Community News

On November 17, the Canada Council for the Arts announced the 2021 winners of the Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks). Inuk writer, Dr. Norma Dunning, who is based in Edmonton, Alberta, has been awarded the English-language fiction prize for her short story collection Tainna: The Unseen Ones.

About the writer

On top of being a writer, Dr. Norma Dunning is also a scholar, researcher, professor and grandmother. Her previous short story collection, Annie Muktuk and Other Stories (University of Alberta Press, 2017), received the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Howard O’Hagan Award for short stories and the Bronze Foreword INDIES award for short stories. 

About the book

Six powerful short stories centred on modern-day Inuk characters are woven together in Tainna. Dr. Dunning drew on both lived experience and cultural memory, to write Tainna—meaning “the unseen ones” and pronounced Da‑e‑nn‑a.

Read more about Tainna.

About the GGBooks

The 14 best books of 2021 published in Canada, were selected by peer assessment committees that chose award winners from 70 finalists in seven categories, in both English and in French.

• Jenna Butler (Barrhead, Alberta) was listed as finalist for Revery: A Year of Bees under the English-language non-fiction category.

Founded in 1936, the Governor General's Literary Awards are among Canada's oldest and most prestigious prizes for literature. There are seven categories, awarded in both French and English, with $25,000 going to each winning book.

More information

Read more on CBC News.

^{French version follows}

The Arts Professions Recognition Act will endorse the importance of contracts when engaging artists for services and will ensure artists are paid fairly. The legislation will also encourage greater respect for freedom of expression, the arts and artists as professionals and their associations.

“The act recognizes that art inspires, defines who we are, and passes our culture from one generation to the next. Alberta’s culture is unique to Canada, and our province’s creative and cultural industries are an important part of our life as a community. Art is valuable work and artists deserve fair payment in order to secure their economic future. Through legislation, our government is clearly stating art is an important economic driver that creates jobs and helps with our economic, social and emotional recovery.”
Ron Orr, Minister of Culture

“The arts sector has been and continues to be one of the most impacted by COVID, so this legislation is very timely. We need to put artists back to work and ensure they receive fair compensation, recognizing that their contribution benefits all Albertans. The arts stimulate the economy and attract investment, improve mental health outcomes, enrich education, and strengthen social cohesion; for these reasons, they certainly deserve this new support.”
Mary Rozsa de Coquet, board chair, Alberta Foundation for the Arts

“Artists are skilled and hard-working members of the workforce, and deserve to be paid their worth. CARFAC Alberta welcomes provincial legislation that can support fair compensation and greater economic security for Alberta's professional artists.”
Chris Carson, executive director, CARFAC Alberta

The proposed legislation will:

• Formally acknowledge artists’ contributions and promote their work and their rights to help make their artistic enterprises profitable.
• Emphasize Alberta’s continued commitment to freedom of artistic expression.
• Help to protect artists’ economic and contractual rights.
• Model the way for private and non-profit employers and contractors in Alberta’s economy, upholding the professional nature of artists’ work.

The Arts Professions Recognition Act is part of the government’s commitment to grow creative and cultural industries in the province by 25 per cent over the next 10 years and is an important part of Alberta’s Recovery Plan.

Quick facts

• In 2019, the visual and applied arts and live performance industries contributed approximately $1.3 billion in GDP and sustained nearly 20,000 jobs in Alberta.
• According to the 2016 census, there were 44,880 Albertans employed in arts, entertainment and recreation.
• The total median individual income of artists in Alberta ($28,500) was 51 per cent lower than that of all Alberta workers ($52,400).  
• Artists with university credentials at or above the bachelor’s level earn an average of $30,300, which is 55 per cent less than the average earnings of workers in the overall labour force with the same education ($66,500).
• According to analysis of the 2016 census by Hill Strategies, there are 13,300 professional artists living in Alberta (the fourth highest population after Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia), accounting for eight per cent of all artists in the country.

We're pleased to share a special shout-out to Alberta artists who brought home 2022 Juno awards. Congratulations to all of the incredible artists on their wins:

• Maria Dunn: Traditional Roots Album of the Year 
  • She received two AFA Music Individual Project Funding grants for her Joyful Banner Blazing album: art production grant to assist with the recording; and marketing grant for publicity. Catch her live in Leduc and Sherwood Park in 2022/2023.
• Andrew Wan: Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble)
  • Andrew is an accomplished musician born in Edmonton. He was also a 2008 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award recipient.
• Brett Kissel: Country Album of the Year   
  • ​Brett celebrates win in his What is Life? album. Catch Brett on tour in Alberta this summer (Calgary and his hometown, St. Paul).
• Caity Gyorgy: Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
  • Originally from Calgary, Catiy won for her EP Now Pronoucing: Caity Gyorgy.
• Fawn Wood: Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year 
  • Fawn is a Cree and Salish musician from Saddle Lake who won for her album, Kakike.
• Garth Prince: Children's Album of the Year 
  • ​Edmonton-based African artist won for his Falling in Africa album.

For a complete list of the winners and nominees, check out junoawards.ca. All the best to them on their future endeavours! We're proud of their talents and appreciate their magnificient work for all of us to continually enjoy! 

June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada – a time to recognize the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. By reflecting on the past, we can learn more about Indigenous peoples and communities' contributions and sacrifices, and we can walk the path towards reconciliation.

Our Board members, Tom Jackson and Andrea True Joy Fox, created a land acknowledgement video on behalf of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA). Watch below: 

The AFA enthusiastically support Indigenous arts as a unique, distinct arts discipline. We collect artworks by Indigenous artists to preserve, exhibit and promote. We encourage all Albertans to learn about the rich culture and artistic expressions of Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island.

During National Indigenous History Month you can:

• Discover amazing artwork by Indigenous artists in the AFA's collection.
• Participate in upcoming events throughout the province. 

Image description

Two moose in geometric multi-color triangles of different shades of green, pink, orange, blue, and purple are in a forest of green trees and hills. The text says "National Indigenous History Month" and "June".

On June 25, 2021, the Alberta government announced it would work with Indigenous communities to establish a permanent memorial on the Alberta legislature grounds for the victims of the residential school system.

Indigenous artists can submit a Expression of Interest for a memorial on legislature grounds to honour residential school students who never came home.

Funding

Up to $1 million.

Eligible applicants

This Request for an Expression of Interest is open to the following categories of Indigenous artists from or living in Alberta:

• individual artist
• artist-led teams
• artist collectives
• partnerships of artists

Recent familial connections to Alberta First Nations or with the Metis Settlements and Métis Nation Regions are required.

Deadline

Deadline to apply: July 29 at 2 pm MT.

For more info:

news release

Learn more on eligibility requirements and how to apply by clicking on the pink button below.

For further information or to set up an informational meeting please contact ir.rscrg@gov.ab.ca.

Like the rest of the world, Alberta is navigating a new reality brought by a pandemic that is changing public life and re-shaping our economy. Organizations in the arts, culture, sports, recreation, tourism and hospitality sectors, all which rely on live, group experiences, are grappling with new challenges. Organizations need to be prepared for a change in audience behaviour. The question is what that will look like, now and over the coming months.

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative is being funded by: 

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts 
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development 
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

​This research is being conducted in six waves over the course of the next year with the first wave of results (based on surveys conducted between May 21 and June 2, 2020) now available.

This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the first wave of research are now available.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report
• Edmonton Report

You can subscribe to receive notifications when the new reports are available by visiting stone-olafson.com. 

This research is being conducted in six waves over the course of the next year. This is a community resource that is FREE to access and results from the third wave of research are now available. 

Findings for Alberta organizations from Wave 3 results include:

• Community attitudes on comfort are becoming entrenched.
• Risk tolerance provides a richer understanding of how Albertans will approach engagement.
• Right now audiences indicate they need to hear experiences will be safe and fun.
• Capitalize on desire for shared experiences but with a focus on innovation and intimacy.
• The intersection of cohorts, shared experiences, and risk tolerance means audiences will engage, but appear to be doing so with their cohorts in mind - "will this put my friends/family at risk?". 

What are the implications for Alberta organizations?

• Comfort with conditions and other people has dampened willingness to actually engage in their usual activities. It is likely this variable is an additional barrier impacting final consideration of participating in activities.
• The benefits you offer and the messaging you broadcast must overcome that broader interpretation of risk. Whereas risk used to be overcome simply by appealing to the motivations of the individual, now we will have to assuage safety/health concerns that impact the people around the individual (i.e. safety measures are not just for you; they are for those around you.)
• Knowing who you can reach, what to offer them and what to say will be critical as organizations plan how to engage audiences in the coming months.
• Right now audiences indicate they need to hear the experiences they will have are safe and fun. This is critical for building confidence and organizations need to reinforce those dual messages of safety/comfort with enjoyment. The weight of each type of message will vary depending on how risk tolerant the audience is.
• Audiences need to hear they will be able to have the desired shared experiences but that the experience is safe (for them and their cohort). To balance those needs of social, safety, and fun, organizations will need to develop and continuously reinvent (often many times over) the types of small group offerings that deliver this.
• Opportunities exist for organizations in the experience economy to engage Albertans by balancing the notion of cohorts with shared experiences. Show them how to engage with their entire cohort or at least show the activity will not put their cohort at risk.

Download the reports:

• Alberta Report
• Calgary Report 
• Edmonton Report

You can subscribe to receive notifications when the new reports are available by visiting stone-olafson.com. 

About the project

The Alberta Foundation for the Arts is pleased to be a funding partner in this collaboration with Stone-Olafson and other community leaders to develop a long-term research investigation and evaluate how current conditions will reshape Albertans’ attitudes and behaviours towards social and group activities, across a variety of sectors. The purpose of this work is to give leaders of community sports, recreation, arts and culture, professional sports, active living, heritage, tourism or hospitality sectors relevant facts about local audiences that they will need to bring life back to our communities.

The initiative is being funded by: 

• ActiveCITY Collective
• Alberta Foundation for the Arts 
• Angus Reid
• ATB
• Calgary Arts Development 
• Calgary Foundation
• Edmonton Arts Council
• Edmonton Community Foundation
• Rozsa Foundation
• Stone-Olafson
• Travel Alberta

Calgary's IntegralOrg has been added to the The National Network of Legal Clinics for the Arts map on its National Network website. This is the first Alberta-based organization to be included in the network.

IntegralOrg offers education and support to Alberta nonprofits and charities in governance, strategic planning, risk management, and legal compliance.

National Network of Legal Clinics for the Arts

The National Network of Legal Clinics for the Arts is a proposed system of connected regional legal hubs for artists and arts organizations that includes existing Canadian pro-bono legal clinics.

Current Clinics:

British Columbia + Yukon:

• Pacific Legal Education and Outreach Society | PLEO

Alberta

• IntegralOrg (for Nonprofits)

Manitoba:

• L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic

Ontario

• Artists’ Legal Services Ottawa | ALSO
• Artists’ Legal Advice Services | ALAS
• Visual Artists’ Legal Clinic of Ontario | VALCO

Nova Scotia

• Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS)

Join the AFA in recognizing its 30th Anniversary and the annual Month of the Artist by celebrating our local artists and arts organizations. Get to know Frederick Kroetsch, documentary filmmaker.  

Frederick is an Edmonton-based documentary filmmaker. Jump to his bio below. The World Premiere of his newest film, Blind Ambition: The Story of Wop May, will be on October 3, 2021, at the Edmonton International Film Festival. Check out screening info here.

We asked Frederick about his film, his practice, and about being an artist in Alberta...

Tell us about your documentary filmmaking practice.

For me, collaboration is key. Filming documentary content can be difficult and usually requires working with many other artists. There are directors, cinematographers, actors, animators, editors, foley artists…depending on the complexity and creativity it often means numerous people.

I also prefer to be diverse in the content I make. It ranges from commercial to abstract. There are numerous aspects to documentary, and I enjoy all of them.

What do you want people to know about documentary filmmaking as an art form?

Documentary IS an art form. It isn’t just reality TV, activism, and true crime retrospectives. Documentary has a long and celebrated history in Canada, with some proposing we make it our official art form.

Documentary is ubiquitous - our digital landscape is inundated with vlogs, Youtube, news organizations and Netflix. So much of that content falls into conventional tropes.

I’d like people to think about the way we tell our stories and seek out content that has style and originality. Next time you post a selfie video, record using lights, or do it under water.

Tell us about your recent project Blind Ambition: The Story of Wop May

Blind Ambition brings to life the story of what I think is Edmonton’s most inspiring pilot – Wilfred ‘Wop’ May.

This project started as a very small and conventional documentary with talking heads interspersed with archival photos. As we slowly received more funding support, the project became more ambitious.

Once we secured some AFA funding, we decided to recreate some of the historical moments that didn’t have any archival materials. Then we decided to shoot on actual 35mm film. Another grant came in and we decided to film with a 50-piece orchestra in Prague. We pieced it all together in small hops.

In the end it became a 20-minute short documentary with creative elements like cinematic dramatic recreations and comic book art.

What is it like to be an artist in Alberta?

Like all places, there are both positives and negatives to being a documentary filmmaker in Alberta.

On the positive side there is tremendous support from organizations like the AFA, Edmonton Arts Council, Edmonton Heritage Council and the Film and Video Arts Society of Alberta (FAVA) to keep me telling stories. The film community is passionate and always ready to lend a hand.

It is also less expensive to live here and rent facilities than other major cities. Alberta also seems to have an entrepreneurial/risk-taking spirit that often lets me push the barrier a little further.

On the negative side, I’m required to travel long distances to attend industry events and meet with broadcasters.

^{Behind the scenes filming Blind Ambition: The Story of Wop May}

It’s been a difficult year for artists. What’s has your experience been like trying to work during the pandemic?

I went from shooting a food travel series across Canada with my wife, to sitting in my basement in front of a computer. Although financially challenging, it provided me an opportunity to look inwards and start developing new projects.

Due to timing issues, we had no options but to film Blind Ambition during the pandemic. It was challenging to work with a relatively large crew and maintain proper COVID protocols – but we managed to pull it off with no one getting sick. 

What’s the most important thing Albertans can do to support local artists in Alberta?

Find out if your elected officials care about supporting artists. Go to local art shows. Hang out at local film festivals. We make cool things here – we should be proud of that.

And please come to the Edmonton International Film Festival to check out amazing Albertan films!

Frederick Kroetsch bio

Frederick has numerous credits under his belt! Here are a few highlights...

He made Last of the Fur Traders for AMI-tv, which follows the journey of his father returning to the arctic.

He also created the TV-series Queen of the Oil Patch for APTN. Frederick has made dozens of documentaries for organizations such as TELUS Originals, CBC Digital, Telefilm, Bravo, NFB, CTV and Shaw.

He recently produced the feature documentary The Secret Society and is currently directing the TV-series Dr. Savanna: Wild Rose Vet for Cottage Life.

Frederick graduated with a film production degree from Concordia University; was awarded a Top 40 Under 40 Award in his home city of Edmonton; and won a Hot Docs Short Film Pitch. He is an alumnus of The Werner Herzog Rogue Film School, The NSI Business for Producers Program, Whistler Doc Lab, and the TELUS Fellowship Program. 

Frederick is EP and DOP on Wochiigii lo: End of the Peace, which premiered at TIFF 2021.

The film Form and Function from his arts collective “Are we artists or Cops?” is currently on display at the Artists in the Fallow Exhibit at Brighton Block. He is also very excited about receiving his first Canada Council grant for an experimental film tentatively titled Flesh Ballet

How will you take part in art and support artists? Share your experiences through social media by tagging the AFA and using the hashtag #TakePartInArt.

As the AFA celebrates its 30^th Anniversary and the annual Month of the Artist, we’re encouraging all Albertans to “take part in art.” A recent study by Hill Strategies Research Inc. provides insight on the positive health and mental health impacts of arts participation.

In February 2021, Hill Strategies Research Inc. released the report Canadians’ Arts Participation, Health, and Well-Being.

The report probes the relationships between 15 arts, culture, and heritage activities and four aspects of health and well-being:

• Overall health
• Mental health
• Satisfaction with life
• Satisfaction with feeling part of the community (i.e., sense of belonging)

The report shows important linkages between the arts and well-being, linkages that are particularly important within the current pandemic and eventual post-pandemic recovery.

Key Findings:

• There is a strong connection between cultural participation and health.
• There is solid evidence of a connection between cultural participation and mental health.
• There is a moderate connection between cultural participation and satisfaction with life.
• There is a limited connection between cultural participation and community belonging.

Strong Connection with Health

Arts and culture activities have a strong statistical connection with overall health. Attendees or participants in all 15 arts, culture, and heritage activities are more likely to report very good or excellent health than non-attendees or non-participants. For 14 of the 15 activities, the differences are statistically significant, including arts activities such as: active arts participation; live theatre or comedy attendance; classical and popular music attendance; cultural festival attendance; art gallery attendance; and book reading.

Solid Evidence of a Relationship with Mental Health

The analysis provides evidence of a connection between cultural activities and mental health. Attendees or participants in all 15 arts, culture, and heritage activities are more likely to report very good or excellent mental health than non-attendees or non-participants. For 12 of the 15 activities, the differences are statistically significant, including arts activities such as: live theatre or comedy attendance; classical and popular music attendance; cultural festival attendance; art gallery attendance; and book reading.

Moderate Connection with Overall Satisfaction with Life

Some of the evidence in the report shows a positive connection between cultural activities and satisfaction with life. However, the connection is not uniformly positive, depending on the measurement used for satisfaction with life.

The measurement with the strongest apparent connection with cultural participation is the satisfaction rating of 7 to 10. Attendees or participants in all 15 arts, culture, and heritage activities are more likely to rate their satisfaction with life as 7 to 10 than non-attendees or non-participants. For 13 of the 15 activities, the differences are statistically significant.

Limited Connection with Sense of Belonging

The report contains some positive evidence of a connection between cultural participation and Canadians’ sense of belonging to their communities, but the evidence differs depending on the measurement used for community belonging.

The measurement with the strongest apparent connection with cultural participation is the satisfaction rating of 7 to 10. Attendees or participants in 11 of the 15 arts, culture, and heritage activities are more likely to rate their satisfaction with feeling part of their community as 7 to 10 than non-attendees or non-participants. For four activities, the differences are statistically significant.

More information

Read the full report on Hill Strategies website.