This letter was sent to members of the St. John’s arts community and released publicly in 2002 in an effort to save the Independent Artists Cooperative.
WE NEED THE DEED
In 2002 the City of St John’s issued a call to the public asking if there were any parties interested in converting the property at 2-4 Symes Bridge into an artists workspace. The Independent Artists Cooperative, newly formed specifically to address the serious lack of workspace facing St. John’s based artists, prepared a proposal that was tabled and passed at a meeting of St. John’s City Council in the June of 2002. The City’s Council Directive read as follows.
Date: 2002/06/25
D# R2002-06-25/16
To: Ronald Penney
Position: Chief Commissioner/City Solicitor
RE: 2-4 Syme’s Bridge Road – Artist Run Cooperative Proposal
DECISION: Council accepted your recommendation to lease the above property to the Cooperative for $1.00 per year until the upgrades have been completed, at which time the property will be conveyed to the Cooperative for $1.00 subject to it being used for arts-related purposes
Signed by: Damian Ryan
City Clerk
The crux of our proposal to the City was ownership of the property. We felt and still feel that this is crucial to the vision of the cooperative as an independent entity and a place where artists are in control of their own destiny. Instead of reflecting this in a contract agreement the City ‘s Legal Department presented the IAC with a standard month by month tenants lease agreement. The essence of the agreement was that the IAC undertake all responsibility for the upgrade and maintenance of the building, including insurance, and that the City of St. John’s take none. We were told the strength of this special arrangement was in the Council Directive and that this month by month lease was “the best thing for us”.
In the spirit of good faith the Independent Artists Cooperative took possession of the property and went about trying to create the budget to undertake the necessary renovations. In the meantime we have worked to improve the property, which was in a state of great disrepair. We removed truckloads of garbage and debris, replaced outdoor steps, removed the fence broken by City plows in the winter, removed moldy walls and floor, fixed roofing, replaced gyprock and plywood and replaced basic plumbing as all the plumbing in the property was corroded.
Our First Efforts – Independent Fundraising
Early in our first year we were approached by The Quidi Vidi Brewing Company. They were inspired by our independent identity and wanted to help us with our renovations project. As an independent brewery they saw a natural connection between the work our artists do and the work that they do. We developed a large scale fundraiser – a Music festival called Rocktoberfest, a Celebration of Independence. It would showcase the work of independent bands in the City as well as the products of The Quidi Vidi Brewing Company and Rodriguez Wine Vaults. They saw a great promotional event for themselves and at the same time they wanted to give back to the community, while celebrating the spirit of Independence. They were willing to give profits from both ticket sales and the bar sales to the IAC. In our calculations the Independent Artists Cooperative stood to make in excess of $40,000.
We went through all of the protocols and procedures with the City of St. John’s to plan the event to take place in Bannerman Park in the Fall of 2002. This included several consultations with the Events Planning Committee, the Fire Department and our Insurance Agent. The Rocktoberfest event was approved at a Public meeting of City Council and the IAC began making arrangements and booking bands for the event. Right out of the blocks this one initiative would have had us well on our way to achieving our renovation budget. Shortly after the proposal was approved the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company received a
call from the City Events Planning Committee and were told that Rocktoberfest had just been cancelled at a private meeting of City Council.
The Fallout from the City’s lack of support for independent artists was multifold – Quidi Vidi Brewing Company walked away and we had wasted time and money on the planning of the event. This was followed up shortly thereafter with more insult when the Peace A Chord Festival, one of our user groups and an event of both historical and current importance to many of our members, was thrown out of Bannerman Park.
Cultural Spaces Canada Proposal 2004-2005
In 2004 we began an arduous and very complex six month long application process with the federal funding agency – Cultural Spaces Canada. This is one of the few agencies in existence in Canada that provide funding for capital arts costs like Renovations to Buildings. It took countless hours of IAC members’ work time, eight meetings with CSC representative Michelle Haire, three special IAC board meetings and many consultations with the City Staff to create the application. One of the biggest stumbling blocks for Cultural Spaces Canada was the arrangement we had with the City. It was their concern that we had no security, that they could invest the $75,000 we were asking for and, according to the only legal document we have (a month to month lease) the City could take the property back tomorrow. They wanted a better arrangement for the IAC and so Cultural Spaces Canada agents went to the City staff and began trying to arrange a deal.
These meetings between the City Staff and Cultural Spaces Canada took place with out the knowledge of the IAC. We were called to a meeting between all parties and told that Cultural Spaces Canada wanted the City to invest real dollars in the Renovations Project to prove their commitment, since there was no real commitment on paper. It would also help us with a shortfall in our budget. The City Staff were prepared to usher this proposal into City Council and they were confident it would be approved. This would have had a $125,000.00 Renovations and Upgrade project on 2-4 Symes Bridge, including new equipment and soundproofing completed by March 2005. At a private meeting of City Council the proposal was put forward and rejected.
The application died there on the table. The future availability of Cultural Spaces Canada funding is unknown. When this mammoth effort by the IAC, CSC and City Staff was destroyed by City Council we were forced to re-examine our position.
We are in a classic Catch-22 situation. The working Board of Directors of the IAC has come to realize that the current arrangement we have with the City is rife with risk. Indeed, after four years of efforts we are no closer to owning the property than when we started. Our efforts to garner the support from City Council for our funding or fundraising proposals have ended in failure. We realize that we can no longer invest the efforts and funds of our members in the current situation without risking it all being taken away on a whim of the City Council. The City Council’s lack of support for the work of their own staff has also created a climate of discomfort with issues surrounding the IAC, making it difficult to even initiate discussion. We have attempted to rectify the contract issues with several departments at the City and have been essentially told to leave everything alone and keep quiet.
Most recently, early in 2006, an Ontario philanthropist expressed interest in our organization but lost interest when they recognized the complications of the lease.
We have exhausted every avenue at City Hall to gain the support necessary to renovate the building. We have had the funds practically in our hands twice and twice the City Council has destroyed our efforts. While every City Staff member we have encountered in our four years has been wonderful and supportive, and we genuinely thank them for all of their hard work and effort, City Council itself has not been operating in good faith. They have wasted our time and efforts for four years and we have had enough.
Fortunately for all parties involved the membership of the Independent Artists Cooperative have worked hard to formulate a resolution have come up with the perfect solution:
WE NEED THE DEED
With the deed we will be able to successfully access funding, we will be able to lever equity, have a leg to stand on at the bank and with private investors and we will no longer be reliant on the whim of City Council. As it is we have been investing in the City’s house for four years and it appears that they are reneging on their commitment to us.
The Independent Artists Cooperative demands that the City of St. John’s make good on its commitment to the independent artists of St. John’s.
WHEREAS the property at 2-4 Symes Bridge needs to upgraded
AND
WHEREAS the City Council of St. John’s will not support the efforts of the IAC to raise funds to upgrade the property
AND
WHEREAS the City of St. John’s will not undertake the renovations itself
AND
WHEREAS the independent artists who use and love the property have proven the need for this facility as well as their commitment to it
We, the Independent Artists Cooperative, demand the deed and title to the property at 2-4 Symes Bridge, as was the original intention of our proposal to City Council in 2002. We demand full deed and title by August 1, 2006.
We have been operating for four years in good faith, City Staff have been operating in good faith – it is the City Council that is not operating in good faith and without that no progress can be made.
WE NEED THE DEED.
The Independent Artists Cooperative – Who We Are
We are a cooperative of independent artists mandated to provide workspace, support services and programs to independent artists. We are a not-for-profit organization who operate on the combined forces of our members, associates and user groups. In our four years we have served hundreds of artists crossing all disciplines. Our faciltiy is always full. Over 50 artists are currently working in our space. The members of the IAC have developed many successful programs such as Rock School for Girls, Recording 101 Workshop Series, Graffiti Art Workshops Series, The Rock Can Roll Independent Music and Video Festival, Rock Can Roll Records, Rock Can Roll Records Distribution. We have released seven Newfoundland made recordings on our label in the last two years, supported numerous bands tours, offered all of our programs and workshops free to established and emerging artists and all of our public events are accessible to the audiences of St. John’s.
In our four years we have provided workspace to hundreds of musicians, writers, visual and performance artists. We have employed artists as coordinators, designers, mentors, performers, technicians, speakers, facilitators and presenters. We have brought many bands and new artists to Newfoundland to present work. We have generated business for bars, halls, hotels, restaurants and small businesses all over the downtown. We have also provided free meeting space to not for profit community groups and engaged in community building initiatives with such organizations as Peace-A-Chord Festival, The Harborside Studio Project, Friends of Victoria Park, The Native Friendship Center, The Federation of Cooperatives, the girls independent rock league, Friends and Lobbyists of the Waterford River, Peter Gardiner Institute of MUN, MUN School of Business.
While our operations are totally sustained by the financial investment of our members and user groups we have received financial support for our special programs from: the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council, The Cultural Economic Development Program, The Canada Council for the Arts, The Cooperatives Secretariat, The Music Industry Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, The Community Services Council, The Cooperators.
Please let City Council know about your support for the Independent Artists Cooperative by sending them a quick email telling them how you feel and that WE NEED THE DEED.
andywells@stjohns.ca
dokeefe@stjohns.ca
apuddister@stjohns.ca
fgalgay@stjohns.ca
kcoombs@stjohns.ca
rellsworth@stjohns.ca
wcollins@stjohns.ca
gcolbert@stjohns.ca
sduff@stjohns.ca
thann@stjohns.ca
shickman@stjohns.ca