Council considers a Cultural Village for Windsor

By Christy Marsters

Utata and Quick-as-a-Wink are teaming up with a plan to bring an arts centre and cultural village to Windsor.

Michelle Herx, executive director of Quick-as-a-Wink, first approached Catherine Jamieson, founder of Utata, about partnering to establish a theatre in the Town of Windsor. Since, further thoughts have led the pair to expand their ideas to include a new arts centre facility and cultural village.

A draft proposal to build a creative economy and revitalize Windsor’s downtown core was brought to council during a Committee of the Whole session on March 10.

This project is a community builder, as it will create places to go and things to do for those who live here, Jamieson said. “And, it will bring in other people.”

The idea behind the project is to benefit cultural groups and offer programs to everyone, Jamieson said. “You can’t hate arts and culture, it’s for everyone. I am excited this will provide a social regeneration for the town.”

The Arts Centre, phase one of the project, will ideally be built where the abandoned Windsor Wear Factory Outlet now exists. The proposed facility would include a theatre, a gallery space, an artisan area, classrooms, meeting rooms, a café, an art supply store, a print shop, other specialty arts spaces, small arts retail outlets, and a gift store.

The second phase of the project aims to develop the waterfront area surrounding the Arts Centre as a Cultural Village. This stage is expected to take up to 48 months to complete but when finished, would include commercial, retail, service-hospitality spaces, administrative areas and potentially residential lands around the existing Sam Slick building, Pisiquid Boat Club, Dufferin Place and waterfront lands.

All areas created are aimed at complimenting the creative economy theme.

Small towns often lack the resources and opportunities for cultural enrichment. Jamieson noted. “You can’t sustain your other developments this way. We need to bring in a creative industry.”

In 2007, the Conference Board of Canada estimated the culture sector now accounts for the same number of jobs as the combined sectors of agriculture, forestry, fishing, gas, mining, and oil, Jamieson said. “This is a very good social and economic thing, and the really cool spin-off is tourism. What we are planning to do here is really amazing.”

When there’s a comfortable place for people to gather and talk, it changes the entire dynamic of a community, Jamieson noted. “Creativity can change the world. It’s the most important thing in the world. To make a positive, tangible, sustainable change.”

The council appeared to be receptive to the ideas, Jamieson added. “This place doesn’t feel so desolated to me anymore, there is a real energy in the air. And, the town’s response (to this seems) extremely positive.”

Mayor Paul Beazley said he thought this is a very interesting idea driven by the arts community. While there’s still a lot to review the initial response is favorable, according to Beazley. “It’s an exciting project, there’s not doubt about it,” Mayor Beazley said. “It’s a good concept and big project. And, it’s going to depend on all the partners involved. We’ll need to see support from the RDA and various community groups to really work together. “And, I think (the art centre) is a good fit. If you look at the way the downtown is evolving the arts fit into the town’s historic downtown. “

This project is in the very early stages and there will be many hurtles involving money, partnerships and location to cross, Beazley added. “But, the important thing is this is the community expressing interest in what the downtown should look like. “The downtown is sort of a life blood for the whole community and a vibrant downtown is needed for Windsor and West Hants.”