News Today
Community Consultations in Trent Hills and Cornwall
Brian, Ariana and Meredith just returned from an enjoyable week in Trent Hills, Ontario where we conducted a series of public meetings to engage the residents in the development of their Cultural Plan. We met with a range of people from all sectors and gathered a great deal of valuable information. We also really enjoyed the delicious local food!
We have also been out in Cornwall with Sierra Planning, starting up the community consultation process there. We had some initial sessions in early November, and will be back several times this month to meet with a range of stakeholders in the region.
Exciting update: new project in Newfoundland
We are working with Theatre Newfoundland Labrador on a feasibility study for a new facility for their Gros Morne Theatre Festival out in Cow Head, Newfoundland - that's on the west coast, in the gorgeous Gros Morne National Park. We have thoroughly enjoyed our on-site visits to this beautiful location and are excited to be working with such a great group of people.
New Project: Trent Hills Municipal Cultural Plan
Novita Interpares is pleased to announce that we have been awarded the job to develop a Municipal Cultural Plan for the Municipality of Trent Hills. We look forward to working with the residents, community groups, municipal staff, Council, and the Mayor on a MCP for this growing community.
Leslie’s work with Tides Canada Initiatives
Leslie’s consulting role as Interim Director of Tides Canada Initiatives officially came to an end in May as the new permanent Director, Margaret Dickson, takes on the position, based in Vancouver.
Leslie will be continuing her consulting work with Tides Canada with a focus on Ontario outreach and development, with funding support from Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Shakespeare by the Sea Pro Bono work
Brian has been working with the popular and successful Halifax theatre company Shakespeare by the Sea on charting their course for the future.
Shakespeare by the Sea was founded in 1994 by Patrick Christopher-Carter and Elizabeth Murphy, and has been successfully producing highly accessible theatre outdoors in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park for seventeen seasons. Current Artistic Director, Elizabeth Murphy, is a long time friend of Brian’s, and casual discussions about the company’s future led to Brian offering to lend Novita’s management expertise and resources to help the company develop its long term plan.
Brian presented his thoughts to the Board in mid-June, and his ideas were warmly received. A visioning workshop will be held in late summer to set goals for the next decade.
http://www.shakespearebythesea.ca/
Collaboration for Innovation Symposium – June 2, 2010
Leslie, Ariana, and Meredith attended the Collaboration for Innovation: A Non-Profit Sector Imperative symposium, presented by the Ontario Trillium Foundation on June 2.
The panel session on practical examples of collaboration within the nonprofit sector provided great insights and tips on how to facilitate and sustain successful collaboration.
http://otfsymposiumfto.wordpress.com/
Lunenburg Architectural Conference – May 26-29, 2010
Brian attended the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada/Societe pour L’etude de L’architecture au Canada’s 37th annual conference at the end of May. It was held at the Fisheries Museum of the North Atlantic, which is literally a one minute walk from our Lunenburg office and Brian’s home in Lunenburg.
The conference had attendees from across Canada, and 40 papers were presented on a wide range of topics under the theme “Traditions of Ingenuity/La creativite au Coeur de la tradition” – a fitting topic in this particular setting.
In addition, there was a public presentation on the reconstruction of St. John’s Church Lunenburg (a National Historic Site), following its near destruction by fire in late 2001.
Culture Grows Here Conference – May 5-6
Ariana and Meredith attended the Culture Grows Here conference at Georgian College. Organized by a group of Cultural Directors from several municipalities, the conference included a tour of some of the region’s renovated heritage buildings and a day of presentations from a variety of people working in the cultural sector
One of the highlights was the keynote speech by Eddie Friel from Glasgow, Scotland. He recounted his experiences over the past 20 years as he worked to improve the economic situation in Glasgow through developing its cultural institutions and turning it from the slum of Scotland to one of its premier tourist destinations.
