2019 – 2022 Strategic Framework
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.
Vision: A creative, connected Calgary through the arts.
Our Why: We believe that the arts have the power to build our city.
Fostering a sustainable and resilient arts sector
- Develop comprehensive grant investment programs for arts organizations that provide:
- Operating
- Seed investment
- Risk investment
- Facility operating
- Identify and reduce barriers to engagement with Calgary Arts Development’s investment and arts development programs.
- Develop grant investment programs for artists that support:
- Creation
- Skills development (artistic & business)
- Research
- Experimentation
- Acknowledge and support art and artists from diverse and equity seeking communities.
- Continue to leverage investment in the sector with other partners.
- Strengthen artists and arts organizations through capacity building programs:
- Workshops
- Coaching
- Create a digital strategy for the arts sector in Calgary.
- Continue to collect data to communicate sector impact.
- Produce meaningful research for the arts sector.
- Have transparent open data and reporting practices.
- Provide strategic advice to our shareholder about the arts sector.
- Communicate information about and for the arts sector through:
- Digital platforms
- Social media
- SpaceFinder
- Become the central info hub for the arts in Calgary.
- Convene and connect the arts sector on a sustaining basis.
Key Partners City Council, City of Calgary Arts & Culture, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Canada Council for the Arts, Department of Canadian Heritage, the Calgary Foundation, Calgary Hotel Association
Arts-led city building
- Leverage the role of the arts in partner strategies
- Identify and support milestone and signature opportunities for the arts, e.g.:
- JUNO Awards
- CCMAs
- Cultural Olympiad
- Entertainment District
- Provide support for the development of cultural tourism projects.
- Support the arts in animating centre city through events, cultural celebrations and festivals.
- Embed artists and arts at a neighbourhood level through partnership.
- Embed artists and the arts in neighbourhood planning.
- Encourage all Calgarians to manifest their creativity.
- Encourage cross-sector collaborations between:
- Arts sector and community leaders
- Arts sector and social sector
- Support opportunities for artists to develop as social innovators and entrepreneurs.
- Identify and foster creative industry opportunities in YYC.
- Support the development of YYC as a music city through a vibrant music industry and integrated music system.
Key Partners Calgary Economic Development, Tourism Calgary, Federation of Calgary Communities, City of Calgary Arts & Culture, City of Calgary Planning, Creative Calgary, Calgary Technologies Inc., Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, Alberta Music Cities Initiative, Calgary Convention & Visitors Bureau
