Spirit of Alberta Culture on the Rise!

On Tuesday May 20 the Alberta Foundation for the Arts / Arts Branch held a community update meeting with Alberta’s cultural (creative) industries in Red Deer. The purpose was to meet with Alberta’s book publishers, magazine publishers, sound recording labels, and small film production companies in order to provide an update on the AFA’s and the Ministry’s direction regarding cultural industries in our province.

During the meeting, the AFA representatives including Jeffrey Anderson (jeffrey.anderson@gov.ab.ca), Executive Director, Arts Branch and Executive Director, Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Al Chapman (al.chapman@gov.ab.ca), Director, Arts Development, Jonathan Meakin (jonathan.meakin@gov.ab.ca), Writing, Publishing, Film/Video, Cultural Industries Projects, Provincial Service Organizations and Anita Lunden (anita.lunden@gov.ab.ca), Director, Service Improvement Initiatives provided an update on the AFA’s program evaluation of the cultural industries grant programs and an update on cultural industries in the context of Alberta’s new Cultural Policy, the Spirit of Alberta.

Stakeholders from the cultural /creative communities were invited to ask questions and discussion took place about dispersal of the new money, attracting, training and retaining industry professionals, succession planning, and audience development at home. For the first time in a long time we have hope for the future of cultural industries in Alberta. We know the Premier is committed (See http://culture.alberta.ca/culturalpolicy/pdf/SpiritofAlberta.pdf) and Minister the Honourable Lindsay Blackett is on board. Therefore, it behooves all of us to let the Premier and the Minister and the Arts Branch civil servants know we are committed to an Alberta offering and supporting an inclusive and thriving cultural community.

Linda Cameron, Director

University of Alberta Press