Celebrating Community and Creative Expression in Calgary and Southern Alberta

Three dozen arts and culture organizations in Calgary and Southern Alberta receive funding for local festivals, arts presentation series and more

CALGARY, Aug. 29, 2019 /CNW/ - Creativity and community celebration were in the spotlight today as the Honourable Kent Hehr, Member of Parliament (Calgary Centre), announced investments totalling $1,450,300 to support local festivals, the performing arts and community celebrations in Calgary and southern Alberta. Mr. Hehr made this announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.

These investments will benefit 36 organizations that promote Canadian talent, showcase Alberta's thriving cultural scene, drive economic growth and foster a stronger connection between diverse communities. Among the many recipients receiving support are the Pride Calgary Planning Committee, the One Yellow Rabbit Theatre Association and the Calgary Fireworks Festival Society. See the attached backgrounder for additional details.

Funding has been provided through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage (BCAH) program and the Canada Arts Presentation Fund (CAPF).

Budget 2019 announced more than $50 million to support a wide range of artistic and cultural events, including performance series, festivals and celebrations throughout Canada. Eligible organizations have received supplemental funding as a result of these increased investments, which include $14 million over two years for the BCAH program and $16 million over two years for the CAPF.

Quotes

"Canadians are proud creators of music, dance, and visual and performing arts. We host celebrations that promote diversity and inclusion, and come together to celebrate our shared history in many different ways. Our government is proud to invest in the creative sector because these festivals, performance series and community celebrations boost our economy and help build identity, pride and a shared sense of value."

—The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism

"It's a pleasure to announce our government's continued support for arts and culture in Calgary and southern Alberta, especially during Calgary Pride. Alberta's creative scene is among the most unique and exciting in Canada. We know that investing in artists, performances and festivals bolsters our economy and strengthens civic pride. I'm proud that this funding will keep helping organizations throughout the province grow and flourish."

—The Honourable Kent Hehr, Member of Parliament (Calgary Centre)

"The Department of Canadian Heritage, through the Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage program, has been instrumental in allowing our festival to continue to advance and celebrate the rich multicultural diversity that is found in Calgary. GlobalFest provides an annual platform for over 20 locally based ethnocultural associations to showcase their culture through heritage performances and dress, cultural pavilions and cuisine. Funding has also supported GlobalFest in creating programs such as The Canadian Cultural Mosaic. This program tells the story of the foundation of Canada and celebrates the contributions of the many cultural groups to our national fabric. These same programs are in demand by external organizations across the region, who have approached GlobalFest about bringing our unique multicultural programming to their events and facilities."

—Ken Goosen, Producer, Calgary Fireworks Festival Society (GlobalFest)

"Calgary today is a thriving mosaic of cultures and communities, each with their own unique, and powerful, contribution to the city's soul. Arts are what make a city worth living in, and our programs here at Arts Commons wouldn't be possible without the support of the federal government through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund. This funding allows us to bring performers from all corners of the world onto our stages. Through Arts Commons Presents, we proudly provide opportunities for artists who normally wouldn't be able to perform in Calgary, like performers from India, Africa and Latin America, as well as talented blues and jazz artists from around the globe, and National Geographic Live explorers who are just back from expedition."

—Greg Epton, Chief Development Officer and Interim Co-CEO, Arts Commons

Quick Facts

The Local Festivals component of the BCAH program provides funding to local groups for recurring festivals that present the work of local artists, artisans or heritage performers. This includes the celebration of LGBTQ2+ communities and Indigenous cultural celebrations.

The Canada Arts Presentation Fund provides financial assistance to organizations that professionally present arts festivals or performing arts series (arts presenters) and organizations that offer support to arts presenters. Through the CAPF, Canadians have access to a variety of professional artistic experiences in their communities. Each year, the Fund supports approximately 600 professional arts festivals and performing arts series, as well as other activities related to art presentation, in more than 250 cities or communities across Canada.

Associated Links

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

Backgrounder

Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage

City	Organization	Project	Amount
Blairmore	Crownest Pass Economic Development Board	Crowsnest Pass Doors Open and Heritage Festival	$8,900
Calgary	Beakerhead Creative Society	Beakerhead	$94,000
Calgary	Burc Intercultural Center	Calgary Turkish Festival	$12,700
Calgary	Caribbean Community Council of Calgary	Carifest	$15,000
Calgary	Calgary Multicultural Arts Society	Fiestaval Latin Festival	$40,000
Calgary	Calgary International Film Festival Society	Calgary International Film Festival	$37,400
Calgary	Calgary Fireworks Festival Society	GlobalFest	$102,500
Calgary	Femme Wave Arts Society	Femme Wave 2019	$9,200
Calgary	Jazz Is Society of Alberta	JazzYYC Canadian Jazz Festival	$11,000
Calgary	Jazz Is Society of Alberta	UN International Jazz Days	$10,000
Calgary	Lougheed House Conservation Society	Beltline Community Garden Festival	$33,000
Calgary	Latino Folkloric Society	Mexifest	$37,000
Calgary	Pride Calgary Planning Committee	Calgary Pride 2019	$41,200
Calgary	Sled Island Arts Fellowship	Sled Island Music & Arts Festival	$53,500
Canmore	Canadian Mountain Arts Foundation	Canmore Festival of Art and Creativity (formerly known as artsPeak)	$15,100
Didsbury	Mountain View Arts Society	Mountain View Arts Festival	$7,200
Drumheller	Dancing with the Dinosaurs	Dancing with the Dinosaurs	$8,400
Lethbridge	Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge	Lethbridge Arts Days	$5,500
Medicine Hat	Miywasin Society of Aboriginal Services	The Hills Are Alive Music and Dance Cultural Fest 2019	$8,000
Taber	Taber and District Chamber of Commerce	Taber Cornfest	$7,500
TOTAL:			$557,100

 

Canada Arts Presentation Fund

City	Organization	Project	Amount
Banff	The Banff Centre	Presenting Series	$137,500*
Calgary	Bow Valley Music Club	Bow Valley Music Club Concert Season	$5,500*
Calgary	Calgary Blues Music Association	Calgary Midwinter Bluesfest, Calgary International Blues Festival	$25,300*
Calgary	Calgary Centre for Performing Arts	Arts Commons Presentation Series	$104,500*
Calgary	Calgary Pro Musica Society	2018–2019 and 2019–2020 seasons	$11,000*
Calgary	Calgary Reggae Festival Society	Calgary International Reggae Festival (ReggaeFest)	$14,300*
Calgary	Folk Festival Society of Calgary	Calgary Folk Music Festival, Block Heater Festivals	$132,000*
Calgary	Jazz Is Society of Alberta	Illumin8 Series and JazzYYC Summer Festival	$11,000*
Calgary	One Yellow Rabbit Theatre Association	High Performance Rodeo – Calgary's International Festival	$170,500*
Calgary	Sage Theatre Society	The IGNITE! Festival for Emerging Artists	$5,500*
Calgary	Springboard Dance Collective Calgary Society	Fluid Festival / containR	$33,000*
Calgary	Wordfest	Wordfest 2019 and 2020 Festivals and Outreach Activities	$77,000*
Canmore	Canmore Folk Music Festival	Canmore Folk Music Festival	$49,500*
Fort McLeod	South Country Fair Association	South Country Fair #32–36	$19,800*
High River	High River Gift of Music Society	Classical Musical Programming and Education in Rural Alberta	$4,400*
Lethbridge	The Lethbridge Jazz Society	Lethbridge Jazz & Blues Festival	$6,600*
Medicine Hat	Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre (City of Medicine Hat)	Momentum	$52,800*
Medicine Hat	Medicine Hat Jazz Society	Medicine Hat JazzFest	$33,000*
TOTAL:			$893,200

* Recipient may receive additional supplemental consideration over this amount.

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For more information (media only), please contact: Simon Ross, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, 819-997-7788; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [email protected]

Related Links

www.pch.gc.ca