The City of Barrie is undertaking a culture plan update in conjunction with a public art strategy that will shape the next 10 years of arts and culture in the City of Barrie. The culture plan will help “provide policies, protocols and guidance on how the city can move forward to create a healthy and successful culture and creative sector.”

To get feedback the City of Barrie is asking citizens to fill out an online survey or to participate in pop-up activities happening around the city.  Pop-ups can be found at various community events and facilities, including the Barrie Public Library branches and the Farmer’s Market.

The City also held an event, Culture Night Out, that was put together by two consulting firms, MASSIVart, and The Osbourne Group. MASSIVart is working with the City of Barrie, while The Osbourne Group is working on behalf of the MacLaren Art Centre to gather information on what community members would like to see at the MacLaren and how they can reach a more ‘diverse’ group of patrons for the arts centre.

‘Culture Night Out’ brought citizens and members of the Barrie Arts community together to participate in a few workshops to discover what they would like to see added to the arts and culture plan in Barrie.

When asked why it’s important to ask citizens for their input on the culture plan update, Amanda Dyke, Barrie’s Cultural Development Officer said, “Culture touches everyone. The community makes our culture. We are who our community is. So it's really important that we hear from everyone in the community about what's important to them, what they think culture is, what arts are important to them and how they want to see the city support arts and culture.”

To have your voice heard, visit buildingbarrie.ca/cultureplanupdate and fill out the survey or visit the various pop-up events listed on the website.