Creative Industries foundation of Calgary’s economic success

Calgary Economic Development (CED) in collaboration with Calgary Arts Development (CADA) today released a comprehensive overview of the Creative Industries sector and its importance to the city. Creativity is defined, in the report, as the intellectual capital employed in all problem-solving that leads to innovation.

The profile, Calgary: Talent and Innovation, maintains that the sector's intellectual capital and problem solving tools are used across all industries and are increasingly the foundation on which economic success is built. A recent Conference Board of Canada report said that Canada's performance in innovation is mediocre, a rating, CED says, which makes it all the more important that the vitality of the sector be recognized and appreciated. "A strong Creative Industries sector," Bruce Graham, CED's President and CEO said, "leads to a vibrant culturally rich city that attracts and retains people."

The profile redefines the Creative Industries sector to include the Applied Arts as well as Traditional Arts and Culture. "New technologies and a demand for creative design are broadening the definition ... to include other sectors of the economy such as architecture, drafting and multimedia." Both sub-sectors, however, are linked by their use of imagination to achieve results.

“Our future competitive advantage,” Terry Rock, President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development, “depends on our capacity for creativity and innovation. Much of Calgary’s prosperity leads back to a simple fact: our landscape is rich in natural resources like oil and natural gas. But those natural resources didn’t crawl out of the ground by themselves. There’s a huge amount of creative human capital that goes into translating those resources into the wealth generating engine they have become for Calgary.”

The Creative Industries sector employed over 40,000 Calgarians in 2005. Albertans spend over $3 billion on cultural-related products and services annually. In fact, Albertan's spend more on cultural products and services than any other province; on a per capita basis, Albertans spend $838 annually, 10 per cent more than the Canadian average.

Highlights:

• Calgary has an estimated 260 venues for the performance and display of art, representing 193 Art Galleries, 49 Performing Art Venues, and 18 Museums.
• The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts attracts nearly 300,000 patrons and more than 1,700 performances and events annually. This 400,000 square foot performing arts complex is one of the largest of its kind in Canada.
• The Glenbow Museum, Western Canada’s largest museum, boasts over a million artifacts, along with 28,000 works of art, a library and archives under one roof.
• Over 7,000 students graduate from the city’s four major schools each year with CI related degrees and diplomas.
• The Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD), founded in 1926, is one of four Canadian degree-granting, publicly-funded Art and Design colleges, and the only one in the Prairie Provinces.
• The Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, part of Mount Royal College has a registration of 14,000 students.
• SAIT Polytechnic’s Information and Communications Technologies Department offers 22 CI related programs.
• The University of Calgary is a comprehensive research university with 17 faculties, 53 departments and more than 30 research institutes and centres. Its Faculty of Fine Arts offers degree and research programs in Art, Dance, Drama and Music, and its Faculty of Environmental Design is among only a few in Canada.
• The highest level of per capita spending on art works and events of major Canadian cities and 3rd highest per capita spending on culture
• Over 4,500 Applied Arts and Design organizations, employing over 40,000 workers.
• Major cultural events draw over three million in attendance to downtown festivals annually.
• Calgary ranks third among major Canadian cities for attracting cultural migrants.

For a copy of the report click here.

For more information:

Luiza Zorrilla
Director, Marketing and Communications
Calgary Economic Development
403.880.7040
Luiza@calgaryeconomicdevelopment.com

Erica Mattson
Marketing & Communications Manager
Calgary Arts Development
403.264.5330
Erica.mattson@calgaryartsdevelopment.com

Calgary Economic Development is Calgary’s lead economic development agency, committed to marketing the Calgary Region’s competitive advantages and pro-business climate across Canada and around the world. Working with stakeholders from business, the community and government, our job is to capitalize on Calgary’s abundant energy and entrepreneurial spirit to facilitate sustainable economic growth.

Calgary Arts Development plays a leadership role in realizing the potential of arts and culture in Calgary. As the city's designated arts development authority, we are a central hub that learns about, promotes, connects, advocates for, and leads strategic initiatives in the arts to animate Calgary as a vibrant cultural centre. Calgary Arts Development allocates municipal funding for the arts provided by the City of Calgary through granting programs that support operations and innovation for more than 140 artists and organizations in Calgary.