Artscape Profiles… the Wychwood Barns Community Association

When most people think of Artscape, they picture Artscape Wychwood Barns: the former streetcar repair facility turned award-winning cultural hub near St. Clair Avenue West and Christie Street. Much of the public programming enjoyed at the Barns is thanks to the hard work and dedication of the volunteer-run Wychwood Barns Community Association (WBCA).

The WCBA has played a key role in the Barns since the site was under development and opened in 2008. In addition to managing the Community Gallery, the association plans events, organizes volunteers and publishes a monthly email newsletter about what’s going on in and around the building.

We met with Ruth Baumann, President of the Wychwood Barns Community Association and a familiar face at the The Stop’s Farmers’ Market on Saturdays, to talk about how community advocacy and participation has enriched the neighbourhood.

So, what does the Wychwood Barns Community Association do?

The mission of the WBCA is to connect the Wychwood Barns and the community—both the community inside and outside the buildings. It is also to promote arts and culture, to promote the heritage of the neighbourhood, to promote environmental sustainability and to be accessible to the community.

In addition to managing the Community Gallery on the east side of the building, we have undertaken a variety of community events. For example, every winter we host a Stone Soup Supper: a crew of volunteer cooks make huge quantities of soup and people are invited to bring their own bowls and spoons and eat for a modest charge, and we usually get some live music in. It’s been an event that has drawn a huge array of people of all ages from around the community.

What are the boundaries of the community? Does it have boundaries?

Nope.

So if you consider yourself in the Wychwood Barns Community, you’re in it.

You’re in it. I mean, for some purposes, we say whatever is in Ward 21 or the riding of St. Paul’s, but in fact we have members who are from outside of the area. People often travel a fair distance to be involved. So our definition of community is very flexible and very inclusive.

How did the WBCA come to be formed?

The Wychwood Barns Community Association was created at the time when the negotiations were going on about revitalizing the Barns in 2007. The idea of having an association came into being partly as a response to the fact that there had been some neighbourhood controversy about the kind of complex this would be. After we incorporated as a not-for-profit and established a board of directors, we became the managing tenants of the Community Gallery.

Originally we were anticipated to be the operators of the Covered Street Barn. As the numbers got crunched, we grew concerned about the projected operating costs for the Covered Street—we had no money at all and were already taking on the Community Gallery’s lease. So we approached Artscape with the idea that Artscape could run the Covered Street as an event venue and we would have 24 guaranteed days a year that we would have access to the space for community events.

Do you do a lot of fundraising?

Over the last few years, we’ve done a fair amount of fundraising and have received some small grants. This year we had a jazz and blues event, Blues & Brews, which was billed as a fundraiser, but we were able to keep the ticket prices accessible through sponsorships. We’re currently applying for funding that would allow us to run a series of events to celebrate the 100th anniversaries of the St. Clair Streetcar Line in 2013 and the first building at the Wychwood Barns in 2014.

One of the continuing challenges is that many community residents don’t understand that there is no ongoing operating money from the government coming into the facility. The terms of its existence involve it having to fund its own way, and there are a lot of things that have to be paid for.

How much of the community association’s work is done by volunteers?

We have two people who work for us on a very part-time basis, and the rest we do is basically volunteer. We were blessed to have a Trillium Foundation grant for a year to have a part-time volunteer coordinator and that has made a terrific difference. Our volunteer capacity has increased tremendously.

How could someone get involved as a volunteer with the WBCA? What kind of help is needed?

We need volunteers for everything from helping us with the newsletter to helping out at the farmer’s market table on Saturdays. There are people who put in ten hours a week, and there are people who put in ten hours a year. We keep a database of volunteers that tracks who’s interested in doing what, and what they might be interested in doing when we have a special event. If we need an event management committee, a food and beverage committee or a clean-up crew for an event, then we put a specific call out to the database to see who’s available and interested.

What is the best thing about living in this neighbourhood?

It’s a mixed neighbourhood. It has always had a real mixture of incomes, but it is becoming more affluent. It’s never been dominated by one ethnicity. Our neighbours over the years have included Italians, Jamaicans, Ukrainians, Japanese…you name it. It’s very much a cross section of Toronto. The area is central enough that it’s urban, but it’s not hard-core downtown urban. There are lots of trees and green spaces. The buildings are close together, but there are yards; people talk to each other on their front porches.

Photo by Jennifer Yin.

The Wychwood neighbourhood was founded as an artist colony in the late 19^th-century.  Is it still home to many artists?

The particular postal code that the Wychwood Barns are in, M6G, has one of the highest percentages of artists and cultural workers in Toronto. I think the presence of those who see themselves as artists and arts and cultural people was part of what provided the terrific interest and impetus in the discussions around the revitalization project.

How has the existence of Artscape Wychwood Barns contributed to the neighbourhood?

The combination of residential, organizational and community tenants in the building has been very powerful. The park, which belongs to the City, is a terrific draw; on any given day of the week, the playground can be jammed with people. Together, the building and the park have become a part of what draws young families to the neighbourhood. This is where people come to see other people; it’s a place they come to participate in activities.

The Saturday farmers’ market is also terrific draw. In its first weeks, I remember running into people I hadn’t seen since my then 24-year-old daughter had been in daycare! This wasn’t unique. All over the market, you’d hear, “I haven’t seen you in fifteen years!”

So it was sort of like being reintroduced to your neighbours!

It really was.

Now that the Barns have been open for almost four years, has the general atmosphere of the community changed?

I think, from the standpoint of the community, the project has been an enormous success. It’s a real source of excitement and there’s a whole lot more community spirit than there was before. It has been astonishing to me just how much interest there is among community members in being involved.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the Wychwood Barns Community Association, you can find out more about their volunteer opportunities here.