Frequently Asked Questions about the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation

• Does Haliburton County need an arts centre?  What about the Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavillion?

• How can Haliburton County afford to build an arts centre?

• Will local municipalities and county government be involved?

• Who’s running this project?

• A number of performing arts centre projects have been attempted in the past and have failed, what’s different about this one?

• Are any local arts/music/theatre organizations also involved in this project?

• How can I get involved?  Can I join the board?

• How can I contribute financially?  Do you issue charitable receipts?

• When are you starting construction? When will it open?

• Where are you going to build it?

• Who is going to be the architect/contractor/builder?

• Is there a design for the building?

• What about infrastructure to support an arts centre?

• What kind of facilities will it have beyond a performance hall?

• How big is the building going to be?

• How many seats will the hall have?

• What will be its source of funding once it’s operational?

• Can community groups practice and perform there?

• Will there be professional performances and a concert series?

The Northern Lights Performing Arts Pavilion, a performance venue located inside the Haliburton Highlands Secondary School, was a truly significant development in Haliburton’s creative arts community. Many dedicated people were instrumental in making this facility a reality in 1995. Previously, larger gatherings for performances were limited to gymnasiums, churches or various community halls in the county. The NLPAP has been highly subscribed and has served the community extremely well.  

Haliburton County has a vibrant arts community and deserves an arts centre that matches the calibre of talent and passion found in the region.  It has matured artistically to the point where a new, larger and more complex performing arts venue is required, for larger audiences, rehearsal space and community use. This new facility is seen as in addition and complementary to the NLPAP.

The Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation will not rely on municipal funding, though any support from the county and 4 municipalities would be very welcome, be it financial in nature, or otherwise.  The HHACF will apply for financial support at the provincial and federal levels where there are grants and program which support new infrastructure and construction.

The arts centre project is not a municipal or county project.  Though the HHACF will engage with local governments in matters such as location selection, environmental studies, infrastructure (roads, etc), permits and more.

The HHACF is a registered not-for-profit corporation with a board of directors.  It is the first step in the project of building an arts centre. The board is made up of a collection of community members with a breadth of experience in the arts, fundraising and infrastructure builds.  The Foundation’s primary activities will be to raise awareness of the need for an arts centre and raise funds to design and build it. Once completed, a second organization will be created which will operate the arts centre.

Other attempts at a larger arts centre have not been short on passion but have relied on external players who might not have an invested interest in the prosperity of Haliburton county.  The HHACF started with a small, focused and local board of directors in order to streamline the process and steps involved in creating a not-for-profit corporation. Some of these board members have previous experience in large-scale charitable fundraising and institutional construction projects.  We feel this team has what it takes to create an arts centre in Haliburton county. Finally, becoming a charitable organization is a game changer. It will encourage larger private and corporate donations and enable access to arts-related foundations.

While the HHACF is the main driver for building an arts centre, local arts groups are voicing their support for the foundation. Various arts stakeholders are involved in the research phases of the overall project, from roundtable meetings to interviews. If you are involved in the arts in Haliburton county and would like to contribute, please get in touch with us.

Researching, planning and building as arts centre is no small feat, so we could use the help. If you are as passionate as us about an arts centre for Haliburton county and have the time to dedicate to this important project, please send an email to info@hhartscentrefoundation.ca.

We appreciate any and all financial contributions to the HHACF.  Donations can be made by credit card or PayPal via our website (https://hhartscentrefoundation.ca/donate).  Cheques are also accepted and can be mailed to the address on our contact page.  A charitable receipt will be issued shortly after and mailed to you.

You can also donate via our page on Canada Helps. There you may make a one-time donation or set up recurring (monthly, etc) donations. Canada Helps handles all receipts for donations done via its portal.

It is early days and a firm schedule is not known at this time.  Should a number of large funders step forward, we could be in a position to accelerate the process.

A location has not been chosen at this time, but we feel there are criteria that would help showcase the building and the natural beauty of Haliburton County.  Availability of services, power, water, waste processing, site size are as well to be considered. Elevated wooded vistas, rocky cliffs and lakefront settings are some of the considerations.  We also envision the arts centre to be centrally located for equal access to all in Haliburton county.

This is not known at this time.  A Building Committee will be established to determine consultant and construction team  selection and procedures.

There is consideration that the building should be a showcase of the natural elements found in Haliburton County, including the Canadian Shield and timber found in the area, and should appear to belong in such a natural environment as Haliburton.  The design will stress sustainability, energy conservation and accessibility, plus will be flexible enough for recital and theatrical performances, and also motion picture screenings.

Matters such as road access, site size re: parking, future expansion, water, waste handling, power, stormwater management, environmental studies etc will be site specific and addressed by consultants as required under the direction of the HHACF or subsequent bodies, in concert with local municipalities and their planning departments, as well as other organizations having jurisdiction.

To showcase all that Haliburton County has to offer in arts and culture, the vision also includes:

• black box studio performance hall with configurable seating for more intimate performances and recitals

• dedicated rehearsal space acoustically separate from the performance halls for community ensembles, choirs, theatre companies and more

• gallery space for visual and craft arts

• welcoming lobby/crush space, gallery/reception space, concession/lounge area and kitchen for a full ‘night out’ experience and available for rent by non-arts groups for meetings and minor conferences

• affordable office space for arts and not-for-profit administration

• back of house facilities, green room, washrooms, storage space, set fly or equivalent space

• workshop for set construction and storage

As we consult with local arts organizations, we’ll have a better understanding of the uses and tenants of the centre.  This will influence the size and features of the building. At this time it is anticipated that a somewhat flexible performance space will be needed to accommodate a variety of performance types (recital, theatre, dance, cinema, opera/musical, etc). We will also be studying models and examples in other communities in Canada and around the world.

We are planning for 350 to 500 seats.  The upper range might be a bit large (over twice the capacity of the Northern Lights) but Haliburton county is growing and we feel that building the capacity in now for the decades to come is a good idea.

The foundation will continue to exist and will continue to fundraise while investing and managing its assets to maximize interest and returns.  The HHACF will transfer funds to a secondary charitable organization which will operate and maintain the arts centre.

A notable goal of the arts centre is provide affordable rehearsal and performance spaces for community groups in Haliburton county.

The intention is that the organization maintaining and operating the arts centre will operate regular series of concerts.  This will not prevent outside organizations from also running their own concert series. The organization will operate a box office though any groups may sell tickets for performances booked at the HHAC.