AFA News

All the World’s a Stage is a documentary portrait and homage to revolutionary theatre artists Joyce Doolittle, Grant Reddick and John Murrell. These trailblazers, who have laid the foundation for the renowned eclectic theatre scene that thrives in Alberta today, look back on how their experiences have shaped their lives.

Through interviews, high-resolution projection and intricate camera work, the filmmakers Sandi Somers and Corey Lee 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. This project was supported by an AFA 25th Anniversary Commemorative Art Project grant.

The short film received three nominations for the 2018 Alberta Media Production Industry Association (AMPIA) awards:

• Best Non-fiction Short - Corey Lee and Sandi Somers
• Best Director, Non-fiction under 30 mins - Sandi Somers and Corey Lee
• Best Original Musical Score, Non-fiction under 30 mins - Alec Harrison

Join us in celebrating Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a special Artist Spotlight featuring playwright and producer Elisa Marina Mair-Sánchez.

Watch Elisa share how creating her bilingual, multidisciplinary production, El Funeral, gave her a platform to explore her immigrant experience and family history, and helped foster an even deeper sense of pride in her culture and heritage. El Funeral resonated with audiences from various cultural backgrounds who saw their own stories reflected in the play.

About El Funeral

What would you say, what would you ask, which stories would you retell, and which ones would you choose to forget if you could reunite with all those you've lost? El Funeral is a bilingual, multidisciplinary theatre production that celebrates life and explores the memories and stories we all carry within us.

Performed during the 2023 Found Festival in Edmonton, El Funeral offers an emotional and immersive experience that reflects on the immigrant experience—the guilt of leaving loved ones behind, the resilience needed to build a new life in unfamiliar places, and the unbreakable bonds that persist across distances.

This site-specific production takes the audience on a journey through the lived experiences of immigrants, inviting viewers to reflect on themes of love, loss, and community.

About the Day of the Dead

The Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration.

A blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, the holiday is celebrated each year from October 31-November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1-2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2.

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Congratulations to Gail Lint, Art Collections Consultant – Exhibitions, who has retired from the Alberta Public Service after 43 years of working for the Arts Branch/Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA).

Gail has contributed greatly to the AFA throughout its existence. She diligently fostered the enjoyment and appreciation of Alberta visual artists through developing an extensive network of connections with artists, curators and others in the visual arts community, curating successful exhibitions such as Narrative Quest, mentoring curators through the AFA’s Emerging Curator Fellowship program, researching and advising on curatorial purchases to fill gaps in the AFA Art Collection, as well as managing the highly successful Travelling Art Exhibition (TREX) program in partnership with four art organizations/galleries. You can learn more about Gail as she features prominently in the 50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection video series available on YouTube.

If you’ like to leave personal well wishes for Gail’s retirement, please do so on this ecard  recocards.com/board/retirement-gail-89750186912.

A Message from AFA Chair Cynthia P. Moore

I am pleased to share that the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) Board of Directors has approved its 2024-25 annual budget. This budget is based on an increased provincial allocation of $30.1 million. 

In Budget 2024, Alberta’s government increased funding to the AFA by 18 per cent. They then committed to further increases until 2026-27 with the annual allocation reaching a record-level $39.1 million. We are pleased that this additional funding will allow us to provide further support to artists and arts organizations across the province.

Our board has taken time to consider the best way to implement the funding increase this year. This will set an important foundation for future years. With increased funding annually over the next three years, we will be able to support the arts community in a measured and impactful way.

This year, our focus is on increasing support for individual artists. We expect to fund nearly triple the number of individual project grants. The maximum eligible amount has been raised to $18,000, commencing with applications received prior to the September 1, 2024, program deadline. We are excited to invest these additional resources in many creative projects and the professional development of our artistic community.

At the same time, we are restoring funding to some other AFA grant programs, Arts Presenting and Arts and Education, to pre-pandemic levels. It is also important to note that the AFA will be maintaining funding this year for organizations receiving multi-year operating grants. We recognize that many of these organizations may have been hoping for an increase. We will continue to look at ways we can best support Alberta’s entire arts sector through ongoing engagement with the arts community.

Additional resources will be provided to the AFA Art Collection to increase access and public circulation. With this support, we will continue to grow this important cultural legacy and make it available to a greater number of Albertans.

The AFA remains committed to supporting equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) through our programs and services. Last year, for the second year in a row, the AFA used its Organization Activation Projects grant to support projects focused on EDIA. We look forward to hearing about the impact of these initiatives as they rollout this year.

In closing, I would like to thank the Honourable Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women for the opportunity to serve as the Chair of the AFA. She is a tireless advocate for the cultural sector. I look forward to working with her and all of those engaged in Alberta’s artistic community. 

Kindest regards,

Cynthia P. Moore, Chair
Contact the Chair at afacontact@gov.ab.ca

Did you know that you can apply to join an expert panel for the AFA?

We encourage expert panel nominations from Albertans to ensure the involvement of the arts community in AFA funding decisions. Anyone may nominate a potential expert panel member, including themselves.

To join an expert panel you must:

• First, download the Expert Panel Handbook to learn more about the roles and responsibilities of the expert panel.
• Then, complete an Expert Panel Nomination Form.
• Finally, email us your completed nomination form.

Who selects an expert panel?

Expert panels are assembled as needed by Arts Branch staff. Assembled review panels are reflective of the expertise required for each set of applications and to promote adequate representation of diverse perspectives, including:

• artists in various stages of their career
• artists from different locations around the province
• different gender identities
• Indigenous artists
• culturally diverse artists
• Francophone artists
• Deaf artists and artists with disabilities

Compensation for expert panel members

Expert panel members are paid in accordance with established AFA rates for service.

Panel members are paid a reading fee for each application reviewed and a daily rate for participation during the expert panel sessions.

Learn more about expert panels and the adjudication process

Eligible artists in Alberta can now apply to the AFA for a project grant for up to $18,000. The next deadline to apply is September 3. 

This increase is part of the AFA’s 2024-25 budget, which was increased by Alberta’s government in Budget 2024 by 18% to $30.1 million. Read more about our spending plan.

If you submitted your application before June 24

If you already applied to the September 1 deadline and you have questions about if this change impacts your specific application, please reach out to your grant consultant for more information.

As a reminder, project expenses incurred before final submission of your grant application are ineligible for AFA funding.

First time applicants

If you have never applied for an AFA grant, visit our website for Frequently Asked Questions and find additional grant resources for individual artists.

The AFA supports artists through seven discipline-specific Individual Project Funding Opportunities for Dance, Film & Video, Indigenous Arts, Literary Arts, Music, Theatre, and Visual Arts and New Media. Each funding opportunity supports arts activities in in art production (artistic and cultural creation), research, marketing, or training and career development.

The AFA only accepts applications through GATE Front Office online application system. First-time applicants will require a username and password. Email registrationafa@gov.ab.ca to obtain your login information at least five business days prior to the application deadline.

Please include:

• your legal name
• the funding opportunity to which you are applying
• your email address

Your username and password will be sent to the email address provided.