Keep Crichton Public: The Crichton Community Centre

Crichton Cultural Community Centre

The Crichton Cultural Community Centre (CCCC) is a not-for-profit, charitable organization that was established ten years ago to save and develop the historic Crichton School building into a dynamic artistic and regional community hub. The CCCC strives to support, foster, facilitate and develop the provision of gathering places and spaces, as well as programming and activities that provide opportunities for creativity, learning, knowledge and development that are accessible, welcoming, diverse, and fun. The CCCC welcomes communities from across the region and encourages the engagement of both professional and amateur community-based artists.

The CCCC is a volunteer-run organization headed by a 12 member Board of Directors supported by a full time Community Facilitator and part-time staff to coordinate its growing agenda of programmes and activities, and oversee daily operations. Board meetings are typically held the first Sunday of the month and are open to the public.

The Centre is located on the second floor of the historic Crichton School building at 200 Crichton Street in the heart of New Edinburgh. It offers multi-purpose facilities for programmes and special events of all kinds. In addition, the Centre houses a music studio, a number of art studios which house the 16 members of the MainWorks Artists' Co-operative.

The Centre offers numerous weekly and special event programmes, typically found at a community centre. In addition, the Centre has an interest in working with others groups and individuals to develop and host innovative community and arts programming at the Centre and in the region. A recent success has been the Get Together for Girls and Guys programme for young people with low vision and blindness, which has gained widespread recognition both locally and provincially.

MainWorks has been a resident partner with the CCCC since the establishment of the Centre. Karen Bailey, a long-time member of the group, sums up the relationship as follows "As a MainWorks artist since 2001, the CCCC has provided me with more than affordable studio space. They have offered a safe, spacious environment in which to create art and introduced me to a diverse group including artists, musicians, fitness enthusiasts, dancers and even well-behaved dogs. Most importantly, I feel I am part of the community. I live in Lowertown but because of the CCCC, New Edinburgh has become my second home. As the future of the CCCC consolidates so does the growth of a vibrant and creative community, I look forward to being a part of this positive development."

In 2008, the CCCC launched the Corridor Gallery in spacious, high-ceilinged hallways to showcase the work of emerging artists. The gallery has an ambitious program of curated exhibits. At the same time, the gallery also works with others artists and groups in the region to provide exhibition opportunities, such as high school student work.

The Centre also created and now hosts the Lumière Festival which after five years now attracts over 10,000 participants annually to Stanley Park. The festival is a free family-oriented event, designed to bring arts and communities together for a night of commercial-free candle-lit calm, merriment, and enjoyment. During the festival, Stanley Park is transformed into a magical ocean of lanterns, sculptures, and installations, coupled with musical, theatrical and dance performances.

The Centre originally began in a single classroom and has grown over the years to occupy the entire second floor of Crichton School. The CCCC's partner in the building now wants to sell it and the CCCC intends to buy it. In addition to substantially expanding existing gallery space and studio spaces for art and music, taking over the entire building would add a gym and an auditorium or a theatre space to the CCCC inventory. If all goes well, the acquisition of additional space could be completed as early as late 2010. In the interim, expressions of potential interest for partnerships in developing and using these facilities are welcome.

The Centre welcomes enquiries about and/or interests in developing new programs, especially those that encourage community and arts collaboration. Programs can range from unique one-off events with just a few participants to regular weekly ‘full-class' size sessions. Programs can be supported in-house and/or as a regional outreach activity.

Contact: Joanne Hughes, Community Facilitator
2nd Floor - 200 Crichton Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1M 1W2
Phone: (613) 745-CRIC (2742)
Fax: (613) 745-4153
Email: cccc@bellnet.ca

Websites:
www.crichtonccc.ca
www.lumiereottawa.com