Local arts organizations to learn about three-year arts innovation program
MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
October 31, 2014
New Pathways for the Arts has been implemented in Edmonton and across the United States
(Calgary AB) – Next Thursday, November 6, about 100 representatives of arts organizations from Calgary and area will gather to learn about New Pathways for the Arts, an arts innovation program to launch in Calgary next January with applications due in December. Run by New York City-based service organization EmcArts, New Pathways is presented in Calgary with support from Calgary Arts Development and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and launched in Edmonton in September.
Based on EmcArts’ successful work with not-for-profit arts organizations across the United States, New Pathways is a carefully crafted local response to the specific and urgent needs of arts organizations. The program will bring together teams from up to 20 participating organizations for a new kind of professional development and training program around innovation and adaptive change, sharing “next practices” and helping guide and stimulate new thinking and action.
“Many arts organizations achieve their mandates by stretching resources as far as possible, which can limit their capacity to pilot new ideas that respond to changing situations,” says Patti Pon, President & CEO of Calgary Arts Development. “By supporting the design and testing of arts organizations’ adaptive approaches, New Pathways will be transformative for the arts in Calgary.”
The New Pathways for the Arts information session runs Thursday, November 6, from 5:00 – 7:00pm at the University of Calgary Downtown Campus (906 8th Ave. SW), directly following Calgary Arts Development’s Creative Calgary Congress. EmcArts President Richard Evans will explain the design of New Pathways for the Arts and how organizations can expect to contribute to, and benefit from, this program. He will also provide an overview of program elements, timeline and application requirements. The session has sparked great interest in Calgary’s arts community and is now at capacity.
About EmcArts
EmcArts Inc. is a social enterprise for learning and innovation in the arts. We serve as a nonprofit intermediary for many arts funders, and as a service organization for the arts field around innovation. We exist to strengthen the capacities and effectiveness of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, serving their needs in the design and management of innovative change, and assisting them in building their adaptive capacity. emcarts.org
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. calgaryartsdevelopment.com
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Further Information
Cadence Mandybura
Communications Liaison, Calgary Arts Development
Phone: 403.264.5330 ext. 201 (office); 403.585.5390
Email: cadence.mandybura@calgaryartsdevelopment.com