OTTAWA - Their Excellencies the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean and Mr. Jean-Daniel Lafond will be in Calgary, Alberta, on January 23 and 24, 2010, to take part in the High Performance Rodeo, Calgary's International Festival of the Arts. Mr. Lafond is the festival's honorary patron for the third consecutive year.
Their Excellencies will host a public Art Matters forum, organized in conjunction with the festival and the "This is My City Symposium", on the arts as a social integration tool for homeless people. During this visit, Their Excellencies will also meet with the Honourable Lindsay Blackett, Alberta's Minister of Culture and Community Spirit, and His Worship Dave Bronconnier, Mayor of Calgary.
Public Art Matters forum-Sunday, January 24
The 44th Art Matters forum - the theme of which will be "What is the power and purpose of using the arts to engage in social issues?" - will be held on Sunday, January 24, 2010, at 2:30 p.m., in the Glenbow Museum's Conoco Philips Theatre.
Members of the public are invited to take part in this discussion, which will be led by panellists Beth Gignac (Manager, Arts and Culture for the City of Calgary), Louise Gallagher (Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre), Ian Prinsloo (Master of Fine Arts director/facilitator, Experiential Learning Association, Calgary), David Diamond (Headlines Theatre in Vancouver), Reg Knelsen (independent artist and former homeless person) and Brooklyn Fink (interdisciplinary artist from Calgary).
Those wanting to take part in the forum must register by e-mail at thisismycity.calgary@gmail.com or by telephone at 403-268-4545.
For more information about the High Performance Rodeo, please visit www.hprodeo.ca.
About the public Art Matters forums
For the past four years, Rideau Hall - on His Excellency Jean Daniel Lafond's initiative - has organized forums on culture and society called Art Matters. They are wonderful opportunities to bring citizens, artists, academics and administrators together to discuss the challenges facing culture and to examine these issues in our society. More than 40 forums have already been held across Canada and abroad. For more information on these forums, please visit www.artmatters.gg.ca.
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Media Information
Julie Rocheleau
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-7280
www.gg.ca
www.citizenvoices.gg.ca
Brad Walker and Todd Hawkwood
Bottom Line Productions
403-567-1507
brad@bottomlinepro.com
todd@bottomlinepro.com
