It’s 2012, Calgary’s year as a Cultural Capital of Canada. A year to celebrate culture, a year to create together as a community and a year to look forward and imagine our future. It is hard to believe that it is a full eight years since City Council adopted a new Civic Arts Policy. In those years, thanks to the hard work of artists, administrators, volunteers and partners, combined with City Council’s leadership and support, Calgary has seen significant new investment in arts organizations and infrastructure. All of these efforts have contributed to a creative energy for which Calgary is increasingly known.

But we know there is more work to do. Together, we need to think about the kind of Calgary we want in 2013, in 2014, in 2015 and Calgary in 2025. There is no better time than now, a year in which more Calgarians than ever are attuned to the importance of culture in their lives, to refresh our vision for the future.

Calgary Arts Development’s 2012-2014 Strategic Plan: Expand the Circle
Calgary Arts Development’s 2012 Strategic Plan is entitled “Expand the Circle.” In it, our Board of Directors renews its commitment to:

• increasing the amount and expanding the type of resources for the arts;
• cultivating and equipping champions for the value of the arts to our city; and
• enhancing the impact of what we do by creating new programs for individual artists while we refine and launch new programs to support organizations.

Top Priority: Define the Future
Over the past 18 months, as part of the Cultural Capital of Canada bid process, through our first Arts Champions Congress in 2011, and through the 2012-2014 City of Calgary budget process, Calgary Arts Development has become increasingly aware of the need for and the potential value of an integrated “Arts Development Strategy for Calgary.” At our last AGM in 2011, our Board of Directors communicated to City Council the need for such a strategy, and our intention to facilitate the process. The recently adopted 2012-2014 Strategic Plan has put this process in action.

Under the leadership of our Board of Directors, CADA will spearhead a public consultation and vision setting process, followed by a period of working closely with artists, organizations, institutions and key supporting stakeholder groups, to develop a long term strategic plan for the development of the arts. We envision 2012 being a time for critical reflection and sober thought about the value of the arts to civic life, the role of artists in our city and the possibilities for the arts sector’s future. 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.

Kicking off the Process: Current State of the Arts
The first phase of this ambitious project was a scan of the current state of the arts sector. This phase had three main research elements.

• analysis of data already gathered by Calgary Arts Development through granting programs and previous surveys;
• an update of 2007 research into venues and other supporting infrastructure (as part of a newly-formed Art Space Research Consortium); and
• a dialogue series with artists and arts administrators and board members to get a first-hand perspective on the experience of working in the arts in Calgary.

Next steps: Public Consultation and Arts Plan Development
We have developed ArtsPlan.ca as an online portal to learn more about the develpment of Calgary's Arts Plan. Visit the site and follow hashtag #yycArtsPlan on twitter.