organization to enable not only the performing arts but also a wider array of creative artists including writing and publishing, visual arts, cultural and heritage groups.

VisionOakville has a vibrant artistic community and the Oakville Arts Council

leads our cultural growth. 

MissionThe Oakville Arts Council sustains and fosters the community’s engagement

in the arts and champions artistic development.

Context Setting

“The Town has recognized the importance of arts and culture by making it a core service and through initiatives such as

establishment of an Arts Council and a Cultural Advisory Committee”

Parks, Recreation, Culture & Library (PRCL) Master Plan

“The town, in partnership with the OAC, is providing the volunteers with training in areas they have self-identified as necessary for

the sustainability and the success of their organizations.”Enabling Culture to Thrive in Oakville – Oakville’s Strategic Directions for

Culture

The Oakville Arts Council will “utilize new cultural facilities, such as Queen Elizabeth Park, to support local arts events, initiatives,

and understanding of the arts.”

Oakville Arts Council’s 2010-2013 Strategic Plan

To provide, through the Oakville Arts Council, a non-partisan, arms-length service that advocates, communicates, enables, and sustains

the arts for the community of Oakville.Memorandum of Understanding between Oakville Arts Council and The

Corporation of the Town of Oakville for Fiscal Years 2010, 2011, 2012

SAY “NO” to Elimination of Grants & Subsidies

Program Description Financial Impact 2011

Infrastructure Planning

Eliminate Municipal Grants for BIA Special Events

$ (21,500)

Culture Galleries - Eliminate Secondary School Programs

$ (5,600)

Culture Galleries - Eliminate Elementary School Programs

$ (8,500)

Recreation Services

Eliminate Oakville Arts Council Grant

$ (75,000)

Culture Removal of the Cultural Grants Program

$ (98,000)

Recreation Services

Removal of Sport Development Grant

$ (25,000)

Recreation Services

Elimination of Fee Waiver $ (16,500)

Culture Phase Out Galleries over 3 years

$ (380,400)

Total $ (630,500)

* Grants would be funded from the tax stabilization reserve in 2011 and eliminated in 2012

The development of Queen Elizabeth Park will continue to have a significant focus,

as will capacity building efforts of the not-for-profit groups at QEP.

Ontario’s Community Arts Councils

8 councils had budgets between $225,000 and $450,000 7 councils had budgets between $100,000 and $225,000  Municipal Funding (15 respondents)2 councils received municipal funding between $300,000 and $400,0003 councils received municipal funding between $100,000 and $150,0003 councils received municipal funding between $40,000 and $100,0007 councils received municipal funding between $10,000 and $35,000 Municipal Funding as a Percentage of Community Arts Council’s Budget (15 respondents)2 councils received 95 per cent or more of their budgets from municipal funding2 councils received between 45 and 65 per cent of their budgets from municipal funding3 councils received between 30 and 40 per cent of their budgets from municipal funding4 councils received between 15 and 25 per cent of their budgets from municipal funding4 councils received between 8 and 12 per cent of their budgets from municipal funding 

Using the Guelph Arts Council’s 2009 Survey of Ontario Community Arts Councils (of the listed Ontario Arts Councils) the following information was gathered:

Oakville Arts Council receives $75,500 from the Town of Oakville

Current Impact of Town’s Investment

OperatingGrant

$75,500

2011 Town Funding

Community Arts Investment

Generates a 150% return

to the community

MoreThan

$202,000

OAC Services

and Support$189,227

Using Ontario ’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model (TREIM)

Representing $58,900, once rent and OCPA fees have been paid to Town

$113,727 invested by other arts funders

+$70,000 equivalent

of Board / volunteers hours =

1,400 x $50

+Plus more than $35,000 of

in-kind donations in advertising, event support, and other.

Who are our members?

Businesses

Groups???

???

Over ???

artists andstudents

of all ages fromour

community

Plus more than 40 regular volunteers (on board, committees, and in administration support).

Businesses 50

NFP arts groups

56

Individuals (friends and artists), 155

Free Informational

237

New membership

category as of July 2010

NFParts groups

alone representmore than

3,000 people

Thousands of arts

interestedcommunitymembers

Membership Trends

In 2007-2008, the Oakville Arts Council lost individual members, due to their affiliations with past OAC programs (i.e. Artworks, Monday Night @ the Movies, Poetry Café and World of Threads). This represented approximately 28 people. In 2008-2009, we continue to see a drop in individual membership (approximately 21 people), but a significant increase in businesses and non-profit group support. We also moved the “friend members” (non artists) out of our membership line and into donors – this represents another $2,500 in revenue. From 2009 to 2010 we experienced a slight dip in arts business members – this represents 5 businesses (due to business closures or change in membership category).

Oakville Arts Council Paid Membership

$-

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

$5,000

$6,000

$7,000

$8,000

2007 2008 2009 2010

Senior Artist

Artist

Arts Business

NFP Arts Group

What do we do?

We also produce the Arts About Town magazine - 3 issues / year (15,000 distribution)

The Oakville Arts Council website is the conduit to information on the arts in Oakville. Our Highlight features are:

The arts directory of member artists, NFP arts groups and arts businesses – the directory includes a search/sort function, automatic links and the opportunity to add artwork.

The arts and cultural calendar - now open to anyone to post arts and cultural activity happening in Oakville.

Arts Space listing (e.g. to find a place to hold your CD launch).

www.oakvilleart.com

Website

Our electronic In-the-arts promotion disseminates information to the membership on subjects ranging from Cultural Grants funding and

deadlines, QEP, Cultural Planning, Town’s Spirit Awards, Oakville Arts Council fundraising events, Arts About Town ads and more. Since August

2010, we have had 160 new Informational Members.

Resource and Referral

In partnership with the Town, the Oakville Arts Council’s workshops and forums offer artists and arts organizations support in their professional development. In 2009-2010, we held the following workshops: Get that Grant (August 2009); Incorporating Your Non Profit (March 2010): PRIZM (Environics Software) - Who's Your Audience (April 2010); Know Your Funders (August 2010); and Design and Layout (October 2010).

We hold the annual Cogeco Stars Among Us red carpet, arts recognition award gala (mid May) at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts.

This event shines a spotlight on local talent to help foster creativity, encourage emerging artists and highlight the excellence of the arts in our community.

The event celebrates, entertains and awards local artists in the disciplines of: Literary Arts; New Media; Performing Arts; Visual Arts; and a Young Artist Award (multi-disciplinary).

Local artists win $500 in each category and an opportunity to be recognized on stage in front of their peers, civic and business leaders in our community.

Main Event

Important Milestones Ongoing - Participation on the QEP Community Centre working group

Ongoing – Partnership in the Town’s Cultural Portal Project (Oakville Arts Council’s centralized calendar)

Ongoing - Participation with the Oakville Tourism Partnership

Ongoing – Participation with the Arts Council Network

Secured 2-year Ontario Trillium Foundation funding to enhance organizational capacity – October 2010

The Oakville Arts Council’s 2010-2013 Strategic Plan, November 2010

Arts Vote Oakville, October 2010

The Future for Arts And Culture in Oakville with MPP Kevin Flynn – October 2010

Participation and contribution to The Partnership Project with the Honourable Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Helen Burstyn, Chair of the Ontario Trillium Foundation – August 2010

Contribution to and support in the creation of Oakville Public Art Policy, October 2008 to February 2009

Contribution to and support for the Town’s Cultural Plan, October 2007 to June 2008

Increased funding to Cultural Grants program (from $0.48/capita to $0.60/capita), March 2008

Created 3-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Town of Oakville, November 2007

Secured 3-year Ontario Trillium Foundation funding “Communications Hub“, July 2007

Revamped the Cultural Grants process, June 2007

Contribution to and support for the PRCL Master Plan, June 2006

Phase I of Cultural Economic Impact Study, September 2005

Feasibility study for community arts cultural centre, 2004