AFA News

See how the AFA cares for an exquisite new acquisition by Métis Cree visual artist, Sharon Rose Kootenay, and the different steps we take to document, catalogue and preserve her work for the benefit of all Albertans.

The artworks in the AFA Art Collection mean so much to the artists, to the staff that work with them, and to the many, many Albertans who have an opportunity to view them through exhibitions, art placement programs, or even online in our Virtual Museum.

Watch:

50th Anniversary of the AFA Art Collection

Established in 1972, the AFA Art Collection is a unique representation of the history, development and achievements of Alberta's visual arts community. Today, the AFA is proud to manage one of the strongest, most active provincial art collections in Canada.

On September 29, 2022, the AFA began celebration for the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of the AFA Art Collection. Learn more about how we are celebrating throughout 2022 and 2023.

We are proud to diligently care and work with each of our more than 9,000 artworks in Alberta's public art collection. This is the second episode of a five-part series about the AFA Art Collection.

• Watch episode 1 of the series, Building a Collection, on YouTube

Videos produced by Hidden Story Productions.

We at the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) are very saddened to learn of the passing of John “Jock” Osler.

Jock Osler always said, “Stick with your message,” and his message was clear: engage with your community, make a difference and have some fun along the way. Jock was a champion of the Arts. I would often see him at ATP (Alberta Theatre Projects) and hear him calling the curtain at Vertigo Theatre. Of course, thousands heard his voice as the announcer of the Calgary Stampede’s Grandstand show. Fittingly, in 2018, a studio at the TransAlta Performing Arts Studio on Stampede grounds was named in his honour.

Jock was Chair of the AFA from 1994 to 2001, a fact he quietly mentioned when he called to wish me well in the role. I easily remember his public advocacy for increased public funding of the Arts during those years and the changes he facilitated: under his leadership, the AFA introduced a new funding formula for public art galleries and a new grant program structure in order to increase stability of the sector.

So much more could be said about Jock’s many contributions in the political arena and beyond, but he liked succinct writing. We will all miss you Jock. On behalf of the AFA, I extend my deepest sympathies to your family and friends.

Mary Rozsa de Coquet
Chair
Alberta Foundation for the Arts (2020 - 2023)

We’re excited to announce recipients of the $2,500 Young Artist Prizes.

These artists were nominated by our the AFA Influential Alberta Artists as part of a one-time funding opportunity to commemorate the AFA's 25th Anniversary. Each of these emerging artists have already made an impact on their community and are well on their way to honing their craft to become the next generation of influential artists.

We look forward working with these talented individuals as we ring in the next 25 years of arts in Alberta.

Learn more about each of the artists below:

	Young Artist	Influential Artist Nominator	Bio
	Alanna Blackrider-Onespot	Nominated by the Making Treaty 7 Cultural Society on behalf of Michael Green & Narcisse Blood	Alanna is an indigenous writer, a poet, and a performing artist who uses her creativity to empower youth and express herself. She has travelled to multiple countries and communities to share her spoken word poetry, and facilitates art workshops in her community to share the healing benefits of art with youth.
	Alex Smith	Michelle Minke	Alex is what the performing world calls a triple-threat: he can sing, dance, and act at an exceptional level. He has performed nationally and internationally, including performing for more than 10,000 people a night at the MUNY in St. Louis.
	Angel Berry	Nominated by Connie Edwards on behalf of Gil Cardinal	Angel is an award-winning actress, producer, and spoken word artist. She is also the author of three children’s books, and has over 21 film and TV credits at age 14.
	Anna Semenoff	Chris Cran	Anna is currently in her third year at the Alberta College of Art and Design, majoring in sculpture. She is primarily interested in working with video art in a sculptural format, creating artworks unlike anything seen before.
	Cassia Hardy	Lorrie Matheson	Cassia Hardy is a musician and songwriter. Since starting her musical project Wares in 2013, Cassia has gained national prominence for her distinctive style of songcraft, mixing classic folk sensibilities with grimy, hair raising punk rock.
	Celia Taylor	Marty Chan	Celia founded her theatre company, Empress of Blandings Productions in 2015 with the goal of reviving old or forgotten works and bringing them to life for new audiences, in new and unexpected ways.
	Charlotte Cranston	Alice Major	Poet, performer and organizer Charlotte Cranston was named Edmonton's first ever Youth Poet Laureate in 2015, during which role she founded YEP--Young Edmonton Poets--a safe, compassionate, regularly-running writing circle for Edmonton-based teens and pre-teens.
	Erin Vance	Aritha van Herk	Erin Vance is an MA student in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Calgary. She has already published over 60 poems and 50 non-fiction articles in various magazines, journals, and anthologies, with more on the way.
	Gillian McKercher	Sharon Stevens	Gillian McKercher is a Calgary-based filmmaker. Her work explores the differences between what individuals want and what they receive. Specifically, Gillian is interested in how circumstance affects our actions. Gillian most notably directed The Calgary Collection web-series, which profiles Calgary’s folk music community.
	Griffin Cork	Trevor Anderson	Griffin Cork has been working professionally in the theatre, film, and voice-over industry for over ten years. Griffin was deemed an Arts Champion of Calgary in 2012 by Calgary Arts Development Association and His Worship, Naheed Nenshi, and won the Duval Lang Theatre for Young Audience Emerging Leader Award at Calgary's Betty Mitchell Awards.
	Jade Carpenter	Nominate by Mike Schubert on behalf of Dr. Joane Cardinal-Schubert	Jade Nasogaluak-Carpenter is an Inuk artist based in Calgary, born in Yellowknife and raised in Edmonton. Jade uses art and humour as a coping mechanism to subtly address diaspora, and to openly address mental illness. Her work aims to counter the stigmatism surrounding mental health.
	Jake Tkaczyk	Lynda Adams	Jake is an Edmonton-based theatre artist in his final year of the BFA Acting Program at the University of Alberta. Also a graduate of Red Deer College’s Theatre Performance and Creation program, Jake has worked as an actor, director, creator and teacher in Edmonton and around central Alberta.
	Kaitlyn Purcell	Rudy Wiebe	Kaitlyn Purcell is a Dene writer, artist, student, and storyteller. Kaitlyn plays with syntax and style, integrating poetry into prose to illustrate the chaos that comes with addiction, mental illness, and rehabilitation.
	Kevin Dong	Gary Burns	Kevin Dong is a Calgary-based filmmaker whose work engages with the material, temporal, and experiential qualities of film and video, articulated primarily through the process of editing. Currently, Kevin is working on a project that explores the routines and rituals of suburban life.
	Mallory Chipman	Tommy Banks	Mallory Chipman is taking the jazz scene by storm with her thoughtful compositions, fearless improvisation, and unforgettable performances. Highlights from her career include playing sold out shows in jazz festivals; touring abroad to London, Amsterdam, and Dublin; and singing back-up for the legendary rock group, Heart.
	Nick Samoil	Darrin Hagen	Nick Samoil is a singer-songwriter, composer and pianist who works in all musical disciplines including theatre performance and sound design, film scoring, recording and performing. His folk, rock and R&B influenced original songs are born of a need to communicate his feelings about personal interaction with the people and world around him.
	Rebecca Sadowski	Gerry Morita	Rebecca has trained in dance, acting, and voice from a very young age. Currently, Rebecca is working on choreographing a dance inspired by her Métis heritage and continues to learn Metis styles of dance and craftwork.
	Sabrina Comanescu	Vicki Adams Willis	Sabrina “Naz” Comanescu is a dance instructor, performer, and choreographer. Sabrina is also the current major force behind The Diversity Performing Arts Club of Calgary and created Casa De Naz in 2012, a collective with a mission to “excite and educate art hubs across Canada about the thriving Caribbean community in Calgary and the arts of the Caribbean as a whole through film, fashion and dance”
	Sympa Cesar	France Levasseur-Ouimet	Sympa plays a range of different instruments including the piano, guitar, bass, drums and ukulele. He hopes to release a bilingual EP soon, and already begun recording some of his original works in hopes of getting his name out into the musical communities of Alberta.
	Tamara Cardinal	Katie Ohe	Tamara Lee-Anne Cardinal is a multi-media artist, community activist, oskâpêwis, storyteller and life-long learner. In the studio, Tamara is currently exploring notions around death, rebirth and revitalization in her work.
	Teryn Evans-Tennant	Bob Baker	Teryn began his acting career in 2015 through the Young Acting Company program at the Foote Theatre School. Since then, his passion for acting has grown, and he has passionately thrown himself into several roles and continues to seek out opportunities to hone his craft.
	Tia Jim-Wood	Northern Cree	Tia sings Indigenous, round-dance, peyote, pow-wow, R&B, Blues, Country, Alternative and pop. Tia is also a pianist, drummer and dancer, and has been asked to represent the Gathering of Nation’s Pow-wow 2017, in the capacity of, ”Head Young Lady Dancer of the Gathering of Nations.”
	Tishynah Buffalo	Dallas Arcand	Tishynah Buffalo is a Cree Fashion Designer from Alexander First Nation Alberta. Her designs are Traditional Native prints with a mix of modernized fabrics, she adds her Cree floral beadwork to incorporate her Cree culture. Her most memorable fashion show was New York Couture Fashion Week.

On June 20, 2017, we announced the Young Artists at an event at the Alberta Federal Building in Edmonton, which was streamed live through the AFA Facebook page. Watch the video on Facebook.

Know an exceptional young artist? Consider applying for one of the AFA's scholarships.

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Allison Pfeifer, Industry Research and Policy Consultant with the Alberta Media Fund (and former AFA Arts Development Consultant)

As we prepare to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of Canada’s confederation in 2017, we recognize how our diverse cultural heritage has bound us together as communities and joined us together as a country. Our culture takes many forms, but it is always a sensory experience filled with sounds, and sights, tastes and smells, and the touch of our common humanity.

And where there is a cultural celebration, artists that have been supported by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts are there.

In 2014, along with our artists from sister provinces and territories, several Alberta artists spent the summer in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to celebrate the 150^th anniversary of the Fathers of Confederation. From July 14 to 20, Alberta showcased some of our best and brightest talent.

Here are ten highlights from Alberta Week at PEI 2014:

1)      Cheering on, as three-time World Champion Hoop Dancer Dallas Arcand, gets a standing ovation for his powerful and moving performance.

2)      Enjoying award-winning Alberta author Marty Chan’s stories and appreciating his creative answers as he takes part in an interactive distance learning quiz with Royal Tyrrell Museum.

3)      Watching in astonishment as Sheldon Casavant turns a $5 bill into a $20 bill in his street magic.

Photo of Sheldon Casavant, ©2014 

4)      Toe-tapping to the rhythmic music of Hot Club Edmonton.

Photo of Hot Club Edmonton, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

5)      Hearing awesome music all throughout Alberta week and feeling pumped up as past AFA grant recipients and award winning musicians, including Indigenous artists Asani, blues artist Kat Danser, folk musician John Wort Hannam, opera singer Jacques Arsenault, and folk musician Maria Dunn perform.

Photo of Kat Danser, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

6)      Witnessing the competitive spirit of families as they battle it out in the calf roping competition for Alberta prizes such as Alberta Rangeland’s Bison Bites and Alberta Quick Cooking Barley.

Photo of calf roping, ©2014  Lois Nickerson

7)      Experiencing the incredible creativity of visitors designing their own Ukrainian eggs and dream catchers.

Photo of dream catcher, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

8)      Seeing the amazement of children as they look at fossils and learn about Dromaeosaurus, Pachyrhinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex and Albertosaurus from the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

Photo of Tyrannosaurus Rex skull “Black Beauty”, ©2014 

9)      Laughing so hard as Atomic Improv is being moved around by two audience members during an improv skit.

Photo of Atomic Improv, ©2014  Jim Takenaka

10)   Dancing enthusiastically to previous AFA grant recipient and country recording artist, Bobby Wills, as he opens up for Paul Brandt.

During Alberta Week, those that stopped by the celebration zone also got to test their skills on Alberta history. Did you know that?

• The Royal Tyrrell Museum, located in Drumheller, is home to more than 130,000 fossils.
• The Wetaskiwin-based Reynolds-Alberta Museum, which interprets technological change in transportation, aviation, agriculture and industry, holds the second-largest collection of aircraft in Canada.
• The Frank Slide, Canada’s deadliest rockslide, lasted only 90 seconds.
• CBC’s longest running family drama, Heartland, is filmed in High River, Alberta. Other television series filmed in Alberta include Hell on Wheels and Fargo.
• Famous director Christopher Nolan has filmed two blockbuster films, Inception and Interstellar in Alberta.

Finally, regional foods and award-winning wines, spirits and ales from PEI and other parts of Canada were showcased. Delicious and nutritious Alberta barley was offered at Fathers Pub & Oyster Bar, the go to restaurant on the Celebration Site. People that sampled these tasty treats definitely agreed that Alberta food products are among the highest quality and tastiest around the world.

Needless to say, the organizers of PEI 2014 were truly impressed at the exceptional talent, variety and diversity of what Alberta has to offer.  

As we head into Canada’s sesquicentennial next year in 2017, Alberta culture will be there to join in the celebration. How will you celebrate Canada 150 and be a part of history?

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way.  

By Barb Mah, Arts Development Consultant

The Alberta Ballet performing Black Swan in 2012, via Notable.ca

The Alberta Ballet, Beaverlodge Cultural Society, the Edmonton Fringe Festival… what do these organizations have in common? Aside from the fact that they’re all bursting with talented artists, they also benefit from the AFA’s three-year funding cycle.

Three years ago, the AFA piloted a three-year operating grant cycle through the Professional Performing Arts Operating (PPAO) grant. This allowed the organizations to budget on a longer cycle, thus empowering them to plan and project operating costs with more efficiency. Since then, other operating streams have moved into this mode of funding including the Public Art Galleries, Provincial Arts Service Organizations and most recently, Major Arts Presenting.

For the organizations in these grant streams, benefits of three-year funding includes more long-term planning, budgeting and forecasting on the part of the organizations, plus the simplified reporting that takes place in years two and three. Instead of having to fill in arduous application forms each year as well as providing final reports (which they had to do in the past), organizations now fill in simplified one-page reports. This frees them to spend more time providing arts events and programming to you!

Let’s break these grants down a bit:

Professional Performing Arts

The Citadel Theatre via Explore Edmonton

PPAO grants assist recipient organizations in the pursuit of excellence in their artistic mandates and governance practices while providing support in the development of their organizational capacity.

For example, the Citadel Theatre is one of North America’s largest not-for-profit theatres, and a PPAO grant recipient. The Citadel is a complex of five performance spaces in downtown Edmonton. They feature an outreach performance series each year known as Beyond the Stage, designed to encourage people who have not encountered much live theatre to come into the Citadel and experience various forms of entertainment beyond conventional theatre offerings. (via http://www.citadeltheatre.com/about-us/)

Other examples of PPAO recipients are the Alberta Ballet, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Theatre Calgary.

Professional Art Galleries

Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery via website

The Public Art Galleries Operating grant stream ensures that Albertans have access to visual arts through the work of recipient organizations.

The Crowsnest Pass Public Art Gallery is one of our PAG recipients. Crowsnest Pass Allied Arts Association, a charitable, non-profit organization, manages the Art Gallery. The gallery provides rotational monthly exhibitions of local, provincial and national art, art programs for adults and children, as well as many special events throughout the year. The Gallery also organizes exhibits at the local Stone's Throw Cafe. (via http://www.crowsnestpasspublicartgallery.com/)

This grant stream provides funding which creates full-time employment opportunities for arts administrators, and supports professional fees paid to artists.

Other PAG recipients include the Art Gallery of Alberta, Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge, and Beaverlodge Area Cultural Society.

Major Arts Presenting

Calgary International Children's Festival via Calgary Herald

The Major Arts Presenting (MAP) grant stream is integral to the AFA’s support of the arts in Alberta. This grant stream provides funding in three-year cycles to eligible professional organizations that present public presentations of arts disciplines, in support of programming, administrative and operating expenses.

This includes organizations like Calgary International Children’s Festival, for example.

The Calgary International Children’s Festival has grown to become one of the most prominent arts festivals of its kind in Canada and the largest presenter of performing arts for young people in Calgary. Over 60,000 parents, children, and teachers attend the festival each year.

The organization currently employs more than 120 performing artists, administrative staff, technicians and theatre venue personnel and enlists over 500 volunteers over the course of each year. (via http://calgarykidsfest.ca/about-kidsfest/)

Other MAP recipients are Edmonton International Fringe Festival, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, Edmonton International Film Festival, Edmonton Jazz Festival, and The Works.

Provincial Arts Service Organizations

A Writers' Guild of Alberta event in 2014 via ivereadthis.com

PASO grants assist recipient organizations in the pursuit of excellence in their organizational mandates and governance practices while providing support to the development and growth of their membership.

An example of a PASO we support is the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta is the largest provincial writers’ organization in Canada. The Writers' Guild of Alberta formed in 1980 to provide a meeting ground and collective voice for all the writers of the province. Writers’ Guild members write in every genre and at every level of expertise. The Guild seeks to inspire, connect, support, encourage and promote writers and writing, to safeguard the freedom to write and to read, and to advocate for the well-being of writers.(via Writer's Guild of Alberta)

Other PASOs are Alberta Craft Council, Alberta Dance Alliance, Arts Touring Alliance of Alberta, Theatre Alberta, Regroupement Artistique Francophone de l’Alberta (RAFA), Visual Arts Alberta - CARFAC  find funding

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Sarah Pocklington, former Indigenous Arts Development Consultant

In March 2005, the AFA initiated a three-phase consultation process to explore and understand the needs of Indigenous artists and arts organizations in Alberta. The first phase, completed in June 2005, focused on visiting Indigenous communities across the province to determine the needs of the communities in relation to arts funding. The second phase in October 2005 focused on secondary research and included interviews with service providers working with Aboriginal communities. The third and final phase focused on consulting and interviewing Indigenous artists and arts organizations throughout Alberta. The draft recommendations for phase three were completed in April 2006.

From this exploration, we arrived at the following key focus areas:

Outreach – building relationships and creating an Indigenous Outreach Strategy;

Capacity Building – Access to training and development opportunities related to grant writing, marketing, planning and communications for Indigenous artists and organizations;

Advocate – “Spreading the word” about Indigenous arts;

Support – allocating funding for amateur and professional Indigenous artists and arts organizations;

Networking – creating and supporting networking opportunities for Indigenous artists, organizations and service providers;

Continued Dialogue – Encourage and support dialogue with Indigenous communities through consultation and research processes, listening circles, events and conferences.

The AFA hired an Indigenous Outreach Worker on an eight-month contract as a part of the 2006-2007 AFA Action Plan. The plan introduced a pilot grant program for arts organizations, along with workshops targeted specifically to Indigenous artists with the goal of increasing awareness of AFA programming and encouraging applications. In 2006-2007 the AFA provided $95,205 to Indigenous arts organizations with $50,000 support from the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

Today, the AFA has a full-time Indigenous Arts Development Consultant who oversees the Indigenous Arts Individual Project Grant Stream and coordinates the Alberta’s Future Leaders Program for First Nations and Metis communities across Alberta. In 2015-16 the AFA provided $143,056.98 in project funding for Indigenous project grants. (Indigenous artists can apply to any project grant funding opportunity; however this project grant program provides specific support to Inidgenous artists).

Recently, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action included the recommendation of a renewed strategy to promote the arts as a fundamental aspect of reconciliation.

There has also been a demonstrated response on behalf of provincial arts organizations to engage with Indigenous communities in new and expanding ways. Major institutions like the Art Gallery of Alberta have initiated programming as part of their ongoing mandates to include Indigenous artists and their practices.

The City of Edmonton 2016 Arts and Culture Hall of Fame video

Indigenous artists are also receiving greater public recognition for their talents. Recently, Cold Lake’s Alex Janvier was inducted into the City of Edmonton’s 2016 Arts and Culture Hall of Fame. He also received an Honorary Degree, Doctor of Fine Arts from the Ontario College of Art and Design and will be featured in a 2017 solo retrospective at the National Gallery of Canada (which you can read more about in our next blog post!). In 2015 the AFA was pleased to announce the award of a public art commission to Cree artist Brenda Draney for the new Centre for Arts and Culture at MacEwan University, set to be unveiled in 2017 in Edmonton.

Meeting the needs of supporting Indigenous artists, arts organizations and communities is a high priority for the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Arts Branch and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way. 

By Erin McDonald, Manager, Art Collections

National Gallery of Canada via Wikimedia Commons

For many Canadian visual artists, having works exhibited in public galleries is a significant achievement – an affirmation of their artistic vision, public recognition, and a door to more opportunity. Thus, a solo retrospective exhibition at the National Gallery of Canada (NGC) may well represent the peak of a period of an artist’s career. For two Albertan artists, this is certainly true.

Calgary-based Chris Cran and Cold Lake’s Alex Janvier each have noteworthy, full-career retrospective shows coming up at the NGC, Canada’s premiere public collection of historic and contemporary visual art.

More important than the simple fact that two Alberta artists are being recognized is the fact that they are the first Alberta contemporary artist and the first Alberta aboriginal artist to receive solo retrospective exhibitions in the Gallery’s nearly 140 year history. Artworks from the AFA’s Art Collection are some of the featured treasures within both shows.

In the national collection that houses significant and notable works by legends including Dali, Rembrandt, Rodin and Canada’s own Thomson and Colville, Cran and Janvier take centre stage and shine brightly as two of Alberta’s most talented artists.

Sincerely Yours

The exhibition title is as tongue-in-cheek as most of Cran’s original artwork; his playful, humorous and inventive takes on still life, portraiture, landscape and abstraction. His work is known for “challenging perception and understanding of major movements such as Pop Art, Op Art, Modernist Abstraction and Photorealism. Cran playfully combines art history with imagery borrowed from popular culture.” (via the National Gallery)

Curated collaboratively between the Art Gallery of Alberta and the NGC, the exhibition wowed audiences in Edmonton in the fall of 2015, and then travelled to Ottawa for a May 2016 opening. The retrospective, on display until Labour Day 2016, is the most comprehensive exhibition on Cran ever produced. It spans 40 years and 100 artworks: 4 belonging to the AFA art collection, including the quirky portrait Family from The Self Portrait Series.

1988.052.001 Chris Cran Family, 1987, oil on canvas, AFA Collection

Cran has continued to explore the very nature of painting itself, through his varied series’ of work, incorporating digital technology, abstraction and many layers of meaning. In The Metaphysics of Admiration, Cran incorporates homage to the pixelated pop art of Lichtenstein, the frame from his own Framing Device Paintings, and a perhaps as nod to both his early self-portrait series and his own self-awareness: his own image is reflected in the mirror.

2003.036.001 Chris Cran, The Metaphysics of Admiration, 2002, oil, acrylic on canvas, AFA collection

Alex Janvier

A founding member of the original “Indian Group of Seven”, Alex Janvier is known as one of Alberta’s most significant artists. As both a visual artist and advocate, Janvier introduced contemporary aboriginal art to the Canadian art world in the 1970s.

A survivor of the Blue Quill Residential Indian School, Janvier is both prolific and poignant. Janvier created for himself a unique style, featuring clear influences of modernist abstraction merged with the rich cultural and spiritual traditions from his indigenous heritage. Janvier’s work is easily identified.

1975.014.001 Alex Janvier The Sky Begins, 1974 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

As an artist, Janvier has had a long and very successful career, including his role as an in-demand artist for high-profile public art commissions. From his very first public art commission at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton, to his 450m² masterpiece entitled Morning Star in the dome of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of History, Janvier is treasured for his distinctive curved lines and use of bright, and often symbolic, colour. To his name, Janvier has seven public murals across the country, including Iron Foot Place, a nearly 14m diameter circular mosaic to be set in the floor of the Winter Garden for the new Rogers Place (Edmonton).

Admitted to the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts in 1992, Janvier is a true pioneer for aboriginal artists in Canada. He paved the way for generations of indigenous artists by breaking down barriers and eschewing stereotypes of what it means to be aboriginal and an abstract painter. Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to Indigenous visual culture: as an art instructor, a cultural adviser, and as a member of the Indian Group of Seven.

Following three major retrospectives of indigenous Canadian artists, Norval Morrisseau (2006), Daphne Odjig (2009), and Carl Beam (2010), Alex Janvier’s work will take centre stage in the National Gallery of Canada in late 2016. The exhibition brings together more than 75 of Janvier’s most impressive works from early in his career in the 1960s to present. Celebrating Janvier’s unique approach, works on paper, canvas, and linen will show off his range of elegant abstractions.

 A total of nine artworks from the AFA collection holdings are being prepared for transport to Ottawa for the show. These include some of Janvier’s most well-executed abstract works, along with one of his most representational works, Apple Factory (1989). Apple Factory is a stark and poignant statement on the effect of residential schools on generations of indigenous children in Canada.

1989.123.001 Alex Janvier Apple Factory, 1989 acrylic on canvas, AFA Collection

The AFA is proud to support many Alberta visual artists by lending our holdings to other institutions; in 2016 we are committed to at least fourteen exhibitions with our partners, including the National Gallery. 

The Government of Alberta is releasing public data and information to help citizens understand how government works. Some of these datasets and publications are already available, but Open Alberta brings it together in one searchable website. Making this data easily available means it will be easier for people to make decisions and suggestions about government policies based on detailed information.

The AFA receives funding from the Government of Alberta each year, and we distribute the majority of it back into our community as arts grants to individuals and organizations. Now, through the Open Data portal, you can access data from the 2015-16 fiscal year on AFA funding, such as:

• Funding recipients
• Funding amount by region
• Funding summary

Whether you’re an art enthusiast, contributor or a casual attendee, we hope that you’ll find our funding data interesting and useful. 

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way.  

By Barb Mah, Arts Development Consultant

Each fall, Alberta and the rest of Canada celebrates Culture Days -- a weekend in September filled with all sorts of family friendly arts and culture activities ranging from museum tours, to free admission at art galleries, to performance workshops, and much more.

It’s hard to believe that this arts filled weekend has only been around nationally since 2009. But did you know the very first one happened in Alberta in 2008?

Back in the Days of Yore, the Ministry of Culture decided that a day devoted to the celebration of arts would be a really good idea. Naturally, it was up to the Arts Branch to plan and coordinate this day of art. We were excited as Arts Days was born.

Our initial excitement gave way to uncertainty when we realized we had zero blueprints to follow. What would this celebration look like? Who would we invite? What activities would we do? Fortunately a new manager Anita Lunden was assigned to wrangle us into some semblance of a team. Allison Pfeifer (nee Kwan) and Allison Carter-Nitchke assisted her, forming a team we liked to call the Triple A.

I’m not saying we were ambitious, but for that day we decided we would:

1. Commandeer the Southern Jubilee and run free family programming all day in four disciplines: film, dance, music, theatre
2. Invite a ton of artists including the Alberta Ballet and the Calgary Symphony, to put on an event that night
3. Create three lifetime achievement awards 

• Performing Arts: the Tommy Banks Award
• Literary Arts: the Grant MacEwan Award
• Visual Arts: the Marion Nicoll Award

Somehow that little team of three managed to get word of “arts day” out to all the libraries and municipalities in Alberta, inviting them to celebrate the arts, and share their activity on our website.

I was personally in charge of the “Alberta short films” portion of the day at the Jubilee. I know that every artist I contracted to share their work was thrilled to be invited. I’m sure the same was true for my colleagues. In the end, we had programmed an arts crammed day including:

• Free performances in the Jubilee lobby
• A series of dance workshops in the downstairs banquet room
• Animation workshops in the downstairs lobby
• Short film screenings in the “Jubilee Room” upstairs
• Author readings in the upstairs alcove
• Film editing in the upstairs balcony

Triple A were also responsible for programming artists (and stage managing) that evening’s big performances on the main stage (the day was spent doing sound checks and spacing). The arts awards would be given out that night between acts. We would have called this show a Gala, but that was thought to be too formal, so it was deemed a “non-gala Gala.”

We had set ourselves a big party and invited all of Alberta. Now we could only cross our fingers that the people would find this as exciting as we did and show up!

I have very fond memories of packing up displays and charts and contracts alongside my fellow consultants, squeezing everything into a van and driving down Highway 2 to Calgary. I imagined that we looked like travelling gypsies (although with the amount of stuff we had tied to the roof, the Beverly Hillbillies might be a more apt metaphor).

Well, the people came. And came and came. We ran ourselves ragged, not quite believing that so many people were as happy to celebrate the arts as we were. I’m sure some things went awry that day (“Could someone please turn down those taiko drums in the lobby? They’re interfering with the poetry”) and the night’s performances ran way longer than we had initially predicted (lots of art on that stage). But everyone — the public, the artists, the staff, the Minister had fun.

The one and only Barb Mah

In the end, we crowded into a large hotel suite, ordered pizza, scrounged up something stronger than pop and celebrated. It was an exclusive party — you had to know the password to get in: “non-gala gala.”

After that first Arts Days, it became an annual event later renamed Alberta Culture Days in 2012, aligning it with arts and culture celebrations across the country. Alberta Culture Days continues to play a key role in connecting people and communities. 

To celebrate 25 years of the AFA, we’re taking a look back at how we came to be, favourite milestones, and some of the amazing artists we’ve encountered along the way.  

By David Folk, Visual Arts Development Consultant

In the past 25 years, there has been significant expansion in the overall visual arts community in Alberta. Here’ we’ve collected some highlights of the ever-changing organism that is visual arts in Alberta.

Most notably, major institutions like the Art Gallery of Alberta (AGA) in Edmonton and the Esker Foundation in Calgary have become centres of attraction. There has also been significant growth in artist-run institutions such as the creation of new exhibition spaces such as TRUCK gallery (Calgary) and Latitude 53 (Edmonton).

Art Gallery of Alberta (via Edmonton Attractions)

The growth of these types of spaces is indicative of a larger ideological shift in the sector over the past 25 years, as we see the artistic infrastructure reaching out and engaging with the community in new and unique ways. Artists recognize the need to diversify and expand through different types of programming in order to foster new audiences and remain relevant. Galleries are no longer content to just present work, but seek to actively engage with the larger public.

Even the way that individual artists choose to exhibit their work has drastically changed. In the past, many artists often felt forced to find their audience within one of the commercial, public, or artist-run communities. More recently, there is a greater likelihood that we can see the same artists exhibiting in both public and commercial galleries. This suggests there may be fewer barriers in place to predetermine artists’ points of access. Even the newest trend of pop-up exhibitions is indicative of the ways that artists are expanding their reach, and are no longer content with traditional methods to exhibit their work.

The popularity of recent public art festivals reflects a new emphasis on engaging with the community. The success of Nuit Blanche in Calgary and Edmonton—with the program rolling out into smaller regional centres like Red Deer—demonstrates the public’s willingness to engage with the arts.

Calgary Poet Laureate Micheline Maylor conducting a reading during a Pop-Up Poetry Event in Calgary (via Calgary Arts Development Pop up Poetry page)

While many municipalities have displays of public art and art purchasing programs, the City of Calgary Public Art Program was designed to recognize the role the arts play in our community. The program’s strategic direction provides dedicated resources to purchasing and providing access to public art, and acknowledges that an investment in the cultural life of a city enhances the daily lives of its citizens. This philosophy is even more evident through the adoption of the “Living a Creative Life” initiative as implemented through Calgary Arts Development and intended to promote the wholesale integration of the arts into everyday lives.

These tenets are also being seen in the development and creation of live/work spaces that focus on the creative community. In Calgary, cSPACE has taken over the old King Edward School to build a dedicated facility designed to foster community and provide much-needed resources for artists. In Edmonton, ArtsHab is taking on similar activities, all with the vision of integrating artistic practices into daily living.

Smaller Albertan centres have also expanded their vision to build connections with community. The Esplanade in Medicine Hat and CASA in Lethbridge are both good examples of how community engagement is a key part of the mandates for groups and organizations dedicated to building cultural life.

Sandra Bromely's piece,  It's About Time, on the Capital Arts Building in Edmonton

To commemorate the opening of the new home of the AFA Art Collection–the Capital Arts building in Edmonton–and in recognition of the 2005 Alberta Centennial, the AFA launched the Centennial commission project. The commission was awarded by the AFA in partnership with The Works Visual Arts Society to Edmonton artist Sandra Bromley. Her proposal: to create a laminated glass and photographic mural incorporating one hundred images of Albertans “documented” over the course of Alberta’s history. Her work It’s About Time adorns the south east corner of the Capital Arts building, and welcomes our guests daily. Read more about this piece in our AFA25 post It’s About Time.

In 2015, the AFA launched its formal Public Art Commission Program as an annual project awarded to Alberta non-profit organizations to create original public art. The completed projects are site specific, and the artworks become part of the permanent AFA art collection. In April 2016, the AFA was pleased to announce two successful commission projects from the first application cycle: cSPACE Calgary and Arts Council Wood Buffalo. These two projects will bring public art to exciting and creative spaces around our province, including the King Edward School (Calgary) and the Redpoll Centre (Fort McMurray).

With all these milestones and expansions, we wonder: What will Albertan visual artists explore next?