On July 25th, a group of interested (dare I say "passionate") Calgarians will join in a discussion about the Alberta Cultural Policy. There have been discussions across the province about this policy, and Calgary Arts Development, together with the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance have decided to add an additional, collective, voice to the hundreds already submitted.

We think and hope that the meeting we've called will provide a unique contribution to the process. Many of the challenges and opportunities facing Calgary are different than the challenges and opportunities faced by other cities and towns of Alberta. I know that the people in Calgary actively working as artists, arts administrators and cultural workers generally, are intimately familiar with these challenges. This meeting is a chance for these people to get together, talk about issues that are important to them, and have those collective views championed as important contributions to the provincial discussion.

So... lets start the discussion now. Consider this an "invitation to take responsibility for discussing your passion."* If you can't make the meeting on Wednesday, let us know what's important to you about cultural policy in Alberta, and what you think might be done about it. Whatever comes out of this, I guarantee that Calgary Arts Development is interested in your thoughts. Comments are open!

*For more about Open Space meetings, check out this Wikipedia entry