World Cafe: Arts and Culture Infrastructure Strategy
Whatever your role in Calgary’s arts and culture ecosystem—artist, cultural leader, space provider, educator, community member—please join us for a World Cafe on January 16, 2017.
World Cafe: Arts and Culture Infrastructure Strategy
January 16, 2017, 5:30 – 9:00pm
St. Louis Hotel (430 8th Ave. SE)
5:30 – 6:30pm: Networking and light refreshments
6:30 – 9:00pm: World Cafe event
Consultants Karen Ball and Ken Cameron will share what they heard during a series of engagement sessions in December about how Calgarians envision their future arts and culture infrastructure needs. Please add your voice at this World Cafe to inform the final Arts and Culture Infrastructure Report.
Background
The original Cultural Spaces Report was written in 2007 and has served us for the past decade. Since that time there have been significant investments in new infrastructure from the public and private sector, including over $67M through The City of Calgary. The population of Calgary has also grown and become more diverse since 2007, and existing facilities have aged. It is now time to renew the Arts and Culture Infrastructure Strategy. This report will help ensure that the needs and preferences of Calgarians for arts and culture infrastructure are strategically met over the next decade.
Context
Arts and culture infrastructure should support the artistic and cultural aspirations of artists, the cultural sector and citizens. Arts and culture infrastructure spaces are defined broadly, as every link in the spaces “value chain” from creation space, meeting space, rehearsal space, production space, warehouse and storage space, and office space through to presentation, event, ceremonial, and performance space.
Arts and culture infrastructure can be purpose-built or renovated; it can be single use or multi-purpose; it can be used full-time or part-time; it can be indoor or outdoor; it can be traditional or non-conventional. This arts and culture infrastructure ecosystem supports all disciplines in the sector, including dance, film, literary, music, new media, theatre, and visual arts, as well as heritage and other cultural practices. It supports community and professional arts and culture and education.
Spaces can be developed and operated as for-profit or not-for-profit. Arts and culture infrastructure spaces should support the career trajectory of Calgary’s artists and cultural workers and arts and culture organizations including incubator space for emerging practices and can include affordable housing/live-work for artists and cultural workers and their families.
Report recommendations will include addressing the availability of existing resources, as well as trends and opportunities to identify, plan, create, renovate, refurbish and sustain arts and culture infrastructure.
