City’s first culture plan calls for artist, venue supports

There’s a “solid foundation” for artistic expression in Guelph, but more must be done to help culture thrive and convince creators to stay.

So says the city’s first culture plan, which was presented in draft to council’s committee of the whole this week. It received unanimous approval, but that decision requires council’s formal stamp of approval before that endorsement becomes official.

The plan contains 51 objectives aimed at nurturing culture within the community, from increased funding for large sites like the River Run Centre to increasing access to affordable spaces to create, rehearse, perform and exhibit.

It calls on city council to, among other things, upgrade municipal properties to build capacity for culture activities, enhance/expand culture programming, establish culture-friendly policies and bylaws, and support culture uses at the city-owned former drill hall as well as the provincially-owned former Ontario Reformatory lands.

“I’m such a big fan of it. I think it’s such an important thing that happens in our community,” Coun. Carly Klassen said of the plan. “Culture is really the seat of place-making.”

“It seems like we’re actually quite excited about it,” added Coun. Cathy Downer after the unanimous vote.

It’s not known what initiatives in the culture plan will cost, but the price of conducting an “in-depth cost analysis” to implement the seven-year plan will be included in the draft 2024-2027 budget presented to council later this autumn.

“What we’ve heard from Guelph culture contributors is that there are serious challenges threatening the continuing existence of the local culture scene, which has been such a prominent feature of Guelph’s identity,” said Tammy Adkin, manager of Guelph Museums, who presented the plan to council.

Those challenges include a lack of space for exhibitions, performances, rehearsals and studios; limited representation and opportunities for equity-deserving artists and audiences; and difficulties attracting community support.

The housing crisis and rising cost of living have also impacted artists and their ability to stay in the city.

“In spite of these conditions, there remains among the culture community a real passion for this place and an optimism that with the city and community working together, we can collectively stabilize the sector,” Adkin said.

Several delegates urged council to support the plan.

“In the end, we all want the same things,” said Jay Wilson of JayWalking Guelph. “Culture is the glue that keeps us together.”

“I’d love to see a movement come out of Guelph. I have no idea what that would look like, but I can tell you this, one of the key ingredients for that would be fellowship, community, collaboration. It involves proximity. It involves bringing us together,” said Mike Salisbury of Guelph Centre for Visual Art, a group formed to advocate for community art space at the former drill hall. 

“Culture, as a defining characteristic in building community, will play a huge role in finding creative solutions to the challenges we face, particularly social challenges.”

Other objectives stated in the plan include:

• Committed funding for public art acquisitions and commissions through a regular capital budget allocation, community benefit charges, provincial and federal grants, sponsorship, and donations;
• Establish and maintain an inventory and mapping of public and private culture spaces and services;
• Identify potential new culture spaces, including performance spaces for audiences of 100 to 600 people and consider public-private partnerships for development opportunities;
• Eliminate barriers and increase access to public spaces for Indigenous ceremony and cultural practices, including sacred fires, drumming, and smudging;
• Employ principles of universal design, technology aids and accommodations such as relaxed performances, audio-described performances, open captions, and ASL interpretation to engage artists and audience members with disabilities;
• Advocate for basic income opportunities for artists and culture workers;
• In partnership with Guelph Arts Council, establish quarterly gatherings for the culture community (including artists, culture workers and public and private culture organizations), to serve as information exchange, networking and professional development;
• Shift the programming approach from presenting diverse programs for traditional audiences to presenting programs which appeal to equity-deserving audiences;
• Develop, support or organize culture recognition events alongside community partners.