We are working to make the dream of the Stratford Arts & Culture Centre come true. The Stratford Arts and Culture Collective is an umbrella organization supporting amateur, semi-professional and professional groups in all arts disciplines, plus individual artists. Our goal is to create the Stratford Arts and Culture Centre for Stratford citizens. We are located at Copperlight, 142 Ontario Street,
Stratford, formerly Knox Presbyterian Church. The Arts and Culture Centre will be a multi-functional community resource and will focus on arts and culture activities which will accrue long term health and wellness benefits for Stratford citizens. Through creative planning and collaboration, the Centre will also align its goals and values with other elements on the same property and nearby. It will serve a wide demographic, from children to seniors. The Stratford Arts and Culture Centre will serve many community needs.
• A venue, a host and home for local arts and culture groups;
• A cultural and community developer, integrating a wide demographic through shared values and programmes;
• A presenter, showcasing artists and companies from across Canada and the world;
• An educator, bringing artists and audiences closer through meaningful experiences. Mission
The Mission of the Stratford Arts and Culture Collective is to be the primary voice and advocate for the Stratford Arts and Culture Centre. Vision
Our Vision is the inclusion of the Stratford Arts and Culture Centre as a vital element of Stratford’s cultural life.
• Honouring and enhancing the artistic and cultural life of the city of Stratford;
• Collaboration with other like-minded organizations
• Inclusion of Stratford citizens in our planning, regardless of their age, income, religious or ethnic origins, or any other visible or invisible identifier. STRATFORD’S ARTS AND CULTURE ECOLOGY
Most Canadian cities of a similar size and demographic do not have the depth and range of Stratford’s professional, semi-professional, community-based, not for profit, independent, and commercial arts and culture. Our recorded history tells a story of a working city which was dependent for decades on the railway and furniture-building. In the early 1950s, these industries faded, and were replaced by the creation and growth of the Stratford Festival. As a result, the city’s arts life flourished. The results are impressive. From the traditional arts such as dance, theatre, music, and visual arts, to emerging arts, including media, digital technology and interdisciplinary arts, Stratford’s citizens have embraced a cultural perspective that has few equals in Canada. Newcomers to Stratford have brought cultural diversity that is evident in culinary arts, festivals, fashion, and language, which enriches the community even more. Over the years, many groups were created to fill community needs. Choirs, theatre groups, orchestras, bands, and art galleries were created to enrich the fabric of the city and area. Many were community-based “amateur” groups, while some became charitable, not for profit organizations. Some were created as for-profit businesses. The venues for these groups were adequate and satisfactory, but their designs left few possibilities for creative renovation or expansion. Often, when updates were attempted to please a specific group, they often impaired the space for other users. Few, if any, were purpose-built for performances or exhibitions. They no longer meet today’s technical and safety standards, nor do they meet the expectations of modern audiences. That will change with the building of the Arts and Culture Centre. An Arts and Culture Centre will have a profound impact on Stratford’s artistic growth and development. With our strong arts foundation and the availability of Knox Presbyterian Church, an arts and culture centre will serve the shared needs of the arts and culture sector alongside partner groups. As a direct result of this opportunity, the Stratford Arts and Culture Collective (SACC) was formed in October 2016. The 15 founding groups formed a strong alliance across arts disciplines. Surveys and preliminary discussions proved that these groups were very interested in working together to provide new facilities for the community. Since its inception, the SACC has doubled its membership to its present 30. In the last fifty years, no issue or opportunity has rallied the entire arts and culture community in a unified vision until now. The main reasons for that excitement and cohesion of vision include the following.
1. The desire to serve and lead the Stratford and area community better, by exploring new artistic challenges which are not currently possible.
2. The willingness to create new synergies through collaboration with both arts and culture and non-arts and culture groups.
3. Understanding the limitations of current facilities in which they operate.
4. Recognition of the artistic and financial advantages of sharing services and facilities. The SACC supports a broad spectrum of not-for-profit, amateur, professional, semi-professional and commercial organizations, working together across arts disciplines and traditions, in pursuit of the same goals.
