Facilities development

Arts development in the suburbs
Two reports from the McKnight Foundation on Arts Development on suburban cultural development in the Twin Cities region, Minnesota. The first, A New Angle, initiates local dialogue about the emerging trend of suburban cultural development. You Are Here provides reflections on suburban cultural development since the first publication with profiles of how some of the new arts venues and events came into being. Both reports are available for download in PDF form from the McKnight Foundation.
– A New Angle. Weblink
– You Are Here. Weblink

Cultural Facilities Development: Steps to Implementation
York, Jeffrey J. Raleigh, NC: North Carolina Arts Council. Recommended steps and task list for the development of cultural facilities from a community convenor perspective, covering both planning and implementation. Document (PDF, 56KB)

Cultural Facilities Study Summary
Nonprofit Finance Fund (2003). New York, NY: Nonprofit Finace Fund. Document (PDF, 48K)

Facility Development 101
(Creative City Network of Canada). Sue Harvey's Facility Development 101 session at the Creative City Network conference, November 9, 2002. Document (PDF, 107K)

Facility Development 101 b
(Creative City Network of Canada). Sue Harvey's PPT presentation at the Creative City Network conference, November 9, 2002. Document (PDF, 76K)

Facility Planning and Advice
Nonprofit Finance Fund (2003). New York, NY: Nonprofit Finance Fund. Website. Several practical online and downloadable (PDF) resources for facility planning including:
– Glossary of facilities, real estate and financial terms. Document (PDF, 176K)
– What is a Facility Project? Document (PDF, 196K)
– Deciding on a Facility Project. Document (PDF, 380K)
– Pitfalls and Dangers to Avoid. Document (PDF, 384K)
– Moving Guide. Document (PDF, 60K)
– Moving Schedule. Document (PDF, 36K)

Funding a new cultural facility: Should you begin construction before every dollar is in place?
(Creative City Network of Canada). Examples, issues, and advice.
(Culture-L archives - June-July 2000) Document (PDF, 64K)

Naming Rights and Commemorative Naming Policies, Civic Community Facilities
City of Vancouver (2006). Policy Report. September 25, 2006. Vancouver: City of Vancouver. Document (PDF, 180K)

Planning your long and short-term space choices
orgSPACES.org (2000-2003). San Francisco: Nonprofit Finance Fund and the Partnership for Affordable Non-Profit Space. Website (HTML) | Document (PDF, 76K)
A guide to basic facility planning with advice to:
– look holistically at an organization,
– identify true facility needs, and
– frame several options available.
This systematic planning process is recommended as a way to find new opportunities (especially in the midst of a perceived "space crisis") and to bring to light unforeseen organizational ramifications - both in the short- and long-term.

Regional Cultural Facilities Dialogue Report
Alberta Culture and Community Spirit (October 2009). Document  (PDF, 1.4 MB)

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Arts incubators & creative clusters

Artist centers: evolution and impact on careers, neighborhoods and economies
Markusen, Ann and Johnson, Amanda (February 2006). Minneapolis: Project on Regional and Industrial Economics Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. Document (PDF, 9.2MB)

Arlington County, VA (United States) – Arts Incubator
Creatively using its status as a government body to secure resources for the arts, the county demonstrated that artists and government can work together, and transformed its own cultural landscape in the process. Moreover, the program led The Washington Post to call Arlington's government "hip," surely an unprecedented adjective for a local bureaucracy. It is a ten-year-old success story. Weblink

Toronto, ON – The 215 Centre for Social Innovation
Overview & Request for Support for a proposed "Centre for Social Innovation" making re-use of a heritage building for progressive social, arts and culture organizations. Document (PDF, 973K)

Toronto, ON – The Green / Arts Barns Project
Project to restore and redevelop the historic Wychwood TTC streetcar repair facility situated on a 4.3-acre brownfield site in Toronto’s St. Clair and Bathurst neighbourhood. Website

Project objectives:
• Provide affordable housing and work studios for artists
• Offer affordable office and programming space for arts and environmental non-profit organizations
• Afford venues for community meetings, exhibitions and festivals
• Create access to an ecological food growing and education centre
• Showcase sustainable, energy-efficient design principles
• Encourage community accessibility, inclusiveness, engagement and collaboration

Toronto, ON – Study on the New Workplace Commons 401 Richmond Ltd.
Recent report on 401 Richmond from York University's Communications and Culture Graduate Programme . The report was commissioned by the Department of Canadian Heritage, the City of Toronto, and the Ontario Ministry of Culture. Website (HTML) | Document (PDF, 55MB)

Washington, DC (United States) – Flashpoint
Washington, DC - Flashpoint Arts Incubator. Weblink

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Arts & community arts centres

Acts of achievement: The role of performing art centers in education
A 168-page publication, provides the first study of K-12 education programs offered by performing arts centers nationwide, and showcases 74 performing art center institutions, large and small, partnering with their local schools. Weblink

Participation in Arts and Culture: The Importance of Community Venues
US study finds that more people attend arts and cultural events in community venues than in conventional arts venues (2003). Weblink (HTML) | Document (PDF, 352K)

Port Coquitlam, BC - Development study for Community Arts Village
Development study for the creation of a "community arts village" in downtown Port Coquitlam, based on community cultural development principles. Document (PDF, 2.6MB)

Vancouver, BC - Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
Operated by the Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Society and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Weblink

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Libraries

How to make your library great.
The April edition of Making Places, the fabulous Project for Public Places newsletter, concentrates on the library as the community center for the 21st Century. (Posted April 25, 2007). CommunityArtNetwork article | Weblink Project for Public Spaces article | Weblink

School Libraries and Student Achievement in Ontario
Ontario Library Association, April 2006. This Ontario report provides the first Canadian results showing a link between trained library staff and students' reading enjoyment and achievement. The Ontario School Library Association website provides a teacher-librarian toolkit that offers strategies for documenting and sharing student success stories. Website | Weblink to Toolkit (HTML)

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Museums & archives

Burnaby, BC – Museum Policy
Museum policy adopted in May 2003 to guide planning and management. Document (PDF, 153K)

Conservation Online (CoOL)
Excellent and extensive full-text online resources for conservation professionals, a project of the Preservation Department of the Stanford University Librairies. Weblink

Dissolution or Closing of a Museum
Municipal policy outlining procedures related to permanently closing a museum. Document (PDF, 132K)

Mastering Civic Engagement: A challenge to museums
American Association of Museums (2002). Washington, DC: American Association of Museums (Museums and Community Initiative). This collection of essays from the AAM's Museums & Community Initiative challenges museums to pursue their potential as active, visible players in community life. Weblink

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Theatres, galleries & other facilities

Cambridge, ON – Cambridge Galleries Website
Cambridge Galleries Exhibitions and Programmes. Weblink

Spruce Grove, AB – Theatre Advisory Board Agreement Sample
Horizon Stage has a Theatre Advisory Board with a somewhat complicated organizational structure in that it represents both the City of Spruce Grove and Parkland County, which cost shares with the city on the operation of Horizon Stage. Document (PDF, 72K)

Utica, NY (United States) – Yoga classes in art museums
Article on innovative initiative of the Utica Museum that hosts yoga classes in its galleries. Weblink

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