June 1, 2017
7:30 pm
Evans Contemporary Art Gallery (2 Bankers Common, 383 Water St., Rear Unit, Peterborough, Ontario)

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?

Join us at Evans Contemporary on June 1 at 7:30 pm to hear what the experts have to say and tell us what you think.

Panelists

Jeremy Freiburger: Chief Connector and Cultural Strategist, COBALT Connects, Hamilton
Jeremy has been a leader in Hamilton’s creative community for over 15 years. vHis experience ranges from producing award-winning theatre and ballet with the RBC Festival of Classics and Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble, to developing more than 150,000 square feet of studio facilities, to writing policy and plans for municipalities around creative sector development.
Focusing primarily on regional and municipal partnership development, and organizational development, Jeremy is the founder of Cobalt Connects. vJeremy has spoken at dozens of conferences on the subject of creative community economic development, and has held positions on boards and committees including the Our Cultural Community Committee (Chair, City of Hamilton Cultural Plan), Supercrawl, CANVAS and the Bay Area Restoration Council.

Currently Jeremy is leading a team through the acquisition and restoration of the Westdale Theatre, directing the VO talent for anew video game, and is the concept lead on a 130’ long mural derived from Canada’s most robust seed catalogue at the Royal Botanical Gardens.

Catherine Nasmith: B. Arch. OAA FRAIC CAPH
Educated at University of Toronto and Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Catherine Nasmith, Architect, has offices in Kensington Market in Toronto and the former general store and post office in Windermere, Ontario, specializing in heritage research and restoration, custom residences, urban design and heritage conservation district planning.

Catherine worked successfully with Seaton Group and J. D. Strachan on the conversion of the Alton Mill for arts purposes, which won awards from both Heritage Canada and the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals. Current projects include a Heritage Conservation District Plan for Port Dalhousie, a condominium conversion for the former Harris mansion at 450 Pape Avenue, as well as steering several clients through the Heritage Property Tax Rebate Program (HPTRP). The first project under that program was 519-23 Queen St. West, which city staff have been using as an example of the positive benefits of the program.

Among her awards are the Jane Jacobs prize in 2010, two Queen’s Jubilee Medals for her work on behalf of Ontario’s heritage, several from Heritage Toronto, the OAA, and the Muskoka Heritage Foundation. She was godmother to the Doors Open program in Toronto, and is currently President of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, as well as the Toronto branch. She is a past chair of the Toronto Preservation Board, and the Gardiner Lakeshore Task Force. She is also the publisher of Built Heritage News, a bi-weekly e-journal with 1500 subscribers across Canada.

Laurel Paluck
Laurel is a multidisciplinary artist, activist and arts administrator who lives and works in downtown Peterborough. She is currently Artistic Director of Atelier Ludmila, a production house and art lab dedicated to making, creating and fostering public art and performance works. AL produces a variety of events from full-scale theatrical productions for all ages to tiny pop-ups and one-to-one performances. Grounded in arts and theatre in and with community, Laurel Paluck produces arts events in parks, market squares, on the streets and in all sorts of unusual places and situations.

Laurel studied at OCAD University in Toronto and has worked with the Union Studio and Fourth Line Theatre in Peterborough, as Program Director at Trent Radio and General Manager at Public Energy. She has produced Alleywaltz for Artsweek on a number of occasions and served as Program Director for Artsweek in 2015 and 2016.