Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan

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The Corporation of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Chatham CulturalCentre Master Plan

TCI Management Consultants

May 2009


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Table of Contents

Introduc tion: The Imp ortance of Inves tment in Cultura l Infras tructure ...................... 1

Exe cu tive Summ ar y ......................................................................................................... 5

1. Dem og ra phic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Ke nt ........................................ 14

2. Profile o f the C CC ..................................................................................................... 19

2.1 Or igins of the C CC ........................................................................................... 19

2.2 Ve nue s & Prog ra mm ing ................................................................................... 20

2.3 CCC Mission State me nt ................................................................................... 22

2.4 Op e ra tions & Manag e me nt.............................................................................. 23

2.5 Mem b e rs hip ...................................................................................................... 25

2.6 Bud ge t................................................................................................................. 26

2.7 Utilization ............................................................................................................ 27

2.8 Joint Marke ting ................................................................................................... 28

3. Bac kgr ound , Purpos e and Ob je ctive s o f this Master Plan................................... 30

4. Activitie s Und e rtake n in the De ve lop me nt of this Mas ter Plan............................ 32

4.1 Inte rvie ws ........................................................................................................... 32

4.2 Focu s Groups / Pub lic Me e ting s ..................................................................... 32

4.3 Com mu nity Surve y ........................................................................................... 32

4.4 Be nchm ar king / Com para tors ......................................................................... 33

4.5 Phys ical Re view of Facility ............................................................................... 33

5. Common Theme s Eme rging from the Res ea rch:

SWOT and Situation Analysis .................................................................................. 34

5.1 SWOT Ass e ss me nt ............................................................................................ 34

5.2 Situation Analysis: Major The me s and Iss ue s ................................................ 36

5.3 Imp lications of Major Iss ue s and Them e s ...................................................... 37


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6. Cave ats and Ca utions on this Projec t ..................................................................... 40

7. Vision, Miss ion, Goals and O b je ctives o f the C CC .............................................. 43

7.1 Vision and Miss ion ............................................................................................ 43

7.2 Go al and Ob jec tive s ......................................................................................... 45

8. Ke y Action Are as and Re co mm e nd ations .............................................................. 47

8.1 Phys ical Configur ation of Spac e ...................................................................... 47

8.2 Prog ra mm ing ..................................................................................................... 63

8.3 Colle ctions and Acquisitions ............................................................................ 67

8.4 Bra nd ing and Mar ke ting ................................................................................... 67

8.5 Com mu nity Outre ach ....................................................................................... 79

8.6 Cultura l Tour ism ................................................................................................ 80

8.7 Or ganization and Go ve rnance ........................................................................ 81

8.8 Re so ur ce s: Funding .......................................................................................... 828.9 Re so ur ce s: Staffing and Volunte e rs ................................................................ 84

8.10Res ourc e s: Te ch nology .................................................................................... 85

8.11Res ourc e s: Par tne rs hips ................................................................................... 86

8.12Re sp onsib ilitie s o f arts a nd culture org anizations and individu als ............. 87

9. Five -Ye ar Op e ra ting Co sts and Re ve nue Fore ca st .............................................. 90

9.1 Und e rlying Assump tions .................................................................................. 90

9.2 Re ve nue and Expe nse Projec tions .................................................................. 92

9.3. Ways a nd Me ans to Take Ca re of Op e ra ting Deficit .................................... 93

10. Re turn on Inve stme nt to Com mu nity...................................................................... 94

11. Role s and Re sp onsib ilities ....................................................................................... 98

12. Re so ur ce Re q uire me nts........................................................................................... 99

13. Communications and Awar e ne ss Build ing ..........................................................100

13.1C om mu nica tions Go als ..................................................................................101

13.2Tar g e t Aud ience s ............................................................................................10113.3 Messages/Themes .........................................................................................102

13.4The Communications Campaign...................................................................103

14. Acc ountab ility..........................................................................................................107


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APPENDICES.................................................................................................................109

App e nd ix A: List of Docume nts Re viewe d ................................................................115

Appendix B: Benchmarking Spending on

Culture a nd Re cr e ation in Cha tham- Ke nt .................................................................116

App e ndix C : Be nchm arking Other Muse um and Art G alle ries ..............................119


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Introduction

The Importance of Investment in Cultural Infrastructure

As c onsultants to com munitie s ac ross Ontario and b e yond, we b e lie ve strongly in

the need for municipalities to invest in their cultural infrastructure in order build

the so rt of p lac e s in which ind ivid uals and fam ilie s ch oos e to live . Arts and cultura l

facilities are eve ry b it as imp ortant as p arks a nd a re nas in cre ating a strong and

sustained qua lity of place for re side nts and visitors. More over , the cre ation of

facilities, and support ofprograms, in the arts and culture sector should be

re ga rd e d a s a n investme nt in the comm unity, having b oth tangible a nd intangible

benefits.

Seven Principles

Below are se ven p rinciples that articulate our b elie fs a b out the imp ortance of arts

and c ulture and the ways in which municipal gove rnme nts should pr ovide cultural

service s for these nee ds of their reside nts. These principles have provide d the

philosop hical gro unding for o ur work o n this p roje ct. The y are :

1. Everyone has the potentia l to be a crea tive individua l: Following from theextensive work ofCharles Landry1 and others, we b elieve that eve ryone has

within them a cre ative potential (and b e yond that, a fundam e ntal nee d and

desire to express that creative potential). Arts and culture activities in

comm unities should b e an important and a cce ssible outle t for this c re ative

urge.

2. Municipa lities (as well as othe r leve ls of government) have aresp onsibility to develop arts and culture amenities for their resid ents : Itfollows from the foregoing that healthy communities concerned with providing

for the full range ofneeds oftheir residents will provide a range of

1 See Charles Landry, The Creative City A Toolkit for Urban Innovators, Earthscan, 2000.


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op por tunitie s for e ngag e me nt in arts, culture and cre ative opp ortunities , for

pe rsons of all age s and b ackgrounds2.

3. Inve s tment in arts and culture is an economic deve lopment s tr ategy:Be yond p roviding for the e sse ntial need s of re sidents, investment in arts and

culture is a n e conomic d e velopme nt strate gy for c ommunitie s. The work of

Richard Florida3 and othe rs has amp ly shown that communitie s with a high

qua lity of life of which arts and culture opp ortunitie s a re an e ssential

comp one nt attract the C re ative Class, who in turn invest in b usine sse s,

cre ate jobs and contrib ute in myriad other ways to the hea lth and vitality of the

community.

4. Now is the time: Espe cially in a time of ec onomic downturn, the re is a naturaltendency for decision-makers to regard investment in arts and culture as an

iness e ntial frill, some thing that can e as ily b e de fe rre d in favour of me e tingmore immediate and urgent needs. We hold the opposite view. During an

economic downturn there is a greater-than-ever need to provide opportunities

for me aningful e ngag e me nt for individua ls, as we ll as to de monstrate a b e lie f in

the future of the c omm unity ove ra ll. As we ll, from a p ure ly p rac tica l p oint of

view, ifmonies are to be spent on public infrastructure, recessionary

cond itions g e ner ally offe r cost sa vings in b oth cap ital and lab our. As such,

infrastructure inve stments can sp ur the cre ation of new jobs.

5. The dual na ture of the leader ship role of the municipal ity : We see the roleof the municipality in the de velopme nt of the arts a nd cultural life of the

community as being twofold: first, it is to demonstrate leadership in

consultation and policy d e velopme nt throug h ass e ssing what the comm unity

is s aying it wants and nee ds b y way of arts and cultural facilitie s a nd se rvice s.

(This is leadership in the sense that Charles Block sees it: creating the

conditions for, and convening, a conversation with the community to identify

what is nee de d4.) The second role is then to respond: to provide facilities,

prog rams, se rvice s, etc., in acc ord with community nee ds, tempe red by the

wisd om of municipal staff and e le cted officials in term s of what is afford ab le

and rea sonable at the time.

6. The community crea tes its own arts and culture : Notwithstanding themunicip alitys e sse ntial role a s a p rovide r of key a rts and c ulture fac ilitie s and

2 Charles Landry, The Art of City Making, Earthscan, 2006.3 See, for example, Floridas The Rise of the Creative Class (Basic Books, 2002) and Whos Your City? (Random House, 2008).

4 See Charles Block, Community The Structure of Belonging, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008.


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services, ultimately it is community-based organizations and individuals that

create the culture ofa community; municipalities are enlightened enablers.

Accor dingly, municipalitie s mus t ke ep the ir e ar to the g round and e nsure that

new and innovative organizations that reflect areas ofemerging need in the

community are nurtured, and given a chance to grow and flourish.

7. Acco unta bility is critical: Any plan for inve stme nt in m unicipa l infras tructureand service s must monitor and evaluate prog ress , and d emonstrate the return

on investme nt of the funding and staff time e xpe nde d. In this re ga rd , one very

useful framework that we advocate is the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) framework

that examines benefits in a multidisciplinary context considering social,

e conomic and e nvironme ntal be nefits5.

Concepts of Creativity

There are seve ral key terms that are comm only heard in contemp orary discourse

on culture and cre ativity in a municipa l context. Fore most among the se te rms a re

cre ative c las s, cre ative e cono my, and cre ative city. He re is a b rief ove rview of

each:

In our knowle dg e-b ase d e conomy, innovation a nd cre ativity is d riving the

de velopme nt of new prod ucts, new service s, new businesse s, and new jobs . A

new class of entrepre neurial workers coined the creative class by economicsguru Richard Florida is now p owering the e conomic g rowth of North Ame ricas

citie s. The de fining chara cteristic o f the cre ative class is that its memb e rs w ork

with ide as. They a lso tend to b e highly ed ucated , se lf-motivate d, a nd

e ntre pr e neurial. Ofte n, although not exc lusive ly, the y ar e young. C re ative class

workers include aca de mics, me dical p rofes sionals, financial analysts, high-te ch

workers , and those who are e mp loye d in the cultural sec tor: write rs, filmmake rs,

actors a nd artists. This g roup has gro wn tre me ndous ly in the last ce ntury, from

10% of the working p op ulation in 1900 to ove r 30% toda y. (In fac t, ac cor d ing to

Florida, there are more me mbe rs today of the C rea tive Class than there are

traditional blue collar workers.)

The creative economy re fe rs to the various e conomic se ctors that dr aw in larg epart upon the e nerg ies and talents of the cre ative class. These ec onomic se ctors

include private sector enterprises involved with the creation ofnew products and

service s: advertising a ge ncies , new me dia and software de velopme nt, engineers

5 See Andrew Savitz, The Trip le Bottom Line , Josse y-Bass, 2006.


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and architects, and commercial art galleries. However, the creative economy also

e mb race s non-pro fit cultura l se ctor: arts and he ritag e or ga nizations, muse ums,

thea tre s, fe stivals, p ub lic art g alle rie s, and arts e duc ation.

Finally, the re is the conce pt of the crea tive city, which re fle cts b oth an inte ntionalstance a s we ll as a n outcome. The intentional stance occur s whe n a c ity strives to

operate according to the seven principles outlined earlier and thus provide for the

cultural and creative needs ofits residents. The outcome is that the municipality

attracts and develops its creative class and its creative economy sectors.

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To b ring the se ide as home to this p roject for the Chatham C ultural Ce ntre , we

b e lie ve that investme nt in the CC C (along the line of the se ven p rinciples a s

articulated ab ove ) can he lp to po sition the Municipa lity of Cha tham-Ke nt as acreative city, and make it an even more desirable community for residents to live

in, as well as a more interesting destination for visitors to seek out.


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Executive Summary

The key findings and conclusions resulting from this study are as follows:

1. Vision for Chath am Cultu ral Centre (CCC) : Eac h of the thre e fac ilitie scomprising the CCC (Thames Art Gallery, Kiwanis Theatre, Chatham-Kent

Muse um) se rve a c ritica l commu nity function for a m unicip ality the size of

Chatham-Kent (C-K). The Chatham-Kent Museum (C-KM) is the official

municipal museum, the Thames Art Gallery (TAG) is the only public art

gallery, and the Kiwanis Theatre (KT) is the community theatre. (And this

position willbe reinforced when the Capitol Theatre comes on-stream.)

Re cog nizing the e sse ntial nature of the se functions, the re comm e nde d Vision

for the C CC is: To b e a p rovide r of a ra nge of Municipal cultural opp ortunitie s

and services in southwestern Ontario, known for: (a) offering a variety of

events and programs that appeal to residents and visitors alike, and (b)

po sitioning Chatham-Ke nt as re cog nized ce ntre for arts and culture .

Reference Section 7.1

2. Goals and Objec tives : Spe cific g oals and (mea surab le ) ob je ctives for theMaster Plan for the CCC are recommended as outlined below:

Area Recommended Goal Recommended Objectives

A.

Facilities

1. All functional entities within the CCC have

adequate physical facilities to enable them to

carry out their individual mandates

space increases for the TAG

space increase for the C-KM

reconfiguration of space for the KT

embark upon fundraising campaign to raise funds for

the foregoing


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B.

Coll

aboration

2. increased collaboration between the CCC

entities themselves (where appropriate and

optimal for all parties), and between the CCC

and other cultural organizations in C-K

3. retain physical proximity to one another,

either in the same building or within a

cultural precinct

increase joint programming and marketing between CCC

entities

increase collaboration between CCC and other cultural

entities throughout C-K

improve internal communications and management

C.

Outreach

4. increased outreach activities by all CCC

entities, so that the community benefits are

recognized throughout the municipality

investigate longer-term feasibility of establishing

ARTspace-like venues in other communities

continue to play a leading role in the coordinating the

activities of the heritage network throughout Chatham-

Kent

c) actively promote the availability of the Kiwanis

Theatre to community groups outside Chatham andseeks ways and means of encouraging greater

participation

D.

UserServices

5. improve the physical access and usability of

the common areas and spaces within the CCC

facility

improve access, common areas and public areas within

CCC complex

harmonize hours of operation with public need

ensure appropriate levels of staffing to develop and

deliver programs as well as respond to general visitor or

user need

E.

Marketing

6. ensure a higher level of awareness of CCC and

the various programs and opportunities

available

develop and implement marketing plan (along the lines

discussed in this document)

ensure that CCC is promoted, when appropriate (based

upon programs and services on at any particular point

in time), as a tourism attraction

ensure that CCC is an element in the economic

development publicity materials of the Municipality, to

emphasize that C-K is a progressive community with a

high quality of life


3. Expansion Nee ds: All thre e op e rating units of the C CC (the Thame s Art

Galle ry, Kiwanis The atre, C hatham-Kent Muse um) ar e in ne e d of exp ansion

and /or renovation in ord e r to continue to re sp ond to the g rowing a nd e volving

needs ofthe community. Staffhas worked for years in sub-optimal and

unde rsized conditions. The b road para meters of this re quired exp ansion are:


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Function Current Space (sq. ft.) Required Space (sq. ft.) % Increase

Kiwanis Theatre 8,660 13,934 61%

Chatham-Kent Museum 4,730 10,940 131%

Thames Art Gallery 5,500 9,750 77%Common Areas 740 4,530 512%

Total 19,630 39,154 99%

Reference Section 8.1.1

4. Three Deve lopme nt Sce narios: Three sce narios were exp lored in term s of

how to accom modate the sp ace nee ds ide ntified ab ove. These sce narios and

the ir e stimate d cap ital costs were :

Function Underlying Philosophy Estimated Capital Cost ($

millions)

A. Maximum Space

Option

all three functions (gallery, museum, theatre) remain on-site

expansion needs of all three are accommodated, with each

having its own workshop space, and public areas

$11.826

B. Minimum Space Option all three functions (gallery, museum, theatre) remain on-site

critical expansion needs of all three are (e.g. storage space,

gallery space, workshop space) accommodated, but maximum

sharing of programming and public areas

$10.204

C. Relocation Option either the gallery or the museum relocates out of the CCC, into

a location not too far from the cultural precinct remaining functions expand to fill vacated space within CCC

specific scenario (for illustrative costing purposes) assumed

to be museum moving into Court House building

$13.476

(includes estimated costof space renovation to

accommodate relocated

facility)

Reference Section 8.1.2

5. Collec tions and Acquisitions: Once the workshop and storage nee ds of the

Chatham-Kent Museum and the Thames Art Gallery have been accommodated

throug h the d e ve lop me nt of a ne w fac ility, the two institutions c an b e g in ag ain

to grow their re sp ec tive colle ctions. Since there will b e s ome m e asure of

p e nt-up d e mand b oth institutions s hould re vie w their colle ctions p olicies in

light oftheir mandates, and ensure that these are articulated, published (e.g.

on the web site) and make known to prospective donors.


6. Progra mming: Comp le me ntary Ope rations b e twee n Kiwanis and Cap itol

Theatres: It is imperative that, once the Capitol Theatre is operational, a


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coordinated and c omplementary busines s mod el and marke ting p lan b e

developed.This should recognize the role ofthe KT as the affordable, small-

scale community theatre whose objective is to serve the performing arts needs

of the co mmu nity (unlike the Ca pitol, which is to pre se nt larg e r touring

pr oduc tions to the comm unity, and g e nera te a p rofit do ing so ).


7. Progr amming: Shar ed Functions Betwe en Kiwanis and Capitol Theatres :The re a re se vera l functions that could and should b e share d b e twee n the KT

and the Ca pitol The atre. Thes e are 1) bo x office and ticke t sale s; 2)

pr ogr amm ing coord ination; 3) marketing (to s ome e xte nt); and 4) te chnical

and cre w se rvice s (e.g. set construction, tea rdown, etc.). A MOU should b e

developed between the two operations when the Capitol is operational in

ord e r to e nsure that thes e functions p e rform op timally.


8. Prog ramming: Adjusted Hours of Operation: At pre sent, hours of ope rationare 1 to 5, 7 days a week for TAG and C-KM. KT is open for scheduled

pe rformanc e s only. The b ox office is op e n 9 to 5 Monday through Frida y.

The re is so me inte re st in the com munity for som e e vening hours. CCC should

pilot tes t some alte rnative hours to optimally me e t community de mand (e.g.

op e n the TAG a nd C-KM on Thursd ay or Frida y e venings, try p ackag e s with

re staurants for thes e e vening hours, re main ope n up until curtain time on

pe rformanc e e venings at KT, e tc.). Also, other time s (e.g. Saturday mornings )

should be tried as well. The box office should be open 11am to 6pm Tuesday

to Saturd ay and two hours prior to all pe rforma nce s.


9. Marketing and Branding: Each operating unit ofthe CCC (i.e. the Theatre,Museum and Gallery) should strive to attain its own marketing goals within the

conte xt of the C itys ove rall ma rke t po sitioning. Spe cific e le me nts of the

recommended marketing stance are:

Each venue supe r sede s the CCC - the marke ting o f e vents and activitie sat each ofthe units should take precedence over the marketing ofthe CCC

as a de stination more over , the op e rating units s hould pr omote the

e xpe rience that e ach will provide its p atrons ra ther than focusing o n se lling

the facility - no over-all or separate branding strategy should be developed

for the CCC itself


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Each venue pursues its own ta rg e t marke ts - it follows from the abovethat each ope rating unit should pursue the targ et group s that b est se rve its

pa rticular g oals rathe r than trying to force -fit disinte re sted targ e t grou ps

into its ma rke ting sc he me - this will b e re fle cted in sche duling of me ssa ge s,

the tone and content of me ssag es , and the freq uency and rep etition of

contacts.

Prin t and email conti nues as most used med ia - given the se vere lylimited alloc ations for ma rke ting , e ma il and low vo lume p rint will very like ly

continue to b e the main me dia used (not nece ssarily b ec ause of efficiency

b ut be cause that is all that can b e afforde d) - it be hooves the C CC to look

for further e arne d m e dia op por tunitie s (i.e. pub lic r e lations) and an

increased and better qualified contact list

Limited joint marke ting - except in special circumstances such as BlackHistory Month, at which time the three operating units may wish to

coord inate their e vents, the ope rating units s hould direc t the ir m arke ting tob est se rve their own goals.

Need for comp rehen sive cultu ral marke ting strategy - ove rall theMunicipality should de velop a more d e taile d and com pre he nsive

marke ting strate gy for its comp le te por tfolio o f cultural ass e ts in ord e r to

es tab lish a more app ropriate allocation of res ource s.

CCC name chang e - as a signal of the fact that the CC C se rve s the e ntiremunicipa lity, the nam e of the C CC s hould b e c hang e d to the Cha tham-

Ke nt Cultural Ce ntre or simply The Cultural Ce ntre . Our pr e fe re nce

would be for the former, as it would then officially incorporate the entire

name of the municipa lity.


10. Museum as Coordinator of Munic ipal-Wide Museum / Heritage Netwo rk: TheC-KMuseum can play a natural role as the coordinator ofthe network of

smaller museums throughout the Municipality. To some extent this is already

happening. This role should be enhanced with (say) meetings once or twice a

year to discuss matters ofmutual concern. Once operational, the Armoury

should b e include d in this ne twork.


11. Art Gallery Outr each: TAG is alre ad y re aching out to the b road e r co mmunitythroug h ARTsp ac e on King St., downtown. This is an e xce lle nt way to b e

re le vant to local artists and pos ition the Art Galle ry a s a vib rant and go ing

comm unity conce rn. In the longe r term (likely be yond the time frame of this

p lan) the fe asib ility of e stab lishing similar ve nue s in other c omm unitie s


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throughout the Municipality should be considered, recognizing that this will

re quire ad ditional staff and volunte e r res ource s.


12. Cultural Tourism: The re ce nt rep ort on cultural tourism, Building Capac ity,Real izing Oppo rtunities , outlined a series ofrecommendations that, whenimp le me nte d, could significantly e nhance the extent to which the CC C can and

will b e suc ce ssful. We re comm e nd that the se b e conside re d car e fully during

the imp le me ntation of this mas te r p lan.


13. Stronger Manag ement Coordination Neede d: There needs to be strongercoordination overall of the ope rations of the CCC to e nsure a manage ment

structure that re cog nizes the p ote ntial syner gies o f the C CC within the large r

municipal context. As well, a larger facility such as is envisaged here willrequire a greater management effort. This should be reflected in a revised

p osition de sc ription for the m ana ge me nt and coo rd ination of the fac ility ove ra ll.

Re sp onsibility for spe cial e vents should b e d e -coup le d from the manag e me nt

ofCCC. Also, although it is perhaps outside the scope ofthe work defined for

this Master Plan, we recommend that, in assessing the CCC vis--vis the

Municip alitys o ve rall cultural de ve lop me nt, Cha tham-Ke nt conside r

e stablishing a m anag e me nt position re sp onsible for direc ting the full range of

the Municipa litys involvem e nt in ar ts, her itage , and culture . As we ll, g re ater

coord ination of the op er ations of the CC C, and po ssibilitie s for joint

prog ramming should be exp loited . A Coord inating Committee should b e

struck (comprised ofrepresentatives ofthe advisory boards ofTAG, C-KM,

KT) for this purpose, and regular (minimally quarterly) meetings held.


14. Broa den Advisory Board Repre sentation: As a visible signa l to the e ntireMunicip ality, the re p re se ntation of all thre e Ad visor y Boar ds (for TAG, C-KM,

KT) should b e b road e ned to s pe cifically include re pre se ntation from the other

communities throughout the Region.


15. Fund raising: We recommend that the CCC undertake a fundraising audit to:(a) de te rmine the rang e of potential significant funding op por tunitie s that e xist

(and he re we are thinking of ma jor fund raising strateg ie s like found ation

supp ort or the s ale of naming rights as opp ose d to bake sales and b ingos), and

(b) de termine how staff and voluntee r re source s might b e de ployed to re alize


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funding opportunities. Further, we recommend that the Municipality consider

the p ossibility of a ne w CCC staff re source de dicated to maximizing the CC Cs

fundra ising re venue s. Finally, we also re comm e nd that due conside ration b e

given to redrafting the terms ofreference for the CCCs volunteer committees

such that each committee would be charged with helping the CCC to

fundraise.


16. Staffing: An additional 2 full-time and 4 part-time positions are recommended,in ord e r to de liver the e xpand e d CC C ope rations. The se will include a full-

time marketing position devoted to marketing and fundraising, a full time box

office supervisor, and four part-time positions: two for the expanded

maintenance functions that will be required for the larger facility, one to

incr e as e the Cur atorial Assistant po sition from pa rt-time to full-time , and one

for the expanded box office functions. (In addition we discuss in the Report thed e sirab ility of the Municipa lity es tab lishing a Cu ltural De ve lop me nt Office and

hiring a manager for this position; however as this does not relate directly to

the CCC [in terms ofa position dedicated to the operation ofthe CCC] we

have not coste d this out se pa rately.)


17. Partnerships: Give n the small amount availab le for marke ting, p artnershipspr ovide an impor tant opp ortunity to e xte nd CC Cs re sourc e s. To drive traffic

and/or ge nerate comp lem entary sales, we re comme nd that the C CC move to

a greater emphasis on developing co-op advertising, joint marketing

campaigns, and complementary programming with partners rather than going

it alone. This partnering orientation should also extend to - media and

production volume purchasing agreements and joint distribution agreements.

The CC C should re vie w its volunte er re cruitme nt, re te ntion, and re cog nition

pr ogr amm e to e nsure that it suits the ne e ds of the volunte er s, the units, and the

organization itself.


18. Expa nded Membe rship : CCC membership should be expanded to include allother related municipal facilities (e.g. Ridge House Museum) so it is clear that

the re are b e nefits a cros s the municipality.


19. Encourag e Volunteer Conne ctio ns Betwe en the Thre e Entities: Withoutcha nging individu al voluntee r a ffiliations, c onside r cre ating an o ver all CC C


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Voluntee r category, to e ncourage a fee ling of connection and synergy

b etween me mb ers. Coord inated training might be facilitated or e ncourage d.

Also there could b e cross over opp ortunities for those volunte e rs so wishing, so

the y could b e come involved in all thre e e ntities .


20. Budg et Implications: A compa rison be twee n the curre nt and future b udg et ofthe CCC (in a typical year ofoperation, and assuming Scenario Bas articulated

ab ove) is shown b elow:

Current (2009

budget) Situation

Future Operation

(Year 5 of operation)Difference - $ Difference - %

Total Revenues $343,941 $432,433 + $88,492 + 26%

Total Costs $1,390,160 $1,738,326 + $348,166 + 25%

Net Financial Position $1,046,219 $1,305,893 + $259,674 + 25%

Regarding this increased cost it should be noted that a comparison of

Cha tham-Ke nt with its standard b e nchmar k comm unitie s sug ge sts that ther e

ma y b e som e justifica tion for the m unicip ality to incre as e its financ ial sup po rt of

the arts in order to be on a par with its peers.

Refere nce Se ction 9; Appe ndix B

21. Community Return on Inve stment: The pr imary r e ason a c ommunity invests ina facility such as the Chatham Cultural Centre is to provide opportunities for itscitizens in ter ms o f acc e ss to cultural activitie s and le arning e xpe rienc es ,

voluntee r e ngag eme nt, e nhanceme nt ofc ivic pride, e tc. There are , though, in

addition to this, economic benefits such as some increase in tourism, a catalytic

e ffe ct upon de velopme nt, cre ation of a d e sirab le comm unity in which to live

and invest, etc.

Reference Section 10

22. Evaluatio n Framework: An eva luation frame work should b e de velope d for theCC C, me asuring soc ial and e conomic b e nefit to the co mmunity, and re porting

on e nvironm e ntal re sp onsib ility (the so-calle d Triple Bottom Line fram e work.)This should form the b asis of an annual rep ort to Co uncil as we ll as the ge ner al

public.

Reference Section 15


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PART A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

1. De mog rap hic and Economic Profile of Cha tham -Kent

2. Profile of the C CC

3. Backg round, Purpos e and Ob je ctives of this Master Plan

4. Activitie s Unde rtake n in the Deve lop me nt of this Maste r Plan

5. Common Themes Emerging from the Research: SWOT and Situation Analysis

6. Cavea ts and Cautions on this Proje ct


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Section 1

Demographic and Economic Profile of Chatham-Kent

The tab le be low outlines some of the key d em ograp hic and ec onomic d ime nsions

of Cha tham-Ke nt, re lative to the Province of Ontario ove rall. This inform ation, the

most rec e nt availab le , is from the 2006 Ce nsus o f Cana da . The most significant

differences between the Municipality and the province are highlighted in yellow

on the chart.

Municipality of Chatham-Kent Province of Ontario

Population, 2006 108,177 12,160,282

Population, 2001 107,341 11,410,046

Population growth , 2001 - 2006 0.8% 6.6%

Permanent Households 43,562 4,554,251

Seasonal Households 3,052 418,618

Total Households 46,614 4,972,869

% of seasonal households 6.5% 8.4%

Population density (persons per sq. km.) 44 13

% of population under age 20 19.8% 18.3%

% of population over age 65 15.9% 13.4%

Median age of the population 41.2 39.0

Median household income, 2005 $63,338 $69,156

% of population immigrants 10.1% 28.3%

% of adult population (aged 15+) with university

certificate, diploma or degree8.8% 20.4%

% visible minority population 4.3% 22.8%

Occupational Structure(% of labour force, age 15+, working in the following occupations)A) Management occupations 7.4% 10.3%

B) Business, finance and administration 15.5% 18.6%

C) Natural and applied sciences 3.7% 7.0%

D) Health occupations 5.4% 5.3%

E) Social science, education, government service, religion 6.3% 8.4%

F) Art, culture, recreation or sport 1.5% 3.1%


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G) Sales and service occupations 22.7% 23.5%

H) Trades, transport and equipment operators 16.7% 14.1%

I) Occupations unique to primary industry 7.4% 2.5%

J) Processing, manufacturing and utilities 13.4% 7.2%

Industry Structure (% of labour force, age 15+, working in the following industries)Agricultural industry 9.0% 2.9%

Construction 4.9% 2.9%

Manufacturing 20.8% 13.9%

Wholesale trade 4.0% 4.7%

Retail trade 11.7% 11.1%

Finance and real estate 3.6% 6.8%

Health care and social sciences 9.4% 9.4%

Educational services 5.1% 6.7%

Business services 14.6% 19.7%

Other services 17.0% 18.7%

As the chart shows, the most significant differences are:

Much slower population growth, essentially static

A lower pr opo rtion of se asonal pop ulation (mea ning that aside from tourism,

the population does not swell in size significantly during the summer season)

A some what olde r ag e structure than the province ge nerally (as shown by a

large r prop ortion of pop ulation age 65 or over, and a highe r me dian age)

Average household income about 10% lower than the provincial average A much lower p rop ortion of the p opulation who rep ort b e ing immigr ants to

Ca nada (ab out a third the pro por tion of the pr ovince over all), with much lower

visible minority levels

Significantly lower educational levels than the province overall

An e conomic b ase that is he avily de pe nde nt upo n ag riculture , construction,

and manufacturing (toge ther the se se ctors co nstitute just over one-third of

Ch atham Ke nts eco nomy, co mp ar e d to just unde r one -fifth for the pr ovince

overall)

An occ upa tional structure of the comm unity that is s kewe d toward s p rimary

indus try, proc e ssing and manufacturing (to a much highe r e xte nt than the

provincial profile overall) and with lower concentrations in management;

natural and ap plied science s; busine ss a nd a dm inistration; and social scienc e ,

education, government service, and religion

This profile is cause for some concern, given the communitys reliance on

manufacturing which has b e e n e xpe rie ncing significant re structuring as well as


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the economic transition that has been occurring over that last decade, the urgency

of which has b ee n only unde rscore d by the global economic crisis that was

trigg e re d b y the collap se of major US financ ial institutions in the fall of 2008.

Re cog nizing the se p re vailing trend s, the Municipality of Ch atham -Ke nt in the last

couple of years has b ee n actively engag ed in upd ating its e conomic de velopme nt

strategy and tourism to ensure that it is able to maintain competitive positioning

and achieve a more diversified economy.

1.1 Geographical Situation

Another conte xtual fac tor re lates to Cha tham-Ke nts c urre nt situation a s a

municipality and re ce nt history. The curre nt municipality was forme d in 1998 as an

ama lga mation of 22 se pa rate m unicipalitie s throughout the forme r C ounty of Ke nt.

The re sult was C anad as 35th larg e st community in te rms of po pulation size, and

Ontarios larg es t in term s o f ge ogr ap hical are a. As a re sult, the municipality face sthe twin challe nge s of pro viding ser vice s acros s the length and b re ad th of its area,

as well as continuing re se ntme nt of outlying rural com munitie s re ga rd ing the ir loss

of ide ntity and right to se lf-de term ination.

Location of Municipality of Chatham-Kent within the Great Lakes Region


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Location of Municipality of Chatham-Kent within southern Ontario

Internal Structure of Chatham-Kent


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The forme r C ity of Cha tham is the large st and most ce ntral urba n e ntity in the

Municip ality (with a p op ulation of just ove r 40,000, just ove r a third of the total),

followed by Wallaceburg (12,000, about 11%), Blenheim (5,000, about 4.5%),

Tilb ury (4,000, ab out 4%), Ridg e town (3,500 or 3%), Dres d e n (2,700, ab out 2.5%),

Whea tly (2,000, just und e r 2%), and Bothwell and Tham e sville , b oth with a b out

1,000 pop ulation. Clearly Chatham is the d ominant urb an ce ntre .


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Section 2

Profile of the CCC

2.1 Origins of the CCC

The original b uild ing s tarted out as the hom e of Cha thams Mayor, William

Northwood (1879). Since that time , the b uilding ha s b e e n a mine ral ba th (from

sp rings unde r the pro pe rty), the Hotel Sanita, the C hatham Vocational School and

now the Chatham Cultural Centre. The housing ofan art gallery, museum and

theatre in one facility is relatively rare in most communities. The Chatham Cultural

Centre traces its origins to a group ofconcerned citizens who in 1963 purchased

the ab ando ned Chatham Vocational School for $37,500 to start an a rts ce ntre . In

1969, the Thames Theatre Association for the Arts was actively presenting live

pe rforma nce s in the 700-se at school the atre, while the old gymna sium was b e ing

use d a s a g alle ry. A comm unity fundra ising c amp aign le d to major renovations in

1975, at which time the Thame s Art Galler y re ce ived fe de ral de signation as a

National Exhib ition Ce ntre. In 1980, the City of Cha tham as sum e d financ ial

responsibility for the Thames Art Centre. Needing additional space, in 1988, theChatham-Kent Museum relocated to the Chatham Cultural Centre from Milner

He ritag e House . In 1998, the ama lga ma ted Municipa lity of Cha tham-Ke nt as sum e d

ownership and operations ofthe entire Chatham Cultural Centre. The property is

de signated unde r Ontarios Heritage Properties databas e.

The Chatham Cultural Centre therefore functions as the main umbrella cultural

org anization for the municipality and include s the following functional e le ments:

facilities manag e me nt and coord ination, joint marke ting, sp ec ial eve nts and b ox

office op e rations. Each of the Ga lle ry, Muse um and The atre is a non-profit

corp oration that has its own manag e me nt structure and s taff who are municipal

employees.


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2.2 Venues & Programming

Colle ctively, the thre e venue s that compos e the CC C the Cha tham -Kent

Museum, the Kiwanis Theatre, and the Thames Art Gallery are responsible for a

varie ty and volume of cultural prog ramm ing. The following p rovide s an ove rvie w

ofe ach venue.

2.2.1 Chath am-Kent Muse umThe Chatham-Kent Muse um was e stablishe d in 1943 and is d e dicated to

preserving the material heritage ofChatham-Kent and to promoting area history

through exhibits and programming. Highlights in the collection include artifacts

from the War of 1812, a na tionally d es igna te d Gray Dort automobile , seve ral

locally mad e horse dra wn vehicle s from Chathams history as a c entre for

carr iag e manufacturing, and , of course , the Sulman Mummy (a 2,000 year-oldNub ian m ummy).

The Muse um fe atures ap pr oximately 2,500 squa re fe et of e xhib it spac e . It is

composed ofa main floor gallery that houses a semi-permanent exhibit entitled

The Esse ntial Cha tham-Ke nt, and a s ma lle r m e zzanine ga lle ry that fe ature s

changing exhibits. It collections - include 12,000 three dimensional objects, over

1,000 natural science specimens, 50,000 photographic images, documents and

correspondence, and a substantial art collection including works by celebrated

Cana dians A.M. Fle ming, Horte nse Gord on and Mary Ab raham . The Muse um also

has a collection ofresearch and reference material pertaining to local history.

The Muse um is a m unicipally owned and ope rated non-pr ofit community muse um,

established by municipal by-law, with a mandate to collect, preserve and educate

the community with respect to its heritage. The Chatham-Kent Council is the Board

of the Muse um with ultima te fid uciary a nd leg al re sp onsib ility for Muse um

ope rations. Accor ding to the Museums g over nance policy, throug h its

administrative framework, the Board can elect to have these responsibilities

carried out by other groups (e.g., hiring ofDirector by municipal HRdepartment,

e tc.). Furthe r, the Boar d will de le g ate the op e rational tas k of monitoring the e thica land professional performance ofthe Museum to an appointed group ofcitizens

calle d the Chatham-Ke nt Muse um Advisory Com mitte e. C ommitte e me mb e rs a ct

as volunteers to the municipality. The Committees primary responsibilities are to

ensure that the collec tion is ad eq uately house d, conserved and docume nted ,

including e nsur ing there are sufficient staff to car ry o ut this function.


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The staffing includes a Museum Curator, the Museum Education Coordinator, and

a Heritage Coordinator as well as support staff. An organization chart for the CCC

and its venu e s is p re se nted in Sec tion 2.4. All staff in the Muse um is no n-union with

the e xce ption of the Assistant Fac ility Office r whos e time is a lloca ted am ong st the

various venues (although the salary is allocated to the Kiwanis Theatre).

Adm ission is b y d onation. The Muse um is op e n Monda y to Sunday 1 pm to 5 p m.

2.2.2 Kiwanis Thea treThe Kiwanis Thea tre is a municipally owne d , non-profit theatre , com mitted to

pr oviding the citize ns of Cha tham-Ke nt with the high q uality and p rofe ss ional

facilities and p rog ramm e s a t a re asonab le p rice . For over 45 yea rs, the Kiwanis

Theatre has been dedicated to providing the very best in the performing arts for

the c itize ns of Cha tham-Ke nt.

A prosce nium house that hosts 100 to 125 eve nts p er year, the Theatre has a

playbill that range s from pop music conce rts, to co me dy e vents, to a b lues fe stival,

to a film s e rie s, to childr e ns p rog ramm ing, to pe rformanc e s b y Theatre Ke nt,

Orche stra London, and touring thea tre and op e ra c omp anie s. In ad dition, a Frida y

night jazz program takes place in the smaller, flexible-space studio theatre (Studio

One), which also serves as a venue for meetings and a variety ofother non

theatre-related rentals. In 2008, more than 33,000 tickets were sold to these

pe rformance s. The Theatre hosts its own pre sented p erformances as we ll as

re nte d s hows to third pa rtie s that re nt the venue .

The Theatre has a Performing Arts Advisory Committee to provide advice on

pro gr amming a nd ope rations. The The atre has only 1 full-time de dicated staff

member; the Theatre Programmer. The Facility Officer and Assistant Facility

Office r which are b oth share d functions with the re st of the b uilding, act as thea tre

te chnicians. Two box office staff is s hare d am ongs t e veryone who use s the

ticke ting system a nd a lso acts as r e ce ption for the b uilding. The Thea tre b udg et

pays 100% of all of these salaries.

The box office is located at the CCCs administration office and is open Monday toFrida y from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. A tem por ary b ox office is a lso op en in the thea tre

lob b y for 60 minute s p rior to the pe rforma nce .

2.2.3 Thame s Art Galle ryAlso municipally owed and non-profit, the Thames Art Gallery is dedicated to

pro moting the visual arts and se rving the re side nts of the Municipality of Chatham-


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Ke nt. In re cog nition o f its status as a National Exhib ition C e ntre, the Ga lle ry p lac e s

emphasis on public programming and multi-disciplinary exhibitions

programming.

The Galle ry occ upies ap pr oximately 3,200 squa re -fe e t of exhibit sp ace . It consists

of a large main floor g alle ry and a sm alle r me zzanine ga lle ry, eac h of which is

trea ted as a sep arate g allery spa ce . Each ye ar, the Gallery pre sents 12 to 14 solo

and group exhibitions, usually contemporary in nature, originating locally,

nationally, and internationally. In addition to its hung exhibitions, the Gallery also

presents the Thames Alternative Film Series, in cooperation with the Toronto

International Film Festival, which brings films to Chatham-Kent that would not

otherwise b e see n in the are a.

The Gallery is dedicated to promoting the understanding, appreciation,

conse rvation, and e njoyme nt of the visual arts in the comm unity of Cha tham-Ke ntfor p re se nt and future ge ner ations. A curatorial priority is the d e velopme nt to of

electronic media/installation/interactive projects that challenge the Gallerys

audience and encourage reflection on the particularities and issues ofmodern

culture, both on a local and national level.

In common with the Chatham-Kent Museum and the Kiwanis Theatre, the Thames

Art Galle ry has an Advisory Com mitte e to p rovide ad vice with re ga rd to

pr og ram ming and o p e rations. The s taffing of the Art Galle ry include s the G alle ry

Cura tor, the Cura torial Assistant, and the Galle ry Prog ram Coor dinator.

The Galle ry is op e n Monda y to Sunday 1 p m to 5 pm.

2.2.4 Education progr amsAlong with the ir p e rformanc e s a nd e xhib its, e ach C CC venue contrib ute s to the

CCCs Education Programs, which feature learning-based experiences that

comp le me nt the pro vincial curriculum from junior kinder ga rten through g rad e 12,

with a focus on programs for kindergarten through grade 8.

2.3 CCC Mission Statement

The Municipality has mandated the CCC with a mission statement that guides the

CC Cs overa ll ope rations. First d rafte d in 1990 a nd re vise d in 2002, the CC Cs

mission statement specifies that:


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The Chatham Cultural Centre is a municipally administered

org anization, which op e rates a Ga lle ry, Muse um and The atre, and

related programming facilities.

In this context, the C e ntre is not the sum o f its pa rts (Galle ry,

Museum and Theatre), but rather, it is that organization which

overse es the ope ration of the Gallery, Museum and Theatre.

The Centre is committed to providing Chatham-Kent and it visitors

with e xce lle nce in cultural ser vice s through the a chievem e nt of the

following ob je ctive s, in ord e r of pr iority:

To educate and entertain Chatham-Kent and its visitors by maintaining

the operations ofa Gallery, Museum and Theatre and related

programming. To ensure that professional standards are met in the operation ofthe

Gallery, Museum and Theatre and their programming.

To e nsure that the Mission Stateme nts of the Galle ry, Muse um and

Theatre a re impleme nted .

To co-ordinate the p rog ramm ing and division of the r e source s (financial

and personnel) among the Gallery, Museum and Theatre.

To develop markets for the cultural services provided by the Gallery,

Museum and Theatre.

To provide rental facilities for:

Cha tham-Ke nt C ultural O rg anizations

Chatham-Kent Non-Profit Groups

Comm e rcial Renters

In ad dition to the C CC s mission statement, e ach o f the thre e CC C ve nues has its

own mission statement.

2.4 Operations & Management

As cited ab ove, each of the C CCs three venues has its own manage r, des ignatedas the Heritage Coordinator, the Gallery Curator, and the Theatre Programmer,

respectively. Although each venue operates with its own budget, each venue

sha re s the CC Cs fac ility, mar ke ting , and ad ministrative staff. In total, the CC C

e mp loys 15 full-time staff and two p ar t-time staff. Ove rsigh t for the e ntire CC C is

the re sp onsibility of Cha tham -Ke nts Manag er of Culture & Spec ial Events.


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Together, the Manager ofCulture and Special Events and the three venue

managers constitute the CCCs management team.

Each of the CCC s three advisory committee s re ports to C ouncil. A sep arate

Council representative sits on the advisory committee for the Chatham-Kent

Museum. However, neither the advisory committee for the Kiwanis Theatre nor the

Thame s Art Galle ry has a C ouncil re pr es e ntative.

Of note, the C CC is hous e d within the Municipa litys De p artme nt of Co mmu nity

De velopme nt and Planning Service s, which ha s op e rated without a d ire ctor for

three years. In addition, the CCC has not been mandated with a new strategic plan

since 1989.

The org anization char t for the C CC is s hown b e low:

It should be noted that the organization chart presented above portrays a more

hierarchical structure than operates in practice. The Manager ofCulture and


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Special Events has more ofa coordinating role with regard to programming,

facility ma nag e me nt and op e rations than a strict manag e rial role with re ga rd to the

ea ch of the three main venues. The Manager is re sponsible for the b udg ets of the

culture and special events area, not the other venues. The three venues, their key

managers and advisory committees tend to operate quite autonomously which is

to be expected since each is a non-profit corporation reporting to Council and

e ach ha s its ad visory co mmittee that provide s input to op e rations and

pro gr amming. Further, the op e rating culture of e ach venue re quires differ e nt

skills, ope rating c ulture and e xpe rience . This e ffe ctively makes the job of the

Manager ofCulture and Special Events challenging since reporting relations are

not as c lea r as are indicated o n the chart. The Manag e r must re ly more on skills of

per suasion, le ad e rship and go od comm unication to effe ct coord ination of the

venues than might be the case in a more directive, hierarchical organization.

The hours ofoperation for the CCC venues are as follows:

Chatham Cultural Centre: Operating Hours

CCC Venue Operating hours

Kiwanis Theatre Open during performances only.

Kiwanis Theatre Box Office Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Closed Saturdays and Sundays.

Thames Art Gallery Daily, 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm.

Chatham-Kent Museum Daily, 1:00 pm. to 5:00 pm.

2.5 Membership

The re is one CC C m em b e rship with d iffe re nt le vels that pe ople m ay join. Each o f

the le vels has various b e nefits, howeve r, an inte re st in re ce iving C CC

comm unications a nd sup por ting the CC C throug h a mod e st financial contrib ution

would ap pe ar to b e one of the main reasons pe ople join, since there are no

admissions charges for the Art Gallery or Museum. The current membership

count stands a t 280, broke n do wn as follows:

Members still in the old structure 21

Northwood Members ($20 annually) 92

William Stre e t Me mb e rs ($50 annua lly) 126

Te cumse h Me mb e rs ($100 annually) 41


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2.6 Budget

The CC Cs b ase b udg e t in 2009 is $1,046,219, abo ut 9% highe r than the 2008

b ase b udg et, and 8% lower than the 2008 year to d ate ac tual total. The se figur e s

include the b udg et for Milner House and Ridg e House (whose op e rations a re

outside the scop e of this Maste r Plan), and the b udg e t for s pe cial e vents (which fall

within the C CC s p urvie w, although most sp e cial e vents take p lace outside the

CCC ). A summary of the CC Cs bas e b udg ets is shown be low.

Chatham Cultural Centre: Base Budgets 2008 / 2009

Culture &

Special Events

Theatre Gallery Heritage Total CCC

2009 Base Budget $329,409 $230,251 $194,742 $291,817 $1,046,219

2008 Base Budget $319,814 $184,603 $177,224 $276,946 $958,587

2008 YTD Total $391,579 $261,926 $211,109 $277,060 $1,141,674

It is noteworthy that the Kiwanis Theatre earns revenues from: (a) various rental

clie nts, and (b ) the s ale of ticke ts to an e ve nt se ries that the Kiwanis Thea tre b ooks

and presents. In both 2007 and 2008, the Kiwanis Theatre exceeded its earned

re venue targ e ts from its var ious r e ntal clie nts. In 2007, the re ntal reve nue targ e t

was e xcee de d b y more than $7,000 and in 2008 the rental reve nue target was

e xcee de d b y more than $4,000. Howeve r, in 2008, the Kiwanis Theatre incurre d a

de ficit of mor e than $31,000 from a s hortfall in re ve nue s from ticke t sale s to itse vent ser ies . This d e ficit was c over e d throug h a surp lus in the Com munity and

Development Services budget for 2008.

A more de taile d d iscuss ion of the Kiwanis The atres op er ating cos ts, reve nues ,

and cost-recove ry e xpe ctations is found in Section C of this Master Plan.

The following presents a more detailed analysis ofthe revenues achieved and

exp enditures for e ach of the m ain venues that comprise the CCC .


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Chatham Cultural Centre: Revenues and Expenses by Venue, 2009

CCC FunctionCulture & Special

EventsTheatre Gallery Heritage Total CCC

ExpensesStaffing $234,527 $250,621 $172,817 $277,996 $935,961

Programs $966 $143,143 $73,628 $25,631 $268,366

Facility $46,661 $31,037 $30,015 $35,216 $142,929

Other $51,924 $12,874 $2,150 $954 $42,904

Total Expenses $334,078 $437,675 $278,610 $339,797 $1,390,160

Revenues

Grants $0 $0 -$35,000 -$25,414 -$60,414

Donations -$1,616 -$1,500 -$1,000 -$3,200 -$7,316

Sponsorships $0 $0 -$8,900 -$500 -$8,900Commission, Service

Recovery, bar -$1,050 -$33,424 -$716 -$400 -$35,590

Memberships -$2,000 $0 $0 $0 -$2,000

Theatre admissions $0 -$115,150 $0 $0 -$115, 150

Gallery exhibitions $0 $0 -$3,500 $0 -$3,500

Rent $0 -$54,350 $0 $0 -$54,350

Children's, school $0 -$3,000 -$18,801 -$7,000 -$44,125

Workshops -$3 $0 -$15,951 -$11,466 -$12,596

Total Revenues -$4,669 -$207,424 -$83,868 -$47,980 -$343,941

Net Expenses $329,409 $230,251 $194,742 $291,817 $1,046,219

Revenues as % of

Total Expenses 1.4% 47.4% 30.1% 14.1% 24.7%

Note: (1) To be consistent with municipal and CCC budgeting practices, revenues are shown as negative numbers.

(2) Culture and Special Events includes New Years Eve.

The Theatre has the largest total expenses ($437,675) ofany ofthe venues. As

exp ec ted , it achieve s the large st portion of reve nues re ceived (47%) as a p erc ent

ofits total expense budget; this compares with the Gallery whose revenues are

30% of total expe nses, and the Museum with re venues of 14% oftotal expe nses.

2.7 Utilization

Performances in The Kiwanis Theatre (including Studio One) are the primary

ge ner ator of visits to the C CC . Comb ined ticke t sale s to the Kiwanis Theatre a nd

Studio One totaled 33,000 in 2008. For its part, the Thames Art Gallery generates


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ap p roximately 23,000 visits a nnually, with an e stimate d 4,000 of thes e visits

occur ring b e fore or d uring p e rformanc e s at the Kiwanis Theatre. Thes e the atre-

drivenvisits reduced the number ofpurpose visits to the Gallery to

ap pr oximately 19,000 in 2008. The Cha tham-Ke nt Muse um ge ner ates another

10,000 to 12,000 visits e ach ye ar, of which an e stimated 20 30 pe rce nt are e ithe r

the atre-driven or re lated to a s pe cial eve nt be ing he ld at the Galle ry, while an

e qua l pe rce ntag e a re attrib utab le to schoo l visits.

Chatham Cultural Centre: Utilization 2008

CCC Venue Total visitsTheatre-driven

visits*School visits

Adult & childrens

programs

33,000 ticketedKiwanis Theatre &

Studio One

18,500 non-ticketed

33,000 see note below *** -------

Thames Art Gallery 23,000** 4,000 4,500 1,200

Chatham-Kent

Museum10,000 12,000 2,500 3,600 2,500 3,600 -------

TOTALS 84,500 86,500

*Pre-show and intermission.

** Excluding ARTspace and traveling exhibitions, which generate an additional estimated 13,000 users.

*** The Kiwanis Theatre programs performances for school visits; however, the numbers are included in the 33,000 ticketed

visits. Theatre workshops for class visits are also offered through the Kiwanis Theatre however these are presented by a

community client and as such, the statistics would be included in 18,500 non-ticketed visits.

As a the atre ve nue, the Kiwanis Theatre a nd Studio One pr es e nte d 99

pe rformances in 2008, stage d by 19 sep arate re nters or p rese nted by the Kiwanis

Theatre itself. In 2008, performances at the Kiwanis Theatre played to houses that

averag ed 49 pe rce nt of the theatres cap acity.

In terns of the ge ograp hic origins of the CCC s p atrons, app roximately 60 pe rce nt

ofpatrons originate in the City ofChatham, and approximately 35 percent

originate in the wide r Municipality. A furthe r 5 pe rce nt are e stima ted to originate

outside the Municipality.

2.8 Joint Marketing

Having the thre e ve nue s unde r one roof allows for some sharing of staff and

resource s amongst the various venues when ne ed ed . The various venues a re


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grouped on the CCCs website which is a good source ofinformation about the

pro gr amming in one location.

The CCC works with the Municipalitys Recreation Programs -- for example, it

coord inates b rochure dro ps to local schools so that staff isnt making se pa rate

trips . CCC also ad vertise s in their Le isure Guide. Howe ver, the CC Cs time lines

and registration dates are sometimes different than other service providers as is

the CCCs market, so joint marketing tends to be carried out when warranted.


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Section 3

Background, Purpose and Objectives of this Master Plan

The Cha tham C ultural Ce ntre is a unique cultura l fac ility, the only one of its kind in

Ontario, comb ining a the atre, art ga ller y and comm unity muse um und e r one roof.

Recognizing the unique challenges posed by this arrangement, but at the same

time the unique syner gies pos sible , the Municipality of Cha tham-Ke nt de te rmine d

that a Maste r Plan was r e quired to g uide future investme nt in, and op er ations at,

the facility. It has b e e n ap pr oximately 20 years since any suc h strategic p lanning

has be en undertaken.

The need for such a Master Plan is underscored by recent events in the

community. The Municipality has recently acquired the Capitol Theatre, a major

performing arts venue in the downtown that is in the process ofbeing restored (by

a s e p ara te no t-for-pro fit org anization who will also op e rate the fac ility in the long e r

te rm). The op er ations of this ve nue will imp act up on the Kiwanis Theatre to s ome

extent. Accordingly, a major purpose ofthe current study is to determine ways

and me ans through which the two venue s c an mutually thrive, e ach a pp e aling toits own market niche and not cannibalizing one another. As well, the Municipality

has acquired the Armoury (very close to the CCC) and may in future acquire the

Pines Chap e l (one kilome te r awa y from the CC C on Ursaline Avenue , on the other

side of the river) that has b ee n prop ose d as p otential cultural spac es .

Finally, it was r e cog nize d that we a re e ntering difficult financ ial time s. Even p rior

to the c urre nt sharp e conomic d ownturn in the fall of 2008 it was re cog nize d that

the future prospects for the economic base ofChatham-Kent were challenging,

and that other areas for potential economic diversification such as tourism could

b e difficult to d e velop in the yea rs a hea d.

Accordingly, for all these reasons it was felt the time was right to undertake a

review ofthe operations ofthe CCC and the development ofthis Master Plan to

guide future op er ations a nd investment. In May of 2008 a Re que st for Prop osal

was issued .


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Spe cific go als id e ntifie d within the Te rms o f Re fe re nce we re :

1. To ide ntify marke t tre nds in the cultural industry and inte gra te that rese arch

into the ana lysis of the CC C;

2. To comp ar e the usa ge of the CC C to similar cu ltural fac ilitie s in Ontario;

3. To ide ntify streng ths, d e ficiencies, g ap s a nd opp ortunities within op er ations,

prog rams/service s, and the C CC facility and re comme nd strateg ies to ad dre ss

issues and enhance opportunities;

4. To ide ntify and make re comm e nda tions on e xisting a nd p otential relationships

with other cultura l pro vid e rs within C hatham-Ke nt;

5. To prioritize the re comm e ndations into short, me dium and long -te rm

objectives, including budget estimates, to assist with future planning.

Specific topic areas to be addressed within the above were to include (but not belimited to) the following:

Operations:

Hours of ope ration

Staffing

Budgeting and funding

Marketing

Technology

Governance committees (theatre, gallery, museum)

Co mmu nity re lationships

Programs / Service s:

Programming

Collections / acquisitions

Facility:

Expansion needs ofthe three operations within the CCC

Expans ion op tions

Cap ital costs a nd imp lications

The next se ction of this Re po rt de scribe s the work p lan and the sp e cific activitie s

unde rtaken to de velop this Maste r Plan.


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Section 4

Activities Undertaken in the Development of this MasterPlan

A numb e r of activitie s were unde rtaken in the d evelopm ent of this Master Plan.

These were:

4.1 Interviews

A larg e numb e r of inter views (over 60) in Chatham-Ke nt we re held, with staff of

the CC C, volunte e rs, key politicians (including the Mayor) and key stakeholder s

in the com munity.

4.2 Focus Groups / Public Meetings

Thre e pub lic me e tings / workshop se ssions were held throughout Chatham-Ke nt

(one in the north in Wallaceburg, one in the middle in Chatham, and the third in

the s outh in Ble nheim). The se se ssions were ad vertise d through the local med iaand attend ed by small but kee nly intere sted group s of local and re gional

re side nts. In ad dition, seve ral workshop s e ssions were he ld with the Ste e ring

Committee on the project.

4.3 Community Survey

A web-b ase d community survey was de velope d and mounted on the

Municip alitys we b site (using the SurveyMonke y fac ility). E-m ail me ss ag e s

alerting people to the existence ofthe survey were sent to those on the CCC

mailing lists, and a g e ne ra l notifica tion in loca l me dia a s to the op p ortunity to

complete a survey posted.

In total 136 resp onses were rec eived (gene rally a ve ry good resp onse rate for a

surve y of this type in a com munity this size ).


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4.4 Benchmarking / Comparators

Various types ofcommunity benchmarking were undertaken. First, a comparison

of Chatham -Ke nts total and p e r ca pita e xpe nditure s re lative to a standard se t of

municipal compa rators was und e rtaken. (This standa rd se t comprises the citie s of

Niag ara Falls, Kitche ner, St Thomas , Ca mb ridg e, London, G re ater Sudb ury,

Sarnia, Brantford , King ston, and Gue lph .) This g e ne rally sh owe d Cha tham-Ke nt to

be somewhat lower than its comparators on per capita arts and culture

expenditures (see Appendix B).

A se cond round of b enchmarking was unde rtaken with resp ec t to other

communities that had art galleries, museums and theatres, and how these

ope rations were op er ated a nd ma intaine d. A ge ner al conclusion from this

asse ssme nt was e ach of the se thre e functions was vie wed b y the local comm unity

as b e ing e sse ntial, and that Chatham-Ke nt was as p rog re ssive a s a ny of thes ecomm unitie s in te rms of how it provide d for the ne e ds of its citizens (see

Appendix C).

A third b e nchmar k comp arison was unde rtaken with other com munitie s in Ontario

that possess municipal arts and culture strategies or master plans, to assess what

sorts of plans and initiatives had b e e n in the se comm unitie s, and what sorts of

lessons learnedwere gleaned.

4.5 Physical Review of Facility

Another key task involved an a rchite ctural revie w of the curre nt CCC facility and

exploration ofvarious options to accommodate the critical expansion needs ofthe

ga lle ry and mus e um, and a re-configura tion of the thea tre . The C hatham-bas ed

firm of Jord e n & Cook Archite ct unde rtook the re vie w. The re vie w involved

e xte nsive discussions with staff, and e xploration of various options for sp ace re -

alloca tion a nd utilization. Ultima tely, three op tions we re de ve lop e d for furthe r

assessment (see Section 8.1).


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Section 5

Common Themes Emerging from the Research: SWOT andSituation Analysis

5.1 SWOT Assessment

A SWOT asse ssme nt (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) is thelogical place to start in d e veloping a strate gic or master plan for c ultural and

historical res ource manag e me nt. It ensure s that the strate gy ultimately de velope d

is grounded in a clear understanding ofthe advantages possessed by, and

cha lle ng e s and op po rtunitie s fac ing , a co mmu nity. Be low we d iscu ss first the

unde rlying logic of a SWOT app roac h, the n the ap plication of this ap pr oach to the

assessme nt of the CC C.

a) The Logic of the SWOT ApproachA SWOT ana lysis can p rovide the b asis for a s trateg ic p lan. Diffe re nt e le me nts

(stre ngths, wea kness es , and so on) will logically imply diffe re nt type s of strateg icactions and initiatives, as shown in the chart below:

How Defined Strategically? Strategic Actions

Strengths unique or very strong factors that

provide current advantages or benefits

in the provision of services to residents

and visitors

protect an advantage

further develop or capitalize upon an

existing advantage

Weaknesses areas of current disadvantage in the

provision of services to residents and

visitors

strengthen areas of weakness

reposition to eliminate weakness (in

reality, or through the creation of

alternative perceptions)

Opportunities situations that present opportunities for

future advantage or benefit

feasibility testing

implementation planning

Threats situations that present dangers of future

disadvantage

risk assessment

contingency planning


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b) Applica tion of the SWOT Approach to the CCCBased upon the interviews, surveys and benchmarking assessment offacilities

elsewhere, the major findings relating to SWOT:

Strengths existence of these 3 facilities under one roof, and the potential synergies available in at

least three areas: 1) audience development and crossover; 2) joint programming

(including educational programming); 3) joint marketing and public relations

quite high community regard for the programming (as revealed through the surveys and

interviews)

municipal support evidenced for continuing support (as evidenced by this Master Plan)

location in the cultural precinct of Chatham

pleasant and walkable connection to downtown (in summer)

major public facility demonstrating the quality of life of the community (which can beused in the economic development sell of C-K)

Weaknesses lack of storage and gallery space in the museum

lack of storage and gallery space in the gallery

uncomfortable seats in the theatre

lack of key facilities in the theatre (e.g. improved catwalk, improved sound system)

overall tired image of facility

some lack of management and coordination

lack of awareness in the community as to what is available (in part caused by very small

marketing budget)

location away from the downtown (in winter)

representation on advisory committees does not encompass entire municipality; also could

include greater representation from business community

no specific mechanism to report back to community

Opportunities opportunities to address most of the weaknesses indicated above through this Master Plan

opportunities to better exploit corporate partnerships

expansion potential of additional municipal facilities (Pines Chapel, Armouries, potential

Court House acquisition)

opportunities to capitalize on cultural tourism

Threats difficult and challenging economic times in future (manufacturing, to some extent,tourism)

aging and dwindling volunteer base

uncertainty regarding future of Capitol Theatre and impact upon the Kiwanis Theatre

uncertainty regarding future of the Armoury, and impact upon the C-K Museum


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5.2 Situation Analysis: Major Themes and Issues

Our discussions with C CC staff, inte rvie ws with C CC stakeholder s, and re vie w of

the CCCs operations have revealed 14 major themes or issues that inform the

re comm e ndations contained in this Maste r Plan. The se major the me s a nd issue s

are:

1. As a facility, the C CC is now unde rsized. In orde r to se rve re side nts and

visitors to Chatham-Kent and meet the objectives defined by its mission, the

CCC requires either:

a. an e xpa nsion of the e xisting facility, or

b . a re location of e ithe r the Thame s Art Galle ry or the C hatham-Ke nt Muse um

to another facility outside the CCC.

1. The op ening of the C ap itol The atre will re quire a r ep ositioning of the m ission

of the Kiwanis The atre , along with co ord inated or joint op e rations with the

Ca pitol Thea tre to e nsure the viab ility of b oth ve nues .

2. In the short to me dium-te rm, re venue s for the Kiwanis Theatre a re at risk of

d e cline following the o pe ning of the C ap itol The atre . At the sa me time , a

re loca tion of e ither the Thame s Art Galle ry or the C hatham-Ke nt Muse um to

anothe r fac ility outside the C CC will have a c ost implica tion. Both of thes e

circumstances will imp act the CC Cs ove rall b udg e t req uire me nt for a nnual

operations.

3. The Kiwanis The atre r e qu ire s significa nt ca p ital inve stme nts (pha se 2 catwalk,

sound system, new seating), along with the adoption ofnew operating

procedures and technologies to successfully meet its mission.

4. Over all, the C CC s physical plant is tire d and in nee d of ae sthetic re newal and

re novation, including a r e configu ration of the b ox office are a, imp rove d

acc es sibility to the Kiwanis Theatre, the a dd re ssing of b ackstage issue s, the

addressing ofdisplay-space issues for the Thames Art Gallery and theChatham-Kent Museum, and the add res sing of storage issue s re lated to all 3

venues.

5. The C CCs manag eme nt mode l and s taffing comp leme nt is incre asingly

inade quate to mee t the growing se rvice and op era tional de mands face d b y the

CCC.


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6. Opp ortunities to deve lop corp orate sp onsorships, be que sts, and p lanned

giving for the CCC are not being pursued.

7. Although highly value d b y its p atrons, the CC C ha s a low pr ofile in Chatham-

Ke nt that is fe d b y the p e rce ption outside the City of Chatham that the CC C

functions primarily as a venue for City residents.

8. Re pre se ntation on the C CC s thre e a dvisory committe e s is not re pre se ntative

of the e ntire municipality.

9. Re lative to the Kiwanis The atre , the Tham e s Art Galle ry and the C hatham -Ke nt

Museum g ene rate a lower numb er of purp ose visits. There is an ap pre ciab le

degree ofcrossover between the Theatre audience and that ofthe other two

venues.

10. The C CC d oes not currently posse ss a c ompre hensive a nd d etailed marketing

strate gy with a m arke ting b udg e t that is co mme nsurate with its ne e d.

11. Op por tunitie s for joint pr ogr amming among the CC Cs venue s are not

currently being explored and developed.

12. The CCC doe s not currently p osse ss a n e valuation frame work that measure s

its social and economic contribution to the community.

13. The future o f the C CC will affe ct the Municipa litys e cono mic de velop me nt

sell, affect its place competitiveness, and affect its potential for cultural

tourism.

5.3 Implications of Major Issues and Themes

The major issues and themes that are cited above have significant implications for

the future de velopme nt ofthe Chatham C ultural Ce ntre and for the over all cultural

de velopme nt of Chatham-Kent. Thes e the me s a nd issue s also have significantimp lica tions for the leve l of financ ial sup p ort that the Municip ality pr ovide s to the

CCC. Accordingly, in shaping the recommendations contained in this Master Plan,

our intent has b ee n:

a. To ens ure that the o vera ll strateg ic d ire ction pre scribe d in this Master Plan

enab les the CC C to mee t the ob jectives that are mandated by the


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Municipality within the CCCs mission statement and within the mission

statements ofits 3 venues.

b . To e nsure that the individua l re comm e nda tions contained in this Maste r

Plan a re conside re d within the larg e r c onte xt of Cha tham-Ke nts o vera ll

cultural de velopme nt, and

c. To ens ure that, in the light of (a) and (b), the individua l re comm e nda tions

contained in this Master Plan offer the most cost-effective solutions.

Beyond serving these three primary intents, our recommendations have also been

shap e d with a view to how, give the place comp e titivene ss in which C anad ian

citie s ar e now eng ag ed , the CC C c an contrib ute to Cha tham-Ke nts e conomic

development.

More sp e cifically, our vie w is that a re newa l of the CC C in the context of the

overa ll cultural d e velopme nt of Chatham-Ke nt can he lp re- pos ition Chatham-Ke ntas a comm unity that unde rstands the cre ative e conomy and that, throug h the

pr ovision of an a rra y of high-qua lity cultural am e nitie s, is re -tooling to a ttrac t the

Cre ative C lass of e ntre pr ene urs and white-collar worke rs who incre asingly drive

Ontarios economic growth.

The cre ative e conomy and the Cre ative C lass are term s that have b ee n

pop ularized b y e conomics g uru Richar d Florida, Dire ctor of the Martin Prospe rity

Institute a t the Univer sity of Tor ontos Rotman Schoo l of Busines s.

As re fe re nced in our ope ning state me nt of philosop hy, the cre ative e conomy

refers to the various economic sectors that draw in large part upon the energies

and talents ofthe Creative Class. These economic sectors include private sector

enterprises involved with the creation ofnew products and services: for example,

advertising agencies, new media and software development, financial services,

med ical rese arch, eng inee ring, and architecture. However, the cre ative ec onomy

also e mb rac es the non-profit cultural sec tor: a rts and he ritag e org anizations,

muse ums, theatres , fe stivals, p ub lic a rt galler ie s, and arts e duc ation.

The de fining chara cteristic o f the Cre ative Class which d rives the cre ativeeconomy is that its members work with ideas. On balance, they are also young,

highly ed ucated , se lf-motivate d, and e ntre pre neur ial.

The re ce ntly release d re port, Ontario In The Creative Age , authore d b y Richard

Florida a nd Rog er Martin for the Gove rnme nt of Ontario, states that 30 pe rce nt of

Ontarios worke rs ar e now cr e ativity-b as e d while a cc ounting for almost 50


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percent ofall wages. The report cites that physically orientedjobs (e.g.,

manufacturing, transportation and construction) have decreased from 29 percent

to 22 pe rce nt over the pa st 25 ye ars. Employment in the se industrie s is pr oje cted

to continue er od ing while em ployment in the c re ative ec onomy se ctors will

continue expanding.6 Else where , most notab ly in Rise of the Cre ative Class and

Whos Your City, Richard Florida argues that cities that investment in cultural

ame nitie s a re ad vantag e d in attracting and re taining cre ativity-bas ed industrie s

and workers.

Give n this a nalysis, we b e lieve that this Maste r Plan for the CC C should b e se e n,

at one and the same time, as both a blueprint for the future ofthe CCC and a

critical co mp one nt of the Municipalitys strateg y for e conomic d e velopme nt.

6 Ontario In The Creative Age, Richard Florida and Roger Martin, Martin Prosperity Institute, Toronto, Ont., Feb. 5, 2009.


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Section 6

Caveats and Cautions on this Project

There are a numbe r of caveats and cautions that the re ade r should b ea r in mind

when re vie wing this Re por t. The se are :

1. Futu re Uncer tainty Regar ding Other Munic ipal Cultu ral Facilities : TheMunicip ality of Cha tham-Ke nt maintains a p ortfolio of e xisting and po tential

cultural asse ts throug hout its are a. In ad dition to the CC C, these include the

Ca pitol Thea tre , the Armoury, the Pines Cha pe l, and various othe rs. Thus the

CC C nec e ssar ily op e rates within a network or system of cultural facilitie s

throug hout the municipality. As these fac ilitie s all dr aw up on a nd influe nce the

cultura l aud ie nce within the c omm unity, the y all will affe ct one anothe r to a

greater or lesser degree.While this project is a Master Plan to guide the future

ofthe CCC, we have not developed similar Master Plans for these other

facilities. Their future operations and requirements may influence the

de velopment of the CCC.

The most critical in this re ga rd , of cours e , is the Ca pitol The atre and its po te ntial

imp act upon the Kiwanis Theatre. (Many of our inte rvie wee s e xpre sse d

concern that the Capitol might end up competing directly with the Kiwanis for

comm unity use , es pe cially if it was not ab le to d raw in and sustain the touring

shows upon which its b usiness mode l is p red icated.) However, our a pp roach is

based upon an assumption that the Capitol Theatre will ope rate ac cording tothe plan ado pted b y Counc il, and b e a suc ce ssful ope ration. Spe cifically, we

assume the following:

The Ca p itol The atre and the Kiwanis thea tre will cater to e sse ntially two

separate, distinct and non-overlapping niches; the Kiwanis being the small-

scale intimate and affordable theatre venue intended primarily for

community use and small-scale productions with smaller audience appeal

(e.g. c hamb e r music). In c on

Documents

Chatham Cultural Centre Master Plan