AFA News

We’re excited to announce recipients of the $2,500 Young Artist Prizes.

These artists were nominated by our the AFA Influential Alberta Artists as part of a one-time funding opportunity to commemorate the AFA's 25th Anniversary. Each of these emerging artists have already made an impact on their community and are well on their way to honing their craft to become the next generation of influential artists.

We look forward working with these talented individuals as we ring in the next 25 years of arts in Alberta.

Learn more about each of the artists below:

	Young Artist	Influential Artist Nominator	Bio
	Alanna Blackrider-Onespot	Nominated by the Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society on behalf of Michael Green & Narcisse Blood	Alanna is an indigenous writer, a poet, and a performing artist who uses her creativity to empower youth and express herself. She has travelled to multiple countries and communities to share her spoken word poetry, and facilitates art workshops in her community to share the healing benefits of art with youth.
	Alex Smith	Michelle Minke	Alex is what the performing world calls a triple-threat: he can sing, dance, and act at an exceptional level. He has performed nationally and internationally, including performing for more than 10,000 people a night at the MUNY in St. Louis.
	Angel Berry	Nominated by Connie Edwards on behalf of Gil Cardinal	Angel is an award-winning actress, producer, and spoken word artist. She is also the author of three children’s books, and has over 21 film and TV credits at age 14.
	Anna Semenoff	Chris Cran	Anna is currently in her third year at the Alberta College of Art and Design, majoring in sculpture. She is primarily interested in working with video art in a sculptural format, creating artworks unlike anything seen before.
	Cassia Hardy	Lorrie Matheson	Cassia Hardy is a musician and songwriter. Since starting her musical project Wares in 2013, Cassia has gained national prominence for her distinctive style of songcraft, mixing classic folk sensibilities with grimy, hair raising punk rock.
	Celia Taylor	Marty Chan	Celia founded her theatre company, Empress of Blandings Productions in 2015 with the goal of reviving old or forgotten works and bringing them to life for new audiences, in new and unexpected ways.
	Charlotte Cranston	Alice Major	Poet, performer and organizer Charlotte Cranston was named Edmonton's first ever Youth Poet Laureate in 2015, during which role she founded YEP--Young Edmonton Poets--a safe, compassionate, regularly-running writing circle for Edmonton-based teens and pre-teens.
	Erin Vance	Aritha van Herk	Erin Vance is an MA student in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Calgary. She has already published over 60 poems and 50 non-fiction articles in various magazines, journals, and anthologies, with more on the way.
	Gillian McKercher	Sharon Stevens	Gillian McKercher is a Calgary-based filmmaker. Her work explores the differences between what individuals want and what they receive. Specifically, Gillian is interested in how circumstance affects our actions. Gillian most notably directed The Calgary Collection web-series, which profiles Calgary’s folk music community.
	Griffin Cork	Trevor Anderson	Griffin Cork has been working professionally in the theatre, film, and voice-over industry for over ten years. Griffin was deemed an Arts Champion of Calgary in 2012 by Calgary Arts Development Association and His Worship, Naheed Nenshi, and won the Duval Lang Theatre for Young Audience Emerging Leader Award at Calgary's Betty Mitchell Awards.
	Jade Carpenter	Nominate by Mike Schubert on behalf of Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert	Jade Nasogaluak-Carpenter is an Inuk artist based in Calgary, born in Yellowknife and raised in Edmonton. Jade uses art and humour as a coping mechanism to subtly address diaspora, and to openly address mental illness. Her work aims to counter the stigmatism surrounding mental health.
	Jake Tkaczyk	Lynda Adams	Jake is an Edmonton-based theatre artist in his final year of the BFA Acting Program at the University of Alberta. Also a graduate of Red Deer College’s Theatre Performance and Creation program, Jake has worked as an actor, director, creator and teacher in Edmonton and around central Alberta.
	Kaitlyn Purcell	Rudy Wiebe	Kaitlyn Purcell is a Dene writer, artist, student, and storyteller. Kaitlyn plays with syntax and style, integrating poetry into prose to illustrate the chaos that comes with addiction, mental illness, and rehabilitation.
	Kevin Dong	Gary Burns	Kevin Dong is a Calgary-based filmmaker whose work engages with the material, temporal, and experiential qualities of film and video, articulated primarily through the process of editing. Currently, Kevin is working on a project that explores the routines and rituals of suburban life.
	Mallory Chipman	Tommy Banks	Mallory Chipman is taking the jazz scene by storm with her thoughtful compositions, fearless improvisation, and unforgettable performances. Highlights from her career include playing sold out shows in jazz festivals; touring abroad to London, Amsterdam, and Dublin; and singing back-up for the legendary rock group, Heart.
	Nick Samoil	Darrin Hagen	Nick Samoil is a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist who works in all musical disciplines including theatre performance and sound design, film scoring, recording and performing. His folk, rock and R&B influenced original songs are born of a need to communicate his feelings about personal interaction with the people and world around him.
	Rebecca Sadowski	Gerry Morita	Rebecca has trained in dance, acting, and voice from a very young age. Currently, Rebecca is working on choreographing a dance inspired by her Métis heritage and continues to learn Metis styles of dance and craftwork.
	Sabrina Comanescu	Vicki Adams Willis	Sabrina “Naz” Comanescu is a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer. Sabrina is also the current major force behind The Diversity Performing Arts Club of Calgary and created Casa De Naz in 2012, a collective with a mission to “excite and educate art hubs across Canada about the thriving Caribbean community in Calgary and the arts of the Caribbean as a whole through film, fashion and dance”
	Sympa Cesar	France Levasseur-Ouimet	Sympa plays a range of different instruments including the piano, guitar, bass, drums and ukulele. He hopes to release a bilingual EP soon, and already begun recording some of his original works in hopes of getting his name out into the musical communities of Alberta.
	Tamara Cardinal	Katie Ohe	Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal is a multi-media artist, community activist, oskâpêwis, storyteller and life-long learner. In the studio, Tamara is currently exploring notions around death, rebirth and revitalization in her work.
	Teryn Evans-Tennant	Bob Baker	Teryn began his acting career in 2015 through the Young Acting Company program at the Foote Theatre School. Since then, his passion for acting has grown, and he has passionately thrown himself into several roles and continues to seek out opportunities to hone his craft.
	Tia Jim-Wood	Northern Cree	Tia sings Indigenous, round-dance, peyote, pow-wow, R&B, Blues, Country, Alternative and pop. Tia is also a pianist, drummer and dancer, and has been asked to represent the Gathering of Nation’s Pow-wow 2017, in the capacity of, ”Head Young Lady Dancer of the Gathering of Nations.”
	Tishynah Buffalo	Dallas Arcand	Tishynah Buffalo is a Cree Fashion Designer from Alexander First Nation Alberta. Her designs are Traditional Native prints with a mix of modernized fabrics, she adds her Cree floral beadwork to incorporate her Cree culture. Her most memorable fashion show was New York Couture Fashion Week.

On June 20, 2017, we announced the Young Artists at an event at the Alberta Federal Building in Edmonton, which was streamed live through the AFA Facebook page. Watch the video on Facebook.

Know an exceptional young artist? Consider applying for one of the AFA's scholarships.

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Allison Pfeifer, Industry Research and Policy Consultant with the Alberta Media Fund (and former AFA Arts Development Consultant)

As we prepare to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Canada’s confederation in 2017, we recognize how our diverse cultural heritage has bound us together as communities and joined us together as a country. Our culture takes many forms, but it is always a sensory experience filled with sounds, and sights, tastes and smells, and the touch of our common humanity.

And where there is a cultural celebration, artists that have been supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts are there.

In 2014, along with our artists from sister provinces and territories, several Alberta artists spent the summer in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Fathers of Confederation. From July 14 to 20, Alberta showcased some of our best and brightest talent.

Here are ten highlights from Alberta Week at PEI 2014:

1)      Cheering on, as three-time World Champion Hoop Dancer Dallas Arcand, gets a standing ovation for his powerful and moving performance.

2)      Enjoying award-winning Alberta author Marty Chan’s stories and appreciating his creative answers as he takes part in an interactive distance learning quiz with Royal Tyrrell Museum.

3)      Watching in astonishment as Sheldon Casavant turns a $5 bill into a $20 bill in his street magic.

Photo of Sheldon Casavant, ©2014 

4)      Toe-tapping to the rhythmic music of Hot Club Edmonton.

Photo of Hot Club Edmonton, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

5)      Hearing awesome music all throughout Alberta week and feeling pumped up as past AFA grant recipients and award winning musicians, including Indigenous artists Asani, blues artist Kat Danser, folk musician John Wort Hannam, opera singer Jacques Arsenault, and folk musician Maria Dunn perform.

Photo of Kat Danser, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

6)      Witnessing the competitive spirit of families as they battle it out in the calf roping competition for Alberta prizes such as Alberta Rangeland’s Bison Bites and Alberta Quick Cooking Barley.

Photo of calf roping, ©2014  Lois Nickerson

7)      Experiencing the incredible creativity of visitors designing their own Ukrainian eggs and dream catchers.

Photo of dream catcher, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

8)      Seeing the amazement of children as they look at fossils and learn about Dromaeosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Albertosaurus from the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Photo of Tyrannosaurus Rex skull “Black Beauty”, ©2014 

9)      Laughing so hard as Atomic Improv is being moved around by two audience members during an improv skit.

Photo of Atomic Improv, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

10)   Dancing enthusiastically to previous AFA grant recipient and country recording artist, Bobby Wills, as he opens up for Paul Brandt.

During Alberta Week, those that stopped by the celebration zone also got to test their skills on Alberta history. Did you know that?

• The Royal Tyrrell Museum, located in Drumheller, is home to more than 130,000 fossils.
• The Wetaskiwin-based Reynolds-Alberta Museum, which interprets technological change in transportation, aviation, agriculture and industry, holds the second-largest collection of aircraft in Canada.
• The Frank Slide, Canada’s deadliest rockslide, lasted only 90 seconds.
• CBC’s longest running family drama, Heartland, is filmed in High River, Alberta. Other television series filmed in Alberta include Hell on Wheels and Fargo.
• Famous director Christopher Nolan has filmed two blockbuster films, Inception and Interstellar in Alberta.

Finally, regional foods and award-winning wines, spirits and ales from PEI and other parts of Canada were showcased. Delicious and nutritious Alberta barley was offered at Fathers Pub & Oyster Bar, the go to restaurant on the Celebration Site. People that sampled these tasty treats definitely agreed that Alberta food products are among the highest quality and tastiest around the world.

Needless to say, the organizers of PEI 2014 were truly impressed at the exceptional talent, variety and diversity of what Alberta has to offer.  

As we head into Canada’s sesquicentennial next year in 2017, Alberta culture will be there to join in the celebration. How will you celebrate Canada 150 and be a part of history?

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way.  

By Barb Mah, Arts Development Consultant

The Alberta Ballet performing Black Swan in 2012, via Notable.ca

The Alberta Ballet, Beaverlodge Cultural Society, the Edmonton Fringe Festival… what do these organizations have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re all bursting with talented artists, they also benefit from the AFA’s three-year funding cycle.

Three years ago, the AFA piloted a three-year operating grant cycle through the Professional Performing Arts Operating (PPAO) grant. This allowed the organizations to budget on a longer cycle, thus empowering them to plan and project operating costs with more efficiency. Since then, other operating streams have moved into this mode of funding including the Public Art Galleries, Provincial Arts Service Organizations and most recently, Major Arts Presenting.

For the organizations in these grant streams, benefits of three-year funding includes more long-term planning, budgeting and forecasting on the part of the organizations, plus the simplified reporting that takes place in years two and three. Instead of having to fill in arduous application forms each year as well as providing final reports (which they had to do in the past), organizations now fill in simplified one-page reports. This frees them to spend more time providing arts events and programming to you!

Let’s break these grants down a bit:

Professional Performing Arts

The Citadel Theatre via Explore Edmonton

PPAO grants assist recipient organizations in the pursuit of excellence in their artistic mandates and governance practices while providing support in the development of their organizational capacity.

For example, the Citadel Theatre is one of North America’s largest not-for-profit theatres, and a PPAO grant recipient. The Citadel is a complex of five performance spaces in downtown Edmonton. They feature an outreach performance series each year known as Beyond the Stage, designed to encourage people who have not encountered much live theatre to come into the Citadel and experience various forms of entertainment beyond conventional theatre offerings. (via http://www.citadeltheatre.com/about-us/)

Other examples of PPAO recipients are the Alberta Ballet, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Theatre Calgary.

Professional Art Galleries

Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery via website

The Public Art Galleries Operating grant stream ensures that Albertans have access to visual arts through the work of recipient organizations.

The Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery is one of our PAG recipients. Crowsnest Pass Allied Arts Association, a charitable, non-profit organization, manages the Art Gallery. The gallery provides rotational monthly exhibitions of local, provincial and national art, art programs for adults and children, as well as many special events throughout the year. The Gallery also organizes exhibits at the local Stone's Throw Cafe. (via http://www.crowsnestpasspublicartgallery.com/)

This grant stream provides funding which creates full-time employment opportunities for arts administrators, and supports professional fees paid to artists.

Other PAG recipients include the Art Gallery of Alberta, Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, and Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society.

Major Arts Presenting

Calgary International Children's Festival via Calgary Herald

The Major Arts Presenting (MAP) grant stream is integral to the AFA’s support of the arts in Alberta. This grant stream provides funding in three-year cycles to eligible professional organizations that present public presentations of arts disciplines, in support of programming, administrative and operating expenses.

This includes organizations like Calgary International Children’s Festival, for example.

The Calgary International Children’s Festival has grown to become one of the most prominent arts festivals of its kind in Canada and the largest presenter of performing arts for young people in Calgary. Over 60,000 parents, children, and teachers attend the festival each year.

The organization currently employs more than 120 performing artists, administrative staff, technicians and theatre venue personnel and enlists over 500 volunteers over the course of each year. (via http://calgarykidsfest.ca/about-kidsfest/)

Other MAP recipients are Edmonton International Fringe Festival, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Edmonton Jazz Festival, and The Works.

Provincial Arts Service Organizations

A Writers' Guild of Alberta event in 2014 via ivereadthis.com

PASO grants assist recipient organizations in the pursuit of excellence in their organizational mandates and governance practices while providing support to the development and growth of their membership.

An example of a PASO we support is the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is the largest provincial writers’ organization in Canada. The Writers' Guild of Alberta formed in 1980 to provide a meeting ground and collective voice for all the writers of the province. Writers’ Guild members write in every genre and at every level of expertise. The Guild seeks to inspire, connect, support, encourage and promote writers and writing, to safeguard the freedom to write and to read, and to advocate for the well-being of writers.(via Writer's Guild of Alberta)

Other PASOs are Alberta Craft Council, Alberta Dance Alliance, Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta, Theatre Alberta, Regroupement Artistique Francophone de l’Alberta (RAFA), Visual Arts Alberta - CARFAC  find funding

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Sarah Pocklington, former Indigenous Arts Development Consultant

In March 2005, the AFA initiated a three-phase consultation process to explore and understand the needs of Indigenous artists and arts organizations in Alberta. The first phase, completed in June 2005, focused on visiting Indigenous communities across the province to determine the needs of the communities in relation to arts funding. The second phase in October 2005 focused on secondary research and included interviews with service providers working with Aboriginal communities. The third and final phase focused on consulting and interviewing Indigenous artists and arts organizations throughout Alberta. The draft recommendations for phase three were completed in April 2006.

From this exploration, we arrived at the following key focus areas:

Outreach – building relationships and creating an Indigenous Outreach Strategy;

Capacity Building – Access to training and development opportunities related to grant writing, marketing, planning and communications for Indigenous artists and organizations;

Advocate – “Spreading the word” about Indigenous arts;

Support – allocating funding for amateur and professional Indigenous artists and arts organizations;

Networking – creating and supporting networking opportunities for Indigenous artists, organizations and service providers;

Continued Dialogue – Encourage and support dialogue with Indigenous communities through consultation and research processes, listening circles, events and conferences.

The AFA hired an Indigenous Outreach Worker on an eight-month contract as a part of the 2006-2007 AFA Action Plan. The plan introduced a pilot grant program for arts organizations, along with workshops targeted specifically to Indigenous artists with the goal of increasing awareness of AFA programming and encouraging applications. In 2006-2007 the AFA provided $95,205 to Indigenous arts organizations with $50,000 support from the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Today, the AFA has a full-time Indigenous Arts Development Consultant who oversees the Indigenous Arts Individual Project Grant Stream and coordinates the Alberta’s Future Leaders Program for First Nations and Metis communities across Alberta. In 2015-16 the AFA provided $143,056.98 in project funding for Indigenous project grants. (Indigenous artists can apply to any project grant funding opportunity; however this project grant program provides specific support to Inidgenous artists).

Recently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action included the recommendation of a renewed strategy to promote the arts as a fundamental aspect of reconciliation.

There has also been a demonstrated response on behalf of provincial arts organizations to engage with Indigenous communities in new and expanding ways. Major institutions like the Art Gallery of Alberta have initiated programming as part of their ongoing mandates to include Indigenous artists and their practices.

The City of Edmonton 2016 Arts and Culture Hall of Fame video

Indigenous artists are also receiving greater public recognition for their talents. Recently, Cold Lake’s Alex Janvier was inducted into the City of Edmonton’s 2016 Arts and Culture Hall of Fame. He also received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design and will be featured in a 2017 solo retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada (which you can read more about in our next blog post!). In 2015 the AFA was pleased to announce the award of a public art commission to Cree artist Brenda Draney for the new Centre for Arts and Culture at MacEwan University, set to be unveiled in 2017 in Edmonton.

Meeting the needs of supporting Indigenous artists, arts organizations and communities is a high priority for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Arts Branch and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Erin McDonald, Manager, Art Collections

National Gallery of Canada via Wikimedia Commons

For many Canadian visual artists, having works exhibited in public galleries is a significant achievement – an affirmation of their artistic vision, public recognition, and a door to more opportunity. Thus, a solo retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) may well represent the peak of a period of an artist’s career. For two Albertan artists, this is certainly true.

Calgary-based Chris Cran and Cold Lake’s Alex Janvier each have noteworthy, full-career retrospective shows coming up at the NGC, Canada’s premiere public collection of historic and contemporary visual art.

More important than the simple fact that two Alberta artists are being recognized is the fact that they are the first Alberta contemporary artist and the first Alberta aboriginal artist to receive solo retrospective exhibitions in the Gallery’s nearly 140 year history. Artworks from the AFA’s Art Collection are some of the featured treasures within both shows.

In the national collection that houses significant and notable works by legends including Dali, Rembrandt, Rodin and Canada’s own Thomson and Colville, Cran and Janvier take centre stage and shine brightly as two of Alberta’s most talented artists.

Sincerely Yours

The exhibition title is as tongue-in-cheek as most of Cran’s original artwork; his playful, humorous and inventive takes on still life, portraiture, landscape and abstraction. His work is known for “challenging perception and understanding of major movements such as Pop Art, Op Art, Modernist Abstraction and Photorealism. Cran playfully combines art history with imagery borrowed from popular culture.” (via the National Gallery)

Curated collaboratively between the Art Gallery of Alberta and the NGC, the exhibition wowed audiences in Edmonton in the fall of 2015, and then travelled to Ottawa for a May 2016 opening. The retrospective, on display until Labour Day 2016, is the most comprehensive exhibition on Cran ever produced. It spans 40 years and 100 artworks: 4 belonging to the AFA art collection, including the quirky portrait Family from The Self Portrait Series.

1988.052.001 Chris Cran Family, 1987, oil on canvas, AFA Collection

Cran has continued to explore the very nature of painting itself, through his varied series’ of work, incorporating digital technology, abstraction and many layers of meaning. In The Metaphysics of Admiration, Cran incorporates homage to the pixelated pop art of Lichtenstein, the frame from his own Framing Device Paintings, and a perhaps as nod to both his early self-portrait series and his own self-awareness: his own image is reflected in the mirror.

2003.036.001 Chris Cran, The Metaphysics of Admiration, 2002, oil, acrylic on canvas, AFA collection

Alex Janvier

A founding member of the original “Indian Group of Seven”, Alex Janvier is known as one of Alberta’s most significant artists. As both a visual artist and advocate, Janvier introduced contemporary aboriginal art to the Canadian art world in the 1970s.

A survivor of the Blue Quill Residential Indian School, Janvier is both prolific and poignant. Janvier created for himself a unique style, featuring clear influences of modernist abstraction merged with the rich cultural and spiritual traditions from his indigenous heritage. Janvier’s work is easily identified.

1975.014.001 Alex Janvier The Sky Begins, 1974 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

As an artist, Janvier has had a long and very successful career, including his role as an in-demand artist for high-profile public art commissions. From his very first public art commission at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, to his 450m² masterpiece entitled Morning Star in the dome of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, Janvier is treasured for his distinctive curved lines and use of bright, and often symbolic, colour. To his name, Janvier has seven public murals across the country, including Iron Foot Place, a nearly 14m diameter circular mosaic to be set in the floor of the Winter Garden for the new Rogers Place (Edmonton).

Admitted to the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts in 1992, Janvier is a true pioneer for aboriginal artists in Canada. He paved the way for generations of indigenous artists by breaking down barriers and eschewing stereotypes of what it means to be aboriginal and an abstract painter. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to Indigenous visual culture: as an art instructor, a cultural adviser, and as a member of the Indian Group of Seven.

Following three major retrospectives of indigenous Canadian artists, Norval Morrisseau (2006), Daphne Odjig (2009), and Carl Beam (2010), Alex Janvier’s work will take centre stage in the National Gallery of Canada in late 2016. The exhibition brings together more than 75 of Janvier’s most impressive works from early in his career in the 1960s to present. Celebrating Janvier’s unique approach, works on paper, canvas, and linen will show off his range of elegant abstractions.

 A total of nine artworks from the AFA collection holdings are being prepared for transport to Ottawa for the show. These include some of Janvier’s most well-executed abstract works, along with one of his most representational works, Apple Factory (1989). Apple Factory is a stark and poignant statement on the effect of residential schools on generations of indigenous children in Canada.

1989.123.001 Alex Janvier Apple Factory, 1989 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

The AFA is proud to support many Alberta visual artists by lending our holdings to other institutions; in 2016 we are committed to at least fourteen exhibitions with our partners, including the National Gallery. 

The Government of Alberta is releasing public data and information to help citizens understand how government works. Some of these datasets and publications are already available, but Open Alberta brings it together in one searchable website. Making this data easily available means it will be easier for people to make decisions and suggestions about government policies based on detailed information.

The AFA receives funding from the Government of Alberta each year, and we distribute the majority of it back into our community as arts grants to individuals and organizations. Now, through the Open Data portal, you can access data from the 2015-16 fiscal year on AFA funding, such as:

• Funding recipients
• Funding amount by region
• Funding summary

Whether you’re an art enthusiast, contributor or a casual attendee, we hope that you’ll find our funding data interesting and useful. 

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way.  

By Barb Mah, Arts Development Consultant

Each fall, Alberta and the rest of Canada celebrates Culture Days -- a weekend in September filled with all sorts of family friendly arts and culture activities ranging from museum tours, to free admission at art galleries, to performance workshops, and much more.

It’s hard to believe that this arts filled weekend has only been around nationally since 2009. But did you know the very first one happened in Alberta in 2008?

Back in the Days of Yore, the Ministry of Culture decided that a day devoted to the celebration of arts would be a really good idea. Naturally, it was up to the Arts Branch to plan and coordinate this day of art. We were excited as Arts Days was born.

Our initial excitement gave way to uncertainty when we realized we had zero blueprints to follow. What would this celebration look like? Who would we invite? What activities would we do? Fortunately a new manager Anita Lunden was assigned to wrangle us into some semblance of a team. Allison Pfeifer (nee Kwan) and Allison Carter-Nitchke assisted her, forming a team we liked to call the Triple A.

I’m not saying we were ambitious, but for that day we decided we would:

1. Commandeer the Southern Jubilee and run free family programming all day in four disciplines: film, dance, music, theatre
2. Invite a ton of artists including the Alberta Ballet and the Calgary Symphony, to put on an event that night
3. Create three lifetime achievement awards 

• Performing Arts: the Tommy Banks Award
• Literary Arts: the Grant MacEwan Award
• Visual Arts: the Marion Nicoll Award

Somehow that little team of three managed to get word of “arts day” out to all the libraries and municipalities in Alberta, inviting them to celebrate the arts, and share their activity on our website.

I was personally in charge of the “Alberta short films” portion of the day at the Jubilee. I know that every artist I contracted to share their work was thrilled to be invited. I’m sure the same was true for my colleagues. In the end, we had programmed an arts crammed day including:

• Free performances in the Jubilee lobby
• A series of dance workshops in the downstairs banquet room
• Animation workshops in the downstairs lobby
• Short film screenings in the “Jubilee Room” upstairs
• Author readings in the upstairs alcove
• Film editing in the upstairs balcony

Triple A were also responsible for programming artists (and stage managing) that evening’s big performances on the main stage (the day was spent doing sound checks and spacing). The arts awards would be given out that night between acts. We would have called this show a Gala, but that was thought to be too formal, so it was deemed a “non-gala Gala.”

We had set ourselves a big party and invited all of Alberta. Now we could only cross our fingers that the people would find this as exciting as we did and show up!

I have very fond memories of packing up displays and charts and contracts alongside my fellow consultants, squeezing everything into a van and driving down Highway 2 to Calgary. I imagined that we looked like travelling gypsies (although with the amount of stuff we had tied to the roof, the Beverly Hillbillies might be a more apt metaphor).

Well, the people came. And came and came. We ran ourselves ragged, not quite believing that so many people were as happy to celebrate the arts as we were. I’m sure some things went awry that day (“Could someone please turn down those taiko drums in the lobby? They’re interfering with the poetry”) and the night’s performances ran way longer than we had initially predicted (lots of art on that stage). But everyone — the public, the artists, the staff, the Minister had fun.

The one and only Barb Mah

In the end, we crowded into a large hotel suite, ordered pizza, scrounged up something stronger than pop and celebrated. It was an exclusive party — you had to know the password to get in: “non-gala gala.”

After that first Arts Days, it became an annual event later renamed Alberta Culture Days in 2012, aligning it with arts and culture celebrations across the country. Alberta Culture Days continues to play a key role in connecting people and communities. 

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Gail Lint, Art Collections Consultant

October 1^st, 2016 will celebrate the second year of the AFA Public Art Commission Program. The program is designed to assist not-for-profit organizations to administer and commission site specific public art projects. The final artwork becomes part of the AFA collection and is installed on long-term loan with the organization. The artwork is readily accessible and enhances public space often evolving into a community landmark.

Although the program has only been in existence for the past 2 years art commissions are not a new form of acquisition for the AFA collection. The new Public Art Commission Program evolved from past partnerships with other art organizations in the province.

It really began in 2007 in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with the Banff Centre in partnership with the AFA to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the creation of the Banff Centre. Both institutions provided funding to commission an artwork for the AFA collection which remains on public display on the grounds of the Centre. The commission process involved an invitational competition of 6 Alberta artists reviewed through a peer jury process.

Mark Clintberg was awarded the commission for the outdoor installation Meet Me in the Woods, 2010.  Read a descriptor of the artwork:

Mark Clintberg, Meet Me in the Woods, 2010, polyurethane paint, reflective vinyl on aluminium

Mark Clintberg, Meet Me in the Woods, 2010, polyurethane paint, reflective vinyl on aluminium

Mark Clintberg, Meet Me in the Woods, 2010, (reverse of the signage for Meet Me in the Woods)

The next art commission partnership takes us to the southeast corner of the province to the “Hat”. The commission partnership with the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre in Medicine Hat began in 2009 with an invitational competition sent to 5 Alberta artists seeking an installation to grace the grounds of the front entrance of the newly constructed Esplanade.

The commission was awarded to Calgary based artist Blake Senini for his sculpture Turn, Turn, Turn (A Resting Place) which was unveiled to the public October 1^st, 2011 coinciding with the 4^th Alberta Arts Days celebrations (now Alberta Culture Days).

From the artist’s statement on the artwork:

“Turn Turn Turn

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and time to pluck up that which is planted….

Pete Seeger’s 1959 song sums up this sculpture’s underlying themes: a series of contrasts that provoke different, even opposing interpretations. The wing forms are derived from the wings of an arctic tern enlarged to human scale. Their arrangement spirals upward yet remains grounded to the earth and resembles other structures familiar to southeastern Alberta such as haystacks, wood fires, teepees and mountains.

Turn Turn Turn is a place to relax and contemplate the thoughts that it may evoke in the visitor; a place to sit and watch events, both natural and of the human kind, a resting place.”

Blake Senini

Blake Senini, Turn Turn Turn (A Resting Place), 2011, aluminium and concrete

During the same time frame as the development of the Esplanade commission project there were two other AFA commissions in the making. We now find ourselves in the Southern (Calgary) and Northern (Edmonton) Jubilee Auditoria built in 1955 to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the province. Through a partnership with Alberta Jubilee Auditoria Society (AJAS) and the AFA two new artworks were commissioned for the AFA collection. The commission was an invitational call to 20 artists for an artwork for each of the buildings to be installed on the grand staircase leading from the main floor to the 1^st balcony. Commissions were awarded to Canmore artist and sculptor Tony Bloom for the Northern Jubilee (NAJA) and Edmonton based artist and printmaker Liz Ingram for the Southern Jubilee (SAJA) – that’s right the south journeyed north and the north travelled south!!

Tony Bloom’s wall mounted sculpture Fanfare “echoes the fan shape of Greek amphitheaters with a structural surface that represents the language used in theatre: music scores, lyrics, dance notation, lighting, “plots”, scripts, stage directions etc.”

Tony Bloom, Fanfare, 2011, copper, bronze, silver, stainless steel

Liz Ingram’s Confluence Through the Looking Glass is an ambitious printed installation and monumental wall piece that incorporates the human figure in motion and the elements of water and sky at different times of day. The artist states: “The beauty of the human body in motion and the portrayal of dancers in action relate directly to activities that often occur on the stages of the Jubliee. The background images of the atmosphere, clouds, sky and water relate to our environment and are developed from the space we inhabit in Alberta.”

Liz Ingram, Confluence Through the Looking Glass, 2011, dye sublimation digital prints, polyester, tempered glass, techno graphic interlayer polyester, aluminium, steel 

Both of these artworks are on public display in the Jubilee Auditoria and if you have not had an opportunity to experience them either attend an event or visit the buildings during the daytime, introduce yourself to the security guard and enrich your day with some amazing Alberta public art.

Other commissioned AFA artworks that have been produced in partnership with public art facilities include Hunting Blind 2011, a collaborative installation by Robin Arsenault and Paul Jackson installed on the outdoor terrace of the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton;

Robin Arsenault and Paul Jackson, Hunting Blind, 2011, mixed media

Acclaimed and internationally celebrated artist David Hoffos’ new media installation installed for external viewing at the new CASA community art facility in Lethbridge;

David Hoffos, The People in the Window, 2014, 3 channel video & mixed media installation

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie in celebration of their new world class facility has recently installed an outdoor night viewing projection, also by artist David Hoffos entitled Night School, 2011-2015 commissioned through a partnership with the AFA.

The new downtown Centre for Arts and Communication located at MacEwan University (which replaced the west end campus) unveiled a major commission by Edmonton-based artist and MacEwan alumni, Brenda Draney in 2017.

So keep your eyes open for public art next time you are out and about in Alberta…it has been created for your enjoyment!

The 25th Anniversary Commemorative Art Projects were part of a one-time funding opportunity designed to create a legacy artwork, performance or composition that reflects the evolution of Alberta's arts community over the first 25 years of the AFA's existence.

The grant provided up to $25,000 in funding for to up to five projects to create, develop, and produce an original art project that related to the AFA 25th Anniversary theme: Alberta Inspires. Learn more about how we commemorated the AFA's 25th Anniversary.

Of the 35 eligible applications, our expert panels selected the following five projects to receive funding:

The Art of Hide Tanning

Artists involved: featuring new works by Amy Malbeuf and Ruby Sweetman, led by Portage College.

Description: Hide tanning is the canvas that holds Alberta’s oldest art forms; inspired by the history of the Indigenous people of this province. Portage College is unique in Canada in teaching this skill, using the traditional process of tanning and incorporating the important associated cultural traditions, keeping this art form alive for current and future generations. This project will commission Alberta artists, utilizing the ancient art form of hide tanning to create artworks linking the past, present, and future of Indigenous artwork. The project will work with two artists, Amy Malbeuf and Ruby Sweetman, both of whom are graduates of the Native Arts and Culture program at Portage College in Lac La Biche and are now professional artists living and working in Alberta. Sweetman is also an Indigenous arts instructor at Portage College. The artists will work together to create home-tan moose and deer hides using the traditional thirteen step process taught at Portage College.

(L to R): Artists Ruby Sweetman, Amy Malbeuf

Iinisikimm

Artists involved: Peter Balkwill and the Czapno Ensemble, facilitated by Banff Centre and YMCA Camp Chief Hector.

Description: Iinisikimm is an immersive puppet-lantern performance that celebrates the reintegration of bison into the natural ecosystem of Banff National Park. The project explores interdisciplinary performance techniques including lantern and puppetry, spoken-word, dance, and immersive and community-based performance. Audiences experience outdoor performances on a guided tour to different stations. The project is designed to build relationships and share the knowledge of emerging and established Albertan artists — both First Nations and non-First Nations people — together with the local community of Banff and the Bow Valley Corridor.

All the World’s a Stage

Artists involved: developed by Sandi Somers and Corey Lee, featuring Joyce Doolittle, Grant Reddick, John Murrell and Sharon Pollock.

Description:  All the World’s a Stage is a documentary portrait and homage to revolutionary Calgary theatre artists Joyce Doolittle, Grant Reddick, John Murrell, and Sharon Pollock who have laid the foundation for the renowned eclectic theatre scene that thrives in Alberta today. Through interviews, high-resolution projection, and intricate camera work, the filmmakers will present a textured portrait of these artists to peek behind the curtain to catch a glimpse into their soul and their creative process, and touch the bricks that have laid the foundation for their legacy in theatre.

(L to R): Artists John Murrell, Grant Reddick, Joyce Doolittle, Sharon Pollock

Place – Brian Webb Dance Company

Artists involved: featuring the work of Brian Webb, Kyle Armstrong and Mark Templeton.

Description:  The Brian Webb Dance Company (BWDC) will facilitate a new collaboration between dance artist Brian Webb, filmmaker Kyle Armstrong, and composer Mark Templeton. The work is about ‘PLACE’ – specifically, about the relationship to the Alberta Badlands near Drumheller where both Kyle and Brian grew up. It investigates the spiritual connection to the land that influences who we are today. The project will include integrating video and found soundscapes from the Drumheller area, with a contemporary dance performance to be produced as part of the BWDC 2017-18 season and a possible follow up tour to various dance festivals.

(L to R): Artists Brian Webb, Kyle Armstrong

Soundscape for Alex Janvier’s Sacred Mural

Artists involved: led by Peter J Poole, featuring the work of Alex Janvier and Elder Tom Crane Bear.

Description:  This project is a soundscape installation that will enhance the exhibition of Alex Janvier’s new sacred mural project. Alex’s work contains powerful messages about Alberta’s natural environment, our nation’s history, and the ongoing challenge of healing and reconciliation. The mural and soundscape will form a travelling installation, allowing people all over the province to engage with their own feelings through the art, and through the voices of Alex Janvier, Elder Tom Crane Bear, buffalo and birds.

Peter J Poole capturing nature sounds with his recording equipment

On June 20, 2017, we announced these successful projects at an event at the Alberta Federal Building in Edmonton, which was streamed live through the AFA Facebook page. Watch the video on Facebook.

In spring 2016, the AFA began accepting community nominations to identify 25 Influential Alberta Artists from the past 25 years who have significantly impacted their communities, influenced the development of art and artistic practice in our province, and inspired others to do the same.

Hundreds of nominations poured in.The sheer number and quality of nominations we received illustrated the depth and wealth of talent our province contains. So the selection process wasn’t an easy one. At all. However, guided by values of inclusivity and diversity of community representation the AFA selected 25 artists who have built artistic practices that influence and inspire. Each of these artists will receive an extended profile in the news feed of the AFA’s website, published weekly starting in November.

Moreover, each artist will select a protégé or emerging artist who will receive an AFA Young Artist Prize, worth $2,500 each. These young artists will receive their awards in 2017 and be revealed weekly in each Influential Artist’s extended profile. Through the AFA Young Artist Prizes, our hope is for our Influential Alberta Artists to help guide the AFA to build relationships with the next generation of artists who will lead us and the arts community through the next 25 years and beyond.

The AFA 25 Influential Alberta Artists are:

Alex Janvier 

Visual Artist - The grandfather of 20th century Indigenous art in Alberta, Alex has built an international reputation as a painter, muralist and printmaker. He has also mentored generations of artists and advocates tirelessly for recognition of Indigenous arts.

Alice Major 

Poet -A prolific, award-winning poet, founder of the Edmonton Poetry Festival, and the City of Edmonton’s first Poet Laureate, Alice not only inspires other writers through her writing but also taught, mentored, and volunteered on behalf of literary and arts organizations.

Aritha van Herk 

Writer - An award-winning novelist, anthologist, essayist, commentator, and professor, Aritha wrote a transformative narrative history of our province – Mavericks, An Incorrigible History of Alberta – the inspiration and basis for a permanent exhibition at Calgary’s Glenbow Museum.

Bob Baker 

Citadel Theatre - The first Albertan, longest-serving, and arguably most successful Artistic Director of one of North America’s largest not-for-profit theatres, The Citadel Theatre, Bob did it all with a focus on growing and casting local talent, and creating learning opportunities for emerging artists.

Chris Cran 

Visual Artist - Widely praised internationally as one of Canada’s most notable painters, the first Albertan ever to have a retrospective of his work in the National Gallery of Canada, Chris continues to return from his travels to live, teach, and mentor emerging artists in Calgary.

Dallas Arcand  

Hoop Dancer and Musician - A master and three-time World Champion Hoop Dancer, as well as native flute player and motivational speaker, Dallas has travelled locally and internationally sharing and educating people about Indigenous traditions, history, and culture.

Darrin Hagen 

Writer-Performer - A multiple award-winning writer, performer, director, composer, teacher, activist, and Drag Artiste – and the first “out-of-the-closet” host of a national television series – Darrin has been on the forefront of sharing, celebrating, educating and advocating for LGBTQ culture for more than thirty years.

Dr. France Levasseur-Ouimet 

Songwriter and Playwright - A prolific musician, having written award-winning songs for film, theatre, and ceremonial events, as well as more than thirty play scripts – in many of which she has performed or directed – France is a pioneer for the Francophonie in Alberta and an educator and advocate for Franco-Albertan culture.

Gary Burns 

Filmmaker - A leading Canadian independent filmmaker, having directed highly acclaimed feature-length films like The Suburbanators and the cult-classic waydowntown, Gary continues to create cinematic stories inspired by and based on his hometown, Calgary.

Gerry Morita 

Choreographer-Performer - Multiple award-winning Artistic Director of Mile Zero Dance, and widely considered one of the most innovative contemporary dance artists in Edmonton, Gerry is dedicated to encouraging artists and audiences from different disciplines and communities to share and learn from one another.

Gil Cardinal 

Filmmaker - As an internationally-renowned filmmaker, Gil built a body of work that describes and promotes a wider understanding of the difficult issues facing Indigenous peoples, Gil wrote, directed, and produced  seminal films throughout his career, including Foster Child, Big Bear, Indian Summer: The Oka Crisis, as well as having written the pilot for the CBC series Blackstone.

Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert 

Visual Artist - An acclaimed and internationally recognized multi-media, visual, and installation artist, a writer, lecturer, free-lance curator, a mentor and a director of film and theatre, Joane was also a passionate advocate for Indigenous art as she inspired and enabled artists to challenge and reclaim their creative identities.

Katie Ohe 

Visual Artist - Renowned sculptor, printmaker, educator, mentor and one of the first artists to create abstract sculpture in Alberta, Katie has complimented her innovative art practice by instructing at the Alberta College of Art and Design for over 40 years, and continues to create space for Alberta artists to learn, practice, and exhibit their work.

Lorrie Matheson 

Musician-Producer - A mainstay indie folk artist in his own right, Lorrie’s dedication to developing the Calgary music scene is unrivalled. He has produced award-nominated albums by the likes of Rae Spoon, Samantha Savage Smith, Reuben and the Dark, and Jay Crocker, while also supporting and celebrating emerging artists for more than 20 years.

Lynda Adams 

Theatre and Movement Artist/Educator - With a background in dance, movement, and theatre, and a passion for nurturing the creative impulse in young people, Lynda has devoted her considerable artistic talents over the last decade towards teaching, encouraging, programming, and creating performing arts experiences for rural audiences in Red Deer and Central Alberta.

Marty Chan 

Novelist and Playwright - With a wicked sense of humour throughout his catalogue of award-winning plays and Young Adult novels, and his unique ability to craft a viral tweet, Marty is a tireless proponent for youth literacy and creative writing – travelling to schools, libraries, and community centres across the province to talk with and read to children.

Narcisse Blood and Michael Green 

Co-founders Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society - While both of these innovative artists have been remarkably influential in their own right, we recognize Narcisse and Michael’s ground-breaking partnership to create Making Treaty 7 in order to give voice, share, and promote greater understanding of our shared history.

Michelle Minke 

Performer - A classically trained Soprano who has toured and performed internationally, Michelle has devoted her career to developing performance and educational opportunities for local emerging artists, and growing new audiences for opera in Calgary.

Mykola Kanevets 

Artistic Director/Ballet Master, Cheremosh Ukrainian Dance Company - Having emigrated specifically to have greater influence on evolving the form of Ukrainian folk dance, Mykola has since educated and delighted audiences with his intricate choreography, taught hundreds of students, and has brought international recognition of the Ukrainian dance community in Alberta.

Northern Cree 

Drum and Singing Ensemble - They’ve garnered multi-Grammy nominations, multi-Juno nominations, and have been awarded multi-Native American Music Awards and Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. Northern Cree is considered one of the most respected and influential pow-wow groups in North America, and yet remain role models for many Indigenous communities through their commitment to family.

Rudy Wiebe 

Novelist - A two-time winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award, and an officer of the Order of Canada, and a long-time professor at the University of Alberta, Rudy is regarded as the founder of a new era of Mennonite literature, and a champion of Prairie literary culture.

Sharon Stevens 

Media Artist - An innovative, award-winning media artist and activist whose driving impetus is to engage community with her art, Sharon’s practice is intertwined with her activism for feminism, social justice, and equality, and her dedication for providing resources and mentorship opportunities for emerging artists.

Tommy Banks

Jazz Musician - With a career that has spanned 60 years as a pianist, conductor, arranger, composer, TV personality, actor, producer, and Canadian Senator, Tommy has been a passionate advocate for the arts, and established and supported numerous organizations designed to support and fund local artists throughout their careers. 

Trevor Anderson 

Filmmaker and Musician - Writing, directing and producing, award-winning short films that have screened at prestigious international festivals like the Sundance Film Festival, Trevor remains embedded to Edmonton’s film community through his work with the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta, while simultaneously playing in one of the hottest indie rock bands in the country, The Wet Secrets .

Vicki Adams Willis 

Choreographer-Teacher- The founder of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks and a legacy of teaching and mentoring hundreds of emerging artists, Vicki developed a culturally unique, critically acclaimed style of Jazz dance, which has attracted artists and audiences from around the world to learn it, and enjoy it.

See the names of all the artists who were nominated.