KITCHENER - Two years. That's how long TheMuseum CEO David Marskell says his organization has unless big changes occur in the local arts and culture sector.

"Status quo, we will bleed out in two years and we will be gone," Marskell said during a stakeholder meeting with the local arts community held at TheMuseum on Wednesday evening. "That's not meant to alarm, that is our reality and we don't want that to happen."

TheMuseum already has cut staff by 15 per cent this year. It must generate about 75 per cent of it budget each year to keep the doors open at 10 King St. W., he said.

The organization has three options - maintain the status quo and disappear, scale back operations or expand into the adjoining bank property and create a community space that attracts artists from across the region.

The first two options aren't acceptable, the CEO said, and it was the third option he wanted to explore during the public meeting this week, held in the main floor atrium of TheMuseum. It was attended by nearly 150 people from the local arts community and a few local politicians.

A proposed museum expansion into the adjoining BMO bank building was first announced in May. The bank will donate $1 million to TheMuseum and enter a sole purchaser agreement to give the organization enough time to raise the additional $2 million needed to buy the building.

According to a fundraising feasibility report completed for TheMuseum, it could cost as much as $15 million to build a new space in the area occupied by the bank. The hope is to secure as much as 73 per cent of that cost - $10.95 million - from the federal and provincial government.

All told, the total project could cost in excess of $25 million to buy the bank, rebuild it, furnish it and establish a $5-million endowment fund.

Before that work moves forward, Marskell wanted to hear from the arts community in Waterloo Region about what type of space is needed at the corner of King and Queen streets.

One of the recurring themes in the two-hour meeting was the lack of artistic space that's affordable and flexible enough to meet the needs of aspiring or small-scale arts groups or production companies.

"If you're looking for studio space you're hard-pressed to find it," said Terre Chartrand, artistic director of Pins and Needles Fabric Company. "I've been known to call this area an urban dead zone, because if you're here after TheMuseum closes or after the symphony shuts down, there is nothing, and this is King and Queen. It's the only corner of the city that looks like a city."

Pam Patel, artistic director of MT Space, Waterloo Region's first multicultural theatre company, said a lack of performance and practice space is stunting the growth of the local arts community.

"If we want to be a world-class city with world-class arts, let's break some barriers," she said.

During the roundtable discussion, however, some questioned if spending $25 million on one arts and culture hub in the region was wise.

"There is a great deal of skepticism at this table," said Peter Eglin, a retired professor at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Lindsay Stewart, a local musician and artist, said it could be difficult to meet all the needs of the arts community in one spot. He's also worried the space could siphon arts funding away from other local organizations.

"I do believe potentially great things could happen, but it's going to be a tough job finding a way to organize in an effective manner to achieve a common good," he said. "If all of this money gets poured into this project it'll take the air out of the room for every other funding project."

Marskell said this was just the first of a series of public input sessions TheMuseum expects to hold about the possible expansion. He encouraged everyone to talk with their local politicians to discuss the importance of arts funding in the community.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

"I have never been more optimistic about the arts and culture community as I am right now based on the turnout and response to this evening," he said. "It's not just about TheMuseum, it's about our sustainability and a much broader conversation to help many."