A comprehensive report detailing the state of arts facilities in Calgary has been released by Calgary Arts Development and is available here.

The research indicates that arts facilities such as performance halls, music venues, and art galleries, as well as spaces used for rehearsals and artist studios are in short supply in Calgary. The result is constrained growth and negative impacts on the arts and culture sector.

Key findings from the research include:

Calgary compares poorly to other major and minor centres

• In a benchmarking study of seven North American cities, Calgary has the lowest number of visual and performing arts spaces (lower than Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Austin, and Seattle).
• Since 1987, the number of performing arts seats per capita in Calgary has declined by 25%, compared to Vancouver, which has seen an increase of 15% in seats per capita.

The arts and cultural sector's development is currently held back by a lack of space

• Calgary’s performing arts venues are operating at capacity leaving no room for existing arts organizations to grow and making it difficult for new organizations to enter.
• Last year, Calgary’s 119 municipally funded arts organizations saw over 6,500 days of activity.

Arts and cultural spaces are integral to Calgarians’ views about quality of life

• Calgarians place a great deal of importance on arts facilities when it comes to quality of life
• There is a strong desire for affordable and aesthetically attractive facilities and public spaces that are accessible to all Calgarians.
• Calgary’s future cultural development will benefit from the creation of a strong cultural cluster in the inner city balanced by arts-infused communities across Calgary

There is strong community support for a renewed civic commitment to arts spaces

• There is strong demand for more and higher quality spaces in both inner city and suburban areas.
• Recent public opinion surveys reported by the Calgary Herald confirm that the majority of Calgarians support increased arts investment.

Stakeholders and interested members of the public are encouraged to attend the meeting of the City’s Standing Policy Committee on Community & Protective Services on Wednesday, April 4. Pending the recommendation of the committee, the strategy and capital plan for arts facilities will be received by City Council on Monday, April 16. The strategy and capital plan to be presented by Calgary Arts Development will be available to the public on Friday, March 30.

RESEARCH & SUPPORTING MATERIALS

The full research report The Current State of Cultural Spaces for the Arts in Calgary is available for download here. Images and graphics are available upon request, and printed copies of the report are available through Calgary Arts Development.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

Facilities and spaces for the arts is an important community issue. Stakeholders and interested citizens are encouraged to learn more about the research and participate in the following ways:

• Read the research report on arts facilities and spaces available here
• Attend the meeting of the Standing Policy Committee on Community & Protective Services on Wednesday, April 4 at 9:30 a. m. in the Engineering Traditions Committee Room, Historic City Hall (lower level), 700 Macleod Trail S.E. Meetings of City Council open to the public, and agendas are available here. Interested stakeholders and citizens are invited to contact their ward alderman around the topic of arts facilities and spaces.
• Information on how to contact members of City Council is also available online at www.calgary.ca or by phoning 3-1-1.

MEDIA CONTACT
Erica Mattson
Manager, Marketing & Communications
Calgary Arts Development
Phone: (403) 264-5330
Mobile: (403) 978-2787
E-mail: erica.mattson@calgaryartsdevelopment.com