Alberta Arts Days 2011: Five Feature Celebration Sites

An announcement from the Government of Alberta, Arts and Cultural Spirit:

Five Feature Celebration Sites and 64 Host Celebration Sites to lead Alberta Arts Days festivities

Edmonton... To encourage participation, help foster new relationships and increase access to cultural experiences, the Government of Alberta is providing support for Alberta Arts Days events in 49 communities. Sixty-nine groups will share a total of $375,000 to assist with planning and coordinating events in their communities and will be designated as official Alberta Arts Days 2011 Celebration Sites for their efforts.


“We’re hoping the leadership shown by the Celebration Sites will inspire even more Albertans to get involved,” said Lindsay Blackett, Minister of Culture and Community Spirit. “Some amazing relationships have developed from the partnerships that were formed in previous years.”

Each organization receiving support will partner with others in their community to present free, family-friendly events and activities during Alberta Arts Days 2011, September 30 to October 2. Host Celebration Sites must present programming for two days and Feature Celebration Sites must present programming for all three days as well as stage a main event.

“Alberta Arts Days is about family, community, diversity and cultural vibrancy. It’s a celebration of everything great about this province,” added Blackett. “The support and participation of all communities, governments, businesses, organizations and individuals is required to truly showcase Alberta’s creative spirit.”

Hosting an Alberta Arts Days event is an opportunity to foster relationships, develop new partnerships, strengthen community spirit and showcase local talents. It also provides a platform for organizations and communities to boost the impact and reach of existing efforts to promote cultural programming. Last year, 91 communities hosted 681 events. Now in its fourth year, Alberta Arts Days will continue to promote the value of the arts, increase Albertans access to cultural experiences and encourage creative collaborations.

Anyone interested in hosting an event should visit www.AlbertaArtsDays.ca. The site features a number of event planning resources and promotional tools. Also, those that register their events on the Alberta Culture Calendar will benefit from a provincial marketing and communications campaign.

Alberta Arts Days is helping to achieve the goals of our province’s cultural policy, The Spirit of Alberta, which is designed around four keystones: access, capacity, excellence and sustaining cultural industries. It is also part of Culture Days, a pan-Canadian movement to raise the awareness, accessibility, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities.


Media inquiries may be directed to:
Keltie MacPherson
Communications, Alberta Culture and Community Spirit
780-427-6530
keltie.macpherson@gov.ab.ca
To call toll free within Alberta dial 310-0000