Where Calgary Magazine September / October 2018 | Page 25

Development is Calgary’s designated arts
development authority that invests and
allocates municipal funding. They are
requesting an increase in municipal arts
grant funding from $6.4 million to $19.5
million over the next four years.
They propose to increase operating
investment in not-for-profit arts
organizations, increase support to individual
artists, and increase the diversity of the
arts sector to better reflect Calgary’s
demographics.
“We are on the verge of systemic change
when it comes to diversification of not only
our economy but our identity,” Pon says.
“That’s a huge opportunity for those of us
who are civic partners to work together
and move the city’s identity and brand in
a consistent direction where we all see
ourselves in that identity — as an arts
community I’m not so sure we have.”
They’re also proposing to build on arts
development programs through research,
engagement, events and more, which
includes promoting talent we already have in
Calgary to draw visitors.
“Calgary is promoted as a gateway
to the mountains, which
is fantastic,
arts and culture scene is key to recruiting
knowledge workers.
“The cultural scene is part of what makes
a city a great city,” Rawji says. “I’m interested
in the arts as an individual and a human —
and as a business person, it’s critical if we’re
CITIZENS BAND TOGETHER TO
actually going to grow and diversify this
ADVOCATE FOR ARTS FUNDING
economy.”
Philanthropists Christine Armstrong and
Rawji adds that in today’s tense political
Irfhan Rawji started Creative Calgary, a
climate, and amidst the growing fear of
non-partisan group of citizens, in 2017 to
the “other,” art is critical to bringing people
advocate for an increase in municipal arts
together.
investment, noting that Calgary lags behind
“Visual arts or dance is a universal
other major cities across Canada when it
language and has a way of allowing us to
comes to art funding.
share a common experience and bring us
Rawji says due to the downturn in the
together,” Rawji says. “It’s a tool for inclusion
economy, the corporate sector can no longer
and building bridges.”
support the arts community like it once did.
Both Calgary Arts Development and
“We started Creative Calgary because we
Creative Calgary urge Calgarians who believe
realized if we didn’t get the sector together
civic investment in the arts is important
to describe that challenge collectively and
to reach out to their city councillors, who
highlight this gap, it probably wouldn’t get
provide guidance for city administration in
fixed, and put a lot of different companies at
the next budget cycle (they are reviewing the
risk,” Rawji says.
2019-2022 plans and budgets in November
He says from a business
2018).
perspective, a vibrant
“If we don’t decide as a city and
community of citizens that we think this
is important, it will probably disintegrate
of
t
r
a
s
because it can’t survive under its current
’
p ge
funding structure,” Rawji says. “If we
b i g s t a to
A wn
s
i
decide as a community to support it,
e
r
D o s i o n e at o a l l
we can make it even better.”
s
h
but it shouldn’t be the first thing,” Pon says.
“What about Prince’s Island Park and the
Calgary Folk Musical Festival, or East Village
and the container park, or Studio Bell?”
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MORE THAN
50,000 PEOPLE IN CALGARY
ARE EMPLOYED IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES
SECTOR IN CALGARY3
ABOUT 65 PER CENT OF 500 SKILLED
ONTARIO WORKERS WHO WERE SURVEYED SAID:
A VIBRANT ARTS COMMUNITY IS A DRIVING
FACTOR WHEN MOVING FOR WORK 4
1: CALGARY ARTS DEVELOPMENT 2: BASED ON DATA FROM ORGANIZATIONS FUNDED IN PART THROUGH CALGARY ARTS DEVELOPMENT
3: CALGARY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 4: SURVEY, NANOS FOR BUSINESS FOR THE ARTS, 2016
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
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