Issue 2 | 2023
Indigenous Artistry Reflections of Indigenous culture through art and fashion
ART SPACES ABOUND CHARTING THE CITY’S SOUND SPARKING CONVERSATIONS
Create Your Future
ARTCRAFTDESIGN AUArts.ca
IMAGES: (COVER) ALANNA BLUEBIRD, MODEL: MIDNIGHT LUJAN; (THIS PAGE CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT) COURTESY JARETT SITTER; LINDSEY HOPKINS; ALANNA BLUEBIRD
006 Meet We chat with artist Jeff de Boer about Leonardo da Vinci, miniature armour and mentorship.
008 Pulse The 2022 Citizen Engagement Survey highlights how Calgarians explore and connect with the arts.
010 Next Gen Meet local organizations empowering youth through the arts.
012 Day Job These Calgary artists share how they balance pursuing their passions with paying the bills.
015 Connectors Calgary’s diverse cultural festivals offer a chance to celebrate what makes us similar and unique.
018 Boosters Discover how creative companies contribute to a vibrant economy.
022 Discuss Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, actor and writer Dave Kelly and musician Lindsay Ell share why the arts matter.
ON THE COVER: Indigenous designers like Indi City are creating buzz in the fashion world
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046 features
How Art Can Change the Narrative 024
034 044 SNAPSHOT: ART SPACES
Take a visual stroll on our illustrated map of some of the many art spaces that support Calgary’s creative ecosystem.
046 PORTFOLIO
Jarett Sitter, an illustrator and animator, offers a behind-the-scenes look at his latest project in Chinatown.
050 ART ON THE HORIZON
Award-winning author Suzette Mayr shares how art is a vehicle for connection and self-discovery.
We explore the transformational power art and artists have to spur social change.
Soundtrack of the City 029 From Folk Fest and Sled Island to Friday night jam sessions at live venues, Calgary is en route to becoming a true music city.
Telling Our Stories 034 Calgary Arts Development’s Sable Sweetgrass reflects on sharing Indigenous culture through art and fashion.
Public Art FAQ 036 Curious about the who, what, how and why’s of the public art process? We dive deep into public art FAQs.
Calgary’s Ecosystem of Art Spaces 040 Discover some of the city’s diverse art spaces that accommodate different stages of creativity.
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Share your thoughts with us! Visit surveymonkey.com/r/FMTCKMG and tell us what you think.
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Chair, Board of Directors Chima Nkemdirim President and CEO Patti Pon Calgary Arts Development Authority is a wholly owned subsidiary of The City of Calgary. We invest and allocate municipal funding for the arts to hundreds of arts organizations, individual artists, artist collectives and arts events in Calgary. We believe the arts have the power to create vibrant communities and bring together diverse voices and perspectives. We support artists in the development of their skills and the expression of their creativity. Calgary Arts Development supports and strengthens the arts to benefit all Calgarians. Calgary Arts Development Phone: 403-264-5330 Info@calgaryartsdevelopment.com calgaryartsdevelopment.com calgaryartsdev calgaryartsdevelopment YYC What’s On @calgaryartsdev @yycwhatson #yyclcl
President, Co-Owner Käthe Lemon Director of Strategy and Content Meredith Bailey Managing Editor, RPM Content Studio Colleen Seto Art Director, RPM Content Studio Veronica Cowan Staff Photographer Jared Sych Editorial Contributors Haider Ali Aaron Chatha Elizabeth Chorney-Booth Lindsey Hopkins Suzette Mayr Maureen McNamee Jaelyn Molyneux Karin Olafson Geoffrey Picketts Michaela Ream Lynda Sea Sable Sweetgrass Dane Thibeault
RedPoint Media Group cSPACE Marda Loop 1721 - 29 Avenue SW, Suite 375 Calgary, Alberta T2T 6T7 (Letter mail only) Phone: 403-240-9055 Toll free: 1-877-963-9333 Fax: 403-240-9059 info@redpointmedia.ca Statements expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Copyright 2023 by RedPoint Media Group Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher.
Published annually by Calgary Arts Development in partnership with RedPoint Media Group.
WATCH NOW
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PHOTOGRAPH: MOTIF PHOTOGRAPHY
Welcome to our second annual edition of Create Calgary. August 2023 marked my 10th year as President and CEO of Calgary Arts Development. When I look back over the past 10 years, the thing that strikes me most is the amount of tumult we’ve experienced. From the worst flood in 100 years to the drastic economic downturn to the brutal global pandemic, we have been through a turbulent decade. What really strikes me, though, is how artists have been there every step of the way — to bring us joy, to make meaning of the world around us, and to reflect our humanity even in times of social isolation, of loss, of experiencing grief — and I believe that now, more than ever, is the time for artists to be heard, seen and celebrated. I acknowledge this is the ancestral home of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Good Stoney First Nations. It is also home to Métis Nation Region 3 as well as many First Nations peoples, Inuit and Métis from across Turtle Island. Before Canada was Canada, and Calgary was Calgary, our home was known as Mohkinsstsis (in Blackfoot), Guts’ists’I (in Tsuut’ina) and Wichîspa (in Nakoda/ Dakota) and has always been a creative place. Since time immemorial, people have been drawn here — to the confluence of the rivers — to trade, share stories, sing, dance and participate in ceremony. It is in the spirit of this land and all living creatures that we do our work. Today, our city thrives on the energy and passion of
hundreds of thousands of everyday Calgarians who are living creative lives, more than 10,000 artists and arts workers who dedicate their lives to creating and sharing art, and more than 20,000 people who work in the creative industries that contribute $1.6 billion annually in GDP to Calgary. Calgary Arts Development is a connector, facilitator and collaborator; a champion, supporter and ambassador; an investor in artists and arts organizations; and a catalyst and opportunity-maker. In 2022, we invested more than $13.6 million through 676 grants to organizations, individual artists and arts collectives in Calgary and the Treaty 7 region. These investments contributed to more than 26,000 arts events with a participation of more than 4.4 million people. We can’t possibly share all their stories, but in this magazine, we are able to share a few. Within the following pages, you can learn more about some individual Calgary artists, such as Jeff de Boer and his mice armour, Jarett Sitter and his Chinatown murals, and Suzette Mayr whose book The Sleeping Car Porter has won many awards, including the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Perhaps your interest lies more in how artists and the arts contribute to social change, how Calgary is becoming a music city, how the arts have a positive effect on youth, or the role arts spaces play in our city. Or maybe you’d like to discover more about how artists from this region are telling stories on the world stage, like the Indigenous fashion and jewellery designers who are being featured on the runways of international fashion events in Paris and New York, or the fabricators whose large-scale works are making their mark here and afar. Hopefully, you’ll find a story or two that pique your interest. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this issue — the writers, illustrators and photographers; Patti Pon at the confluence our partner Redpoint Media; the advertisers; of the Bow and Elbow rivers and all the subjects of the articles — thank you for letting us share your stories. Calgary has been ranked by The Economist as one of the world’s most livable cities. We know Calgary is a great city but there is still work to be done. As we slowly emerge from the turbulence of the past decade, let’s ignite the power of our imaginations and activate our individual and collective creativity to achieve an even better city. Our vision is a city that is not only creative, but one that is truly equitable, inclusive and accessible where everyone belongs. Patti Pon President and CEO, Calgary Arts Development P.S. To find out more about what’s happening in Calgary, visit yycwhatson.ca.
Jeff de Boer, a Calgary artist renowned for his creations
of miniature mouse and cat armour, talks about his inspirations, role as a mentor and the world of art
Artist Profile
MEET: JEFF DE BOER
Jeff de Boer is a visual artist and the first-and-only cat and mouse armourer. He has created more than 500 suits of armour ranging from mouse-sized Crusader sets to Tudor-styled armour fit for a house cat and has been featured on National Geographic’s website. His work brings to life fantastical elements and is reminiscent of historical artifacts. He studied art at the Alberta College of Art + Design, now Alberta University of the Arts, in the 1980s. As an artist in the private sector, he also advocates for and mentors other artists to find their own voices and passions. We chat with de Boer to learn more about his art journey.
by Michaela Ream
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How did your passion for art start? When I was five years old, I watched a documentary series on Leonardo da Vinci’s life; at that moment, I knew I wanted to be like him. I wasn’t interested in hockey players or anything like that; my heroes were Michelangelo and these Renaissance artists. I’ve never had any other thoughts, so there was never a plan B for me.
What was the turning point in your art journey? Disney says it all started with a mouse, and the same applies to me. In high school, I took up a fascination with armour and wondered if I could build a suit of armour. I never finished it, but after high school, I got involved in a medieval recreation society and studied with a blacksmith for three years. I later went to art college, and it was there that my
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fascination with armour came together, and I realized I could build a small suit of armour for something like a mouse. It transformed everything, and the rest is history. Where do you draw inspiration? I’m really inspired by the artifacts we find in museums. There is this expectation that art always has to be super high-end, but I would prefer my own work to be seen through the lens of a museum because, in a museum, it doesn’t have to be any one thing. I want people to see it through all possible lenses. So, some see it as fantasy art; others as jewellery or wearable technology. My job is to make people laugh and smile and wonder and question and inspire people to want to pick up tools.
Viking Mice, 2021
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY JEFF DE BOER
Crusader Mice, 2012
Do you have a favourite piece you’ve created? I had these giant wind-up tin toys at the [Calgary] airport that were recently decommissioned. When I told the public [about] what would happen, the feedback was that it had inspired, delighted and entertained millions of people for 21 years. Whether it’s my favourite piece or not isn’t the point, but what it did and the memories it created for people make it one of the best things I’ve ever done.
Tell me about your experience with the National accessArts Centre (NaAC), Canada's oldest and largest disability arts organization? I’ve been involved in the organization since 1985. The transformation of it to not just providing services but, in many respects, becoming an advocate and a voice and using the organization for the artists to not just promote their work but be a vehicle to transform society; it’s been exciting to be a part of that. I get to see the world through their eyes and their work, be a voice for them, and say, ‘These are my contemporaries, and they deserve to be viewed and seen like everyone else and given the same opportunities.’ We should get to a place where it’s not about whether one is able-bodied or has a developmental disability. Art is equal. They should get the same equal opportunities as every other artist in the world. That’s always been my personal battle. The art world often looks at me as a second-class citizen because I make beautiful things that get written off as not having a high concept, but I believe you can have both craft and concept, so I have my own cat-andmouse relationship with the art world. Why did you start the League of Extraordinary Makers?
There’s immense power in mentoring and supporting anyone else who wants to be doing this kind of work. The League of Extraordinary Makers guild is a core group of artisans and artists I’ve worked with for many years. We have helped and supported each other throughout our careers and anyone else wanting to do this work. Over the years, I’ve built an army of industry and capacity that serves me when I’m going for a large public project, and serves other artists. If someone comes to me and wants to take on a project but doesn’t have the experience, then I can be their mentor and back them. That way, I can help them through a major project from managing, organizing, pricing, fabricating, installing and providing that powerhouse of capability. Throughout your years as a mentor, what is the one piece of advice you always give? Be nice to everyone you meet because you never know who they might become. You have no idea what a person may actually be capable of, and that’s your handicap. Everyone has a disability, some are just more obvious than others, but regardless of whether they have a disability, human beings are mentally capable of remarkable things. Learn more about the artist at jeffdeboer.com
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Calgary Arts Development always strives to engage with the community to increase and use its resources wisely to support and strengthen the arts to benefit all Calgarians. Since 2014, Calgary Arts Development has partnered with Stone-Olafson to survey citizens to better understand the degree and nature of how they engage with arts and culture in the community. Following are some key findings from the 2022 Calgary Engagement Survey, showing that Calgarians continue to explore and find ways to connect with the arts.
Despite reduced participation rates, Calgarians continue to have a positive attitude about the role arts and culture play in the community and the importance of youth having access to arts opportunities. Significantly fewer people report feeling that arts and culture are not for them.
Survey respondents indicated the most important reasons they’ve engaged in creative activities over the past year (ranked from most to least important):
While nine out of 10 Calgarians remain engaged with the arts in a single way — by observing/listening, attending or creating art — those who engage in two or more ways declined since 2018.
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To have fun To relax To improve my own skills To learn something new To create something I’m proud of To feel a sense of accomplishment To connect with others To express my feelings Other
MOST CALGARIANS, EVEN THOSE NOT HIGHLY ENGAGED WITH THE ARTS, VALUE THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN CREATING A VIBRANT CITY.
89% of respondents agree that arts and culture experiences help bring people from diverse backgrounds together as a community.
90% of respondents agree that arts education programs in school are an important part of the curriculum for children of all ages.
91% of Calgarians remain engaged with the arts in at least one form, but how they engage is shifting. Fewer have been able to attend arts events — either due to COVID-19 or for economic reasons.
92% of respondents agree that developing local artists — of all kinds — is a good thing for Calgary.
93% of respondents agree that everyone should learn at least something about arts and culture.
ILLUSTRATION: Greens87, COURTESY iSTOCK
87% of respondents agree that arts and culture activities can show people a new way of looking at things around them.
88% of respondents agree that it is important that there are organizations in the community dedicated to the development of the arts in Calgary.
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81% of respondents agree that engaging with arts and culture fosters empathy (a greater understanding of other people, cultures, ideas, etc.).
009 82% OF RESPONDENTS AGREE THAT A STRONG ARTS AND CULTURE SCENE IS KEY TO CREATING A VIBRANT, SAFE AND PROSPEROUS CITY.
REIMAGINING ARTS EDUCATION
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Giggling children with jellyfish puppets dangling from sticks parade through Arts Commons on their way to Olympic Plaza, where they work together to animate their creations. A group of young people stand on the Martha Cohen Theatre stage as a flurry of snowflakes is released from above using a snow bag and the theatre’s fly system. Artist Autumn Whiteway visits a school classroom to teach students about woodland art and share Indigenous ways of knowing and understanding. These arts experiences provide more than joy and memorable moments. They create opportunities for creativity, curiosity and collaboration. They build problem-solving skills, confidence and resilience. They promote selfexpression and empathy. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recognizes art as an essential component of a comprehensive education. It also sees the arts playing an important role in shaping a future society where those skills are needed. “The arts have a higher purpose — and the more accessible and inclusive, the better,” says Karen Youngberg, associate director of education at Arts Commons. “This is about the arts being a human right. The arts help build identity
and connection to community, so if we don't build accessible arts programming [for young people], a whole generation is going to miss out.” In 2022, a benchmark survey about the perceived value of arts education led by Arts Commons found that accessibility was identified as a barrier to arts education by 32 per cent of parents. And schools can’t always fill those gaps — Youngberg says there’s not always dedicated funding for field trips into the community or to bring artists into the schools. The survey also found that 40 per cent of parents don’t consider arts experiences for their kids — it’s just not on the radar. “That's a huge challenge,” she says. “We need to start disrupting the way people are thinking and viewing arts education.” Arts Commons launched Arts ReimaginED in 2023 to change the conversation about arts education with parents, educators, students and teaching artists in the community. Held to coincide with the UNESCO International Arts Education Week in May, the program offered free arts education programs for youth in every quadrant of the city, including all YMCAs and 120 classrooms. “We've already had schools reach out to us about creating a year-long program with them,” says Youngberg. “Teachers saw the immediate impact of the artists working with students. The scope of this is going to grow. We know the demand is there. It’s about creating the change as a community.” Knowing the demand exists is one thing, but understanding what people want is another. Alex Sarian, president and CEO of Arts Commons, says it’s critical for arts organizations to listen to parents and educators, evaluate their existing programs and make changes that meet the community’s needs rather than continuing down the same path and slowly losing audiences. “What we want for our young people is so disconnected from the experiences we’re providing them,” he says. “Once we crack the nut of inspiring demand for arts education, we can start talking about how to provide these experiences.” The next step, says Youngberg, is to continue those conversations started with Arts ReimaginED collaborators. Arts Commons has committed to helping educators successfully use the arts as a foundation for teaching in the classroom, including partnering them with independent teaching artists from the community and activating community halls, YMCAs and other shared spaces with arts programming to provide accessible experiences for youth. “Calgary is so full of amazing artists, we’re so lucky,” Youngberg affirms. “We have to do this together. There’s only one way through this and it is with community.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: KIANI EVANS
Giving kids access to art develops critical life skills, helps build identity and creates connection to community by Maureen McNamee
StoryBook Theatre
PHOTOGRAPHS: (TOP TO BOTTOM) TIM NGUYEN, COURTESY STORYBOOK THEATRE; COURTESY URBAN SOCIETY FOR ABORIGINAL YOUTH; COURTESY ANTYX COMMUNITY ARTS
Since 1977, thousands of Calgarians have walked through the doors of StoryBook Theatre (SBT) to attend its classes and performances. Started by a school teacher passionate about drama, SBT has stayed focused on family and youth programming from its first season at Pumphouse Theatre through to its upcoming 47th season at the Beddington Theatre Arts Centre. SBT Theatre School program coordinator Cristina Lanz often meets people who participated in SBT’s programming who are now working professionals in fine arts and want to give upcoming students a positive theatre education experience like they had. “What’s really cool about how long StoryBook has been around is you can see the impact it’s had on the community over time,” says Lanz, a former SBT student herself. The theatre school offers accessible and inclusive performing arts programs for about 800 young people annually. Lanz says students often leave with more confidence, better communication skills and a stronger sense of compassion as they learn to put themselves in other people’s shoes. “Even if they decide not to pursue the arts as a career, the skills that they learn will help them in whatever they decide to do in the future.” Learn more at storybooktheatre.org.
Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth Antyx Community Arts
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THREE ORGANIZATIONS USING ART TO EMPOWER YOUTH
The Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY) started as a youth advisory committee under former Calgary Mayor Al Duerr in 1991, then became a not-for-profit organization two years later. Today, USAY offers programs co-created with Indigenous youth with the goal of establishing well-being and healthy futures through empowerment — and many of those programs involve art. “The process of creating your own authentic stories in a meaningful way can be really healing,” says LeeAnne Ireland, USAY’s executive director. In one program, young people create graphic novels using the Blackfoot language and share traditional stories. In another, they enter a virtual reality escape room to help an Indigenous youth overcome challenges and find support. “There’s a major sense of accomplishment, confidence-building and a sense of worthiness. They learn that ‘My story matters. My art matters. I matter.’” Learn more at usay.ca.
Antyx Community Arts encourages youth to use art to explore critical issues and make positive social change. Born from the merger of All Nations Theatre and Urban Youth Worx in 2010, Antyx offers free programming across the city, from Greater Forest Lawn in the southeast to Contemporary Calgary downtown. Youth can participate in after-school programs, film labs or visual arts workshops. During the summer, Antyx offered a free seven-week summer program exploring the use of visual art through the decades as a catalyst for change. To get a sense of what young people can accomplish when given the opportunity to be creative, visit the new forest-themed mural facilitated by Antyx at the Genesis Centre in northeast Calgary. Learn more at antyx.org.
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ALL IN A (CREATIVE) DAY’S WORK Three artists share how they get creative when it comes to paying the bills and practicing their art by Haider Ali
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artists earned at least 90 per cent of their income in 2019 and 2020 through non-arts work. Clearly, these creative minds are actively challenging the idea of what it means to live and work as an artist. We delve into the lives of three artists holding full-time day jobs outside their art practice and how they integrate art into their daily lives. These Calgarians’ stories illustrate the balancing act required on their journeys to creative fulfillment and self-expression.
RYLE RAMIREZ: TURNING STRUGGLE INTO ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
As a recent high school graduate hoping to further his education and pursue his love for contemporary visual art, Ryle Ramirez came to Calgary in 2015 from the Philippines. Unfortunately, the need to support his family meant immediately joining the workforce. From graveyard shifts in the fast-food industry to demolition in Fort Macleod to studying to become a paramedic, Ramirez had to put his artistic ambitions aside. The inner turmoil came to a head on the day of his final exam for his paramedic certificate. “I was in my basement, ready for school, staring at the ceiling for four hours,” he says. He realized that if he went through with the final exam, he would be charting a course towards a life he didn’t want; it was one other people wanted for him. So he didn’t. Ramirez now works with international courier service DHL in a flexible work environment where he feels supported in his art endeavours. In fact, you’ll often find him drafting new visual works during his lunch hour. This newfound balance with his day job lets him dedicate time to work out of his northeast Calgary garageturned-studio. Ramirez draws on his work experiences, and his artworks depict the “face” of his struggle — often centring a subject embroiled in inner conflict, juxtaposed against a lively background, reflecting the vibrancy of the people around him. Ramirez wouldn’t trade the hardships he’s endured; they led him to where he is today. He started at Mount Royal University this past September to pursue interior design, and he has this advice for other artists who may be facing similar challenges in practicing their art: “It’s doable, and it’s hard. Don’t expect it not to be hard. But you choose what struggles benefit you in the long run.”
PHOTOGRAPH: HAIDER ALI
Sometimes, the idea of “the starving artist” gets glorified. In reality, it’s rarely that noble. Many artists do embrace multiple sources of income to make ends meet; some work unrelated jobs so that their art can remain pure enjoyment rather than a means of earning money. Calgary Arts Development’s 2020 survey of arts professionals found that only 19 per cent of professional artists reported earning all their income from their art practice. In fact, some professional
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY DANIELLE DESMARAIS
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DANIELLE DESMARAIS: THEATRE AS A CONFIDENCE BUILDER
Life-long competitive dancer and theatre school graduate Danielle Desmarais balances her role as a human resources advisor at Calgary’s Peter Lougheed Hospital alongside her passion for dance and musical theatre. “Having my full-time job gives me that opportunity to enjoy theatre and not feel like it's about the money," says Desmarais. As her career with Alberta Health Services took off, Desmarais found a home for her creative side in community theatre. At Front Row Centre Players, she choreographed her first show — a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, met her now wife and gained
further creative opportunities. Her recent choreography credits include Theatre Calgary’s Little Women, Naughty… but Nice! with Forte Musical Theatre Guild and StoryBook Theatre’s Ella Enchanted. When it comes to her HR job, she feels that even though things can get busy, both fronts of her life “merge” in a powerful way. “My job is all about client interaction and making connections with people, and I feel like theatre really gives me the confidence to do that.” Desmarais also talks about her theatre work with her clients, helping them get their kids involved and bringing them to shows. She credits volunteer-based theatre companies like Front Row Centre Players, Morpheus Theatre, Scorpio Theatre and Urban Stories Theatre with helping herself and many others find fulfillment. “I’m so thankful for those companies because without them, me, my wife and so many of my friends wouldn't have the opportunities that we do — to have a full-time job and still keep our passion for theatre alive.”
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Conrad Walz’s passion for music began at an early age through piano lessons and family jams, but when his dad brought home a guitar, it truly lit a spark. Soon he went from learning to play his favourite heavy metal and classic rock n’ roll tracks to writing his own music. However, the realities of trying to make a living off his artistry quickly set in. “It became obvious along the way that if I wanted to have things like a house and be able to go on trips, the music wasn't going to pay those bills,” he says. Following his father’s footsteps, Walz made a career for himself in carpentry as
his primary source of income, working as a contractor on renovations and construction. Aside from the odd bit of inspiration now and again during his workdays, he says his music serves as a cathartic outlet separate from his day job. With songs that range in theme from being “really happy” to “really pissed off,” Walz has been praised by the likes of Neil MacGonigill and the late David Ward for his songwriting and musicianship that spans seven albums, both as a solo artist and as a band member. He describes his most recent record, Bitesize Pieces, which was released last year, as “a sweet and salty taste of rock n’ roll with hints of darkness just under the surface.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY CONRAD WALZ
day job
CONRAD WALZ: MUSIC AS AN AFTER-HOURS CREATIVE OUTLET
Year-round cultural festivals and events in Calgary you don’t want to miss by Lynda Sea Countless cultural festivals take place all year-round offering ample opportunities for Calgarians — and visitors from around the world — to learn and share with one another about the multicultural fabric that makes up our city’s collective culture. These types of events play a huge role in sharing knowledge and information, and in promoting understanding, acceptance and celebration. So whether they’re long-standing annual events or newcomers to the arts and culture scene, cultural festivals give Calgarians an outlet to honour their diverse heritage, learn about other traditions and allow for intercultural exchange. They reflect our vibrant city back to us and give us a chance to celebrate together what makes us who we are.
PHOTOGRAPHS: MOTIF PHOTOGRAPHY
Here’s a few events to mark on your calendar, or even better, check out yycwhatson.ca and you’ll never run out of things to do!
Lanre Ajayi
connectors
LET’S GET CULTURAL
ETHNIK FESTIVALS OF ARTS & CULTURE
Presented during Black History Month in February, this annual festival showcases global cultural traditions through song, dance, food, fashion and performance with an emphasis on Afro-Canadian and Caribbean cultures. “At our festival, you will see Indigenous performers, South Indian performances, artists from Canmore, Cree and Métis artists. You’ll see a blend of other cultural groups within the Calgarian and Canadian mosaic that participate in the event,” says Lanre Ajayi, festival founder and artistic/creative director. “Our mission is inclusive spaces where everyone’s cultural voice is heard in a safe space where people can express themselves.” The Calgary Food War portion of Ethnik, which started in 2019, sees competitors from two countries in Africa and the Caribbean compete in a cookout with homemade food and public tasting. There’s a local and international artist showcase as well as the Inspire Next talk show where audiences hear motivational keynotes by community role models. Held at the Telus Convention Centre and available for livestream. Learn more at ethnikfestivals.com.
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connectors OMATSURI - CALGARY JAPANESE FESTIVAL
Started in 2011 by Rocky Oishi and Ted Wada, this annual August outdoor festival allows Calgarians from all backgrounds to revel in Japanese heritage and culture. “Our main objective is to share and celebrate Japanese customs, traditions, music, dance and song, and of course, our food,” says Maureen McElhinney, committee member and board director of the Calgary Japanese Community Association. “In Japan, all the little towns have their own little festivals, their matsuri. Rocky thought what a great idea to share with others.” And so Calgary’s large Japanese festival, called omatsuri, was born. Think Taiko drummers, vendors displaying and selling Japanese wares, sake tasting, dance performances and children’s games. The food is a huge draw at the festival — it’s all Japanese food and desserts like sushi, mochi and so much more. In 2023, a Friday Night Market portion was added, which featured a DJ, comedy and Japanese drag performers. Pay a nominal entry fee, and you can buy food tickets on-site. Hosted at the Max Bell Centre. Learn more at calgaryjapanesefestival.com.
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Since 2011, the week leading up to National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, is known locally as Aboriginal Awareness Week Calgary (AAWC). The weeklong celebration of events promotes the heritage, traditions and cultures of our First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities. Watch the Indigenous Handgames Tournament and come to the Stampede grounds for the National Indigenous Family Day & Powwow where you’ll find everything from a talent showcase of song and dance to an artisan fair, food trucks and community tents offering Indigenous services like beadwork lessons, talking circles and more. Rotary Club puts on a free pancake breakfast, plus there’s a free barbecue and kid’s corner full of activities and games. “We're hoping that non-Indigenous people will become more and more interested in coming out to Indigenous cultural events and feel welcome,” says Diana Frost, communications director for AAWC. “That's how we're going to get to reconciliation — by having conversations and having a laugh together and dispelling some stereotypes and myths.” Held at ENMAX Park, Calgary Stampede grounds. Learn more at aawc.ca.
FASCINASIAN FILM FESTIVAL During Asian Heritage Month in May, catch feature-length films, shorts, workshops and talks, which highlight local, national and international Asian talent. At this multi-day festival, which also has a sister event in Winnipeg each year, cinephiles can celebrate the rich Asian diaspora’s perspectives, culture and talents in film and media. “People think, ‘Oh, it’s specifically for the Asian community,’ but it’s more than that. It’s for the bigger Calgary community,” says Judy Eng-Hum, director of the Calgary festival. The 2023 edition saw the likes of Ins Choi (Kim’s Convenience) doing a writing workshop, Karen Cho (Big Fight in Little Chinatown) hosting a screening and discussion, and LA-based writer/director Tom Huang (Dealing with Dad) flew in for his film’s Canadian premiere. “We want to showcase some of those great films that Canadians or Calgarians will never know about or see,” says Eng-Hum. Learn more at Fascinasian.ca.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY OMATSURI
ABORIGINAL AWARENESS WEEK CALGARY
EXPERIENCE LOCAL ARTS AND CULTURE ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++ CALGARY'S COMPREHENSIVE ARTS AND CULTURE LISTINGS
yyc whats on.ca
AMPLIFYING CALGARY’S ARTS SCENE Three behind-the-scenes companies inject imagination, talent and dollars into Calgary’s creative economy By Geoffrey Picketts
e Giant Cheeto sculptur
F&D SCENE CHANGES While F&D is a set fabricator company that has a hit list including Cool Runnings, The Last of Us and Rat Race, it is theatre set production that its crew really loves most. Not surprising, as theatre is where F&D first gained a foothold — Theatre Calgary was one of F&D’s first clients when it was founded in the early 1980s. But as the city grew, F&D grew with it. When the Olympics came to town in 1988, F&D was commissioned to build sets for broadcasters, paving the way for film and television becoming a staple of its business. F&D also keeps busy with public art projects, theatre sets in the U.S., and installation work everywhere from the Calgary Zoo to theme parks in China. With a core staff of 80 people, F&D’s contractors can swell that number to 140 depending on the workload. Over the last year, F&D has completed $17 million worth of projects, with 88 per cent of that revenue coming from American clients, demonstrating the impressive reach of this local company. “We pursue work with many American and international clients, in addition to our local ones,” affirms Nicole Messner, a project manager for F&D. A recent project that’s created a lot of buzz
for the company and for Alberta is the Giant Cheeto statue sculpted last year on behalf of PepsiCo. The statue went viral — surprising, given its installation in the tiny hamlet of Cheadle, Alta., just east of Calgary. The notoriety gained with the first Giant Cheeto led PepsiCo to commission a second from F&D, which is on tour, including a stop in Calgary during the 2023 Stampede, winning awards and dazzling crowds at events like the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. “I hid under my desk for two days, we were snowed under with media inquiries,” recalls Messner. “I knew it would be popular, but I didn’t think it would be on Jimmy Fallon and the talk shows.” Now F&D is well on its way to being the big cheese.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY F&D SCENE CHANGES
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For every cultural production, whether it be public art, a theatre show or a film production, a lot goes on behind the scenes to get them green-lit, let alone brought to fruition. All of this work injects capital into Calgary and Alberta’s creative economy. In 2021, the Calgary Economic Development agency forecasted 13 per cent growth for the creative industries, a sector that already employs upwards of 24,000 people and generates $3.85 billion of economic activity for the city. Dollars aside, creative businesses also build our reputation as a cultural city — attracting and retaining not only industry talent, but residents who simply enjoy living creative lives in a creative place. These companies help raise the profile within and beyond the city of what’s creatively possible, extend the reach of our talent beyond our borders and bring more projects to Calgary and Alberta. See how three of these boosters contribute creatively and economically.
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) TOM KWOK; JEREMY FOKKENS; COURTESY HEAVY EXPERIENCE
HEAVY The bent-wire sculpture designed by Jaume Plensa, Wonderland, aka the giant head, at the foot of The Bow is one of Calgary’s largest permanent public art pieces to date — and Heavy’s most recognizable piece. Now 60 employees strong, Heavy clocked its 20-year anniversary this past September, and director of creative Connor Hayduk reflects on how that monumental contribution to Calgary’s downtown was far from preordained. “We started as a fabrication company with just a handful of people building foam props and doing theming work for retail clients — cartoon characters and random stuff like that,” says Hayduk. “From there, we evolved into facilitating large-scale public art pieces
and custom architectural installations.” Another example of Heavy’s work is its energy-efficient, decorative cladding that will envelop the Glenbow Museum. This innovative exterior allows the museum to reinvent its visual identity and dramatically alter the cityscape without having to tear down the original building. The trust Heavy has built with developers and city hall has earned it work on significant public art pieces across
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the country, including Tidal Beacon in Halifax, Inverted Lake in Toronto and Kigumi in Vancouver. “We can take a napkin sketch all the way to the final construction and installation,” Hayduk says, adding that out-of-town projects are built in Calgary before being reassembled elsewhere under Heavy’s supervision. “There’s been a real drive in architecture for this kind of placemaking.”
Glenbow
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boosters Jason Wan Lim POLYSCOPE PRODUCTIONS
Rent a Groom cast
And Polyscope’s astronomical growth is reflected in the numbers. While its first six years netted less than $2 million of investment, the last five years have seen $68 million pour in. This means employment for Calgarians, and last year’s $12 million worth of film production resulted in more than 500 contract jobs. Jobs aside, Polyscope’s dedication to filming in Calgary raises its profile as a film-friendly city, encouraging more projects and talent to lay down roots here. “In 2021-2022, we did 11 feature films and we shot all of them here in the city,” Wan Lim says, adding that a return to the director’s chair increased his satisfaction with the work. “The one I’m most proud of is Rent a Groom. I’m not a romantic-comedy guy, but it turned out really cute.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY POLYSCOPE PRODUCTIONS
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Jason Wan Lim’s path to film director and studio owner was anything but straightforward. He was 37 before he decided he needed to shake up his life as a bartender. Wan Lim enrolled in film and video production at SAIT, but it was actually one of his service industry customers who gave him his first investment for a feature film. “Because of that investment, I was able to quit my job at the bar and go into full-time filmmaking and never look back,” Wan Lim says. “The skill set I gained in the service industry is very complimentary to managing the commotion of 40 people on a film set.” Polyscope Productions was initially incorporated in 2011 by Wan Lim as an administrative matter, a single-purpose corporation required to claim funding and expenses. At the time, he didn’t see it lasting past the life cycle of his early projects, but Polyscope now puts together “tip-to-tail” productions with film editing and audio services available. Wan Lim’s early low-budget features required him to develop an intimate knowledge of how to shoot in Calgary plus a strong local network of support; he also had to do everything from script writing and location scouting to film editing and audio. As a result, he can now offer all of those services to his burgeoning number of clients.
Live performace has a way of making people shine. And we don’t just mean the performers - a live performace can light up the audience too. In fact, YMCA Arts opens a whole world of creative possibilities to help you shine your brightest. See live performances held in our state of the art theatres, or participate in our visual arts, drama, choir, and dance programs for all ages, from preschoolers to adults. ymcacalgary.org/arts
WHY THE ARTS MATTER
Former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi, actor and writer Dave Kelly, and country musician Lindsay Ell chat about inspiration, accessibility and pushing boundaries in the Calgary arts scene by Karin Olafson | illustrations by Dane Thibeault Lindsay: Calgary always does a good job of representing all of the cultures we have in the city. Also, from the beautiful murals you see painted across walls downtown to the sculptures across the city, it is easy to see that Calgary supports and cherishes its art scene. Dave: Anyone can jump in the pool. If you have something you want to put on — a show or a play or a concert — we're open to anyone trying anything. What is it about Calgary that brings out the creativity in people? Naheed: Maybe this is hokey, but the sky. We live under an endless sky that forces you to think and dream. Lindsay: Such a beautiful city is an inspiring setting for artists. Calgary has also done a really great job at fostering [artistic and cultural] communities, and I believe it is these communities that have a huge effect on circulating creativity around the city. Dave: We're a city of storytellers. From new Calgarians who have recently arrived here to those who have lived here for much longer, everybody has a story of how they got here, what they like and who they are.
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What do you love most about Calgary's arts and culture scene? Naheed: I'm a big theatre guy, and I love to attend shows all the time. (This season, I think I got to about 50 shows!) The quality of stuff that we put on the stages here in Calgary is as good as anywhere in the world — and I love that we can see everything from emerging artists to some of the best professionals in Canada on the stages in Calgary.
Why is accessibility to arts for everyone important? Naheed: Every one of us is creative, and we need to be able to express our creativity. But in order to do that, we need to be inspired by the availability of great art — it really makes a difference when everyone has access to it. That's why public art is important, why art for children is important, why reaching out to seniors and newcomers and
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Indigenous peoples is important. Because everyone deserves beauty, and everyone deserves art. Lindsay: Growing up, you only learn from what you are exposed to. For this reason, it is imperative that children and young adults are exposed to any and all kinds of art forms. How do you think the city’s arts and culture scene pushes boundaries? Naheed: The work we see on stages here is cutting edge, and I’ll give a theatre example. This year, The Shakespeare Company put on a performance of Richard III, and it was a production like I’d never seen before. It centred on the voices of the women in the narrative, and focused on Richard’s disability not as something that disfigured him, but something that drove him. And it was so interesting to see this centuries-old play be interpreted in a way that was so relevant for everything that's happening in society today. That kind of boundary pushing happens on stages across the city every day.
Dave: Because we're a newer city and we have a newer culture than, say, New York, we share stories that wouldn't necessarily be staged somewhere else. No one in Calgary will say, ‘Well, that's not how we do theatre here!’ Also, people in the arts scene here all know each other — you’re two phone calls away from any artistic director or actor or painter — and as a result, we create something magical with great partners. Why is it important for local artists to share our stories here and on the world stage? Naheed: We’re living in a very uncertain time right now. Artists have a critical role to help tell society’s stories and help contextualize them in ways that will help us all figure out what kind of city and world we want to live in. Lindsay: We have such rich talent within our city, and whenever artists share their talent internationally, it brings us all closer as human beings. Dave: Artists have a responsibility to tell great stories and tell them well. Our city has stories the world should hear — and if we don't tell them, someone else will. I’d prefer that we do it!
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HOW ART CAN
CHANGE THE NARRATIVE
Calgary artists use their creative skills to connect with communities and propel social change by Jaelyn Molyneux
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Trico Changemakers Studio is a collaboration and learning space at Mount Royal University that brings people from on and off campus together to support and amplify changemaking. The studio believes everyone has the capacity to create change, but what makes it special is its attention to the power of artists. “When we are talking about change within really, really big systems, whether that is around policy or changing someone’s behaviour, art and artists are in a unique position to do that,” says Sally Njoroge, program lead at Trico Changemakers Studio. Artists can break down complex concepts, she says. They can make them relatable and draw people in. “We can talk about systems all day, but systems are created by people, and artists can communicate with people very well,” adds Njoroge.
ILLUSTRATIONS: DrAfter123, COURTESY iSTOCK
Art and the process of creating art can shift perspectives. It can tilt a complex issue in a way that clears a path toward common ground. Art gets us asking questions. It makes talking through different answers possible. Sometimes, it can create a seismic social change by bringing something into sharp focus or unlocking the empathy needed to listen and make meaningful progress. Often, its influence is subtle and layered. Art’s changemaking magic comes as we create it, the conversations it provokes and in the simple act of bearing witness. Art is about connecting with communities, and artists across Calgary are doing just that as they use their creativity to spur social change. Here’s a look at a few local artists and projects making a difference.
Tito Gomez
Sally Njoroge
MelVee X
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY TRICO CHANGEMAKERS STUDIO
CONVERSATIONS WITH COMMUNITIES
Njoroge leads the Artist as Changemaker program (AAC). The residency program began in 2018 and is in its third cycle having now included 15 artists and 13 local organizations. In the program, artists choose community organizations they want to work with, and together, they hone in on a question and use art to explore the answers. For example, filmmaker Tito Gomez worked with the Confederation Park 55+ Activity Centre. They wanted to know how they could bring more focus to the conversation around seniors and racism. Gomez spoke with four seniors from different Calgary communities to capture their heartbreaking and sometimes humorous stories on film. For their AAC residency, MelVee X and Skye Louis worked with ActionDignity, an organization that brings together ethnocultural and racialized groups around social justice, human rights and equity. They wanted to illuminate the wholeness of human experience and create connections across differences.
MelVee X created workshops, a spring day camp on selfimage and spoken word kits, all the while embracing experimentation and flexibility to adapt and try new things as feedback came in. Louis led printmaking workshops during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explored the immigration journey of temporary foreign workers and created portraits to tell that story. She’s now creating a deck of cards that will be a toolkit for other artists to incorporate changemaking into their work. The undercurrent of all the residencies and where the roots of social change are planted is in the exploration. “It’s not only about the beautiful art that comes out of it,” says Njoroge. “It’s about the conversations that happen as the process takes place. People uncover things about themselves, their families and their communities. Those conversations take us into the past and present as well as what the future can look like. That’s where possibilities are unlocked and change is activated.”
Sky Louis
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Kevin Jesuino
Kevin Allen
CREATING ART CAN CREATE CHANGE
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The process and not the product is also where Kevin Jesuino places his focus. Jesuino was an AAC resident and is currently part of its fellowship program working with the Alex Community Food Centre. His work with community-engaged arts often finds its spark in participation and improvisation. “Art, for me, is the glue that holds culture together,” says Jesuino. “The very act of creating an invitation to participate can change someone.” In 2018, he worked with the Gay-Straight Alliance at Western Canada High School on a theatre project that took a critical look at sex education. The show, What They Didn’t Teach Us, involved working with LGBTQ2S+ teens to learn what they wished was part of the curriculum, including a more robust and inclusive history of the rights and social issues related to sexuality as well as ideas around gender and consent. The show was billed as teenagers teaching adults about sex education. While developing the performance, Jesuino brought in advocates from Calgary’s LGBTQ2S+ community, including Kevin Allen from Calgary Gay History Project. Allen taught the teens about Everett Klippert, who used to live in Calgary and was one of the last people in Canada to be imprisoned for homosexuality. Klippert was central to the discussion around decriminalizing homosexuality in Canada in the 1960s. His story created change among the students before they even stepped in front of
an audience. By tracing an important moment in the history of human rights to a real person from their city, the students felt a real connection to the cause. “The students got emotional,” recalls Jesuino. “They found Everett’s story incredibly inspirational. That story had been withheld from them in their social studies and sex education classes. There was a feeling of emotional catharsis. In that moment, everything became hyper-real.” The process of creating art impacted the students. That might have been enough, but there was another ripple of impact. When the audience showed up for a performance during a particularly snowy Calgary blizzard, it was almost entirely made up of teachers.
“It was people who wanted to hear these perspectives from these kids,” says Jesuino. “There’s changemaking in that.” Along with Melanie Kloetzel, Jesuino is also a founder of TRAction. The collective of interdisciplinary artists engages communities in art-making to address climate change, mostly through performance and site-specific works. “The anxiety of living through climate change has impacted different classes differently prior to now,” says Jesuino. “People of colour have had to face these realities long before we even realized climate anxiety was a real thing. This is especially true of Indigenous communities.” TRAction shifted its focus to centring Indigenous voices. It’s now taking part in gatherings and discussions with Indigenous artists to help craft a toolkit based on the Indigenous perspective to climate. “We’re not leading it,” says Jesuino. “We’re holding space and that’s another approach to socially engaged art.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) COURTESY CALGARY GAY HISTORY PROJECT; KELLY HOFER, COURTESY KEVIN ALLEN; COURTESY TRICO CHANGEMAKERS STUDIO
Everett Klippert (far right) with his family in the front yard of their Bridgeland house where they lived from 1943-1947
world, including Calgary’s Central Library. For five months this past year, Central Library visitors could view Electromagnetic Field — a nearly seven-by-five-foot work of art — that was made by dropping iron filings on a canvas and then moving the canvas above copper cables connected to a breaker. Puerto Rican artists Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla created it in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. What may appear like a relatively simple black and white work of art is really a conversation starter for global discussions around power grids, natural disasters, colonialism, capitalism, and the future of oil and gas. “Art is the driving force for social awareness,” says Tailfeathers. “We're more on the same page than we may think we are. We can all live in the same creative space together and discuss important topics.”
(Clockwise from top right) Attendees view and discuss art during a d.talks event; Electromagnetic Field when it was on display at the Central Library; Jared Tailfeathers
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) COURTESY d.talks; COURTESY ARKIVE; JARED SYCH
THE IMPORTANCE OF HOLDING SPACE
Jared Tailfeathers agrees that holding space is important. The multidisciplinary artist often creates opportunities for art and community to interact and does so as artistic lead for Design Talks Institute (d.talks). d.talks hosts public discussions, screenings, events and exhibits around themes of architecture, art, culture and design to get diverse opinions about heritage, mobility, neighbourhoods and more, all to find common ground. In 2023, d.talks partnered with Arkive, a decentralized museum created by a global community of artists and art leaders. It is building a collection of culturally significant art and artifacts that it temporarily places in hotels, universities and building lobbies around the
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TRANSFORMING THOUGHT THROUGH ART
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Tailfeathers is also a member of Cultural Instigators, a grassroots group that was brought together by Calgary Arts Development in 2020 and includes Indigenous, Black and People of Culture/ Colour artists. Through their work, they focus on what an anti-racist Mohkinsstsis/Calgary would look like. For Tailfeathers, that includes making sure people are educated about the history of this land. One of the projects he helped with is the IndigiTRAILS app created by the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth. It includes interactive maps of locations significant to Indigenous history and culture, including Prince’s Island Park and Olympic Plaza. Tailfeathers worked on the Fort Calgary trail map that pairs art with trivia. By following the trail, the audience gains deeper knowledge of Treaty 7 from an Indigenous perspective while being physically present in that important location. “It’s not just for artists or people with social justice mindframes,” says Tailfeathers. “It’s for everyone, including people who might not normally engage in these types of things.” Fellow Cultural Instigator, Wunmi Idowu is the founder and
director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. Each year, during Black History Month, Woezo creates a multimedia dance theatre production that celebrates the history and influence of African culture on modern dance called UNGANISHA: Explore. Connect. Dance. (Unganisha is a Swahili word for connection). The production blends storytelling, historic visuals and dance to demystify the origins of nine dance genres. It’s packed with details that have almost been wiped from the records, including the countries the enslaved people were stolen
from and the history of how the dance genres were formed and preserved. UNGANISHA bridges that past with the present by highlighting dance styles like samba, tap, jazz and hip hop that emerged from that dark history. “We use the production to transform the way people think,” says Idowu. “It reaches into the subconscious and draws on where their compassion lives. We can connect as human beings and not as black or white.” In 2017, leading up to the first production of UNGANISHA (and before Black Lives Matter became a mainstream movement during the pandemic), people questioned why Idowu would open old wounds. “If we continue to work in ignorance, we will never see the truth,” she says. After that first performance, an audience member asked to meet Idowu backstage. The woman had lived in the Caribbean almost her entire life and didn’t know the history of their
dances and the impact of the Transatlantic slave trade on their culture. “She said thank you,” says Idowu. “That was huge.” Such an affirmation validated Idowu’s goal for audience members to come away with a new understanding of history and with their biases checked. The goal is to challenge assumptions and reveal a common humanity. No matter the medium, art does its best social change work when it reaches out into the community and creates opportunities for members to listen, learn and be heard. For Idowu, movement and storytelling plant seeds of social change. “Art has the power to change the narrative. It has the power to initiate important conversations and create sustainable solutions.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) COURTESY IndigiTRAILS: RON FILLIER PHOTOGRAPHY; MOTIF PHOTOGRAPHY; COURTESY WOEZO AFRICA MUSIC & DANCE THEATRE INC.
(Clockwise from top) Fort Calgary trail map; dancers perform during the production of UNGANISHA: Explore. Connect. Dance; Wunmi Idowu, founder and director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc.
Bat Scratch performing at The Palomino during Sled Island 2023
PHOTOGRAPHS: (RIGHT) MITRA SAMAVAKI AND CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL; (LEFT) SHANE REMPEL, COURTESY SLED ISLAND; (BACKGROUND ILLUSTRATIONS) DENKCREATIVE, COURTESY iSTOCK
The main stage at the Calgary Folk Music Festival
SOUNDTRACK OF THE CITY En route to becoming a true music city, Calgary’s unique and collaborative music scene makes way for a burgeoning array of rising artists and audiences by Elizabeth Chorney-Booth
Certain experiences feel undeniably Calgarian: anything having to do with Stampede, ice skating at Olympic Plaza or Bowness Park, rafting past downtown along the Bow on a perfectly sunny afternoon. The annual Calgary Folk Music Festival is right up there — swaying on Prince’s Island Park as you listen to international legends play alongside established local heroes like Reuben and the Dark or Astral Swans on a warm July night. This is one of the most joyous experiences a Calgarian can have, bringing together our city’s unique geography, social community and longstanding appreciation for music. Folk Fest may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but similarly moving musical experiences can be found via a performance by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, a night of venue-hopping during June’s Sled Island music and arts festival, a raucous honky-tonk tent during Stampede week or a blues-soaked jam in a club anywhere along the Music Mile. Calgary might not have the big music industry infrastructure of cities like Toronto or Nashville, but music has long represented the beating heart of the city.
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If we’re talking about the modern popular music era, Calgary’s music scene has developed much like that of any other mid-sized North American city. As the city grew throughout the 20th century, local orchestral and jazz ensembles gave way to folk singers, pop crooners and rock bands, with touring groups coming through to play a ramshackle collection of local bars and larger venues like the University of Calgary’s MacEwan Hall Ballroom, the Jack Singer Concert Hall, the Max Bell Centre, and, eventually, the Saddledome. By the ’90s, Calgary was producing its fair share of rock, punk, country and hip-hop artists, though not necessarily differentiating itself as a destination music city in the same vein as American landmarks like Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas. Mike Bell, a longtime local music journalist and editorin-chief of The YYScene, says Calgary’s various music scenes, ranging across genres and scales of venues, have really come of
age over the last decade or so. The emergence of externally popular artists like Feist, Tegan and Sara, and k.d. lang — all of whom, to be fair, left Calgary to find their respective fame, but are still closely associated with both Calgary and Alberta — has certainly helped Calgarians dreaming of a music career to realize that the sky is the limit, in terms of success. Perhaps more importantly, the potentially global audiences and music production tools afforded by the internet and other technologies have allowed artists to envision a viable music career without having to leave the city to make a name for themselves. Bell believes that as Calgary has grown as a city and local musicians have collectively developed a certain sense of confidence, it’s helped to bolster creativity and collaboration that encourages artists to push boundaries without having to leave home. “We're kind of a little island here in the prairies,” Bell says. “Previously, musicians were being true to themselves, but they also had an eye on either Vancouver or Toronto, so the sound needed to be something commercially palatable. A change came in the early ’00s. It became more about musicians making music for themselves and making it for Calgary.”
Mike Bell
Hayden performing during Block Heater 2023
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PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) JARED SYCH; (RIGHT) JARRETT EDMUND
AN EVER-EVOLVING MUSICAL LANDSCAPE
(Clockwise from right) Michela Sheedy performing a Curbside Concert; ElyOtto; Ellen Doty with 2022 collaborator Biboye Onanuga
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT) COURTESY CURBSIDE CONCERTS; JENN FIVE; SPENCER GATT
TAKING CENTRE STAGE This maturation of Calgary’s music landscape is multi-faceted. Festivals like the aforementioned Folk Fest (and its sister winter festival Block Heater), Sled Island, Stampede, JazzYYC, the Honens piano competition and Big Winter Classic expose both audiences and budding musicians to acts from around the world while widening audiences for local artists booked on those same bills. The National Music Centre acts in a similar capacity year-round, placing local musicians on the same stages and in the same exhibits as nationally renowned artists, giving context to Calgarians’ contributions to the larger scope of Canadian music. This collaborative phenomenon isn’t just happening on the stages of the Jack Singer, The Palace Theatre
and the bandstands of Prince’s Island Park. Smaller artists are feeding off each other in clubs like the King Eddy, The Ironwood Stage and Grill, Palomino Smokehouse, Ship and Anchor, and Commonwealth Bar & Stage. On a grassroots level, the city has recently seen local musician Matt Masters’ pandemic-born Curbside Concerts bringing live music to neighbourhoods throughout the city and local
teenage synth pop phenomenon ElyOtto score a record deal based on a viral TikTok hit recorded in his bedroom. Local jazz singer Ellen Doty’s annual holiday fundraiser with Monogram Coffee sees her recording a duet with a musician from a different genre every year to raise money for a local charity — all demonstrating the growing level of cooperation within the city. “There’s a new ‘if it’s good for you, it’s good for all of us’ attitude,” Bell says. “I’ve been seeing collaborations between rock and jazz artists, and hip-hop and rock artists, as well as so much collaboration within just the hip-hop community. We’re in a really healthy place right now.”
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Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre
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All of this collaboration and cultivation is wonderful for career musicians and stalwart music fans who intentionally seek out live shows, but a healthy music scene does not live in a vacuum. When live music thrives, the benefits trickle down to more casual music appreciators who enjoy stumbling upon unfamiliar artists performing in a restaurant or café and even, albeit indirectly, people who don’t care about live music at all. Kaley Beisiegel, a musician and the principal consultant at Bird Creatives, helps prepare research and reports for West Anthem, a body “established to help stimulate the growth and sustainability of Alberta’s music industry.” In 2020, West Anthem released a report based on pre-pandemic data
from 2017, revealing that the music industry was responsible for a GDP of $820.26 million in Calgary alone (province-wide, the music-related GDP was $2.1 billion). The music business also encompassed 8,400 jobs in the city, employing artists, teachers, sound technicians, PR representatives, producers and other industry professionals. “Those are quite significant numbers,” Beisiegel says. “For folks who aren't into music, when you can actually put the concrete data and dollar value behind it, they can see how music is contributing to our overall quality of life and the overall economy of the city.” West Anthem is working on adjusting its findings to reflect how Calgary’s music economy has shifted since the beginning of the pandemic. An update released this past June shows that while music professionals saw a wage drop in the first year of the pandemic, there was only a 3.27 per cent decline in jobs, signifying that the local music industry weathered the storm of pandemic-related restrictions as well as could be expected, with strength to bounce back now that everything from concert halls to blues bars are back in full swing.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY STUDIO BELL
STRONGER MUSIC MAKES FOR A STRONGER CITY
Kaley Beisiegel
PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) BIRD CREATIVES (RIGHT) COURTESY COMMONWEALTH
CREATING A CITY OF SOUND One of West Anthem’s goals is to establish Calgary as a “Music City,” defined as “communities of various sizes that have a vibrant music economy, which they actively promote.” Beisiegel says her data shows that Calgary is already doing a fairly good job “We’ve got a thriving of positioning itself within that jazz community. framework, but there’s more We’ve got a thriving we can do to reap economic hip-hop community benefits while also attracting and a thriving rock both tourists and new residents and punk community. to the city with a strong lifestyle offering. Both Bell and Beisiegel While those camps point to a shortage of venues, may seem separate, particularly dedicated smaller there’s overlap in all and mid-size venues as well as of them. But you can’t all-ages spaces, made worse by pigeonhole a Calgary pandemic closures. Beisiegel sound. And that’s a says these kinds of gaps can be addressed and even corrected good thing.” —Mike Bell through measures like tax incentives and government programs that benefit for-profit venues and notfor-profit music organizations. She also suggests the creation of more incubation and mentorship programs for up-and-coming musicians to help them establish themselves and build local and, eventually, national and international audiences. “We're really looking towards the success the film industry in Alberta [has], with tax incentives that have been put in place and how that's propelled the industry here,” Beisiegel says. “How can we apply those same strategies to music? How do we connect opportunities between different industries like film and music? How can we create city policies like late-night transit services to allow music to happen in our city, while also connecting with audiences?” What we know for sure is that artists,
organizations like Calgary Arts Development and similar granting bodies, tourism boards, and other cultural changemakers have been working hard for years to lay a solid foundation for musicians and audiences in Calgary. Bell points to the work of local media and radio stations like CJSW and CKUA that have nurtured local musicians and promoted shows for decades, as well as the bold vision of festival programmers and venue promoters. Calgary may not have a signature musical identity akin to Nashville’s country roots or the deep history of jazz in New Orleans, but its diversity and openness to giving artists room to explore a multitude of directions is perhaps its greatest strength. As long as that spirit of artistic curiosity is allowed to flourish, Calgary may be well on its way to becoming a true music city. “I don't think there is a Calgary sound,” Bell says. “We've got a thriving jazz community. We've got a thriving hip-hop community and a thriving rock and punk community. While those camps may seem separate, there's overlap in all of them. But you can't pigeonhole a Calgary sound. And that's a good thing.”
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Garment by Amy Denning and Josh Tafoya, earrings by Indi City, hat by ThunderVoice Hat Co., styling by Angel Aubichon
TELLING OUR STORIES
It’s been nearly 30 years since my first exhibit with the Glenbow Museum, as a student at the Plains Indian Cultural Survival School. It was the first time that I got to actually hold the cultural artifacts from my ancestors. It was an opportunity for Indigenous students and artists to go through the Glenbow’s Indigenous collections and use the artifacts to tell a story of our heroes. Called the Circle of Honor: Our Heroes Give Us Hope exhibit, for most of the students it was an introduction to their own heritage and culture. As someone who was obsessed with fashion, I couldn’t wait to get close to the women’s elk tooth dresses, beaded moccasins, dyed quill work and shell earrings. What I found the most fascinating is how our people adapted the materials of western culture into our own art forms. Whether it was glass beads, velvet, ribbons, metals or acrylic, our Indigenous fashion designers have always been innovative and groundbreaking. Could our ancestors have ever imagined that the Indigenous designers of Treaty 7 would now travel the world to showcase their work? It has been an incredible year for Indigenous designers here in Treaty 7, especially when it comes to fashion. They’re out on the world stage making a name for themselves and selling their unique brands of style and haute couture. Within our own Dress by Dene Couture
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PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) ALANNA BLUEBIRD, MODEL: MIDNIGHT LUJAN; (RIGHT) DENE COUTURE
The importance of sharing Indigenous culture through art and fashion by Sable Sweetgrass
Purse by The Nerdy Girl Rodeo Leather Co.
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) RAYNE BRUISED HEAD; JENNA PULLEN; JENNA PULLEN
Maskiki earrings by Indi City
The Devery Gown by Lesley Hampton, earrings by Indi City and practices such as film, music, theatre, dance and literature. This surge of creativity and entrepreneurship is taking place across Canada and has been happening alongside the truth and reconciliation journey of many Canadian institutions and individuals. It has helped to increase the awareness and popularity of the work of Indigenous designers amongst non-Indigenous Canadians. I have started seeing more Calgarians wearing earrings from Authentically Indigenous Markets and made by Indi City, mostly because they are fabulous and exquisitely beautiful, but also because they seek to support the authentic work of Treaty 7 artists. We have come a long, long way from the days of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century when museum collectors filled their museums with artifacts hoping to preserve what they saw as dying cultures. In fact, Indigenous cultures were not dying; they were being suppressed and oppressed. In spite of that, they were adapting and quietly carrying on the
Artist Profile
local community, designers have been perfecting their craft and skills in traditional and contemporary beadwork, jewellery making and sewing, knowing how unique their contribution to fashion has been and continues to be. For thousands of years, our ancestors have been living a creative life. Today, the landscape and diverse community of Calgary/Mohkinsstsis and southern Alberta continues to nurture and inspire Indigenous artists from Treaty 7 First Nations and from Nations throughout Turtle Island who make Calgary their home. Angel Sanderson and Alex Manitopyes of Indi City have travelled all the way to Japan to showcase their jewellery collection. Their work has been on the red carpet at the Emmys, worn by actor Devery Jacobs, who plays one of the main characters on Reservation Dogs. Sisters Melrene Saloy EagleSpeaker and Autumn EagleSpeaker created their Authentically Indigenous Markets to help fellow Indigenous traditional and contemporary artists promote and sell their work. Saloy EagleSpeaker has showcased her jewellery and designs on the runways of Paris as well as at the 2023 New York Fashion Week. And it’s not just Indigenous fashion that has been taking off. The same is happening in all mediums
Sable Sweetgrass is Blackfoot and a member of the Kainai Nation in Southern Alberta, born and raised in Calgary/Mohkinsstsis. Sweetgrass is a writer/storyteller dedicated to the growth and success of the local Indigenous arts and culture community in Mohkinsstsis and Treaty 7 Territory. A graduate of the University of Calgary’s creative writing program, she also received her MFA in creative writing from the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has written an award-winning short story for Indigenous Arts & Stories and an award-winning essay for New Forum magazine. She has also written and performed for Making Treaty 7 and her first play, Awowakii, is being produced by Theatre Calgary. Sweetgrass also serves the arts community as the director of engagement and reconciliation at Calgary Arts Development.
traditional practices of our ancestral artists. Unlike western art that traditionally silos itself from other professions and ways of knowing, Indigenous art infuses itself into every part of society and ceremony. The work that our artists create is functional, educational, inspiring and spiritual.
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PUBLIC ART
FAQ
In March 2021, Calgary Arts Development became the partner of the City of Calgary to deliver Calgary’s Public Art Program. The organization’s goal is to create a public art program that is engaging, relevant and accountable, and one that reflects the rich diversity of the city. This includes connecting with Indigenous voices to tell the past, current and future stories of Calgary (Mohkinsstsis). Since taking on this role, Calgary Arts Development has funded nearly 20 projects, with many more on the way. But with any change comes questions. Here, Calgary Arts Development’s Public Art Team answers some common ones.
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Why did Calgary Arts Development take on the Public Art Program? In 2020, the City of Calgary put out a request for proposals for a third-party operator to partner in delivering the Public Art Program. Calgary Arts Development has a history of supporting and strengthening the arts to benefit all Calgarians, from our annual grant investment programs to our storytelling projects. With our experience in programming and strong relationships within the arts community, we felt the Public Art Program would be a natural fit to our mandate. After a lengthy application process, council agreed and named Calgary Arts Development the official operator of the Public Art Program in March 2021, kicking off a multi-year transition, which will shape public art projects, undertaken on behalf of the City of Calgary, for the foreseeable future. What is Percent for Art? Since the 1950s, Percent for Art programs have been a standard tool used to support the creation of public art in cities across North America. The City of Calgary’s public art policy allows for up to one per cent of the budget of eligible capital projects (like roads, recreation centres and flood mitigation), to be directed towards public art. In early 2023, council voted to untether these funds from capital projects,
meaning public art no longer needs to be built at these specific project sites. This means Calgary Arts Development can redirect these funds to areas of the city where public art would make the most impact. How do you decide what public art to commission and where it goes? So many ways! We often engage with artists and local communities, not only for ideas for locations but also for what type of art communities would like to see. Citizens have opportunities to provide feedback when a project is slated for their area through email, our website and in-person events. We also work closely with the City of Calgary’s many departments, any of which can propose a public art component to their projects, like road repair, flood barriers, train stations and more. Finally, we’re always collecting data and listening to Calgarians to find gaps in the current collection.
PHOTOGRAPHS: (TOP) EMERGENT, STEEL RAIL, IPE BOARD, LED LIGHTING, CAST STEEL DESIGNED BY JILL ANHOLT; (BOTTOM) 4TH STREET UNDERPASS, ALUMINUM, CLOUDCRETE, POLYCARBONATE, STRUCTURAL STEEL, GLASS, LIGHTING DESIGNED BY THE MBAC, BOTH COURTESY HEAVY
Public art adds to Calgary’s rich diversity, but it’s not always clear how decisions are made or why public art even matters. Get answers to your burning questions here. by Aaron Chatha
PHOTOGRAPHS: (TOP) HAWK HILL CALGARY SENTINELS, COR-TEN STEEL, GRASS, DESIGNED BY BEVERLY PEPPER; (BOTTOM) FLYOVER PARK TREES, STEEL, HIGH PERFORMANCE COATINGS, LIGHTING, ACRYLIC, DESIGNED BY STANTEC AND HEAVY, KATY WHITT PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY HEAVY
(Clockwise from top right) Hawk Hill Calgary Sentinels; Flyover Park Trees; 4th Street Underpass; Emergent
Is Calgary Arts Development responsible for the existing public art collection? The City of Calgary still owns and stewards the Municipal Art Collection on behalf of Calgarians. The City maintains and conserves more than 1,300 existing artworks, which are activated through exhibits, educational activities, loans and more. Calgary Arts Development does not own or collect artworks, accept donations of public art or re-site existing works. In fact, once we’ve completed a permanent public art project, once approved, it becomes part of the Municipal Art Collection, with few exceptions, such as temporary projects. Calgary Arts Development shares stories, celebrates and creates programming and conversations around artworks in the collection, to keep these pieces alive in the hearts and minds of Calgarians.
How does public art support the economy? Of a public art project’s total budget, typically 20 per cent or less goes toward the artist fee. Most of the budget goes to support the many other roles that a public art project entails. This includes: fabricators, designers, architects, engineers, suppliers, curators, installers, technologists and construction workers, many of whom are local businesses and citizens who live right here in Calgary. Public art also contributes to tourism and encourages people to travel to Calgary as a dynamic and vibrant place to visit. It attracts people to live and work here, and make the city their home. Why is public art important? Public art is one of the most approachable forms of art — it exists in common space, it’s available to everyone and it’s free to access. It makes our city a vibrant and interesting place to live by generating conversation, creating points of interest, connecting us to this place and to each other, supporting our economy, and reflecting Calgary’s identity. Public art is a result of the incredible creativity and ingenuity of artists and the many people and industries they collaborate with.
037 Aaron Chatha is the public art communications specialist for Calgary Arts Development.
Microgrants through Calgary’s Public Art Program make all kinds of projects possible. Here are two examples of successful grant recipients. by Aaron Chatha
CALGARY DREAM CENTRE
A recipient of Calgary Arts Development’s 2021 Artist-Initiated Microgrant, artist Nicole Wolf used an enormous canvas to explore the meaning of home after consulting with people who have experienced homelessness. Journey’s Home is a 5,000-squarefoot mural painted onto the side of the Calgary Dream Centre, off Macleod Trail. While the mural took two weeks to paint, and involved the use of an 85-foot, articulating boom lift, a high-tech projector and an industrial sprayer to get the coverage needed for such a large project, the planning for it took nearly a year, with Wolf carrying out many tasks like interviews, organizing logistics and going through design phases.
Wolf drew her inspiration from conversations with people in residence at the centre, along with Indigenous leaders like Elder Alvin Manitopyes of Muskowekwan First Nation, who makes his home on the lands of the Tsuut’ina Nation on Treaty 7 territory. Wolf wanted to include voices from Indigenous communities because Indigenous peoples are disproportionately affected by homelessness in Calgary — that’s why two of the faces in the mural are Indigenous.
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At Calgary Dream Centre, she began by setting up sessions with the residents, but the feedback continued to flow in even as she was in the painting process, through lunch and dinner breaks. “The folks here were very generous with their time, and they gave me drawings, poems and verbal descriptions of what home looks like, felt like and meant to them,” Wolf says.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY NICOLE WOLF
The resulting mural depicts an everyperson, with multiple faces, carrying a literal home on their back.
MOUNT PLEASANT COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MURAL With help from the 2021 Community-Run Microgrant, the Mount Pleasant Community Association transformed a blank featureless wall into a stunning mural that represents its neighbourhood.
Community leader David Minke, an architect by trade, led the project by engaging with community members through email, social media, a website and posters, which all asked two straightforward questions: “What do you love about your community?” and “What do you hope for the future of your community?” The influx of responses was gathered and given to the artist they partnered with, CONZ, who, in turn created a design featuring community members of all ages coming together.
PHOTOGRAPHS: COURTESY CONZ
“This mural has brightened up a very prominent area of our shared community space,” says Minke. “It’s located at the intersection of the community hall, children’s playground, public pool and hockey rink. These elements of sport and play are important pillars to the community, which are represented in the mural. It has given a visual representation of the community’s values.”
FUN FACT:
One person in the mural is based on an actual community member. The lady in pink is Nina Sedorava, a vibrant community member who passed away in 2021 and was known for wearing bright colours.
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CALGARY’S ECOSYSTEM OF
ART SPACES
The purple numbers denote the locations of these art spaces on the map found on pg. 44.
The various spaces where art happens — from concept to fruition — are critical to a vibrant arts scene. Check out some of these spaces, including a few unexpected spots that support local artists. by Michaela Ream
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consultant at Calgary Arts Development, says that access to affordable, suitable and safe art spaces is essential to a full and complete arts ecosystem in Calgary. “Arts spaces are needed for every step in the artistic process, from space for education, creation, rehearsal, production, storage and administration through to presentation and performance spaces like galleries and theatres,” says Carroll.
A SPACE FOR COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY
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With 21 locations across the city, the Calgary Public Library has inspired and supported Calgarians for over 110 years. Beyond the 450,000 books and materials housed at the Central Library, that location, in particular, serves as an essential part of the art spaces ecosystem through a vast offering of public programs, creative spaces and community outreach — not to mention the building itself is an architectural work of art. “Libraries are a place for creators, but also a place that inspires art and design,” says Sarah Meilleur, CEO of Calgary Public Library. “We have 10 locations that showcase art regularly, and we love that ability to feature community art. It enlivens our spaces and allows the community to feel like the library is a place for them to visit and think about art differently. All of it helps create an environment where people see that creativity and art are a part of how you make life and the world beautiful.”
When exploring spaces that make up the ecosystem of Calgary’s arts scene, not all of them are obviously viewed as art spaces. Some are off-the-radar, others unexpected, and a few even surprising. But all are essential to a whole and vibrant art ecosystem. Here, we share a variety of different spaces and how they support Calgary’s artists and contribute to the city’s cultural identity.
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A SPACE TO ENGAGE WITH ART AND NATURE:
KIYOOKA OHE ARTS CENTRE
Incorporated in 2007 by Harry Kiyooka and Katie Ohe, the Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre (KOAC) blends the beauty of natural open spaces with a creative space dedicated to research, exhibition, education and documentation of contemporary visual arts. “Contemporary art allows us to engage in experiences and believable ideas that we may not have experienced otherwise,” says Monica Kohlhammmer, CEO of KOAC. “It allows us to look within while simultaneously connecting with others. When you experience those same works in the open air of a natural sanctuary, somehow, the energy impact touches you more profoundly. KOAC’s unique location on 20 acres of natural woodlands and grasslands allows the public to experience its inspirational and healing aspects with the best contemporary art has to offer, symbiotically, on a grand scale, and within a preserved and beautiful natural environment grounded in community building.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) MICHAEL GRIMM, COURTESY CALGARY PUBLIC LIBRARY; (RIGHT) COURTESY KOAC LIBRARY
When you think of art spaces, studios, galleries and stages might come to mind. But those types of spaces only account for a portion of what artists actually require. In order for artists to create powerful art, there must be accessible spaces for them to carry out their work and creative processes, as well as places to share, rehearse, teach and experience the arts. Joni Carroll, arts spaces
A SPACE FOR CREATIVE COMMUNITIES:
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) COURTESY HEAVY EXPERIENCE; MOTIF PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY YMCARTS; COURTESY YMCARTS; COURTESY EVERGREEN COMMUNITY SPACES
EVERGREEN COMMUNITY SPACES
In 1991, the Evergreen Theatre was officially 7 established to provide a place for learning opportunities and a larger art-inspired community to gather, create and connect. In 2015, the theatre opened its 24,000-squarefoot recreation facility named Community SPACES, which hosts performances, festivals, rehearsals, training and daily classes for students, artists and community members. “All the work undertaken by the society is making space for creative communities to thrive,” says Sean Fraser, executive director at Evergreen Theatre. “We feel it is necessary for every Calgarian to recognize their own involvement in the arts and how full-time or professional artistic practice intersects with community and educational practice. The diversity of Calgary/Mohkinsstsis is tied together by art. Our micro-ecosystem is one example of how the Calgary landscape can be infused with art, and the continued development, cultivation and awareness of these intersections is how we can contribute to civic and community identities. The overlapping of communities, broadening of horizons and cultivating of conversations is how we can make space for creative communities to thrive.”
A SPACE TO SUPPORT:
ESKER FOUNDATION
Jim and Susan Hill spent 15 years envisioning their dream of an art foundation and gallery in Calgary as a way to give back. In 2012, that vision came to life with the opening of Esker Foundation in Inglewood. Esker Foundation also shares its space with like-minded organizations that possess an appreciation for art, including media companies, retail, grocery and restaurants. Its street-level Project Space aims to engage the community by increasing the presence and accessibility of contemporary art by inviting artists to develop new, responsive exhibitions that directly address the neighbourhood. “For the public, [the Esker Foundation] is about access to incredible exhibitions and artists both locally and internationally,” says Naomi Potter, director and curator at the foundation. “Our offices are situated above the gallery, so we constantly move through our exhibitions and are available for people to talk to us about the model of the foundation, our programs and who we are exhibiting. For artists, it’s first and foremost about how we support them and their practice. We have a small commissioning 18 fund to support the production of new work that is then shown [here] for the first time. It’s not about replicating what already exists but looking for the holes in the arts community, and finding ways we can support this, and the next generation of artists, art leaders, directors and curators.”
A SPACE TO BELONG:
YMCArts
Throughout YMCA’s history, it has acted as a trusted charity and a place that allows everyone to explore their potential. It also helps foster cultural expression, community engagement and overall well-being. The launch of Calgary’s YMCArts in 2018 made it the first YMCA in 1 28 Canada to fully integrate creative pursuits as part of its core programming through a selection of visual arts, drama, choir and dance programs. YMCArts performances take place at the Evan Hazell Theatre at Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton and BMO Theatre at Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge. “Calgary is a large city with various communities, some of which may not have easy access to downtown. That’s why it’s essential for the arts industry to extend its reach to these areas, ensuring that art is accessible to all Calgarians, regardless of their location,” says Kate Stadel, YMCA’s general manager of the arts. “Art spaces act as community hubs, bringing people together, encouraging dialogue, understanding and a sense of belonging through exhibitions, performances, workshops and cultural events. They also contribute to overall well-being, providing a safe and inclusive environment for people to explore their emotions, improve self-esteem and cope with stress. Art spaces like the YMCA are essential components of a complete ecosystem and community as art spaces enhance the cultural and social vibrancy of neighbourhoods, making them more attractive places to live, work and visit.”
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REPURPOSED ART SPACES
Finding new meaning in old buildings is an opportunity for the arts to build off the legacies of established spaces while introducing new life and engagement.
What began as a small art collection in the basement 5 of the Library Block has since grown to a permanent collection of nearly 30,000 artifacts, featuring art, numismatics and textiles. In 2012, the Nickle Galleries opened its new space on the main floor of the Taylor Family Digital Library.
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nvrlnd.
This non-profit arts foundation provides an open-minded, affordable and safe art space where artists can gather, create, experiment and share their work with the public. nvrlnd. is spread across three buildings featuring 50+ artists across 28 studios that were once hotel rooms transformed into creative spaces.
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Workshop Studios
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Workshop Studios converted two bays in the historic Northwestern Brass Foundry building in Inglewood and created an open-access facility that houses creative studios and a ceramics facility. The space offers artistic studios, ceramic memberships, pottery workshops, events and more.
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A SPACE FOR MAKERS:
FUSE33 MAKERSPACE AND MakeFashion
Fuse33 is a collaborative maker space for artists, designers and enthusiasts to work on their projects. MakeFashion provides a platform for designers, artists and technologists to showcase their work. Together, these two organizations offer access to equipment and community for artists to explore new means of expression. “Both Fuse33 and MakeFashion prioritize diversity and community; [these spaces] foster a supportive, inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and creativity,” says Maria Elena Hoover, co-founder of Fuse33 and MakeFashion. “Providing access to state-of-the-art equipment, particularly for emerging artists, small businesses and those from underprivileged backgrounds — this level of accessibility would otherwise be unattainable. Our community also offers a supportive learning, mentorship and collaboration environment. These elements collectively augment the skills and potential reach of any artist who becomes a part of our community. The presence of Fuse33 and MakeFashion adds vibrancy and innovation to the arts ecosystem in Calgary, making it a thriving hub for artistic expression and fostering an inclusive and empowering atmosphere.”
A SPACE FOR LEGACY:
THE CAMPUS AT STAMPEDE PARK
Over the years, the Calgary Stampede has become a collective celebration of a legacy that has brought people together and provided space and opportunities to flourish. The Campus at Stampede Park supports youth achievements by having professional artists help train young people in performing arts and hone their crafts. “The Campus at Stampede Park promotes collaboration and community engagement by providing a shared space for artists, educators and art enthusiasts to come together,” says Rory Siddall, team lead of campus operations at Calgary Stampede Foundation. “This facilitates the exchange of ideas, artistic practices and skills, and fosters a vibrant and dynamic artistic community. The presence of such a diverse 20 and interactive environment encourages interdisciplinary collaborations, leading to innovative and groundbreaking artistic endeavours. Stampede Campus provides a dedicated space for artists to create, rehearse and exhibit their work; it nurtures artistic production and encourages the growth of emerging artists. This contributes to the city’s cultural identity, enriching the lives of its residents and fostering a sense of pride and belonging within the community.”
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) COURTESY FUSE33; COURTESY CAMPUS OPERATION, CALGARY STAMPEDE FOUNDATION; MATTHEW HUITEMA, COURTESY WORKSHOP STUDIOS; COURTESY nvrlnd.; WALTER MAY, PIN PINE, 2008, WE TELL OURSELVES STORIES, NICKLE GALLERIES (OCTOBER 11, 2012 – JANUARY 11, 2013). DAVE BROWN, LCR PHOTO SERVICES
University of Calgary Nickle Galleries
A SPACE FOR COLLABORATIVE CHANGE:
A SPACE TO EMPOWER:
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT) KATY WHITT PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY THE BOWS; JOHANNA SCHWARTZ, COURTESY CONGRESS COFFEE; COURTESY THEATRE 1308; JARED SYCH
cSPACE PROJECTS
cSPACE Projects offers artists, non-profits and entrepreneurs creative spaces that activate people and ideas to ignite collaboration and community-led change in Calgary. Located in the reimagined historic sandstone building of the former King Edward School, the cSPACE Marda Loop creative hub and coworking space features studio spaces, galleries and a theatre. “By providing a nurturing environment, exhibition opportunities and community engagement that is affordable and appropriate to elevating the work of the creative sector, we contribute to the overall vibrancy and diversity of the city’s art scene, supporting artists and fostering creativity,” says Deeter Schurig, president and CEO of cSPACE Projects. “Through our projects, cSPACE provides 23 the conditions that diverse communities of creative entrepreneurs need to remain vital, sustainable and innovative while generating dividends for Calgarians. cSPACE Projects also specializes in the adaptive reuse of existing buildings, transforming them into vibrant and functional spaces for artists and creative professionals. This approach not only revitalizes underutilized spaces but also promotes sustainability by repurposing existing infrastructure. It showcases innovative ways of utilizing urban spaces and encourages more efficient use of resources.”
UNEXPECTED ART SPACES
Some of the most breathtaking works of art aren’t found within traditional galleries or art buildings. Sometimes, artwork can be found in unexpected places that serve as essential parts of the arts ecosystem by exposing new and different audiences to arts and culture. 6
Theatre 1308
Operated by Calgary Inter-Mennonite Church, Calgary’s newest performance and art space offers an intimate, affordable, accessible and welcoming art space. Theatre 1308 reimagines the historic church space to support local artists and arts organizations to create meaningful and impactful programming.
Lantern Community Church 21
The historic 1912 church, located in the heart of Inglewood, is home to weddings and celebrations. It’s also a venue to celebrate arts and music with concerts, Calgary Fringe Festival, Bleak Midwinter Film Festival, movie and music video filming, live theatre productions and more.
THE BOWS
Originally known as the Untitled Art Society, the artist-run centre was renamed The Bows in 2021, to acknowledge the place — Mohkinsstsis/ 13 Calgary, Treaty 7 Territory — where the centre’s artists live and work. The name is dedicated to its lands, the proximity to the Bow and Elbow rivers, and the symbolism of collaboration within its space. Aspiring to be like the meeting of the two rivers, The Bows is a place of perpetual encounters, stability, regeneration and collaboration with its artists, the community, guests and those within the organization itself. “Over our nearly 30-year existence, we have developed an operational system, which continues to provide wholesale support to artists living and working in Mohkinsstsis/Treaty 7,” says Jasmine Hynes, director at The Bows. “We aim to cultivate long-term relationships with artists by supporting projects that span several years and supporting artists through multiple projects. The Bows aims to broaden the reach and scope of contemporary art and expose the city to artistic work that explores pressing contemporary issues. We are focused on projects and practices that dovetail with this province’s specific socio-political, cultural, colonial, economic and Indigenous histories and contexts. Ultimately, The Bows strives to empower and support artists to imagine radical futures and invite those inside and outside our community to be co-conspirators in realizing such futures.”
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Congress Coffee
Paying homage to the ’90s with a neighbourhoodfocused coffee shop, Congress brings together strong coffee, good conversations and local arts. The community-driven programming features monthly cinema screenings, local bands, presentations, open-mic nights and more, all designed to showcase and support the best of Calgary’s arts.
Colour on Fire Art Studio 8
Named one of the best five art schools in Calgary in 2021 by The Best Calgary, Colour on Fire Art Studio blends a learning-accredited art studio and a school into one. Adults and kids alike are welcome to share, learn, paint and create.
The New Gallery 16
This artist-run centre was founded in 1975 as a space to provide alternative-to-mainstream opportunities and venues for artists to foster social and political art practices, while engaging and educating audiences through artist-run culture and contemporary art. It has called many locations home and now resides in the historic Canton Block in Calgary’s Chinatown.
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Snapshot :
ART SPACES
We’ve mapped some of the many art spaces that support and nurture Calgary’s art ecosystem. Illustrations by Lindsey Hopkins
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Legend
1. BMO Theatre at Shane Homes YMCA at Rocky Ridge 2. Congress Coffee 3. North Mount Pleasant Arts Centre 4. Kiyooka Ohe Arts Centre 5. U of C Nickle Galleries 6. Theatre 1308 7. Evergreen Community SPACES 8. Colour on Fire Art Studio & School 9. Wildflower Arts Centre 10. The Plaza Theatre 11. containR 12. West Village Theatre 13. The Bows 14. Decidedly Jazz Dance Works
15. Sparrow Artspace 16. The New Gallery 17. Calgary Public Library’s Central Library 18. Esker Foundation 19. Arts Commons 20. The Campus at Stampede Park 21. Lantern Community Church 22. Fuse33 Makerspace and MakeFashion 23. cSPACE Projects 24. nvrlnd. 25. Workshop Studios 26. Mount Royal University - Bella Concert Hall 27. Green Fools Theatre Society 28. Evan Hazell Theatre at Brookfield Residential YMCA at Seton
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DOWNTOWN
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Artist Profile
Jarett Sitter is a freelance illustrator/animator working in Calgary. He has created animations and post-production work for music videos that have been nominated for JUNO Awards and MuchMusic Video Awards. In 2021, he was selected as the City of Calgary Centre City Banner Program artist, where his banner designs were installed and featured around the downtown area. Here, Sitter shares more about the process behind his latest project, The Bison and The Dragon: Untold Tales.
PORTFOLIO:
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Calgary artist Jarett Sitter offers insight into his creative process and shares some behind-the-scenes tidbits about his latest project in Chinatown, The Bison and The Dragon: Untold Tales by Michaela Ream
IMAGES: COURTESY JARETT SITTER
JARETT SITTER
portfolio THE BUDGET ABOUT SITTER
“I grew up drawing all the time and was really inspired by skateboarding graphics, music, album covers, Saturday morning cartoons and fairy tale stories. I definitely try to play with some of those nostalgic elements in my art. I like creating weird little worlds for my characters to live in and create a sense of discovery and characters that are curious about the environment.”
VALUE OF BISON In Indigenous culture, the bison provided essential food and raw materials, and became a fundamental part of life. Symbolically, the bison represents protection, stability, prosperity, courage, strength, freedom, abundance and gratitude. The birth of a white bison is considered both sacred and spiritually significant — a sign of hope and good times to come.
The cost for this project, expected to be completed in the spring of 2024, is approximately $166,000. This includes the previous work done on the road mural before pivoting the project to work installed on exterior walls of buildings. The project budget breakdown: Communications - 11% Engagement - 6% Administration/Project Lead - 24% Selection Committee - 4% Artist Fees - 12% Fabrication and Installation - 43%
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The Bison and The Dragon: Untold Tales was originally planned as a road mural to help slow traffic and add vibrancy to the streets of Chinatown. During an engagement meeting between Sitter and the Calgary Chinese Elderly Citizens’ Association, it was brought to attention that painting on the road could be culturally insensitive because, to some Chinese residents of the area, a road mural is reminiscent of “villain hitting,” which is a ritual act of cursing a person by walking on or hitting with a shoe a piece of paper with their information or image of their likeness. As a result, the project was changed to instead feature three illustrations installed on the exterior walls of the Pho City and Calgary Immigrant Women's Association buildings in Chinatown. “The call for the project stipulated that the artwork should have to do with the history of the land, both Chinatown as well as the First Nations peoples who were the original stewards of the
land and the idea of Truth and Reconciliation,” says Sitter. “So those were all elements that I went into the project knowing were an expectation. I had the fortunate opportunity to speak with First Nations Elders, which was a big part of the process. Then I spoke with the community, building owners, business owners, community leaders and people visiting Chinatown. “This project is the most community engagement that I’ve ever done. I talked to hundreds of people to get their viewpoints and input. I’m part Chinese, part German Polish, so my experiences as being mixed heritage also inspired all the artwork involved.”
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THE PROCESS
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THE DRAGON AND PHOENIX In Chinese culture, the dragon has long been seen as the most important symbol of power and a bringer of good luck. Historically, the Chinese dragon is associated with the Emperor of China and represents imperial power. The phoenix represents power sent from the heavens to the Empress and symbolizes luck. Together the dragon and phoenix represent Yin and Yang.
“I wanted to blend different elements from different cultures, such as the mythical creatures associated with the Chinese, the dragon and the phoenix. Often, the dragon is depicted as an amalgamation of different animals, like an eagle’s talons or a deer’s antlers. So, I had the idea to incorporate the bison, an important animal to the First Nations people, into the dragon in a significant way. The whole thing is a dragon, but it has the head of a bison. “For the second piece, I wanted to bring in the phoenix as it’s often paired with the dragon as the Yin and Yang. The Yang dragon represents masculinity, and the Yin phoenix represents the feminine. One of the buildings is the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association, so it was important to have the organization and the women that come through their organization represented. So the phoenix represents the feminine as well as this idea of an immigrant story being told through the phoenix as a bird in flight, moving locations and representing the beginning of a new era. “The last piece in the series is the guardian lion. These lions are also depicted in pairs representing Yin and Yang, with the male usually holding a ball representing the material world and the female with a cub represents the cycle of life. In my depiction, one of the lions is a bear, speaking to the relationship between the First Nations and early Chinese immigrants, who would often marry and start families together. The cub represents these mixed heritage children, who are not often thought about, as well as the Canadian-born Chinese. “My hope is that people can talk about this more and learn more about it and join in with that celebration of history and culture and maybe even be inspired to share their stories.”
Learn more about the artist at jaretts.com.
IMAGES: COURTESY JARETT SITTER
“One of the goals of the project was to talk about not only Chinatown but First Nations peoples as well and the friendships and relations there that could be spoken about. During an exhibit I did with Lougheed House called We Were Here: Stories from Early Chinatown, I learned of the stories of how the First Nations peoples would help early Chinese immigrants working on the railroads to survive the elements by providing shelter and how the Chinese would help feed the First Nations peoples when they weren’t allowed into whiteowned establishments. So, I became interested in those relationships and this unique Canadian experience that is not often talked about.
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Author of six novels and a creative writing professor at the University of Calgary, Suzette Mayr shares how art helps her find her people and herself — how it saves her. Her most recent book, The Sleeping Car Porter, won the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction.
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Art saved me. It saves me every day. Art is where I found others like me when I was coming of age in Calgary in the early 1990s: I remember devouring books like Jeanette Winterson’s novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit about a young woman figuring out her queer sexuality, and gobbling down Cheryl Foggo’s memoir Pourin’ Down Rain about growing up Black in 1960s Calgary. These were guidebooks for figuring out who I was. But books weren’t the only sources of comfort that saved me. I remember being in the audience for performances by One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre and avant-garde puppet theatre by Ronnie Burkett. I remember packing into nightclubs to hear bands like Same
PHOTOGRAPHS: (LEFT) HEATHER SAITZ; (RIGHT) COURTESY COACH HOUSE BOOKS
ART TO THE RESCUE
Difference. I remember learning about the artwork of the United Congress in church of all places because the pastor was loudly objecting to their exhibit, The Castration of St. Paul (no surprise that I stopped attending church and started attending art shows instead). Art was and continues to be where — as a novelist, artist and worshipper of art — I find my kin. It’s a comfort, but it’s interesting how in times of cultural strife, art and artists can also be construed as troublemakers or even as downright dangerous. One need only think of how dictatorial governments and extremist thinkers have suppressed certain kinds of art, for example, the “degenerate” art of the 1930s, and now, the bookbanning in the U.S. I’m not even sure how to begin interpreting the active homophobic and anti-book pushback against drag-queen storytimes except with profound sadness. It’s precisely because of the power of art to express feelings that more straightforward media cannot, and art’s ability to bring together like-minded people that make it so potent. Art helps articulate concepts that might otherwise have no name — Margaret Atwood’s handmaids, for example, are a powerful image that embody women’s oppression; Harriet Beecher Stowe‘s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin had profound effects on the abolitionist movement in the United States; and Langston Hughes fused the common, popular roots of jazz music with poetry to elevate Black people. The late Alberta writer Robert Kroetsch once said, “The fiction makes us real.” When we think of Victorian England, it’s not how history books portrayed the time, but how fiction writers such as Charles Dickens transcribed it into his fiction. The same happens here in Alberta with artists and art groups such as Adrian Stimson, Weyman Chan, Lisa Brawn, the Calgary Animated Objects Society, Land’s End Ensemble and Kyle Edward Ball, among so many others, and their contributions to the spectacular, world-class art scene in Alberta. The art speaks to us — the inhabitants of this place — and it speaks about us. It makes us real. Next time you’re in any kind of doubt, connect with the art that makes you happiest, that makes you feel the most you, whether a book of poetry, a horror movie, a painting or a video game. It might just be the thing that saves you.
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