Living a Creative Life Congress Fuelling a vital, prosperous and connected city We believe the arts have the power to build our city. Through the arts development strategy, Living a Creative Life, our vision is a creative, connected, prosperous Calgary where every resident has the opportunity to live creatively. We foster a sustainable and resilient arts sector and support arts-led city building. Calgary Arts Development has hosted a variety of gatherings that explore themes like art for social change, community-driven art, reconciliation, and community engagement. Calgary Arts Development produced the first Arts Champions Congress in 2011 as a meeting place for people who make Calgary’s arts sector a vibrant and exciting place to work and our city a great place to live. A second Arts Champions Congress was held in 2013. Renamed the Creative Calgary Congress for 2014, the event worked to extend its reach to those who may not traditionally be involved in the arts. A chance to bring like-minded people together to connect around opportunities that place the arts at the centre of building our city, each Congress facilitates the conversations necessary to nurture a collaborative, resilient and innovative arts ecosystem in Calgary. Calgary Arts Development used 2015 as a planning year for this initiative with a public event geared towards curious, creative, compassionate Calgarians taking place in November 2016. Now the Living a Creative Life Congress, 2017’s event looked at Calgary’s unique cultural identity while 2018 focused on art and social change. Watch this space for information on upcoming congress events. Learn more Produced through a rigorous consultation process, Living a Creative Life is an arts development strategy for Calgary, by Calgarians. Learn more Calgary Poet Laureate An artistic ambassador for Calgary On July 26, 2011, City Council approved a motion to establish a Calgary Poet Laureate position, funded by a group of Calgary Poet Laureate Ambassadors. Current Ambassadors are the Calgary Foundation and the Calgary Public Library. Calgary Arts Development administers the program in conjunction with a volunteer selection committee, which appoints each Calgary Poet Laureate for a two-year term. The Calgary Poet Laureate is intended to be an artistic ambassador for Calgary, presenting at civic events, and producing literary work that reflects our city and its citizens. Kris Demeanor served as the first Calgary Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014 followed by derek beaulieu from 2014 to 2016, Micheline Maylor from 2016 to 2018, Sheri-D Wilson from 2018 to 2020, Natalie Meisner from 2020 to 2022, and Wakefield Brewster from 2022 to 2024. Learn more Wakefield Brewster Email: poet@calgaryartsdevelopment.com Website: wakefieldbrewster.com Twitter: @lyricalpitbull Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions Celebrating the transformative power of the arts The Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions is an annual collaboration between Calgary Arts Development and Mayor Naheed Nenshi. In consultation with business and cultural industry advisors, this event was developed as a new way of expanding the circle of Arts Champions in Calgary, building on the Mayor’s Luncheon for Business and the Arts’ long history of bringing together the business and arts sectors. The Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions celebrates the transformative power of the arts, building momentum for the future. The lunch is the continuation of a longstanding event established by the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance (CPAA) in 1993 to bring Calgary’s business and art sectors together in recognition of the important relationships that foster artistic achievement in Calgary. The Mayor’s Luncheon for Business and the Arts, and later the Mayor’s Evening for Business and the Arts, enjoyed support from each civic administration since their inception. Learn more Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards A legacy of Calgary’s year as a Cultural Capital of Canada A legacy of Calgary’s year as a Cultural Capital of Canada, each Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Award is funded by a contribution from a local philanthropist or organization with matching money from Calgary 2012. These awards are $5,000 cash prizes that support artists, arts organizations, arts administrators, and volunteers. Award Categories ATB Financial Healing Through the Arts Award Calgary Catholic Immigration Society New Canadian Artist Award Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award Mamdani Arts Leadership Award RBC Emerging Artist Award Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Administrator Award SANDSTONE City Builder Award Indigenous Artist Award Past Award Categories Colin Jackson and Arlene Strom Creative Placemaking Award Enbridge Emerging Artist Award MacLachlan Community Beacon Award Learn more
