North Shore Culture Compass

the North Shore Culture Compass is an ongoing project to compile a hub of cultural assets within the North Shore Region, including the City of North Vancouver, the District of North Vancouver, the District of West Vancouver, and part of the territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) and the səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.

this tool is intended for residents, tourists, planners, and the cultural sector, to help build audiences, drive tourism, fill gaps, and encourage partnerships to better highlight our rich cultural diversity.

Cultural mapping involves a community identifying and documenting local cultural resources. Through this research, cultural elements are recorded – the tangibles like galleries, craft industries, distinctive landmarks, local events and industries, as well as the intangibles like memories, personal histories, attitudes and values. - UNESCO Cultural Mapping Workshop in Bangkok, 2004

we define culture as the manifestation of shared values, art, beliefs, aesthetics, and identity. We recognize culture as an expression of how people relate to nature, the physical environment, and place.

we define art as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination.

in order to build a hub for the community, by the community, we assembled an Advisory Committee representing arts & culture, heritage, education, business, tourism, municipalities, First Nations, and libraries to inform the conception and development.

organizing the listings

to be able to navigate the listings, it was important at the outset to establish and define categories informed by local culture, guided by the Advisory Committee

the process started by looking at internationally recognized categories of cultural mapping, then reshaping and refining to be meaningful in a local context

• listings on the North Shore Cultural Compass are organized into 10 categories
• listings may appear in multiple categories
• each category has a map with colour-coded way points matching the category icon
• all assets show on the All Categories map, which is the landing page
• icons are unique, designed for the North Shore Culture Compass
• First Nations icon was created by local artist Shkwen' Ocean Hyland, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation

below are the 10 categories, with their icons, definitions, and sample at left, and the category map at right as you scroll down, the map will populate with the colour-coded waypoints; click on any of the points to explore the listings in that category

the North Shore Culture Compass follows a participatory cultural mapping model

" Cultural mapping involves a community identifying and documenting local cultural resources." - UNESCO Reflection Paper, The role of Participatory cultural mapping in promoting intercultural dialogue, 2007

listings are added and updated regularly, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving hub

• community members may submit or suggest listings
• listings that are removed from the public map remain in the database, creating a valuable source of information about arts & culture in the North Shore Region

in the first full year of the North Shore Culture Compass, over 300 events were listed from 84 different organizations, growing to 593 events listed in year 2 by 130 organizations. A selection of these organizations and events follows, showing the diversity and scope of cultural activity.

service organizations & public institutions

City of North Vancouver – District of West Vancouver - Impact North Shore – North Vancouver City Library – North Vancouver District Public Library – North Vancouver Recreation & Culture Commission – North Shore Elder College – North Shore Pride Alliance – School District #44 – Silver Harbour Centre – The Shipyards District – Vancouver's North Shore Tourism - West Vancouver Memorial Library

arts-based cultural organizations

Deep Cove Stage Society – Griffin Art Projects – Kay Meek Arts Centre – Lamondance – Laudate Singers – North Van Arts – Part Of – Presentation House Theatre – Seymour Art Gallery – The Gordon Smith Gallery of Canadian Art – The Polygon Gallery – West Vancouver Community Arts Council

cultural & natural heritage organizations

Coho Society - Edible Garden Project - West Vancouver Art Museum – MONOVA – Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre – The Living Lab – Uninterrupted – Vancouver Biennale – Vancouver Mural Festival – Wild Bird Trust – Welch Street Studios

basic functionality clicking on a point in any category will show the listing, including an image, description, address, online link, and link to public transit trip planner

special categories have additional options -festivals & events -First Nations

as we learn about different functionalities available, we add elements to the map to improve the user experience

inspired by listings and content, we develop activations that encourage people to use the map and to notice cultural opportunities in the region

ongoing enhancements & activations create new ways to build connections between the tool and community members, raising awareness of the Culture Compass and local culture.

the North Shore Culture Compass was presented to the community at a summer-long exhibition at CityScape Community ArtSpace in North Vancouver.

the information panels and interactive components can be made available to other locations as a traveling exhibition.

just as we launched the Culture Compass, many cultural organizations and facilities were closing and events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of our responses was to put together Treasure Hunts that people could do outside with friends or family of any age.

although pandemic restrictions have been lifted, the popularity of these Treasure Hunts has flourished

A variety of Treasure Hunts are available, for free, to download anytime. Some are in-person, outdoor hunts, some are online. Each Treasure Hunt follows a theme or encourages exploration of a neighbourhood. Feedback has been very positive!

"Thank you so much for organizing this treasure hunt. My husband and I (both mid 70s) walked the route round trip from our home in lower Grand Boulevard. Great exercise....with interesting stops along the way seeing things we did not even realize were there!"

"What a wonderful this idea this was.  My 12 and 15 year old enjoyed it too.  They enjoyed “finding” familiar places on the map as well as new places; learning more about the history of this area and we connected as a family and found another reason to get moving and be outdoors!"

"Thanks for these treasure hunts! Love combining discovery, education & fun!" "Being a fairly new resident to North Vancouver I enjoyed seeing all the heritage sites portrayed and will explore them when freedom of mobility returns to the city and province. Thanks for the 'adventure'."

as a participatory culture map, we invite the community to share stories and traditions about culture anytime, but Heritage Week in British Columbia offers an opportunity to connect with the community around a particular topic. Every year Heritage BC sets a theme for Heritage Week - in 2022 it was 'Altogether Inclusive'.

one of the main goals of the Culture Compass is to reflect the diverse traditions, cultures, religions, and communities that span the region. Looking at traditions as expressions of cultural identity, we invited community members to share their traditions, telling us where the tradition originated, sharing photos, and identifying any relevant North Shore locales.

since 2017 we have invited artists to share artwork inspired by scenes & stories of the North Shore, and have created a wall calendar, sold as a fundraiser for the North Shore Culture Compass.

calendars are sold at local outlets across the region, promoting the Culture Compass and bringing a new visual depiction of North Shore culture to walls every month. Many buyers are repeat customers, annually purchasing the calendar for their employees/coworkers, or overseas friends and family.

The Navigators Education Programme uses the North Shore Culture Compass to connect educators and teachers to ideas and resources to engage students in learning about the culture, heritage, history, geography and diversity of Vancouver’s North Shore. The downloadable guide features activities, resources and ideas for further exploration.

The programme was created to include key topics in the curriculum to ensure students are engaged in learning opportunities that go beyond memorizing facts, as well as address the development of core competencies: critical and creative thinking, communication, social, and personal development.

2 streams: stream 1: free, downloadable guide for secondary level students with activities & resources supporting BC curriculum, learning about local art, history, geography, social studies, local First Nations

stream 2: after school art programme for elementary level (ages 8-11) with visual art activities inspired by public art listed on the Culture Compass

Collecting listings for hundreds of cultural assets, we are also building a database. Building that database using Esri's ArcGIS provides opportunities to analyze that data, contributing to understanding how locals interact with culture.

Culture Compass Data Insights  is a programme designed to help strengthen the cultural sector on the North Shore by providing demographic information about who lives in the community, where they reside, and how they engage with local cultural activities.

 Insights visually maps out the audience who engage with local cultural organizations  – participants, members, customers, and others who access activities, events, programmes, and services. 

When combined with open-source data such as Census and Environics,  Data Insights helps build a profile of typical participants in an area. For example, you can learn about the demographics of the people that make up a household, including median income, age, level of education, occupation, citizenship/immigration status, spoken language and more.

community snapshots

to set the context, we collated Census data to deliver snapshots of the local community through an arts & culture perspective

objective: understanding the region better will empower local arts and cultural organizations to identify gaps, tailor offerings, and to make data-driven decisions that improve operational efficiencies

The North Shore Culture Compass’ digital persona is an inclusive and community-minded champion for the region’s rich and diverse cultural offerings. It connects locals + visitors with the vibrant diversity of cultural encounters on the North Shore. Goals: - bring awareness to the resource and partner organizations, - encourage fans to be brave + active participants, - inspire residents + visitors to experience the region’s captivating artistic, cultural, and historic treasures.

part of the marketing plan is to deploy our street team and Culture Compass tent at community events throughout the region all year long

each engagement also includes activities, such as colouring pages, art activities, or treasure hunts, connected to event themes

in spring/summer 2022, the street team was at: Rogers Hometown Hockey, Bridge Festival, Canada Day, Harmony Arts Festival, Lynn Valley Days, Rivers Day and Shipyards Festival

during the season over 2,000 people visited our tent with over 1,000 people of all ages participating in the activities

Coho Society has been a community partner, collaborating on the Salmon & Streams Treasure Hunt and embedding the Coho Interpretive Zones StoryMap created by Culture Compass in their website

Culture Compass and MONOVA collaborated on the creation of a StoryMap that takes visitors through time in the Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood, to accompany a museum exhibit in 2022

North Vancouver Recreation & Culture Commission

Squamish Nation

Tsleil-Waututh Nation

Vancouver's North Shore has been a partner participating in the Advisory Committee, supporting through sponsorship and connecting to local tourist attractions to offer fabulous contest prizes.

West Vancouver Community Arts Council has participated on the Advisory Committee, hosted summer staff during project development, providing a West Vancouver perspective, and has hosted You Are Here calendar exhibitions since 2018

project development, 2018-2020

post-launch maintenance & enhancements, 2020-2023