Ottawa, November 24, 2008 – The Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts (AFA) announced today the results of the most recent round of grants allocated through the Alberta Creative Development Initiative (ACDI).
The $525,000 funding for this round will go to 21 arts organizations in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Red Deer. Grants were awarded to a wide range of arts organizations including festivals, theatre companies and art galleries. The successful organizations are listed below.
The ACDI is a partnership program, announced in 2007 to support the development of the arts in Alberta. The Canada Council and the Government of Alberta, through the AFA, have each committed funding for three years to the initiative and are jointly responsible for the program with support from the Calgary Arts Development Authority and the Edmonton Arts Council. The AFA is the Government of Alberta's principal arts funding agency.
The 21 successful organizations are:
Fifty-one organizations applied to the June 1, 2008 deadline of the ACDI program. A peer assessment committee made up of seven members reviewed applications and made the funding recommendations. The committee included practicing artists and arts professionals from Alberta and outside the province, selected for their knowledge of a broad range of artistic practices.
This is the second round of grants to arts organizations through this program. In total, 45 organizations have now been funded towards specific projects. Previous recipients have included the Prairie Art Gallery in Grande Prairie, and Notebook Magazine from Edmonton.
"The project funded by this partnership between the Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts will form the basis for our strategic planning for the next 15 years. This is the kind of project that the Gallery has always needed, but never had the funding to pursue" said Robert Steven, Executive Director of the Prairie Art Gallery. "We believe that in our case the Alberta Creative Development Initiative will succeed in increasing the capacity for creative development among all the residents of Grande Prairie for generations to come."
"Notebook Magazine was very grateful to receive a grant from the ACDI," said Steven Teeuwsen, Managing Editor. "This year we have produced issues that featured the work of over 150 artists, writers and curators from Edmonton. We never would have been able to be this productive without the funding."
ACDI also offers grants for individual artists to support research, creation, production and/or dissemination, as well as professional development, including residencies.
The next grant deadline for organizations is June 1, 2009. For more information on the ACDI, eligibility criteria and application forms visit the Canada Council website or the AFA website.
A complete list of successful applicants and the names of the peer assessment committees from the previous competitions are available on the Canada Council website.
Carole Breton
Public Relations Officer
1-800-263-5588 or (613) 566-4414, ext. 4523
Email this contact
Grace Thrasher
Arts Promotion Coordinator
1-800-263-5588 or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5145
Email this contact
Alberta Culture and Community Spirit
Lindsay Blackett, Minister
780-422-3559
To call toll-free within Alberta, dial 310-0000
ccs.minister@gov.ab.ca
Alberta Foundation for the Arts
Al Chapman, director of arts development
780-415-0307
To call toll-free within Alberta, dial 310-0000
al.chapman@gov.ab.ca
