Many thanks to everyone who submitted nominations and applications to participate as grants assessors for Calgary Arts Development's Community Investment Program. We were overwhelmed by the positive response as we received applications and nominations of more than 230 qualified people. We have gone through an initial process of shortlisting candidates towards filling approximately 35 assessor positions in our 2009 granting cycle. We considered peers with a breadth of experience and whenever possible multi-disciplinary expertise. For community members, we considered exposure and depth of knowledge of Calgary and the sector. We have also tried to balance diverse experience and broadly cover artistic disciplines. While we have many more interested applicants than we will need for this year, we are beginning to build a long term roster of possible assessors. We will accept suggestions of names for this roster year round and place high value on the community nominating peers and community members for this opportunity.

Instructions regarding our next steps have been sent to all applicants via e-mail. If you have not received any communications, please let us know by e-mailing volunteer@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or by calling the Calgary Arts Development office at (403) 264-5330. We look forward to growing a community-owned process for arts investments this year and well into the future.  read more »

Prior to all of the artist studio visits and CIFF fun we also stopped by Dennis Oppenheim's upside down church also known as "Device to Root Out Evil" in Ramsay. This spectacular piece is on loan to the Glenbow from Vancouver's Benefic Foundation.

We followed the Oppenheim viewing with a great lunch just down the street at Cafe Rosso. The weather was fantastic - all in all a great authentic Calgary experience!

After hopping art galleries for Art Walk and the East Side Studio Crawl (an extension of Art Walk in Inglewood/Ramsay) on Saturday, I was back at the Calgary International Film Festival on Sunday. The Joe Media / NFB Best of Alberta Shorts Awards package screened at the Uptown Stage and Screen at 6:30pm. I got the very last ticket to the sold out show. (Don't tell the guy who was behind me.) Ten short films from across Alberta were screened (...ahem, mostly Calgary). The quality of the work over all was very strong and only the tip of the iceberg in the independant film scene in Alberta.The atmosphere in the theatre was of a congenial nature both on and off the screen. On screen, were numerous actors I have seen in the last year in both the community and professional theatre world of Calgary, such as personal favourite, Grant Reddick, in the film, Promise (2008), by David and Kirsten Bolton.   read more »

Calgary Arts Development is pleased to welcome a new staff member to the team! Lauren Simms, a recent graduate of the University of Calgary's Department of Fine Arts and a practicing visual artist, has joined Calgary Arts Development as our new Program and Office Assistant. Lauren will play an important role in helping us serve arts organizations and artists through our Community Investment programs. She will also support our internal operations through general office administration.

“Lauren is already actively involved in the community as an artist and audience member, and we know she will make a great contribution to our team and to the artists and arts organizations we serve,” said Terry Rock, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development. “She's been in the office for only a few days and is already doing a great job.”  read more »

Calgary Arts Development has just posted granting deadlines from other major arts funding programs accessible to Calgary artists and art organizations. They are listed on our events calendar. (Upcoming events are posted on our home page as well.)

We can't guarantee the info will stay current, but we'll do our best to keep it up to date. Absolutely, check with the funding bodies themselves for any details about their programs. We're happy to post other deadlines, so please let us know if you have other suggestions.

Information about Calgary Arts Development's 2009 Community Investment Programs will be available in late September. We look forward to working with the community in this exciting new program.  read more »

Deadline: Monday, September 8th

Calgary Arts Development is seeking nominations of arts sector peers and community members to serve as volunteer assessors for our community investment programs. We invest in more than 120 arts organizations and dozens of individual artists on behalf of The City of Calgary.

This is an opportunity for artists, cultural workers and enthusiastic audience members of all artistic disciplines to enhance their understanding of and contribution to Calgary's vibrant arts sector.

Strong candidates will bring sector expertise, professional experience and an interest in participating in an integrated arts investment process guided by artistic and public impact outcomes. They will also be keen to engage in thoughtful dialogue about the value of arts and culture in our lives and our city.  read more »

Thank you to everyone who participated in the ArtsMart newsletter survey. We gained some valuable feedback and would like to share it with you! The results will be useful in planning ArtsMart into your marketing strategy this year. Click here to access the report.

If you're not using ArtsMart to promote your events, please use our online submission form to add your events and benefit from this free service owned and operated by the team at Calgary Arts Development. Your events may also be listed on the ArtsMart e-newsletter delivered weekly to over 6000 members' inboxes. ArtsMart is your guide to Calgary arts and entertainment events and a resource for our city's community of artists and presenters.  read more »

You'll find Calgary's music venues and festival spaces jam-packed with regional, Canadian and international artists delivering fresh sounds all summer long.

There are great festivals happening in Calgary every weekend throughout July and August - be part of it! If you haven't already planned your summer festival itinerary, visit MusicLivesHere.ca or download the handy pocket guide below to browse through a full listing of Calgary festivals and enter to win one of three great festival prize packages.

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) has expanded a number of its grant programs and added a new Aboriginal program using the additional funding received through Alberta’s cultural policy - The Spirit of Alberta.

The following grant programs are helping to achieve the policy’s goals and strategies:

Community Presenting Project Grant - deadline July 15

To provide increased access and opportunities for Albertans to experience culture, the Community Presenting Project Grant assists Alberta presenters that feature artists in the community. The grant now offers additional support to present Alberta or Western Canadian artists as well as has an added focus on dance and theatre. This program received an additional $250,000, raising its total budget to $1,800,000.  read more »

Please note that the Calgary Arts Development office is closed on Fridays during the months of July and August. If you require immediate assistance on these days, please contact us as follows:

Community Investment - Karen Ball - 403.470.8114
Media/Communications - Erica Mattson - 403.978.2787
General - Suzanne Boss - 403.701.7783 or Terry Rock - 403.681.2909