Arts Spaces Strategy Gets the Green Light
In response to a research study highlighting shortfalls in the city's inventory of arts facilities, Calgary Arts Development is pleased to report that Calgary's City Council has unanimously approved a recommendation to include capital programs for arts spaces worth up to $150 million in the City's Culture, Parks & Recreation Infrastructure Investment Plan (CPRIIP) over the next seven years.
“We're very pleased that Calgary's civic leadership has given the green light to move forward with a plan that will see significant reinvestment in arts facilities over the long term,” said Terry Rock, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development. “The development of great arts spaces throughout the city will give Calgarians greater access to the arts and boost our city's reputation as an leading cultural centre.”
After spending 18 months researching the city's existing supply of arts facilities, Calgary Arts Development put forward a strategy for arts spaces earlier this month that urged the City to reinvest in arts spaces. Investment in two key areas of development are recommended in the strategy based on findings from the research and community consultation:
- Forming a “cultural cluster” in the centre city region and surrounding neighborhoods through the development of anchor facilities with iconic architecture as well as incubator spaces to fuel the work of young and emerging artists.
- Integrating arts facilities into all areas of the city by developing spaces built specifically for high quality arts experiences in communities throughout the city.
Work is currently underway to develop a set of evaluation criteria. A proposal submission process for new arts spaces projects will be released in July 2007.
RESEARCH & SUPPORTING MATERIALS: The strategy document Reclaiming Calgary's Cultural Identity: Arts Spaces Strategy & Capital Plan and the research report The Current State of Cultural Spaces for the Arts in Calgary are available here .
MEDIA CONTACT
Erica Mattson Manager, Marketing & Communications
Phone: (403) 264-5330
Mobile: (403) 978-2787
