Can TheMuseum get satisfaction? $100K request for Rolling Stones exhibit returns to Waterloo regional council

Regional councillors are set to discuss on Tuesday a request from TheMuseum in Kitchener for a $100,000 marketing grant to promote the Rolling Stones exhibit Unzipped, which opens later this month. 

The money would help boost advertising of the group's travelling exhibit that TheMuseum's CEO David Marskell says is slated to bring thousands to the region and support the local economy.

Marskell said TheMuseum has spent upwards of $1 million on the project, which includes marketing.

"Should we receive this incremental fund, we will bring more people to the community and more businesses will enjoy that," he said in an interview.

However, regional staff has recommended council take no action with respect to the request, citing a three-year review of TheMuseum's finances that wraps next June. It was undertaken following "some concerns with their operations."

"It is not recommended that the region provide this organization with additional funding until the review process is complete," said a report going before council.

The region currently supports the organization by funding $385,600 for its annual operating grant, which is 23 per cent of TheMuseum's operating expenses.

The funding request was first brought forward to council in December 2020, but was deferred to a later date. 

Review underway

Marskell said there's no reason for the region not to provide the additional money.

"Our house is in order. We balanced our books."

Though there are still a few more months of the review process, he said, the organization has already met all conditions to date, including:

• Not incurring an operating deficit greater than five per cent of its revenues.
• Providing a two-year operating plan detailing how the organization will adapt its operations to achieve a balanced budget by June 30, 2022.
• Delivering basic service to the community.

He hopes this will impact councillors when they're faced with deciding whether to support TheMuseum's request. 

"I know council has a number of priorities they're trying to meet ... but we hope that they will see this is something that can help a lot of people, organizations and businesses in the community," Marskell said.

He said 60 per cent of the tickets sold have been purchased by people outside the region, including outside the country. He said the exhibit will likely attract more people to visit the region and stay overnight.

Meanwhile, regional staff said the region has supported the exhibit in other ways, such as waiving fees for advertising space in regional buildings and the airport as well as offering discounted LRT passes.

The region has also offered support to source indoor storage space and fund the Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation, which is responsible for increasing the number of visitors to the region and length of stay.

In a tweet on Oct. 20., Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic shared his support for the request.

"If that fails, I will be moving a motion to support the $100k investment, contrary to staff's recommendation," the tweet said. 

His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CBC News. 

Community criticism

A member of the local arts community said she's supportive of staff's recommendation to take no action and that she'd rather see that money reallocated to other local arts organizations. 

"It's such a massive amount of money that is going to one organization for an exhibition that is not of this place. It's not local artists. It's not locally produced," said Jennifer Laurie, who has previously worked in a fundraising role in the arts sector.

"Why aren't we applying the same kind of resources to marketing what's already here, the artists that work and live here and make this community home. The organizations that function here all the time, you know, the museums here, all the time." 

As for Marskell, he hopes for a favourable outcome at council on Tuesday, but said, "If we're not successful ... I shake it off and I keep going because it opens in three weeks."

The Unzipped exhibit is set to open on Nov. 30.