2021 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions takes place June 9 online
MEDIA RELEASE
June 7, 2021
(Calgary AB) – This year’s Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions, organized by Calgary Arts Development and the Office of the Mayor, will take place online from 12:00 to 1:30pm on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. A highlight of this annual event is the announcement of the Cultural Leaders Legacy Artist Awards. Register here for this free event.
“This is the second year in a row that we haven’t been able to gather in person for The Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions, but we are excited to be able to host the event online,” says Calgary Arts Development President & CEO Patti Pon. “One of the key things we will talk about at the event is how adaptable artists and arts organizations have been throughout the pandemic. The isolation caused by COVID-19 highlighted more than ever how important arts and artists are to our community providing people with moments of connection, meaning, and joy. We thank our champion sponsor Calgary Foundation and all of the Arts Patron sponsors, as well as the benefactors of the Cultural Leaders Legacy Awards. This year’s award recipients, who will be announced at the event, truly represented the rich diversity of Calgary’s vibrant arts scene.”
There are eight Cultural Leaders Legacy Awards for 2021, which will be announced through a video featuring interviews with award-winners and sponsors. Each Legacy Award winner receives a $5,000 cash prize funded by a contribution from a local philanthropist or organization with equal matching money from a legacy fund of Calgary 2012.
This year, 61 outstanding artists and organizations were nominated, representing some of the amazing artistry that vitalizes our city every day. Here are the 2021 award categories:
The ATB Financial Healing Through the Arts Award recognizes artists whose artistic practices encompass health and wellness to improve the wellbeing of individuals, groups or communities. The award is intended to promote the healing nature of the arts and its critical role as a means of expression for those facing physical or mental health issues.
The Calgary Catholic Immigration Society New Canadian Artist Award acknowledges that artists from all parts of the world enrich Calgary’s arts sector. The award provides new Canadian artists with access to the institutions and support networks available to most Calgary artists.
The Mamdani Arts Leadership Award is a salute to the integral role of board members who lend their expertise, talent, and time to support the work of arts organizations and festivals that make Calgary a vibrant and creative city.
The RBC Emerging Artist Award is for up-and-coming, Calgary-based artists. The award recognizes that a thriving cultural community includes artists who choose to live and build their careers in Calgary from the onset.
The Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Administrator Award recognizes and encourages the role of professional arts managers and administrators who are dedicating their careers to promoting and supporting the work of Calgary’s artists and not-for-profit arts organizations.
The SANDSTONE City Builder Award is focused on artists and organizations that make Calgary a better place to live. These individuals are committed to enriching Calgary through an artistic practice or arts program driven by a social impact outcome.
The TD Indigenous Artist Award was established in 2020 by TD Bank Group in partnership with the Calgary Public Library’s residency program and aims to recognize the contribution of Indigenous artists, craftspeople, and Knowledge Keepers to Calgary. The award seeks to honour Indigenous cultures and to promote intercultural understanding, perspective-taking, and communication between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
The Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award honours artists who are lauded for their work in the national and/or international arenas and who choose to make Calgary their home. Regardless of career length, these artists are acknowledged by their peers around the world for the calibre of their work and their contributions to the arts.
Thank you to Calgary 2012, the Office of the Mayor, champion sponsor Calgary Foundation, and the cultural leaders whose generosity makes these awards possible: ATB Financial, Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, the Rozsa Foundation, Riaz Mamdani, RBC, SANDSTONE, TD Bank Group, and The Honourable Lois E. Mitchell, CM, AOE, LLD and Douglas Mitchell, CM, AOE, QC, LLD. We thank the Central Public Library, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, and the Rozsa Foundation for their support through artist residencies and courses for the New Canadian Artist, the Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Artist, and the Emerging Arts Administrator. Our appreciation also goes out to the Arts Patron event sponsors: Aspen Properties, Brookfield Residential, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), Calgary Foundation, DIALOG, Platform Calgary, University of Calgary, and our media partners Nur Films and Kelly Brothers.
More information is available at calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
About Calgary Arts Development
As the city’s designated arts development authority, Calgary Arts Development supports and strengthens the arts to benefit all Calgarians. We invest and allocate municipal funding for the arts provided by The City of Calgary and leverage these funds to provide additional resources to the arts sector. Our programs support hundreds of arts organizations, individual artists, artist collectives, and ad hoc groups in Calgary.
-30-
Further Information
Helen Moore-Parkhouse
Director, Communications and Engagement, Calgary Arts Development
Phone: (office) 403.264.5330 ext. 102; (mobile) 587.227.0150
Email: helen.moore-parkhouse@calgaryartsdevelopment.com
