The pandemic has been difficult for many artists and cultural workers, but researchers are looking for stories of innovation and resilience. Cultural Resilience: Using Innovation to Stabilize in Times of Crisis is a multi-year project of the Creative City Network of Canada, in partnership with the Cultural Human Resources Council and Les Arts et la ville. Hill Strategies, an Ontario research firm, is participating in the project's first phase. The second phase will see professional development opportunities to transmit key findings to others, with the goal of building the sector's resilience. You can submit stories about innovations expected to have a lasting impact to www.culturalresilience.ca.
Lethbridge city council has approved a $5.8-million renovation for the Southern Alberta Art Gallery as part of the city's capital improvement program over the coming decade. The project incorporates renovations to optimize the existing floor plan and provide security and environmental controls at the city-owned facility. The plan also includes a loading dock, an outdoor patio and a catering kitchen. Board co-chair Melissa Arseniuk said the renovations will allow the gallery to expand programming and enhance the experience of visitors.
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts has adopted a pluralism policy aimed at encouraging arts participation by all Albertans. It's asking for expressions of interest – the deadline is July 2 – from qualified organizations or individuals who can help implement the policy, says board chair Mary Rosza de Coquet. "Our intention is to make immediate, tangible updates and positive changes to our programs and services starting this fiscal year," she says. Pluralism – defined as recognizing, respecting and valuing difference – means taking decisions and actions, as individuals and societies, grounded in respect for diversity, she says. For information, email afacontact@gov.ab.ca.
The Capture photo festival has announced its second annual writing prize, a juried $2,000 award to support emerging writers and broaden the discourse on lens-based art. The winner will be commissioned to write a 1,000-word text for Capture’s annual catalogue on a current issue related to lens-based art. Applications are due by June 21.
Lorilee Wastasecoot (Ininew/Cree) has stepped into the newly created position of curator of Indigenous art and engagement at the University of Victoria's Legacy Gallery. Wastasecoot grew up in Winnipeg and moved to Victoria in 2010 to continue her education. She has worked at the gallery for more than four years in various grant-funded positions and will continue to build relationships with Indigenous artists and communities.
The Portrait Gallery of Canada has appointed Joanne Charette as its first gallery director. Charette, a specialist in corporate strategy and communications, brings experience from the museum world to the gallery, a not-for-profit corporation. Two online exhibitions are coming soon to portraitcanada.ca. In Keeping with Myself, a self-portraiture show curated by Darren Pottie, opens Aug. 19, while a solo exhibition by Winnipeg-based artist KC Adams, curated by Ann Davis, will go on view early next year.
The Remai Modern has chosen three Saskatchewan artists, Michel Boutin, Monique Blom and Alasdair Rees, for a new live arts project. They will spend the next 10 months researching, engaging with the community through talks and workshops, and developing a public performance. Associate curator Troy Gronsdahl says the project will build deeper relationships between the museum and performance artists.
For the second year in a row, the Mitchell Art Gallery in Edmonton has put together a summer artist mentorship program. Developed as a rapid response to help artists in the spring of 2020, it will see four established artists paired with four emerging artists in the Edmonton area. The mentees are Dana Belcourt, Sanaa Humayun, Madeline M. LeBlanc and Roseanna Joy Nay. Their mentors are Cindy Baker, Laura Grier, Les Ramsay and Meera Sethi.
Alcheringa Gallery, an Indigenous art gallery in Victoria, is changing its name to the Mark Loria Gallery. The 40-year-old commercial venue, which specialized in Pacific Rim Indigenous artists, said the new name reflects a narrowed focus on contemporary Indigenous art from British Columbia. Mark and Mary Loria, the gallery's owners since 2018, are working with a core group of 35 Coast Salish and Northwest Coast artists. Alcheringa was founded by Elaine Monds, who named the gallery for an Australian Indigenous word for the Dreamtime, the mythical era of creation, when the world and all living creatures were sung into existence.
Artists from southwestern Saskatchewan are welcome to be part of the inaugural Southwest Art Fest in September. The festival is open to all forms of the visual arts, as well as film and music. For information, go here.
The Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is presenting 99 Ways to Start, an online information session for emerging art writers based on the Prairies. It runs June 24 from noon to 1:30 p.m. MT and CST. The event is a partnership with C Magazine, the AKA artist-run centre in Saskatoon, and the New Gallery in Calgary. C’s editor, Jac Renée Bruneau, will offer an array of questions, prompts and principles for starting a piece of writing. Additionally, attendees will be given basic information about publishing, article pitches and editorial feedback. For information, contact editor@cmagazine.com.