Downtown Peterborough: a place rich in architectural heritage and symbolic meaning, a meeting and presentation place for artists and creative workers, a site of cultural production and experimentation, a crucial location for studios and rehearsal spaces, an affordable place to live. As new demographic and development pressures come to bear in the downtown area, fresh challenges and opportunities emerge to preserve and enhance the physical and social fabric of the downtown community. At this critical juncture, this EC3 Cultural Incubator asks:

• How can the arts, culture, and heritage sectors work together to support place-based economic development that strengthens, rather than displaces, existing communities?
• How can we ensure that our unique arts community and heritage assets are preserved and encouraged as a central aspect of our identity?

Electric City Culture Council gathered a panel of experts to Lett Architects on April 11th, 2018 to explore these questions through presentations and discussion with local arts, culture and heritage leaders. The evening was moderated by Mark Seasons, a professor at the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, and included presentations from Erik Hanson (City of Peterborough) who discussed heritage preservation processes and trends in Peterborough, and Margie Zeidler (Urban Space Property Group) offered insights from the experience of developing the 401 Richmond site in Toronto.

The event was held on, recorded and edited on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe. It was prepared for podcast distribution by Rob Hailman for Peterborough Independent Podcasters.

Listen to the podcast

Add https://projects.ptbopodcasters.ca/feed/podcast/re-location to your podcast player of choice to download and listen to this event on the go.

These are the highlights from Trent Radio’s live broadcast from Hunter Street on July 1 during the day-long street festival celebrating arts and culture in Peterborough.

Electric City Culture Council and Artspace invited media artists to create a silent film with the theme of “recasting the past and inventing alternative futures.” Musicians and sound artists accompanied these films, and they performed live on the street while the films were screened nearby.

In this podcast, you’ll hear the perspectives of those artists on the day of, interviewed by Trent Radio programmer Wes Grist.

New Visions/Old Land was curated by Kelly Egan.

The New Visions Old Land Artists were: Meagan Christou, Andrew Savery-Whiteway, Kerri Kennedy, Jake Ryan, Shannon Taylor, Benj Rowland, Joeann Argue, Cara Mumford, and Nick Ferrio.

The live broadcast was coordinated by Jill Staveley and Wes Grist at Trent Radio. The event was recorded and edited for podcast distribution by Ayesha Barmania for Peterborough Independent Podcasters.

 

Peterborough has long embraced the extraordinary beauty of the heritage buildings that grace its downtown and the value and significance of both their architectural and social history. These buildings are the “jewels in our crown” and so are the dozens of artists, curators, writers, and gallerists who live and work there.  Numerous restaurants, bars and pubs housed in these spaces are well established venues for a wealth of musicians, poets, performance artists, painters and photographers to present their work and build their practice. People gather in the downtown to socialize, make, see and respond to art works.  Arts, culture and heritage interact in a fluid and organic way that fosters innovative thinking and creative mastery when people live and work together in this kind of environment.

We know we need more housing densification in the downtown and we need a variety of housing to support all different kinds of citizens who need and want to be part of the downtown experience.  How can we make this happen?  Can we plan ahead, work in advance with developers and not-for-profit organizations and social enterprise initiatives.  Who’s in charge?  What actions can we take to manage demographic shifts and population growth?  How do we support artists and protect our unique heritage?

Electric City Culture Council gathered a panel of experts to Evans Contemporary on June 1, 2017 from across the province to speak on this issue and engage in a community conversation about how Peterborough can move ahead.

The panel was moderated by Michael Gallant, design principal and architect at Lett Architects, and was composed of:

• Jeremy Freiburger: Chief Connector and Cultural Strategist, COBALT Connects, Hamilton
• Catherine Nasmith, Architect
• Laurel Paluck, artist-at-large

The event was recorded and edited for podcast distribution by Ayesha Barmania for Peterborough Independent Podcasters.

Listen to the podcast

Add https://projects.ptbopodcasters.ca/feed/podcast/spaceforus to your podcast player of choice to download and listen to this event on the go.