Canada Council for the Arts Launches Alberta Focus Initiative

Ottawa, Ontario, February 12, 2025 – The Canada Council for the Arts is launching the Alberta Focus Initiative to deepen its collaboration and engagement with Alberta’s vibrant arts community.

This initiative builds on the commitment by the Canada Council for the Arts to address historical funding imbalances experienced by Alberta’s arts communities. Past related efforts have included organizing in-person outreach sessions in Lethbridge, Canmore, Edmonton and Calgary, including dedicated sessions for artists and arts organizations from Indigenous, Deaf and disability and racialized communities.

Starting in the spring of 2025, two Alberta-based arts liaison consultants will be retained to establish an on-the-ground presence for the Canada Council in Alberta. The consultants will engage with communities across the province to increase awareness of and access to funding opportunities and provide the Council with field intelligence with a view to ensuring impactful support of Alberta’s arts sector.

This latest two-year initiative will build on the Council’s previous investment in programs like Future Focus in Calgary and Invent and Adapt in Edmonton. Through ongoing collaboration with the Alberta arts sector, this initiative will expand the Council’s reach and impact in Alberta for the benefit of the entire arts ecosystem.

About the Canada Council for the Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts is the national public arts funder in Canada, with a mandate to “foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts.” The grants, services, initiatives, prizes and payments that are awarded by the Canada Council contribute to the vibrancy of a creative and diverse arts and literary scene; these activities support and have an economic impact on the arts in communities across Canada. The Council’s investments foster greater engagement in the arts among audiences from coast to coast to coast, as well as contributing to the international recognition of Canada’s artists and arts organizations.

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