Calgary Arts Development hosted its first trial event for the Dialogue Series at Cantos Music Foundation on Oct. 18th. Using the community engagement method called the World Cafe, facilitated by Cheryl De Paoli, 17 people from diverse sectors came together to explore questions and possibilities around cultural space for the arts. The summary of results from this meeting are below. Thanks very much to all who participated and to The Cantos Music Foundation for the use of their fabulous Discovery Room.

Question 1

What does it mean to be an artistically vibrant city?

• Describe your dream of what an artistically vibrant city looks like?
• Tell us about your most inspiring experience with the arts and artists?

Create an artistically looking city via architecture and art pieces

• Artistically vibrant city means being bombarded visually by art everyday
• Urban sprawl contributes to a decrease in cultural vibrancy
• Heritage buildings by the city will be donated to arts groups.
• Connecting arts communities to urban sprawl
• People on the street – synergies – many hubs – follow the cheap rent
• Shared busy street life, multi-purpose
• Need doorway to glass places of the corporate world
• Public transportation is linked to cultural vibrancy
• Town centres across big city
• The City itself is a canvas

Flagship arts area

• A flagship arts area that welcomes artists, children and parents to develop artistic endeavours
• Artists need geographical centred communities – this is a key factor to cultural vibrancy
• Central arts hub
• Create a public art gallery
• Vibrancy – central hub or at least an area or two where artists can group together – synergy

Create a city where arts is valued on the same level as everything else

• Local authenticity is apparent and promoted
• Thriving arts community with sustainable support systems
• Leadership to advocate for arts for its own values
• Arts should be promoted 365 days a year as a core value of Calgary
• Have a arts value within society not just focus on business
• A city that values the importance of the arts

A bit of chaos happening

• Allows shades of grey
• Calgary deals in a black/white definitive and needs to recognise and respect shades of grey in between.
• Vibrancy – art flourishes in turmoil
• Art exists in between black & white (grey)
• Artistically vibrant allows the “grey” between “black & white” to flourish

Place for artists of all maturities to practice and sustain careers

• Get the community involved in the popular arts
• Sustainable arts organisation/ accessible funding
• A measure of the health of the Arts is global
• Openness to ideas
• Art gives hope
• Arts needs Leaders
• Arts-Friendly Environment
• Celebrate locals – open door for artist to begin their career and be able to establish a practice
• Artists must thrive in Calgary and be able to earn a living

Vibrancy – all faces of the professional arts community

• Celebrate the arts and engage public market
• Make the arts more attractive to those that don’t directly relate to it
• Multiculturalism
• Inspiration & synergy = better art
• Vibrancy – many choices
• Soul. Depth. Character.
• Diversity
• Artists are vanguard

Strengthen ties with all levels of government to raise awareness of arts as a value

• Create awareness amongst potential funders of financial values of the arts
• A city where arts is proudly displayed and celebrated
• Civic Leadership and pride
• Big “core” of people that make up the arts community

Question 2

• What does Calgary need to be an artistically vibrant city?
• What are your ideas for making the arts more visible, accessible, meaningful and sustainable in Calgary?

Visibility/presence of arts in our everyday lives

• Accessibility through partnership
• Happenings, Authentic, organic, emergent art events
• Start with changing perceptions about the value of arts
• Perceptions – value of art(ist) in society
• Festivals in shopping malls

Awareness/inventory of resources, options, possibilities available

• More spaces – entrepreneurs supported in the creation of performance space
• Reason to enable social cohesion through art. Remove barriers, money, rules and laws
• Accessible space that is affordable
• Access affordable space to present
• HUB– place - wychwood gardens in Toronto
• Accessibility through partnership
• Provide affordable space to attract artist so that they can showcase their work

Start young – value importance of art, history, critical and community thinking

• Make art a priority from early age. Infiltrate corporate world with Artist in Residence. Build doorways – physical and metaphysical.
• Target youth to appreciate arts in school outside community
• Instill importance of art in school curriculum. Engage the province to incorporate more art hours in elementary to High School
• Provincial and municipal government should implement educational programs that allow children to develop love for arts.
• More artists – a farm system for growing them
• Calgary needs provincial education standards could stress the arts a bit more in the curriculum
• Build the permission to be creative into school curriculum – corporate culture – neighbourhoods

Calgary needs to mean something to its citizens – more than just a place with high paying jobs – that is why art is important to be valued

• Connect with history and future
• Start with changing perceptions about the value of the arts
• Interest, awareness in Calgary’s history
• Addressing URBAN SPRAWL as a factor in undermining artistic vibrancy

Synergy created through artistic space

• Approaching corporations for support in space and funds
• Top down example from the City of Calgary that shows support for the arts (ie. Public Art)
• Inventory of available spaces for the arts to use
• University of Calgary demonstration of support for the fine arts
• CADA should look at operating costs for artists/groups and develop policies for these to be shared or supplemented resources – rent, accountant, fax machine and advertising
• Create a specific centre for arts to be focused
• Form partnerships and coalitions to form interest group to lobby for more money and investment
• Accessible directory events and spaces
• Encourage partnerships and expand audiences – consumer, artists…
• Daily opportunities for all Calgarians to participate in the arts – kids – suburbanites, etc.
• Society approval to be an artist

Create a key message why art is important – people should understand what’s in it for me

• Make the arts valued – city could start a publicity campaign “The Arts: What’s in it for me”
• Allow art seeds to germinate to grow and flourish as opposed to force – accept art – don’t judge it.
• Perception – value of art(ist) in society

Calgary needs stuff for residents not just tourists

• Create areas of art (ie Granville island) that are easily accessible
• Use arts to give meaning to the city at all times of the year – accessible for everyone
• Enhanced creativity even helps at work
• How to encourage Calgarians to value the arts ?
• More undefined public space
• Focus on natural artistic landscape
• More connecting between new and old. Heritage being adopted by next generation of creators
• Redevelopment with artists space built in
• Partnership to sustain endeavours and initiatives
• Hubs of activity

Question 3

• What considerations should be taken into account when creating and locating art space in Calgary ?
• What resources, policies and support are needed from government, corporate and other stakeholders to make Calgary artistically vibrant?

Community capacity, affordability, access, awareness, and community owned in EVERY community

• Transportation – make it easy for the arts to be accessed in every neighbourhood

Funding would be necessary to create art space, a way to get funding easier could be including communities, specifically nannies, children in activities that would provide education on the importance of arts. By making arts more valuable to the community support would increase.

• Arts should be reflected in everyday life
• Communities and citizens need to be invested into success of arts in order for it to flourish.
• Arts need to be viewed as efficient, rewarding and vital in order for a capital driven society like Calgary in order for it to be valued.

Give a percentage of provincial and municipal taxes to sustaining arts spaces

• Affordability – accessibility designed hubs
• Shift in political will to support arts from all levels of government

We need art-artists everywhere to build sense of pride and place to activate communities to enrich the whole city and be part of the landscape

• Change attitudes and social acceptance of art as valuable and viable practice.
• Bring art-artists into communities by giving communities a means of being involved in activity and making resources available to help communities support art and take pride in artists.

Bring more tax breaks for organisations and individuals who get involved with arts

• Tax breaks for business models like art central and group studio spaces
• Corporations should participation in the development of artistic spaces by allocating space in new developments
• Approach corporate world to integrate arts – do not make corporations an enemy – embrace the wealth in Calgary
• Need to build corporate awareness of the financial benefits of arts support
• Artist in residence for government and corporations
• More support from all 3 levels of government – financial, policies – if you displace an artist, must supply alternate space – kind like policy on trees
• Encourage matchmaking between artists and corporations in order to access corporate human capital

Consider that art and design fosters economic prosperity

• City policies should designate space for creative art that are non-profit oriented
• City support of old buildings – development permits that do not displace arts groups
• Lack of affordable space for artists man many have to leave Calgary
• Lack of example from public institutions of support for arts – City of Calgary and University
• Policy to review permits – do these plans evict artists

Changing policy to be more “yes” oriented – eg. graffiti by-law

Calgary is an opportunity

• What does sustainable culture look like and how can policy support it?
• City Hall – imagineCALGARY – database of what Calgarians value
• Conduit to connect the arts to each other and to neighbourhoods
• Do not homogenize or ghettoize the arts
• Sustainable culture – microcredit on a grant
• Encourage collaboration between artists and arts organizations
• Resources for sustainability

Commitment to value of art in society and growing city

• MFA is the new MBA – synthetic thinking in business connected to arts scene
• Joint MBA and MFA – synthetic thinking
• Professionals to fill gaps in arts organisations
• Education at early age in schools
• Bridge the gap - action