Celebration for the Arts hosted by Mayor Gondek You’re invited to join Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Calgary’s arts and business leaders at the 2023 Celebration for the Arts on October 18, 2023. Connect with old and new friends, enjoy a showcase of performances by Reuben & the Dark with the Bullhorn Singers, Madhuban Performing Arts, a collective of Calgary choirs, Klave Latin Band and more! Our emcee for the evening is Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster. We will also celebrate outstanding achievement in the arts with the presentation of the 2023 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards. Continue the celebration at the after-party with food, entertainment and an opportunity to dance the night away. Wednesday, October 18, 2023Jack Singer Concert Hall, Arts CommonsPre-show Networking: 6:30pm | Jack Singer LobbyPerformance & Awards Presentation: 7:30pm | Jack Singer Concert HallAfter-Party: 9:15pm | Jack Singer LobbyTickets*: https://www.artscommons.ca/whats-on/celebration-for-the-arts Limited Number of Free Tickets Available for Practising Artists * Thanks to a sponsorship from Bird Creatives, tickets to the Celebration for the Arts are more accessible than ever for folks who make their living as an artist or arts gig worker. To reserve up to two complimentary artist tickets, please email info@calgaryartsdevelopment.com with the words REQUEST ARTIST TICKETS in the subject line. Confirmation will be sent to you in advance. Tickets will be assigned as best available on the day of the event and held at the door for pick-up. 2022 Celebration for the Arts Recap 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards Recipients | Photo: Aaron Chatha Thank you to everyone who joined Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Calgary’s arts and business leaders at the 2022 Celebration for the Arts hosted by Mayor Gondek on Friday, November 4, 2022 at the Jack Singer Concert Hall. More than 700 people were in attendance for an evening featuring emcee Tim Tamashiro, the Sheldon Zandboer Trio, musician Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster, Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Sankofa Arts and Music Foundation, a massive choir composed of both youth and adult groups, and more. The evening also recognized outstanding achievement in the arts with the presentation of the 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards. Mayor Jyoti Gondek congratulated the winners and spoke about the importance of arts and culture to the community for health and wellness, education, and a strong economy. “The arts matter. You matter,” she told the audience of artists, arts administrators and business leaders. “Let’s continue to advocate together because our future depends on it.” This year, 51 outstanding artists and organizations were nominated, representing just some of the artistry that vitalizes our city every day. Recipients are selected by a jury of peers. Each Legacy Award winner received a $5,000 cash prize, which is funded by a contribution from a local philanthropist or organization with equal matching money from Calgary Arts Development. We thank all the nominees and congratulate this year’s recipients: 2022 ATB Financial Healing Through the Arts Award recipient: Janey Luc-GermanJaney Luc-German has volunteered her services in the past 15 years in promoting arts to various Calgary schools and communities, including running seven 5-session online workshops helping seniors combat loneliness through arts during the pandemic. 2022 CCIS New Canadian Artist Award recipient: Claudia ChagoyaClaudia Chagoya is a gifted Mexican interdisciplinary artist, a talented educator, and a skilled community connector whose abilities, activities, and heart will continue to be a benefit to Calgary. 2022 Mamdani Arts Leadership Award recipient: Stephanie HutchinsonStephanie Hutchinson works tirelessly to raise the profile of and give opportunities to Calgary musicians both at home and across Canada through her volunteer work with the YYC Music Awards. 2022 RBC Emerging Artist Award recipient: Sarah UwadiaeSarah Uwadiae is an early career Nigerian artist based in Calgary. Her practice includes set and costume design, filmmaking and story creation through multiple mediums and disciplines. Despite her background in theatre, her curiosity and drive to make art has inspired her to step out of the label of “designer” and embrace her whole self as a multidisciplinary artist. 2022 Rozsa Foundation Emerging Arts Manager Award recipient: Daniel Cardinal McCartneyDaniel Cardinal McCartney is being recognized for his outstanding work towards equitable working conditions for artists and arts administrators. 2022 SANDSTONE City Builder Award recipient: Casa Mexico FoundationFor 13 years, Casa Mexico has been constantly supporting the work of emerging and professional artists in the Calgary community, and as a result they have been able to foster the growth of multitudes of artistic careers in our city. 2022 Doug and Lois Mitchell Outstanding Calgary Artist Award recipient: Sandra SawatzkyArtist Sandra Sawatzky developed a film language of choreographed action to tell stories and embroiders epics with a small needle and miles of thread. 2022 TD Bank Group Indigenous Artist Award recipient: Danielle PiperDanielle Piper is an interdisciplinary visual artist located in Mohkinsstsis, Treaty 7 territory. Danielle creates many kinds of visual art; and also teaches beading workshops, livestreams on twitch and sells her handmade crafts. As part of this award she worked for a three-month term as Indigenous Artist in Residence for the Calgary Public Library in early 2022. For more information, read the event program here and the media release here. Speakers, performers and award winners from the 2022 Celebration for the Arts Clockwise from top left: 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards recipients with Mayor Jyoti Gondek; Calgary Arts Development President and CEO Patti Pon and ASL interpreter Janice Manchul; members of the Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble; emcee Tim Tamashiro with Chantal Gagnon leading a community drum circle; super choir with members from Revv 52, the Young Canadians, Kantorei Choral Society and Our Lady of the Rockies High School; and Poet Laureate Wakefield Brewster. Photos by Motif Photography. Video presentation of the 2022 Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards You can learn more about the Cultural Leaders Legacy Arts Awards at calgaryartsdevelopment.com. About the Celebration for the Arts The Celebration for the Arts is a collaboration between Calgary Arts Development and Mayor Jyoti Gondek. 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 and building on the long history of bringing together the business and arts sectors. The event celebrates the arts and how artists tell our stories, connect us and make meaning in our lives. 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. History The Celebration for the Arts hosted by Mayor Gondek continues the annual tradition of bringing the business and arts sectors together to celebrate Calgary artists and arts organizations and recognize outstanding achievement. This event, held in collaboration with Mayor Jyoti Gondek, replaces the previous Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions, a collaboration between Calgary Arts Development and former Mayor Naheed Nenshi. It evolved from 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. From 1993 to 2010, the CPAA and the Mayor’s Luncheon for Business and the Arts recognized over 30 outstanding arts and business partnership and over 20 emerging, established and innovative Calgary artists. 2021 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2020 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2019 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2018 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2017 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2016 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions 2015 Mayor’s Lunch for Arts Champions
