Calgary’s Arts Plan is the long-term strategy for arts development and investment in Calgary and a legacy of Calgary's year as a Cultural Capital of Canada. The arts inspire our children’s futures, connect our communities, drive our city’s economic growth and energize our lives. Our goal is to work with citizens and artists to craft a bold and integrated plan that sets clear, long-term targets for the resources and partnerships necessary to support a thriving arts sector in Calgary.
Now is the time to imagine the future of our city. It is a time for Calgarians to consider the role a vibrant arts sector will play in our cityʼs future.
Background
In 2012, many of the city’s proudest institutions celebrated their 100th anniversaries, including the Calgary Stampede, Theatre Junction GRAND, the City’s Recreation Department, Pumphouse Theatre and the Calgary Public Library.
These institutions were founded more than a century ago because leading Calgarians understood that arts and culture are an essential part of the city’s development. These civic-minded Calgarians were confident and visionary. Most of all, they were determined to build a better city.
One hundred years later, Calgary is proud to honour their accomplishments and to lead the country as a Cultural Capital of Canada.
Today, Calgary enjoys a rich artistic heritage. The arts are everywhere and they touch everyone: from popular music to theatre to dance; from neighbourhood galleries and events to children’s programming. Calgary residents are involved in the arts in countless ways, big and small. We think now is the right time to build on this legacy and to imagine how the arts can continue to play a vital role in building our city.
Calgary Arts Development has been mandated by City Council to create an integrated Arts Plan for Calgary. The strategy will set the vision for a thriving arts sector in and for Calgary and will be a platform for partnerships to help achieve that vision.
The City of Calgary and Calgary Arts Development are committed to involving the public in decisions that affect them. To hear residents’ perspectives on the future of arts development, we didn’t want to conduct just another public opinion poll. That’s why, in an earlier phase of this project, we engaged MASS LBP, a Canadian organization dedicated to reinventing public consultation, to convene a Citizens’ Reference Panel. The Citizen's Reference Panel, made up of 36 randomly selected residents from across Calgary, concluded their work in October 2012, and produced this report.
Read More about the three phases of the Arts Plan Process.
