The following article by Calgary Arts Development's President & CEO Terry Rock appeared on July 25, 2007 in the Calgary Herald.

Creating in Calgary: The Future of Calgary's Competitive Advantage

Creativity and innovation. Two words we’re going to hear more and more about in all cities, including in Calgary. Perhaps especially Calgary.

Charles Landry, urbanist and cultural planner for cities throughout the world, talks about fostering creativity in urban communities in his book The Creative City: A Toolkit for Urban Innovators. When he spent a week in Calgary last March, Landry challenged us to take stock of the energy and passion of Calgarians and ask one question every time we act: Is it good enough for Calgary?

Our future competitive advantage depends on our capacity for creativity and innovation. It’s undeniable that 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, did they? No! 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.

A recent report on the creative industries in Calgary shows the (perhaps) surprising result that our creative human capital is much more widespread and important to our future than many Calgarians, and probably the rest of the country, think. Artists. Designers. Musicians. Architects. Programmers. Writers. Engineers. Filmmakers. In 2005, over 43,000 Calgarians were employed within creative industries, representing about 13.5% of the city’s total employment. These industries span a wide range of activities including performing and visual arts, motion picture and video industries, publishing, architecture and design, digital media, and advertising and media relations.

So what does it mean to build our city and its economy through creativity in a way that’s “good enough” for Calgary?

The headlines tell us part of the story. Calgary has earned intense recognition lately (including a flurry of articles in the New York Times) for groundbreaking work in the arts. Joni Mitchell teams up with Alberta Ballet. The Olympic Plaza Cultural District activates the world's first Public Revitalization Zone in Calgary's most central urban neighbourhood, modeled after popular business revitalization zone strategies. John Estacio and John Murrell come together under with Calgary Opera and the Banff Centre to create stunning new operas. Artist-run centres support the creation of challenging new work and provide fresh thinking about how art intersects with contemporary society. Local author Aritha van Herk joins forces with the Glenbow Museum to create a permanent gallery in inspired by her book Mavericks: An Incorrigible History of Alberta. One of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world, the Honens International Piano Competition, makes its home right here in Calgary, exposing us to world-class musicians, not to mention contributing over $2.5 million to Calgary's GDP in 2006.

Building on this exciting base of activity, Calgary has some key partnerships developed to support and promote creativity. Three of our civic agencies are starting to work together directly in this area. Calgary Arts Development champions an environment where artists thrive and the arts benefit all Calgarians. The arts are part of a creative industries sector with wide-ranging economic benefits that can be maximized by organizations like Calgary Economic Development. And arts, culture, and entertainment help position Calgary as a tourist destination. Calgary is fortunate. These kind of partnerships don’t exist in many other places.

Creative work is translated into economic, social, cultural and aesthetic value in many ways. Inspiration and design are found in architecture, buildings and even in overpasses, underpasses and interchanges. Our educational institutions fuel Calgary’s creativity with thousands of students graduating each year with degrees and diplomas in the creative industries. And Calgarians are voting with their feet. Over $1 billion is spent on cultural products and services each year in Calgary. Believe it or not, we’re spending more money on live performing arts than on sporting events.

It might be surprising, but this is Calgary.

Our growing reputation as a creative city brings great rewards. Inspiration, risk and innovation are Calgary’s signature to the world right now in the arts of dance, opera, film, music, theatre, puppetry, literature and visual arts. And that profile pays off when we’re selling our city. Skilled employees are looking for quality of life. Businesses are attracted to cosmopolitan centres. Tourists and visitors crave vibrant culture.

That’s good enough for Calgary, and it’s getting better.

More creative people. More engagement. More collaboration. More excitement.

That's the future of Calgary's competitive advantage.