Accountability + Impact Report 2022
We are the city’s designated arts development authority, created to support and strengthen the arts to benefit all Calgarians.
We are proud to put public dollars to work in the interest of the public good. This means all public. We aspire to foster a resilient and sustainable arts sector that is safe and welcoming regardless of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, income status, physical or mental abilities.
We believe that infusing the lives of Calgarians with art has the power to build our city.
Our vision is a creative, connected Calgary through the arts.
What did 2022 ask of us?
In 2022, the arts ecosystem began to spring back from the pandemic, slowly but surely. Festivals and live performances started up again, exhibitions opened their doors, and you could feel the buzz in the air when you attended a live event.
It still hasn’t reached pre-pandemic levels but the ship is turning and the recovery phase has started.
While there are signs of improvement, we have learned a lot during the past four years, and we are approaching the next four years with guarded optimism. We learned that artists and the arts are adaptive. We saw first-hand how artists reflect and help us make sense of the world around us, even in chaotic times. We saw how the arts connect us, heal us and bring us joy, even in times of isolation. And we saw the ways the arts can help us achieve a more equitable, inclusive and accessible city. We learned that we need the arts and artists now more than ever to lead us to a new and better world.
When crafting our 2023-2026 strategic framework, we were led by a Treaty 7 Indigenous world view. Our new plan is titled Ákáakomatapoap — the Blackfoot word for We are now going to begin, which recognizes the transformational times the arts face. We seek to renew the true spirit of this land as understood by the Blackfoot, Tsuut’ina, Îyârhe Nakoda and Métis peoples; a vision that sees art and culture as integral to how we relate to one another in a good way, in concert with the land and stewarding it for our future generations.
We embark on our next four-year journey with a renewed confidence. Like Calgarians, we know the power of the arts to make our city better and more beautiful. We believe artists can lead the way; that diverse art and artist-led city building will foster a truly equitable, inclusive and accessible city where everyone belongs. Their voices just need to be heard.
— Excerpt of message from Patti Pon, President & CEO, and Chima Nkemdirim, Board Chair
Read the full 2022 Accountability + Impact Report online at artsaction.ca.
Download the Calgary Arts Development Financial Statements for 2022.