Calgary Arts Development is pleased to announce that preparations are underway to celebrate the month of September as "Culture Month in Calgary."

Fall is an exciting time for the arts and creative industries in Calgary. Performing arts companies are launching their new seasons, the visual arts community is buzzing with gallery openings, fall festivals like the Calgary International Film Festival and ArtCity Festival of Art, Architecture and Design bring great programming and lots of celebratory activity. There are also some special events happening in Calgary this September, including the World Skills Competition, Alberta Arts Days and the Mayor's Evening for Business & the Arts that provide a great opportunity to show off everything our city has to offer in the way of arts, culture, film and television, architecture and design.

The Culture Month initiative will be a city-wide opportunity to celebrate Calgary's vibrant arts, creative industries and cultural scene and encourage residents and visitors to explore the arts in Calgary and learn more about our city's success stories on the local, national and international stage. It's a chance for arts champions to collectively reach out to citizens and visitors with stories about the achievements of our dynamic arts, cultural and creative industries scene.

This initiative is being coordinated as a collaboration effort of the following community partners (and we hope many more!):

•    Calgary Arts Development

•    The City of Calgary - Arts & Culture

•    Office of the Mayor

•    Calgary Professional Arts Alliance 

•    Calgary Economic Development

•    Calgary Downtown Association

•    Calgary International Film Festival

•    EPCOR CENTRE for the Performing Arts

•    Glenbow Museum

•    ArtCity Festival

•    The Cultural District

•    Tourism Calgary

•    Government of Alberta, through Culture & Community Spirit / Alberta Arts Days

Ways to participate

•    If you're hosting a arts event in September, add it to our calendar of events.

•    Be a promotional partner. Promote Culture Month through your organization, provide event tickets for contests and donations, provide ad space in your program, take a stack of postcards for your venue or anything else you can think of. Email: info@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with questions or suggestions.

•    Watch for the official launch of Culture Month in August, and in the meantime, start spreading the word!