For about 3 years, the words “Lead with Culture” have been popping up in my notebook, on presentations, in speeches, on our annual report, and finally, as the title of our latest draft strategic plan (by the way, the shiny, designed, edited, public, version of that draft plan will be made available as soon as possible… the essence of it you’ll find in this blog series… ). For us, this phrase serves as a kind of mantra, a reminder of the potential of the sector we work for: the potential to define our city, to humanize the day to day, to engage young minds and keep the spark alive for those of us who are young in spirit, to generate economic returns in new and exciting ways, and to regenerate tired neighbourhoods. It is also no stretch to say that Calgary artists are making tremendous contributions to the cultural canon of the world on a consistent basis. If Calgary decides to lead with culture, the returns will reach every corner of the city, and the ripple effects will be felt in every sector, reaching well beyond our city.

The other three words give a flavour of how this all comes together: a thriving art scene, resonating in Calgary and around the world, energizing our citizens and communities.  That’s why we do what we do. And if you look around the world, you’ll find that most interesting cities are investing in the arts for this reason. The differentiator is how they go about it. That’s where we come in.

What is an Arts Development Authority Good At and Good For?

Our approach to what we do has always been reflective. We know what we don’t know, and we’re always questioning what’s working and what isn’t. We’re big on analysis, reflection, debate and discussion. Because we’re consciously working to change the landscape to make it more fertile for the growth of the arts sector, if we’re successful, our programs and activities need to adapt to the new reality. If we’re not successful, then we should be changing our programs and activities to get better results.  Bottom line: self-reflection is built into our organizational DNA.

What have we learned? The biggest insight is this: Calgary Arts Development is an enabling organization. We create the conditions for success: of Calgary and its citizens and of the arts sector and its organizations and artists.

Here’s a little admission: being an “enabling organization” is often a tough sell. The majority of the payoff for the work we undertake comes long into the future. Sure, we can point to short-term, direct outcomes, but we’re most interested in what happens in the long term.

That core insight is supported by several statements that we think capture nearly everything you need to know about our organization, how we work, and what we think we’re good at and good for:

• We view the arts sector as an ecosystem in which individuals are as important as the largest institutions.
• Our intent is always to add capacity, build foundations, and create connections. Through this work, we build and leverage an informed and unified voice, inside and beyond the arts sector.
• Increasing the capacity of Calgary’s arts sector is a complex undertaking that requires taking calculated risks, trusting and earning the trust of our community, employing new methods that may not have precedent anywhere in the world, and doing all of this with wisdom, enthusiasm and vigor.
• We strive to be wise investors with a view to the long-term future, whose privileged perspective, deeply rooted in an understanding of our community, is our greatest asset.
• We are willing to take risks on Calgary’s artists, because we believe in their ability to transform our city.
• Our investments, which we recognize as interventions in a system, can take many forms, including funding, facility provision, training, marketing, facilitation, and advice.
• When we make investments, we do so knowing that other orders of government and actors in and out of the sector are making similar investments. We respect their mandates and do what we can to ensure our investments are synergistic.
• Bringing an informed perspective to our partners and The City of Calgary is a vital responsibility of ours.
• When we are successful, when our investments pay off, the environment changes. We must therefore remain agile, adaptable and responsive while keeping our eye on the long-term future.

In my next post, I’ll review our first 5.5 years of activity, which was about “first things first,” and setting the stage for inspiring growth in the future.