Kingston Culture Plan
Approved by Council last September, the Kingston Culture Plan (or KCP) is the City's first ever cultural master plan and is intended to help shape Kingston's cultural development over the next decade. The approved plan is available for download at right.
"The recommendations in the plan are aimed at enhancing how we feature Kingston's many cultural gifts — our heritage, our artists, dancers and musicians, our excellent venues, and beautiful vistas," says Brian McCurdy, Director Cultural Services. "The Culture Plan is about more consciously celebrating our assets to enrich the experience of living and visiting here."
The Plan was developed with the benefit of extensive public and stakeholder input culminating in a total of 60 recommendations that speak to issues like the following:
- Cultural spaces: these recommendations include Kingston City Hall, the Grand Theatre and local museums as well as soon-to-be-built venues like the J.K. Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning, along with other cultural spaces that include streets and heritage districts; community cultural hubs and arts blocks; and arts and cultural spaces in rural Kingston.
- Capacity: these recommendations directly relate to strengthening the cultural sector overall, including building stronger ties among diverse cultural stakeholders, identifying potential new funding sources for arts and heritage groups and building up cultural capital.
- Cultural Tourism: these recommendations focus on how various cultural tourism initiatives can benefit residents as well as visitors to the area by leveraging the cultural resources that exist and helping local stakeholders work together more effectively.
To learn more about how this plan will enhance the cultural vitality of Kingston, please contact Colin Wiginton, Manager, Cultural Services Department, City of Kingston, at 613-546-4291, ext. 1357 or cwiginton@cityofkingston.ca.
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THE PLAN'S PURPOSE
The Kingston Culture Plan is informed by a number of City plans and priorities (see links at right) and is be guided by advice and feedback received from the public and key stakeholders. City staff and Canadian Urban Institute specialists worked with the community to identify a shared set of needs, aspirations and values that will continue to make Kingston an exciting and exceptional place to live.
The Kingston Culture Plan:
- Articulates a sustainable, authentic, long-term vision for cultural vitality in Kingston;
- Develops a list of strategic directions, initiatives and recommendations for action as well as a timeline for their implementation;
- Identifies possibilities for connections between cultural organizations and other stakeholders as well as opportunities for collaboration among City departments to achieve municipal/community strategic objectives.
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PROJECT STAGES AND TIMELINES |
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Stage 1 (July to October 2009) |
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Understanding Kingston The focus of Stage 1 is to discover what makes Kingston unique. It involves talking to people, identifying cultural resources, understanding the relationships and partnerships that exist and beginning to scope the potential opportunities and strategies that could be pursued as part of the final plan. |
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Deliverable: |
Stage 1 Update |
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Stage 2 (November 2009 to March 2010) |
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Assessing Opportunities and Determining Priorities The focus of Stage 2 is to assess the principles, strategic directions and "big moves" that have been proposed as a result of Stage 1. It involves creating a sense of consensus around the ideas and directions that have been identified as a way to set priorities, mobilize resources, determine partnerships and generate support and enthusiasm. |
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Deliverable: |
Draft Recommendation for the Kingston Culture Plan |
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Stage 3 (April to July 2010) |
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Presentation of The Kingston Culture Plan The focus of Stage 3 is to move toward the delivery of the Kingston Culture Plan that has been created in collaboration with as many stakeholders as possible and that can be presented to Council for review and approval. It involves the development of an Implementation Plan that will identify the necessary resources and guide the work of City staff over a 10 to 20 year period. |
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Deliverable: |
Kingston Culture Plan with Implementation Plan. |
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