A great deal of work has already been done to develop a multi-use arts and entertainment centre for Strathroy-Caradoc. The following outlines briefly the history of our progress:

1999 -2002 … Establishing ourselves

In 1999, the Parent Council of Strathroy District Collegiate Institute organized public meetings to initiate discussion about a performance space (this was prompted by an announcement that plans for the new school building would not include such a space). The Strathroy District Arts Council (SDAC) was formed in 2000 and adopted as its long-term goal the creation of an arts and entertainment centre for the area. The arts council also is a means for those representing the arts in Strathroy-Caradoc to speak with a unified voice. In 2001, the township of Strathroy-Caradoc assisted and supported SDAC’s incorporation as a not-for-profit organization. SDAC achieved charitable tax status in 2002.

2003 – 2005 … Determining the need

In 2003, SDAC was awarded a provincial grant to produce a Cultural Master Plan for the Township of Strathroy-Caradoc, and was designated as the project’s lead organization. In the following year, SDAC guided multiple community organizations through the process of creating this Cultural Master Plan (CMP) and the accompanying Survey of the General Public in Strathroy-Caradoc Regarding Arts, Culture and Heritage. In 2005, SDAC conducted an Activity and Needs Survey, collecting information from 13 community groups regarding potential use of a multi-use cultural centre. In that same year, a Multi-Use Cultural Centre Planning Session was conducted by dMa Planning and Management Services, in conjunction with the Strathroy District Arts Council, the Strathroy-Caradoc Business Improvement Area, the Township of Strathroy-Caradoc and Mady Development Corporation. The resulting document is now known as the dMa Report. To top off 2005, Strathroy native, the late Donald Wright, donated $1,000,000 to SDAC to support the creation of a performing arts centre.

2006 – 2008 … Buckling down

In 2006 SDAC’s Wright Family Centre (WFC) Committee commissioned a Feasibility Study, conducted by F.J. Galloway and Malhotra Nicholson, Architects. To confirm the need for and support of this project, the WFC Committee agreed to undertake a more detailed needs assessment survey. This study, conducted in 2007, included arts groups and a broad base of local organizations and businesses. Results of this study were released in 2008 as Community Needs Assessment: Two Surveys to Assess Community Support for the Proposed Wright Family Arts & Entertainment Centre. The WFC Committee made their first public presentation regarding the WFC at the municipal “Changing Streetscapes” community forum.

2009 – present … Gearing up

2009 brought participation in the Strathroy-Caradoc's Downtown Visioning Workshop, which indicated a definite need for an arts/cultural centre in the core. Also in this year, SDAC applied for and was granted $400,000 in funding from FedDev Ontario through the government of Canada's Community Action Fund (CAF funding). These funds were used for the preparation of designs for the construction of The Wright Family Centre for Arts, Entertainment and Business. Through a competitive bidding process, SDAC engaged architectural firm aTRM Ltd from London to perform this work. The design work is now complete and the construction plans are ready. In 2010, SDAC applied for and was granted $65,000 over 1 year from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to kick-start a community-based capital campaign to raise funds for the construction of the WFC. We are currently in the process of finalizing the business plan for this facility, and aim to launch our capital campaign by year's end. During this time, the Municipality of Strathroy-Caradoc engaged the firm of Zelinka Priamo Ltd. to conduct a Master Plan for Downtown Strathroy. Aided by public input, the firm has now completed this study which is available for viewing in print form at the Strathroy Library and by pdf download here. Regarding the WFC, the plan states, in part: "The addition of a performing arts centre flexible enough to provide a venue for a range of performance-based cultural and entertainment uses would fill a needed gap in the Downtown’s mix of uses. The proposed location for the Wright Family Centre on Front Street would be beneficial to Front Street and the Downtown by providing a new destination within the Downtown and by infilling the current gap in the streetscape.”

Looking ahead... We've come a long way … and there's a long way yet to go! We are energized by the funding we have received and by the outpouring of local support, and more committed than ever to bring this project to fruition. We anticipate 1 – 2 years to raise the funds needed, and another year to build the centre. Let's do this … together … let's make it Wright!