CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT | ||||
Approval of matching funds for Vancouver`s Cultural Capitals of Canada celebrations. |
A. THAT Council approve implementation of the Vancouver Arts Awards component of the Cultural Capitals of Canada program, budgeted to cost $530,000 with revenues from earned income, sponsorships, media partnerships, Federal and City matching funds.
B. THAT Council approve allocation of up to $218,000 to the Society to Bridge Arts and Community to produce the Vancouver Arts Awards; source of funds to be $51,000 from the "Opportunities" provision within the 2003 Operating budget for this event; further, an advance of $167,000, also from the "Opportunities" provision, to be reimbursed in early 2004 from the $500,000 in Federal matching funds approved from the Cultural Capitals of Canada program.
C. THAT the City enter into an agreement with Greater Vancouver Society to Bridge Arts and Community for the provision of services to produce the Vancouver Arts Awards in accordance with terms set out herein and otherwise to the satisfaction of the Director of Legal Services and the Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs, it being understood that no legal relations are created hereby and none shall arise until the agreement is executed by the Director of Legal Services on behalf of the City.
The City Manager RECOMMENDS the foregoing, noting that implementation of the Vancouver Arts Awards in the Orpheum includes a television and radio broadcast of the awards gala, highlighting Vancouver as a Cultural Capital of Canada and celebrating the achievements of our creative community.
In July, 2003, Council approved planning and development of two celebrations arising from Vancouver's designation as a Cultural Capital of Canada: the Vancouver Arts Awards and a waterfront festival centred on False Creek.
In October, 2002, Council approved up to $250,000 in City matching funds for two celebrations conditional on the City being selected as a Cultural Capital of Canada and being awarded $500,000 in Federal matching funds. In May, 2003, Vancouver was successful in being designated and Federal matching funds were committed. This report recommends how the City and Federal matching funds be apportioned between the two celebrations, notes that planning for the first of these, the Vancouver Arts Awards, has been completed, and recommends funds for its implementation.
This report describes the apportioning of City and Federal matching funds for Vancouver's Cultural Capitals of Canada celebrations and requests approval to release up to $218,000 to implement the Vancouver Arts Awards from funds previously approved for this purpose.
In October, 2002, Council conditionally approved two celebrations as part of the application to the Cultural Capitals of Canada program, and up to $250,000 in matching funds for these events should the application be successful. In May, 2003, the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced that Vancouver had been designated a Cultural Capital of Canada and approved up to $500,000 in matching funds for two celebrations. The resources required for the Vancouver Arts Awards and a waterfront festival will come from the following combination of revenues:
In July 2003, Council authorized planning funds of $32,000 for the Vancouver Arts Awards
and $23,000 for the waterfront festival. Plans for the Vancouver Arts Awards are now in place, with a budgeted cost of $530,000 to create an event for both a live and a television audience. The Awards presentations are set for March 19, 2004 in the Orpheum Theatre. The program and budget for the waterfront festival is still in development and will be the subject of a further report to Council early in the new year.
The planning work for the Arts Awards was conducted by the Society to Bridge Arts and Community, a charitable entity under the direction of the Alliance for Arts and Culture. The plans include details about the award categories, the jury process, communications and sponsorship strategies, and are accompanied by an overall event budget. Program discussion with CBC Television about artist selection for the gala performance is also underway. Please see APPENDIX A "Vancouver Arts Awards Update".
The 2004 Awards are projected to generate a surplus to provide working capital for the development of the 2005 event. The contract with the Society will address the uses of such a surplus while protecting the City from any deficit.
With the budget for the Arts Awards now in place, the apportioning of the City and Federal matching funds to both celebrations is needed. This will provide certainty to the Awards and clarify the matching funds envelope for the waterfront festival. An approach for apportioning these funds is described below, and the full implementation of the Vancouver Arts Awards program is recommended.
As the Awards program rapidly moves toward implementation and the waterfront festival planning phase proceeds, the two celebrations will need allocations from the $750,000 of combined City and Federal matching funds.
An analysis of the Vancouver Arts Awards budget indicates that they require up to $250,000 of combined City and Federal matching funds. The organizers anticipate that this contribution will enable them to present a "must see" experience in the Orpheum to a new audience and also ensures a high-quality program for television broadcast. Staff support this level of allocation from the matching funds.
Based on the track record of the costs incurred by producers of outdoor festivals in Vancouver, it is clear that the waterfront festival will incur significant expenses for outdoor event infrastructure and security. Given that the event is a multi-day festival, over a large site, with little existing infrastructure, its costs will be much higher than the Arts Awards. Staff recommend that $500,000 of the remaining City and Federal funds be reserved for delivery of this new festival.
TABLE 1 APPORTIONING CITY AND FEDERAL MATCHING FUNDS OF $750,000
|
|
| ||
|
|
| ||
The City's contribution to the $750,000 in matching funds is $250,000. Assuming a proportional allocation (1:2 City to Federal contributions) the City's share is set out below:
TABLE 2 DISBURSEMENT OF CITY PORTION OF MATCHING FUNDS
|
|
| ||
|
|
|
| |
However, due to the pressing time frame for delivering the Vancouver Arts Awards in March, staff request authorization to disburse up to $218,000 from the City's existing funds, through a contract with the Society to Bridge Arts and Community. The Society requires these funds to ensure a successful event. The $218,000 request consists of:
· $51,000 based on the disbursement of City funds described in Table 2, and
· $167,000 as an advance on the funds to be received from the Federal government.
The requirement for advanced funds arose from a need to clarify the terms of the Contribution Agreement as proposed by the Department of Canadian Heritage. This process has now been completed and the Federal matching contribution is to be received within two months.
In October 2002, Council approved the allocation of $250,000 in funds from the newly established $400,000 "Opportunity" grants, for the organization and hosting of the 2004 Vancouver Arts Awards and the waterfront festival. In July 2003, Council authorized planning funds of $32,000 for the Vancouver Arts Awards and $23,000 for the waterfront festival. If the recommendations of this report are approved, a total of $273,000 will have been allocated for these events from the "Opportunities" provision in 2003. However, $167,000 of the $273,000 allocated will be reimbursed in early 2004 from the $500,000 in Federal matching funds approved from the Cultural Capitals of Canada program. Therefore, the net City support for the two events to-date is $106,000.
The Director, Office of Cultural Affairs recommends approval of the formula for apportioning matching funds between the Vancouver Arts Awards and the waterfront festival; requests approval for an advance to the Awards from within the existing City funds; and recommends approval of disbursements of funds to implement the Vancouver Arts Awards.
APPENDIX A
Approval of matching funds for Vancouver's Cultural Capitals of Canada celebrations
The Vancouver Arts Awards will honour a wide range of achievements by individuals from the creative community, both established and emerging. Winners in each category will receive an award and be the subject of a mini-biography on CBC Television. The winners will also designate a new or emerging artist to receive a Commission for creation of a new work. The Award's theme of recognition for both established and emerging artists is captured in the sub-title for this celebration: "Vancouver Arts Awards - Honouring Achievement and Promise".
As noted in the July 2003 report, there are eight award categories: Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Design Arts, Media and Recording Arts, Writing and Publishing, Culinary Arts, Cultural Philanthropy, and a People's Choice Award. The latter award will determined by a public vote in March. The criteria for all other awards require the nominees to:
· reside in Greater Vancouver or to have been resident during a period of major professional achievement;
· have gained recognition by the public and professional peers for previous accomplishments;
· have demonstrated creative originality, professional maturity and artistic leadership.
While only one award will be given in any category, the range of activities eligible for consideration in that category is intentionally broad. For example in "Design Arts", recognition can be given to achievement in architecture, graphic, interior, landscape or new media design; or fashion and apparel design. Over time, this list of activities will be adjusted or refined to ensure the awards continue to reflect the character of Vancouver's creative community.
The task of selection will be put to a culturally diverse and balanced jury of five or more professional peers. Jury selection is expected to be completed in December, 2003, with deliberations starting in January, 2004. The names of the individuals chosen by the juries are to be announced in February.
A layered communications strategy is in place, and the first step, a public call for nominations, has already been delivered. The timing for the call took advantage of a window in CBC Radio and Television's promotion schedule, and was backed by transit shelter posters, print ads, e-mail campaigns, and links from the City, Alliance and CBC web sites to www.vancouverartsawards.ca.
The next step is a major promotional campaign in February, starting with the announcement of the award winners. The campaign will heighten interest by asking the public to vote on the People's Choice award, and coincides with the announcement of the gala's artistic program and the opening of ticket sales for the Friday, March 19, 2004 gala evening in the Orpheum.
The February campaign will again be delivered through the electronic media partners, CBC Radio and Television, and a print media partner, as well as transit shelter ads, inserts in event programs, posters, mailings, e-mail and the web site.
The sponsorship strategy proposes a multi-year perspective in which relationships with corporate sponsors are developed over time, while retaining the valuable media sponsors already in place. The immediate priorities are to secure a print media partner, obtain sponsorships for artist's Commissions, and create a "Patrons Council" of influential volunteers to further the relationship-building strategy. Advertising opportunities in the gala's program are being defined at this time, and work is proceeding on communicating sponsorship categories and the sponsor benefits attendant on making multi-year commitments to the Awards.
The budget for the 2004 Vancouver Arts Awards represents the first step in a strategy to build audiences, develop sponsorships, and demonstrate financial sustainability. The 2004 Awards are projected to generate a surplus from earned revenues, which are to be dedicated as working capital for developing the 2005 event. The Agreement between the City and Society will cover the uses of the projected surplus and protect the City from liability in case of a deficit. Revenues for the Vancouver Arts Awards include corporate sponsorships, media partnerships, and in-kind contributions in addition to matching funds from the City and Department of Canadian Heritage.