News
May 15,
2007
Alberta
artists set to benefit from new $6-million
partnership
New
grant program will encourage artistic development
Edmonton...Starting
this fall, Alberta artists will have access to a new
$6 million fund that will support further
development of the arts in Alberta over the next
three years.
The Alberta Creative
Development Initiative is the result of a new
partnership between the Alberta Foundation for the
Arts (AFA) and the Canada Council
for the Arts.
Each organization will contribute $1 million per
year for three years to the new program, which will
provide grants to professional artists and arts
organizations including those that have not
previously accessed funding from the AFA and the
Canada Council.
“The
arts play a central part in Alberta’s cultural
vitality, and also in our economic prosperity,” said
Hector Goudreau, Minister of Tourism, Parks,
Recreation and Culture, responsible for the arts in
Alberta. “This new partnership will enhance the
support that government currently provides to
Alberta’s artists and arts organizations.”
In
2005-06, the Canada Council provided grants and
payments worth $7.4 million to Alberta artists and
arts organizations. The new initiative provides an
additional funding opportunity for projects by small
and medium-sized Alberta-based arts organizations
and collectives, as well as for individual artists
and arts administrators across the province.
“The
Canada Council believes that arts funders at all
levels of government – and in the private sector –
should be working together to achieve shared
objectives in support of the arts in Canada,” said
Canada Council Director Robert Sirman. “For many
years, Alberta artists and arts organizations have
not applied for grants from the Canada Council at
the same rate as in other parts of the country. This
partnership will allow us to create additional
opportunities for success and to increase our
investment in the long-term development of Alberta
artists, whose work will be seen and enjoyed by
audiences here in Alberta and across Canada.”
Funding
will be awarded based on peer assessment and
artistic merit, with full details yet to be
finalized. The AFA and the Canada Council are
working with the Calgary Arts Development Authority
and the Edmonton Arts Council to develop the
program. Details of the grant process for the
Alberta Creative Development Initiative will be
announced in the fall.
“This is
a significant achievement for the AFA, the Canada
Council and Alberta’s arts community,” said Audrey
Luft, Chair of the AFA. “I am excited about the
partnership’s potential to boost Alberta artists and
arts organizations to the next level of their
development.”
The
Government of Alberta, through the AFA,
provides grants to Alberta artists, art
organizations and cultural industries. The new
funding partnership is made possible through the
additional $4.5 million the AFA received in budget
2007-08 – a 63 per cent increase in lottery funding
since 2002. The total budget of the AFA for 2007-08
is $27.3 million.
Supporting Alberta’s arts community
is part
of Premier Ed Stelmach's plan to improve Albertans’
quality of life.
Other priorities for
the government are to govern with integrity and
transparency, build a stronger Alberta, manage
growth pressures and provide safe and secure
communities.
Media enquiries may be directed to:
|
Keltie MacPherson, Communications
Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
(780) 427-6530 To call toll-free within
Alberta dial 310-0000.
keltie.macpherson@gov.ab.ca
|
Donna Balkan, Communications
Canada Council for the Arts
1-800-263-5588, ext. 4134
donna.balkan@canadacouncil.ca |
