Calgary Arts Development

Biomimicry and Culture

Mike Scullen — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:11:15 -0400

Richard Florida, who spoke on Monday as part of ACAD's Stirring Culture series, referred to culture using biological metaphors at least twice. Once talking about DNA components of culture and again drawing Darwin into the discussion. It's a apt analogy and one that seems to always be referenced sooner or later when trying to understand a system of meaning. There is much talk of memes on the internet which are ideas that get transmitted through culture that undergo Darwinian style natural selection and evolution. The Lol cats phenomenon is one of my favourite examples.

Biomimicry is a buzz word that you may have heard circling around the idea flowers recently. The concept of modeling after nature is often used a in scientific context. Using the design of termite mounds to create passive climate control in modern housing is a good example. This approach has worked very well with engineering endeavors and there is the added bonus that naturally occurring systems usually have some kind of built in sustainability. There is no reason that biological systems can't be used to understand any naturally occurring system of organization. Having sustainable, fully integrated cultural systems is becoming increasingly important. Ad hoc, organically forming systems tend to be more resilient and adaptable. What ways can we learn from nature in how we approach culture? read more »

RSS Feeds

Mike Scullen — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:10:51 -0400

If you don't already use and love RSS we've created an option to turn pull into push but before you sign up to have yet another piece of bacn (it's like SPAM only you asked for it) delivered to you inbox, let me extol the virtues of RSS.

RSS or Really Simple Syndication is an information delivery method that all of your favourite websites employ. In order to view this content you need aggregation software that will pull in all of this RSS data and will give you options to organize, search and read at your leisure. This is why RSS is pull media; you have to fire up the aggregation choose which feeds you'll subscribe to.

Pull media is great when you've got time and inclination to search out information. Having information pushed towards you will more likely grab your attention. I signed up all the CADA staff for this email because we are all sometimes too busy to pull even the low hanging information fruits (I've also started bombing everyone with bacn from our project management software).

You can sign up for a daily email of the RSS feed for all of the new content that goes onto our site below (you can also use the user account subscription feature for more tailored emails):

Special Project Grants Awarded 2007

Chard Morrison — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:55:10 -0400

Applicant	Title	Grant Awarded	Summary
Asian Heritage Foundation (Southern Alberta)	Asian Heritage Month ImaginASIAN Festival - Dance Event	4000	To support the local dance component of the Asian Heritage Month Arts Festival highlighting Asian Canadian dance as a main attraction.
Barany, C. Mitchell	City of Noise	3375	To support a four-minute film set to the work of independent Calgary musicians “Summerlad”.
Burisch, Nicole and Anthea Black (Shotgun-Review.ca)	Shotgun-Review.ca Site Development Project	1000	To support a web journal with reviews and images of fine art events, projects, and exhibitions in Calgary and Alberta.
Burns, Lindsay (Pot of Jam Productions)	The Vajayjay Monologues	1500	To support a new comedy by playwright Lindsay Burns.
Calgary Cinematheque Society	Talking Pictures	4000	To support bringing the newly formed Calgary Cinématheque Society in bringing four film directors and art historians to Calgary to present their work and interact with audiences in a conversation about film as art.
Calgary Contemporary Arts Society	Publication of the exhibition catalogue "Images and Reflections"	1000	To support the publication of an international art exchange exhibition in conjunction with the 25th Anniversary of the Calgary Contemporary Arts Society.
Calgary Men's Chorus	Choral Festival	1200	To support an invitational Choral Festival as a part of Outfest, the Cultural Component of the first North American Outgames.
Calgary Multicultural Arts Society	Fiestaval	3500	To support a two-day, free multicultural arts and entertainment festival highlighting the Latin American Culture.
Centre Stage Theatre Company	A Most Dangerous Game	3000	To support a play written by Bonnie Gratz designed to educate teens on the dangers of the Internet.
Clouds and Water Gallery and Visual Production Society	Emerging Artists of Calgary	2025	To support the presentation of a collaborative student exhibition at The New Gallery.
Dyment, Colleen and Lauren Ireland-Gantous	Sleeping Beauty	4000	To support producing the spoof Sleeping Beauty targeted to make professional level theatre accessible to children fourteen and under.
Fairytales Presentation Society	Outfest	5000	To support a week-long celebration of gay and lesbian art, culture and performance as part of the first North America OutGames.
Fiona Malena Flamenco Society	Tierra	2000	To support the creation, development and presentation of a new dance work gathering flamenco artists from all over Canada.
Ghost River Theatre	NiX	7000	To support a site-specific theatrical experience transforming the locations into theatres of snow and ice through an innovative combination of natural materials, light and sound equipment.
Hamilton, Mark	Bunny Hill	2000	To support a two-day music and visual arts event occurring during the independent music festival “Sled Island”.
Hopkins, Mark	Freak Show	2000	To support site-specific performance installations as part of One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo.
Knight, Holly	Blakey Calgary Feis	2000	To support an Irish festival featuring competitors aged 4 to 19 in Irish dance and music.
Mahood, Jennifer	System Antics	2000	To support a multi-disciplinary collaboration between Philip Baer, Naomi Brand and Jennifer Mahood producing an interactive sound-art installation.
Bee Kingdom (formerly Mecha Glass)	Bee Kingdom Art Book	1000	To support the publication of a biographical art book.
Mendelsohn, Judith	Bobby	3000	To support the development and performance of a solo clown show.
Mob Hit Productions	Boom	2500	To support the production of a play dealing with the single largest issue on the minds of Calgarians.
Morcos, Annette	Flamenco Concert	2900	To support a Flamenco performance featuring some of the different cultures that influences this unique art form.
Mosaic Community	Cultural Festival	1500	To support a free, public event in the Beltline area of Calgary focused on providing a forum for cultural expression for the enjoyment and education of a diverse audience.
Nyland, Eric	The Sound System	2500	To support the production of two one-act plays as a single event as part of Edmonton’s Indie 5 Festival and Calgary’s Birds and Stone Theatre.
Phame Productions	American Woman	1000	To support a Canadian play exploring the experience of being a new Canadian Immigrant.
Rive, Tyler (in collaboration with Ghost River Theatre Society)	Iraq & Back	3000	To support the production of a play by Tyler Rive chronicling his real-life experiences building water treatment filtration units for the US army.
Semaka, Ty	Closure	2500	To support a physical drama written by Ty Semaka combining elements of monologue, dialogue, physical theatre, computer projection technology, poetry and music.
Shyba, Lori and The Gamer Player	Spies in the Oil sands: Whose side are you on?	1000	To support the production of an interactive Forum Theatre event to bring awareness to decisions that can be made regarding our energy resources in the Oilsands.
Simmins, Geoffrey	Ronald (Gyo-Zo) Spickett: The Calgary Murals Video Project	2500	To support a video production of two historically important mural paintings in the city, featuring an interview with the artist.
Southern Alberta Woodworkers Society	2007 Fine Works in Wood Exhibition	2000	To support the Southern Alberta Woodworkers Society’s bi-annual exhibition.
Southern India Cultural Association	Violin Strings of S. India	500	To support the presentation of a unique program celebrating the classical music of South India by three Canadian artists.
Stone Sculptors Guild of North America (Brian Pawlak)	Circle of Life	4000	To support the production of twelve sculptures while increasing the sculpture awareness and appreciation in the city of Calgary.
Studio C	Photo Graphic Arts	3000	To support the community collaboration intended to expose artists with disabilities to a new medium of artistic expression.
Terracciano, Rosanna & Graziella	My Flamenco	2500	To support the flamenco dance project featuring new works of local flamenco dancer Rosanna Terracciano.
Thakkar, Sudha	Rang Tarang - A Festival of Dance and Music, 2007	4000	To support a festival of Indian classical dance and music.
Theatre Junction at The Grand	Live in Velvet	1000	To support a free performance series introducing Calgary audiences to up-and-coming live performers.
Theatre of the Living Statue	Dragonfly Episode IV: Identity	2500	To support the production of a dance drama, in the style of a graphic novel, combining elements of physical theatre, dance, visual art, music and prosthetic crafting.
Urban Curvz Theatre	Helen's Necklace	3000	To support the production of a play written by Carole Fréchette – winner of the Governor’s General Award.
Vida, Sandra	Sandra Vida - Production of a Retrospective Publication	1500	To support the retrospective publication of visual and media artist Sandra Vida.
Wilson, Sheri-D	The Panty Portal Project	3000	To support the production of a short film, or VideoPoem, based on a poem by Sheri-D Wilson that explores the concept of extinction, through alienation from true nature.

Patron & Client Services Staff

epcor — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:39:08 -0400

EPCOR CENTRE Job Posting – Patron & Client Services Staff

The EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts is a not for profit charitable organization that welcomes over 400,000 Calgarians annually into our facility. The mission of the EPCOR CENTRE is to ignite imagination, provide the public with cultural experiences that exceed expectations, assist artists in realizing their visions and to enable the artistic expression of all citizens. We are interested in like-minded individuals who will help us achieve our goals.

As one of Canada’s premier performing arts centres, we offer excellent opportunities in customer service and front of house operations in the entertainment and hospitality industry. Patron & Client Services team members work as ushers, ticket takers, coat check operators, confection sellers, bar servers and much more. read more »

Summer Job Posting: The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers

CSIF — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:01:52 -0400

Summer Employment Opportunity:

Outreach Coordinator

The Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers (CSIF) is currently seeking applicants for the position of Outreach Coordinator

Contract 14 Weeks (35-hrs/week) position, $14/hour

Application Deadline: May 16, 2008 @ 4:30 pm

Start Date: May 26, 2008

This position will begin May 26, 2008 and end August 29, 2008 (14 weeks).

The CSIF is looking for a self-motivated person who enjoys working in a collaborative environment and is interested in filmmaking. This is an excellent employment opportunity for someone interested in a future career in the non-profit arts sector.

The Duties of the coordinator will include: read more »

Summer Marketing Assistant

epcor — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:50:25 -0400

EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts
Job Posting: Summer Marketing Assistant

The EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts is a not-for-profit charitable organization that welcomes over 400,000 Calgarians annually into our facility. The mission of the EPCOR CENTRE is to ignite imagination, provide the public with cultural experiences that exceed expectations, assist artists in realizing their visions and to enable the artistic expression of all citizens. We are interested in like-minded individuals who will help us achieve our goals.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, innovative and inclusive team player to fill the full-time temporary position of Summer Marketing Assistant. Reporting to the Director, Marketing and Development, the Summer Marketing Assistant provides support to EPCOR CENTRE’s Marketing team. General duties include (but are not limited to): read more »

Development Associate

epcor — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:48:57 -0400

EPCOR CENTRE Job Posting – Development Associate

We are seeking an enthusiastic and inclusive team player to fill the full-time position of Development Associate. Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Development, the Development Associate’s general duties include (but are not limited to):

- Execution of sponsor stewardship activities, including administration of benefits, newsletter writing and preparation of final program reports
- Management of fundraising database and donation thanks read more »

Event Production & Stage Manager

Erica Mattson — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:55:25 -0400

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts requires the services of an experienced Production and Stage Manager for a major arts and culture event to be held at the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary, Alberta on September 6, 2008.

Closing dates for proposals is May 20, 2008.

Complete details are available at: http://www.affta.ab.ca/RFPproduction2.pdf read more »

McKenzie Towne Hall Famers' Market

mckenzietownemarket — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:50:46 -0400

McKenzie Towne Farmers' Market

Join us at Calgary's newest Farmers' Market. The McKenzie Towne Market will run Thursday evenings from 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm starting June 5th and running through September 25th.

Aside from fresh, local food we plan to promote the local art scene. Every week we will focus a new local artist and local musician. Artists will be able to display their work in our artist tent.

The McKenzie Towne Market will be the place to be in the South East every Thursday. Join us in our beautiful community and help promote awesome Calgary art.

For more information check out the McKenzie Towne Hall Farmers' Market application or contact Matthew by phone at 781-6612 ext. 2, or email mckenzietownemarket@shaw.ca

Development Manager: Sponsorship, Stewardship & Community Outreach

Luhning — Sun, 04 May 2008 06:01:35 -0400

Job Posting:

Development Manager: Sponsorship, Stewardship & Community Outreach

The Calgary International Children’s Festival is the third largest performing arts festival for children and young people in North America. We are a registered charitable organization and incorporated as a society in the Province of Alberta.

As we enter into our 23rd year we are seeking an enthusiastic, tenacious, and well-organized individual to become our Development and Outreach Manager.

Working closely with the Festival’s Artistic Director to support new and evolving creative initiatives, the successful candidate will be responsible for developing and maintaining sponsor and donor communications and initiatives, and leading the Festival’s Outreach program. read more »