A response to a community need For over 20 years, Arts Ottawa East and Ottawa residents have called for an arts facility that will give access to dynamic thought-provoking arts programming in both English and French. A facility of this kind would nurture creativity and provide a stage for different types of artistic expression. In response to this need, the City of Ottawa, supported by the Government of Ontario, approved the construction of the Shenkman Arts Centre – the crown jewel of the larger Orleans Town Centre Partnership. Construction is well underway, with an expected completion date of spring 2009. The Shenkman Arts Centre is located in the heart of Ottawa’s east end. The Centre will be the base from which artists and arts groups will present creative and responsive bilingual arts programming for Ottawa communities. The arts centre will be a creative hub that will: - ensure high quality French and English programming for children, youth, adults and seniors in Ottawa and its surrounding areas;
- promote the advancement of arts education;
- encourage the personal development of youth through the arts;
- provide employment for artists; and
- create opportunities for the growth and development of local arts organizations.
This 84,000 square foot facility will feature a 500-seat performing arts hall, a 100-seat studio theatre, a municipal art gallery, visual arts and pottery studios, along with other amenities designed to serve the arts community, patrons and visitors. It will be home to Arts Ottawa East (AOE), Mouvement d’implication francophone d’Orléans (MIFO), Orleans Young Players Theatre School, Ottawa School of Art - Orléans Campus (OSA) and the Gloucester Pottery School. In addition, more than 60 arts organizations will use this facility as a central location from which they can create, educate and disseminate their art. Sustaining creativity and growth through endowment The Shenkman Arts Centre offers an opportunity to establish a means of critical, long-term funding for the arts in Ottawa, and to make a profound lasting impact on the cultural life in this community. This will be achieved through an endowment fund that will provide a reliable stream of annual funding and form a base of support for the myriad of activities that will take place within the new centre. AOE is an umbrella organization representing more than 80 arts organizations and over 150 individuals. It is dedicated to promoting, supporting and developing the practice and appreciation of the arts in Ottawa and has embarked on a campaign to raise $5 million to establish this endowment. The donations made to this fund are securely invested and an allocation of its income will be made each year in perpetuity to organizations and individuals who apply for funding. Opportunities created by the endowment fund This fund will support emerging or established artists as well as non-profit organizations wishing to bring innovative arts programming to the Shenkman Arts Centre. Funding will be awarded for the creation and independent production of new work in all disciplines, including the literary arts, visual arts, independent film and video, music composition and production, dance choreography, theatre, new media initiatives via internet, and broadcasting. Funding will also be available for collaborative projects involving more than one artist, professional development and capacity building for local arts organizations, and festival or large-scale exhibit activities. The Shenkman Arts Centre is a bilingual facility and as such, the ARTicipate! Endowment Fund will support both English and French activities. It will also support the Centre’s resident arts organizations, to help develop and sustain arts programming within the Centre, build organizational capacity and finance equipment needs. Funding to date To date, the ARTicipate! campaign has successfully surpassed 83% of its $5 million goal, with $2.5 million granted from the Province of Ontario and the balance from generous benefactors such as the Shenkman Family Foundation, whose donation of $1 million helped launch the campaign. In November 2008, the Minto Foundation and Trinity Development Foundation each donated $250,000, while Bel-Air Toyota and MBNA Canada Bank each contributed $25,000 to the fund. Your investment Imagine providing a means for an emerging artist to pursue his or her passion for the arts, helping a young person learn how to paint, or supporting a charitable arts organization to enrich the cultural life in this community! Because of the enduring nature of endowments, your contribution will ensure all of this and more will be possible year after year. As evidence of your investment at work, you will receive yearly reports on how the allocation from the endowment fund was used. There are many ways to support this endowment fund. A donation of cash is the most common; however donations of shares of public companies are increasingly popular and very beneficial to donors. Please contact AOE for more information on the benefits and how you can support this campaign. Recognition Arts Ottawa East will be pleased to discuss the recognition and dedication opportunities that are available for your consideration. For more information, please contact ARTicipate Campaign Director, Chantal Rodier at: 613-580-2767 or chantal@artsoe.ca. |