Place des Arts - Sudbury
Cobalt Connects loves leading engagement sessions with organizations who are daring to work differently to create meaningful cultural impact in their community. This was certainly the case with the Place des Arts collaboration. The project also marked a major first for Cobalt Connects as the consultation needed to occur primarily in French.
While Jeremy’s French language skills can safely get him through ordering lunch, they are not strong enough to lead deep conversation with a primarily francophone room of cultural experts, but Place des Arts was convinced that Cobalt Connects was the right team to tackle their project. So, we hired francophone artists familiar with the community to act as a translator and collaborator on the project to ensure nothing was lost.
The focus of the project was to help this diverse mix of francophone organizations, which included theatre groups, social agencies, multiple festivals, a contemporary gallery, daycare provider and heritage organizations, to develop a community outreach strategy that would assist in raising the capital for the project while creating stronger links in the broader community.
The process started with deep conversations with the organization leadership, followed by a multi-day intensive with 20+ members of the leadership team. We employed Cobalt Connects’ signature engagement tools (4I and 4T process), guiding the team to identify their unique strengths and assets that could be deployed in a community engagement process. Working through budget considerations, cultural sensitivities, existing and new platforms, and the desired communities they wished to reach, a 4-year plan was created.
The plan was only one part of the success of this project. We were overwhelmed with the strong sense of collaboration we found in the francophone arts community, and were honoured to play a role. The project is now completed and the core partners are moving into a stunning new space in downtown Sudbury supported by all levels of government, thousands of donors, and the entire community.
Client: Place des Arts - Sudbury
Collaborators: Multiple francophone cultural and community organizations, Downtown Sudbury BIA
Website: https://maplacedesarts.ca/en/
City: Sudbury, ON
Date: 2016